Camping in San Diego, California
A complete guide to camping in San Diego
Photo Credit: KC Welch
Overview
San Diego sits on the Pacific coast at the southwestern corner of the continental US, with a mild Mediterranean climate that supports year-round camping. The city spreads across coastal mesas and canyons from Mission Bay to the Mexican border, and the camping scene splits between bayside campgrounds in the urban core and beach-adjacent state parks along the north county coast.
Campland on the Bay provides the most established urban campground, sitting directly on Mission Bay with tent and RV sites, boat slips, and water-sport rentals. Mission Bay RV Resort and Santa Fe Park RV Resort serve the RV crowd along the I-5 corridor. Tijuana River Valley Campground on the southern edge sits in a river valley near the border with a more rustic character.
North of the city, San Elijo State Beach Campground in Cardiff and South Carlsbad State Beach in Carlsbad put campers on coastal bluffs directly above the Pacific. These state beach campgrounds are the most competitive reservations in the San Diego region, with sites overlooking the surf break. Anza-Borrego Desert State Park, 90 minutes east, provides the dramatic counterpoint to the coast, with desert camping among palm oases, slot canyons, and spring wildflower blooms in the largest state park in California.
Weather & Best Seasons
Best months: Year-round, with September through November as the sweet spot
San Diego averages 266 sunny days per year. Coastal temperatures hold between 55 and 75 degrees in winter and 65 and 80 in summer. Marine layer fog (May Gray, June Gloom) keeps mornings cool and overcast along the coast from May through June. September and October bring the warmest, clearest weather (Santa Ana conditions). Winter rain is light and concentrated from December through February. Anza-Borrego desert temperatures exceed 100 degrees from June through September.
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