SUMMER LIVING : Vacations in...

Nearly every year since moving to the area 8 years ago, Mark Hancock of Escondido has come with his family to Palomar Mountain to camp. “It’s a nice place to relax,” said Hancock, who had pitched a tent with his wife and two children at the Observatory Campground near the top of Palomar.

This year, he says, they discovered wild strawberries growing by a creek along one of the many trails that surround the campground. “The kids like camping, and there is plenty of nice open space. It’s close to our home in Escondido, but it’s high enough to be cool in the summer.”

Whether you’re inclined to pitch a tent, sleep under the stars or sleep in a recreational vehicle, North County has a variety of mountain campsites that don’t necessarily boast hot showers, but do hold the promise of cool breezes and the scent of pine.

PALOMAR MOUNTAIN

There are two roads up the mountain from California 76. County Road S6, out of the Rincon Springs area, is known as South Grade Road. It is the more scenic but is much steeper and more winding, making it difficult for some RVs and trailers.

East Grade Road, or S7, begins at California 76 at Lake Henshaw, and makes for a much less severe ascent. S7 is usually more suitable for RVs and trailers.

Near the top of Palomar Mountain are two popular campgrounds run by the Palomar District of the Cleveland National Forest. Both the Observatory Campground and the Fry Creek Campground are on County Road S5 at an elevation of about 5,000 feet and are open to the public on a first-come first-served basis. Each is usually filled by noon or so on Saturday. No reservations.

Water is available at each facility, although there are no showers. Bathroom facilities are of the vault, rather than the flush variety. Tables, stand-up grills and fire rings are provided at each individual campsite but there are no hookups for trailers or RVs.

The two campgrounds are one-eighth of a mile apart, and are on the county road S6 about 2 miles north of the intersection of county roads S6 and S7.

The Observatory Campground has 42 sites, 13 of which are large enough for trailers. Sites are set next to groves of evergreens, adjacent to the meadow or beneath oaks. The 2.1-mile Observatory Trail, always a favorite of hikers, begins at the campground and ends at the Palomar Observatory parking lot.

Just a few hundred yards past the Observatory Campground on S6 is the Fry Creek Campground, which has 20 sites, most shaded by evergreens and oaks.

Unlike the Observatory Campground, Fry Creek is not a good spot for trailers or RVs. The two-way paved road is too narrow for most trailers and there are no areas in which to turn around.

The fee for sites at each campground is $7 per night, and $2 per night for an additional vehicle. Payments should be deposited in the self-service pay station within a half hour of site selection.

For information call Cleveland National Forest, Palomar Ranger District; 788-0250.

On the west side of the mountain is Palomar Mountain State Park. The park is about 5,500 feet above sea level and has 31 camping sites at the Doane Valley Campground. Each site has a table, stove and fire ring. Flush toilets, hot showers and piped drinking water are available.

The fee for the sites, which are surrounded by the park’s pine and fir forests, is $12 a night. Maximum trailer length is 24 feet, and maximum motor home or camper length is 27 feet, although there are no hookups for the vehicles.

Campsites can be reserved by calling MISTIX at 1-800-444-PARK (7275). For more information, call Palomar Mountain State Park at 742-3462 or 765-0755.

Situated in the Palomar Mountain foothills at an elevation of 3,000 feet is the privately run Oak Knoll Campground. Open year-round and set among the Live Oaks, this facility is tailored to campers whose idea of roughing it is laying by the pool. Oak Knoll does, in fact, have a swimming pool, as well as hookups for water and electricity for trailers and other RVs. There are also hot showers, a recreation room with Ping-Pong and pool, and a store and laundry room. There are, of course, picnic tables and fire rings. Firewood is available.

Rates are $15 per night and are based on double occupancy, with each additional person paying $1.

Operates on a reservation and first-come, first-served basis. All 45 sites have hookups for water and electricity, but tenters are welcome.

Located at the intersection of California 76 and Palomar Mountain Road (S6). 31718 South Grade Road, Pauma Valley. 742-3437.

AGUA TIBIA WILDERNESS

North of Palomar Mountain and stretching up across the Riverside County line is the Agua Tibia Wilderness area, part of the Palomar Ranger District of the Cleveland National Forest.

The area is named for the Agua Tibia Creek, and includes Agua Tibia Mountain, which joins Palomar Mountain and Aguanga Mountain in the three-block Palomar Mountain range.

There are no camping facilities in the wilderness area, and a no-cost permit must be obtained for backpacking or remote camping.

Access to the Agua Tibia Wilderness is usually through Dripping Springs Campground, another Palomar District, Cleveland National Forest facility.

Dripping Springs Campground is in Riverside County, about 10 miles east of Interstate 15 on California 79.

Like the Observatory and Fry Creek campgrounds, it is first-come, first-served, no showers or hookups. There are 26 sites at $7 per night, and trailers and RVs can fit comfortably. Elevation is 1,600 feet.

For information call 788-0250.

CUYAMACA MOUNTAINS

Cuyamaca Rancho State Park is located in a mountain setting on California 79 between Interstate 8 and Julian. It has 25,000 acres of oak and pine forests and meadows.

At an altitude of more than 4,000 feet, the park has dense forests of tall cone-bearing trees such as white fir, incense cedar and several varieties of pine, including ponderosa, Coulter, sugar and Jeffery. Some of California’s largest canyon live oaks grow in the park, and the banks of the park’s spring-fed streams are the home of a variety of riparian trees--sycamores, willows and alders. Lake Cuyamaca is nearby.

There are two campgrounds at Cuyamaca, both located just off California 79: the Green Valley Campground and the Paso Picacho Campground. Paso Picacho has 85 sites and is about 2 miles south of Lake Cuyamaca, while Green Valley, with its 81 sites, is about 4 miles south of Paso Picacho. Green Valley is at 3,957 feet, Paso Picacho at 4,870 feet.

At both campgrounds each site has a table and a fire ring. Drinking water and restrooms are nearby, along with hot showers (at 25 cents for a minute and a half).

Reservations can be made by calling MISTIX at 1-800-444-PARK (7275).

Cuyamaca Rancho State Park, 12551 California 79, Descanso. 765-0755.

LAGUNA MOUNTAINS

East and slightly south of the Cuyamaca Mountains are the Laguna Mountains, which have a drier climate than Palomar or the Cuyamaca peaks. There are forests of Black Oak and Jeffery Pine here. To the east lies the desert.

Mt. Laguna, at the Laguna crest, is the highest elevation in the county accessible by auto, and has two campgrounds in the Laguna Mountain Recreation Area, which is part of the Descanso Ranger District of the Cleveland National Forest.

At a 6,000 foot elevation is Burnt Rancheria Campground, with 108 sites, 17 of them able to accommodate trailers up to 21 feet in length. There is plenty of shade from the pines and oaks, but no hookups, flush toilets or showers. There are tables, fire rings or stoves, and water.

At 5,500 feet, the Laguna Campground is a few miles north of Burnt Rancheria, and a little way down the mountain on S1, known as Sunrise Highway. You can get to S1 from the north by taking California 79 south from the Julian area, or from I-8 to the Sunrise Highway (S1) turnoff.

The Laguna Campground, which is open year-round, has 105 sites, including 24 for trailers up to 21 feet, and the amenities are the same as Burnt Rancheria. Both campgrounds are on a reservation and first-come, first-served system. The fee is $8 per night.

For reservations call 1-800-283-2267 (CAMP). For information call 445-6235.

JULIAN

East of Ramona, near the intersection of California 78 and 79, is the Julian area and the William Hiese County Park. The park is under the auspices of the San Diego County Parks and Recreation Department and has a campground with 102 sites.

There are hot showers and flush toilets but no hookups at the 40 or so trailer and RV sites. The campground accepts reservations for most of the sites, but keeps some on a first-come, first-served basis. The sites are amid the peaceful pine woods.

Fees for the sites are $11 and, if applicable, there is an additional $3 reservation fee.

For reservations call 565-3600. For information call the San Diego County Parks and Recreation information line at 694-3049.