USDA Forest Service · California
Escondido Campground
USDA Forest Service · California, United States
- Sites
- 9
- Hookups
- 9 with water, 9 no hookups
- Season
- Year-round
- Drinking water
- Yes
- Restrooms
- No
- Pets
- Yes
- Elevation
- 2,211 ft
- Dark sky
- Bortle class 1
- Cell coverage
- T-Mobile none · AT&T none · Verizon none (carriers' 4G LTE filings to the FCC, 2025-12; not measured here)
- Access road
- ESCONDIDO CG. (NFSR 19S09D) · native material · suitable for passenger cars
- Lake
- Los Padres National Forest
- Nearest town
- Greenfield
- Phone
- 805 434 1996
- Activities
- Biking, Camping, Hiking
About
Overview
Escondido Campground is one of the best kept secrets in the Santa Lucia Mountains. This family-friendly campground boasts scenic vistas that will take your breath away. Surrounded by spectacular rock formations and sprawling oaks this campground rests in a beautiful grassy meadow. The outdoor activities are endless. Hiking, biking, wildlife viewing, picnicking, and bird watching are just a few of the activities you can do while visiting this Los Padres National Forest gem.
Recreation
Escondido Campground has trailheads located near the campground and is only a short drive to multiple other trails with access to backpacking, hiking, biking and horseback riding. Hitching posts for your horses are available at the campground trailhead. Sandstone landscapes, wildflowers and wildlife are part of the experience in this pristine part of the forest.
Facilities
Open daily and year-round, there are nine campsites and each include a picnic table and fire ring. Two vault toilets are located near the campsites. You should plan to be completely self-sustainable for the duration of your trip. There is no potable water (drinking water) onsite. There is no dump station.
Natural Features
Escondido Campground has a diverse and thriving environment that contains ponderosa pine, oak madrone and sycamore trees, just to name a few. The Arroyo Seco River runs through this canyon terrain and only a short distance from the campground. A variety of wildlife viewing and backpacking opportunities await at this hidden treasure.
Nearby Attractions
Hiking trails, biking, fishing, horseback riding are within minutes of this campground. The San Antonio Mission, one of the oldest of the California Missions, is within a 15-minute drive.
Weather, month by month
| Month | Typical high | Typical low | Coldest night | Hottest day | Years with a night below 32°F |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 56° | 45° | 36° | 72° | 0 of 11 |
| February | 55° | 44° | 34° | 74° | 0 of 11 |
| March | 56° | 45° | 37° | 82° | 0 of 11 |
| April | 59° | 46° | 38° | 76° | 0 of 11 |
| May | 65° | 49° | 44° | 78° | 0 of 11 |
| June | 71° | 53° | 47° | 91° | 0 of 11 |
| July | 78° | 59° | 51° | 89° | 0 of 11 |
| August | 76° | 60° | 54° | 91° | 0 of 11 |
| September | 72° | 57° | 50° | 88° | 0 of 11 |
| October | 71° | 56° | 46° | 86° | 0 of 10 |
| November | 61° | 50° | 41° | 76° | 0 of 10 |
| December | 57° | 47° | 38° | 70° | 0 of 10 |
Mid-month figures from 2016–2026 of daily weather at this spot (ERA5 reanalysis via Open-Meteo, CC BY 4.0), in °F. Typical is the median; coldest and hottest are the extremes seen.
Nearby campgrounds
- Memorial Campground · USDA Forest Service · 2 mi · 8 sites
- Arroyo Seco Group Campground · USDA Forest Service · 6 mi
- Arroyo Seco · USDA Forest Service · 7 mi · 40 sites
- Limekiln State Park · California State Parks · 9 mi · 29 sites
- Nacimiento · USDA Forest Service · 10 mi
All public campgrounds in California · Every state and province · Facts read from the operator 2026-02-25. Confirm fees, rules and current status with the operator before you go.