TENT camping in southern california with kids

Question

We would like to take our very first camping trip with our 4, 5, and 10 year old. Any advice on where to go? Could you please state if you have actually been there, or if you heard about it from someone else? Thanks, hopefully this will be the first of many camping trips! Oh yeah, not on the beach, we live in san diego so the beach wouldn't be very new and different for us.

Answer 1

I don't know how far you're willing to drive, but I grew up in Ventura and we used to camp at Lake Casitas all the time.  It was wonderful!  I'm on the east coast now and I've had trouble finding a place like this to take my kids.  

Answer 2

Mt Laguna

Laguna Campground is nice, and is a family oriented campground. I have camped there while section Hiking the Pacific Crest Trail....

Bluejay Cpgd in the Santa Ana Mtns is nice too.

I stayed there last March overnight before descending Hot Springs Canyon

Mt San Jacinto State Park in idllwild would be good too...

When my son was younger he didn't like the very remote camp site I like

Answer 3

Lake Hemet in Riverside County is pretty nice this time of year, warm in the day, cool at night.  Rainbow trout are stocked in the lake. Both large mouth and small mouth bass, different catfish are also in the lake.

Camp sites are nice, get one in the shade if possible. Pay showers are available.  Bring warm sleeping bags as nights can be pretty cold in those mountains.