Our first trip to KOA San Diego happened because a friend invited our family to join them for a camping trip. At the time, we honestly didn't know much about camping. We didn't have much experience, and we certainly didn't have all the camping gear we have now.
But after that first visit, something changed.
Over the years, we've visited different KOA campgrounds and tried different camping setups, but we kept coming back to KOA San Diego. Eventually, we realized that, for our family, this was probably the best place to camp.
We usually come here as a family, but we've also enjoyed many trips with other families. When we're camping with friends, we usually reserve a group site. When it's just the four of us, we reserve an individual site.
The biggest reason we keep coming back is simple: the kids absolutely love it, and we feel comfortable and safe letting them enjoy the campground on their own.
Our First KOA San Diego Camp
When we first visited, we booked two individual campsites next to an RV site. Each individual site was large enough for our 4-person tent and other gears. I just can't believe that we didn't even have a canopy for shade. We just didn't know much back then.
At the time, I thought camping meant putting up a tent, cooking outside, sitting around a fire, and finding ways to entertain the kids ourselves. KOA San Diego changed that idea pretty quickly.
I remember being surprised by how much there was for kids to do. There was a swimming pool, jumping pillow, playground, gem finding, Gaga ball pit, basketball, and different activities through the Kids Club. There was always something going on.
And for a beginner camper, everything felt surprisingly easy.
Group Camping vs. Camping With Just Our Family
When we go with other families, we try to reserve a group site. The group site can accommodate a large group, and we've used it for trips with several families. It's long enough to fit about three 6-person tents with canopies, so there's plenty of room for everyone to set up together. Each site has electricity, and the group site has water available to share.
The individual sites are similar in the sense that they also have wood chips on the ground and the basic camping setup, but the biggest differences are the size and location. When it's just our family, we usually choose an individual site with water and electricity. The site allows up to six people, which is more than enough for our family.
The electricity is especially useful. We bring an extension cord for charging phones and powering whatever else we need.
CAMPING GEAR
The Kids Basically Have Their Own Vacation
During the day, our goal is actually to relax. The kids, meanwhile, are usually somewhere having the time of their lives. They can go to the playground, swimming pool, jumping pillow, or participate in one of the Kids Club activities. The activities change depending on the schedule. They have everything from crafts to scooter parades to Gaga ball tournaments. Because there are so many scheduled activities, the kids never seem to run out of things to do.
One of the best parts is watching them make new friends. They meet other kids at the campground, become friends almost immediately, and then start visiting each other's campsites. Sometimes our kids will go over to a new friend's campsite to get a drink or something to eat. And when our kids bring their new friends back to our campsite, of course we feed them and give them whatever they need.
That's one of the things I really enjoy about camping here. The kids don't need us to organize every minute of their day. They just become kids.
The Walkie-Talkies Give Us Peace of Mind
We do give our kids their own walkie-talkies. We tell them that whenever they move somewhere, they need to let us know where they're going. They might say they're going to the playground or the pool, and then they're off.
The campground is relatively contained, and there really isn't much reason for them to go somewhere outside of the camping area. Because of that, we feel comfortable letting them explore more independently.
We also bring scooters, which makes it easy for them to get from one part of the campground to another. For us, that's a huge part of what makes KOA San Diego work so well. The kids get a little independence, and the parents get a little time to relax.
Everything Is Easy to Get To
Another reason our kids love this campground is the layout. KOA San Diego is relatively flat. There aren't steep hills or slopes that you have to climb to get from one activity to another. That's especially helpful when you're camping with young kids.
The pool, playgrounds, activities, and other areas are easy to reach. Kids can ride their scooters around, walk with their friends, and move from one place to another without constantly needing an adult to supervise them.
There are also always plenty of other kids around. For our family, that makes the campground feel lively without being difficult to navigate.
Korean BBQ and Campfire Nights
Camping dinner for us usually means BBQ with Korean dishes. There's something about cooking outside that makes even familiar food taste better.
Of course, there's one part of BBQ that everyone in the family fears:
The smoke.
No matter how carefully you try to position yourself, somehow the smoke always finds you. You move to one side. The smoke follows. You move again. It follows you again. We tell our kids that the smoke follows the good looking person, but they didn't get the joke. But that's part of camping.
And after dinner comes another camping tradition that we never skip:
S'mores.
S'mores are basically mandatory. We make them carefully, trying not to burn everything while still getting that perfect melted marshmallow. My 2nd child always asks me to make super duper fat marshmallow since I blow it up quite nicely. It's one of those simple things that the kids look forward to every time we camp.
Campfire Conversations
Once dinner is over and the fire is going, the pace of the whole trip changes. We sit around the campfire and talk. When we're camping with other families, we talk about our lives, our kids, the things we're dealing with at their ages, and sometimes even future camping or traveling reservations. It's different from sitting around a table at home. At home, there's always something else to do. At the campsite, everyone is already sitting around the fire. There's nowhere else you really need to be. So we talk. And that's one of the things I appreciate most about camping.
The Kids Sleep Better at Camping
This is probably one of the funniest things about camping with our kids. At home, our kids don't simply go to bed by themselves. We have to lie next to them. We have to stay there. Somehow, they need to know that we're right beside them before they can fall asleep.
Camping is completely different. After spending the entire day running around, swimming, playing, riding scooters, meeting friends, and participating in activities, they're exhausted. When it's time to sleep, they actually want us to leave the tent. They play together for a little while, and then they fall asleep almost immediately.
We all sleep together on two connected sleeping pads. The kids use their own sleeping bags, while my wife and I share a large sleeping bag. And honestly, everyone sleeps really well. There is one exception.
The KOA San Diego Crow Alarm Clock
If there's one thing that I think everyone who camps here will eventually complain about, it's the crows. There are way too many of them. And they are loud. Really loud. They seem to go to sleep around 8 or 9 PM and then decide that the entire campground needs to wake up around 5 AM.
The kids hate it. We hate it.
We've even tried using a laser to get them away. It doesn't work. The crows win. So if you're staying at KOA San Diego, don't be surprised if you get an unwanted wake-up call before 7AM.
Clean Bathrooms and Great Showers
The bathrooms aren't right next to every campsite, so you have to walk a little depending on where you're staying. But they're close enough that it's not really an issue. More importantly, they're clean. And the showers are surprisingly good. If you're camping and you can take a proper hot shower, it's hard to complain.
For a family campground, having clean bathrooms and hot showers makes a huge difference, especially after spending the entire day outside.
Quiet Nights
The campground has quiet hours from 10 PM to 8 AM, and nighttime is generally pretty quiet. There are also workers moving around the campground to make sure everything is okay. Once the kids are asleep and the campground settles down, it can actually feel very peaceful. Of course, that peace ends around 5 AM when the crows start their morning concert. But until then, it's pretty nice.
We Rarely Leave the Campground
One thing we really like about KOA San Diego is that we don't really have to leave. When we stay there, we generally stay there. The kids have plenty to do, and we don't have to load everyone into the car every few hours to find something else.
If we need something for food, there are grocery stores nearby, including Food 4 Less and El Super. So unless we forgot something or need to buy additional food, there's really no reason for us to leave. That's part of the appeal. We can arrive, set up camp, and spend the rest of the trip actually camping.
Our Three-Night Camping Routine
We usually reserve three nights, but there's a little trick to how we do it. We don't actually sleep at the campground on the third night. Instead, we spend the third day packing everything up and leave that evening. Packing everything into the car the next morning is just too much work. It's definitely possible, but I hate putting all the camping gear away first thing in the morning. And in San Diego, doing all that under the hot sun is not exactly how I want to end a camping trip. So we slowly pack throughout the third day. By nighttime, most of our gear is already packed. We get the kids cleaned up and ready for bed, get everyone into the car, and drive home. It's about a 2½-hour drive, so it's not exactly a short trip. But we don't mind. We'd rather arrive home late, get the kids ready for bed, and sleep in our own mattress. Because, at the end of every camping trip, you remember why people say: There's no place like home.
Why We Keep Coming Back
After visiting different KOA campgrounds in Ventura, Temecula, Santa Margarita and Palm Springs, KOA San Diego has become our favorite. It's not because it's perfect. The crows are annoying. Packing up camping gear in the heat is miserable. And camping itself always requires more work than you think it will. But the good things outweigh all of that.
The kids love this place. We feel safe letting them explore. There are always other kids around for them to meet. There are tons of activities and programs. The campground is easy to get around. We can relax while the kids entertain themselves. When we camp with other families, everyone can spend time together. When it's just our family, we can enjoy a quieter family trip.
Most importantly, the kids are genuinely excited to come back. And that's really all we need. For us, KOA San Diego isn't just a place where we put up a tent for a couple of nights. It's a place where our kids have learned how to make friends, explore on their own, play outside all day, and eventually collapse into their sleeping bags completely exhausted. And for the parents, it's a chance to slow down, sit around a campfire, eat good food, talk about life, and make memories together. That's why we keep coming back. KOA San Diego has become our family's home away from home—even if we still can't wait to get back to our real mattress.
LET'S GO!