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The Trouble With Overnight RV Parking in San Diego

4/5/2016

15 Comments

 
We've seemed to run into a bit of trouble in San Diego...we can't find overnight RV parking anywhere. Normally, we boondock. If you follow our journey regularly, you know this. But in San Diego, we're finding it hard to do just that.

Apparently, there's been a few laws passed which prohibit RVs from camping anywhere other than registered parks, overnight. These laws were up for debate for seven years before officially being set into motion. Why? Because campers were abusing their power and parked wherever they pleased for up to months at a time.

Now, you can't even stay at a Walmart in San Diego without catching some flack. So, we
decided to suck it up and get a campsite for the night through Passport. Except, San Diego RV sites are expensive, even with the discount! I was shocked to find most campsites coming in an $50-75 a night. Who the heck can afford those rates?!

The next option was to check out state parks, which usually come to $10-12 a clip for a dry, safe spot. Yet, we couldn't find anything under $20 a night, and even those had gates that locked after 7-8pm. So, we are kinda sunk.

The only other option we have is to check out the neighboring casinos around the outskirts of the city, which are known to have security-approved blacktop parking. Yet, it won't help us much as we were planning on staying in the city for nearly a week to work.

Anybody out there have a similar experience in San Diego, or maybe can recommend some inexpensive RV parking?! Any and all recommendations welcome! :)
15 Comments
Leonard Zuzchik
4/5/2016 23:10:52

Suck it up and pay the money. You say you want to stay in San Diego for a week to work, and you want o do this for free. How much different is this then what you published in the article where other RV's were staying for long times, and screwed it up for everybody else. YOU ARE NO DIFFERENT Most parks have a weekly rate. Try to do some labor in the park for a reduced rate.

SMIB

Reply
The Roamans
4/5/2016 23:29:44

Hi Leonard,

Thanks for writing. It was a bit more hostile than we're used to, but we appreciate you taking the time to voice your opinion. The concern that we were trying to bring to light, is the high cost of living for RV travelers in San Diego. Not sure why this upsets you so much. We're simply letting people know, especially those who haven't been to San Diego, that boondocking isn't as readily available. It isn't that we won't pay for an RV park, it's that we think the prices are far more exorbitant than most other places in the U.S., for the same amenities.

Reply
Ephraim Travers
4/22/2020 14:31:34

Nice reply, that guy was a jerk.

Donna (Texas) link
4/11/2016 20:06:56

Hello girls, those rates are terrible!! SO much cheaper here. My husband and I are considered seniors but even so, try $30, $35...you'll find higher in the high falutin' areas but the state or national parks are cheap as is the corp of engineer parks.
Yes indeed, Leonard seems to be a bit too pushy in his freely given advice...smh...he must be in California...I hear they're a bit touchy about space. Or the lack of it I should say😜 Bless his heart...
Stay safe out there girls and hope you find something suitable soon...
hugs

Reply
The Roamans
4/20/2016 10:34:09

Hi Donna,

Thank you so much for your comment, it truly made our day. We're glad that someone can understand the frustration about those parking rates!! Truth be told, we made it up to San Francisco and the rates skyrocketed right on up. Loving California so far, but boy is it pricey!

Reply
Dan
5/4/2016 16:47:00

Our experiences in San Diego were exactly the same as yours. There is nowhere to stay overnight outside of a paid park, and most of them are extremely expensive. On top of that, many are closed to the public for large parts of the year meaning inventory of available spaces is tight. We have, however, found a great spot in San Diego that we've now stayed on several different trips through the city. If you are down that way again, check out Guajome County Park. It's about 10-15 minute drive inland from Oceanside, CA, right on a lake, has a dump station, water, restrooms and large green park areas and trails, and is very affordable.

Reply
The Roamans
5/9/2016 22:33:01

Hi Dan! Thank you so much for your reply. I had no idea that many of the RV parks in SD are closed for certain parts of the year. I appreciate the info on Guajome County Park, too. I wish we had known about that sooner! Hopefully next time we trek back through we'll have better luck with your suggestion. Happy travels to you! :)

Reply
Sixx link
6/9/2017 16:05:24

$50-$70 is too much for a hotel! If all we are doing is parking and plugging in a 110, no need for the high cost. The cost of living there is extremely high no matter havel to highrise. We feel for you, we boondock as much as possible, it helps to offset the times we have to pay a high rate, and we keep those to an absolute minimum. We will be in San Diego ourselves next week for a week and were searching for exactly the same as you. Good luck, if we'll solve it, we'll share it.

Reply
Polly Rose
12/31/2017 16:35:24

Local secret: http://www.californiasbestbeaches.com/oceanside/oceanside_parking.html

Note parking lot #1 offers free overnight parking for 72 hrs for vehicles of all sizes.

Reply
Polly Rose
1/10/2018 22:12:43

Heed!
I'm amending the information about LOT # 1 in Oceanside, CA.
There IS a size limit for overnight parking.
LENGTH 25'
HEIGHT 84"
WIDTH 84"

I have 25' Class A and I got a $58 ticket. LOL

Reply
The Roamans
1/7/2018 16:42:13

Thank you so much, Polly! We appreciate the tip :)

Reply
Sandy
1/26/2018 22:29:54

Well, we rolled into Bonito on the outskirts of San Diego with a reservation to Sweetwater Regional Park because of your info BUT found that the route to the park is limited to no truck and nothing over 3000 or so pounds (big problem for our 39 ft home on wheels). As it was fast approaching dusk when the park gates are supposed to close, we paniced. We’re now trying to stealth camp (how we usually do anyway in cities) in a mega church parking lot (near the garbage dumpsters away from the parking lot lights) Hopefully, we won’t get woken up in the middle of the night but we’ll see. Drank a bottle of wine so if they do try wake us, maybe we won’t hear!!!!🤭😜 One more adventure to horrify the grandkids with!!! Love your blog, BTW. Sandy

Reply
The Roamans
1/27/2018 12:41:57

Hi Sandy!

We thoroughly enjoyed reading your comment. How did the night end up?! Anybody bother the wine party? :)

Apologies for the misinformation about Sweetwater Park, but we're glad you had a backup plan and also that you didn't let it get you down! Sounds like you are on quite the adventure. We love hearing from fellow travelers who always make the best of their circumstances.

Thanks for reading the blog. Safe travels to you!

The Roamans

Reply
Alexis
4/1/2018 20:31:54

The police intentionally targets RV’s they want to run them out. I live in Coronado San Diego county and even there things are to ridiculously picky with RV’s. I got harassed by military police they even served me orders for no reason to run me out from enjoying the beach in base. Then I open an investigation for false accusations and removed the order but I never trusted military police again. So I got a storage unit for it to park it over night and avoid the stupidity that comes with parking my RV overnight. I only take it out on weekends but I don’t longer take it into the base beach to avoid the drama with shady cops.

Reply
Sterling
6/26/2018 03:51:25

Here are some reasonably priced places in SD County for RV camping. It isn't boondocking, but the rates are about as reasonable as they get, at around $40 a night.

Here are some great San Diego County Parks with campsites: http://www.sdparks.org/content/sdparks/en/buttons/CampingButton.html

We have stayed at Lake Guajome and Sweetwater. Both were nice with great hiking trails and nearby protected watershed lakes.

Also, try Lake Jennings! It's a beautiful (hidden) fishing and boating lake right off the 8 freeway! The rangers there are wonderful. http://www.lakejennings.org

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