Last Updated on December 20, 2021
Address: 88610 CA-86, Thermal, CA 92274
Phone: (760) 395-5437
I stayed in the campground for a few nights in November.
First, I was surprised to see that there are no lights in the bathrooms, so if you need to go after 5PM bring a flashlight. This is the first State Park Campground where I found no showers but only outside with cold water.
And the weirdest thing of all that they close the gates after 7PM to 7AM in the winter, so if you want to leave the park you better come back before 7PM, or else you end up walking a MILE from the entrance in the dark. So much fun. I am not even sure, how they can lock people in like this, this is not right. What if something happens, an emergency, an earthquake and we need to leave fast?
The beach is nice, the sites are all concrete. It’s basically a parking lot. There is a sandhill created between the Ocean and the campground for the winter to protect the campground from the wind. So your view would be only sand, not the water even if you purchase the more expensive water view sites.
There is the Bayshore Bikeway across the street, about 18 miles long and the park is almost in the middle of it. You can ride about 5 miles North to Coronado to nice shopping/dining areas or about 5 miles south to Imperial Beach. The weather was in the ’70s, perfect for biking.
This place is probably good for a night or two in the summer for locals, if you don’t plan to visit the city and stay out after dark. I am not even sure locking people in like this is legal.
I had good Sprint reception and my Verizon WiFi hotspot worked great as well.
Because they close their gate and you have no options to be out of the park after dark, I most like won’t come back here.
