Skip to content
It’s San DiegoSearch The Guide

Home › Cleveland National Forest Group Campgrounds

Cleveland National Forest Group Campgrounds

Part of Tent Camping, our guide to tent camping in San Diego County.

Cleveland National Forest has four group campgrounds suited to tent groups: Crestline on Palomar Mountain at $75 a night, and Horse Heaven, Wooded Hill and El Prado in the Laguna Mountains area. Most open Memorial Day to Labor Day or Columbus Day. Book on recreation.gov.Checked October 23, 2026.

4group campgrounds
$60 to $110per night where listed
110people max at Wooded Hill
May 15 to Nov 30Crestline season
A view over a forested valley and rolling mountain ridges under a clear blue sky, with oaks and brush in the foreground.
View across Cleveland National Forest from Mount Laguna. Illustrative photo, not this exact place. Hotboxers, CC BY-SA 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons.
CrestlinePalomar Mountain, about 5,390 ft; $75 per night for up to 50 people; no RV parking; pets on leash; May 15 to November 30
Horse HeavenDescanso district; $60 (40 people), $105 (70), $150 (100); Memorial Day to Labor Day weekend
Wooded Hill8.1 miles north of I-8 on Sunrise Highway; $110 per night; 21 RV spurs; 110 people max; no hookups; Memorial Day weekend to Labor Day weekend
El PradoFive group sites (Big Sage, Buckwheat, Manzanita, Whitehorn, Yerba Santa); Memorial Day weekend to Columbus Day weekend; fee not on the page read
Who it suitsGroups of all ages
Bookingrecreation.gov, 1-877-444-6777

Fire Status

Crestline, Wooded Hill, Horse Heaven and El Prado are all listed in Exhibit A of Forest Order 02-26-10.

Fire Rules Read Today

Forest Order 02-26-10 (June 12 to December 31, 2026) prohibits building, maintaining, attending or using a fire, campfire or charcoal fire except within a Developed Recreation Site listed in its Exhibit A. This campground is on that list (read 2026-10-23). Read the order on the Cleveland National Forest fire page before lighting anything.

What We Could Not Verify

  • El Prado fees. recreation.gov or the Descanso Ranger District (619-445-6235) can confirm.
  • Crestline amenities beyond the page text. The Palomar Ranger District (760-788-0250) can confirm.
  • Coordinates for Crestline, El Prado and Horse Heaven were not retrieved, so no map point is shown.

More in Tent Camping

FAQ

Which group campground is cheapest?

Horse Heaven starts at $60 a night for 40 people, per the forest pages. El Prado’s fee was not on the page read.

When do the group camps open?

Most open Memorial Day weekend to Labor Day or Columbus Day; Crestline runs May 15 to November 30.

Sources

  1. Cleveland National Forest: camping and cabins
  2. Cleveland National Forest: Crestline Group Campground
  3. Cleveland National Forest: El Prado Group Campground
  4. Cleveland National Forest: Horse Heaven Group Campground
  5. Cleveland National Forest: Wooded Hill Group Campground
  6. Cleveland National Forest: elevated fire use restrictions

Checked October 23, 2026 by It’s San Diego. Cite this page: It’s San Diego (itssandiego.com), checked October 23, 2026. Free to quote with a link to this page; tables are licensed CC BY 4.0.