Lake Cahuilla Campground

Stopped here on the way through, haven't been here in 2 years. They've been doing some upgrades. Place still isn't great. Though the host who was manning the gate was nice. Roads are asphalt, sites are dirt. So if it's raining you're in the mud. The road is very narrow for 2-way traffic so don't pull out until it's clear. All hook-up sites have new electrical monuments and wash out rings. They also have new metal picnic tables. Which probably seemed like a good idea but get blazing hot in the sun. Sites are close together, no privacy. Trash in my site when I got there, and trash all around the lake shore area. Even after they 'clean' there are still beer bottles everywhere. Getting drunk appears to be the main activity here next to fishing. Main CG bathroom looks like it has had an updat

It looks like it's been recently remodeled; everything looks new: the metal tables, the grills, the basketball courts, the pickleball field. You can only fish, not swim. My two stars are because they didn't think things through and placed the grills so close to the next site. They're so close you can't use them without risking setting your neighbor's RV on fire. We couldn't use it, not even to make a campfire; you can't put chairs around it. We were at site 14, including sites 16 and 18 of some friends and maybe all the others which I didn't see. Change that!

Camped in RV, electric and water hookups, and a free dump station, restrooms and showers were fine. Spacious sites with nice views and some shade from eucalyptus trees. It's the desert so dirt and can kick up if it gets windy. Disperse camping in front of the lake. No swimming or boating, has fishing but mostly carp and catfish, with a few pavilions scattered around the lake. Hike around the lake was 2.5 miles, will do the mountain pass next time. Watch your rear view mirror if driving on the dirt to avoid kicking up dirt for your neighbors. Happy camping!

The lake is very nice. You can’t swim in it, but you can fish. Also, it is very peaceful in the bathrooms are very clean, the showers are also amazing, next time I go camping I’ll come here again.

Good points - the lake and surrounding mountains are beautiful. The colors change every hour. The sites are bigger than many other campgrounds we have stayed at, most have electricity and water. If you have a California fishing license, you can fish in the lake which is stocked with catfish and trout. We caught a foot long trout that was delicious. You can fish from 0600 AM to sunset, which is enforced by a ranger. There are limits on how many fish you can take per day. You can hike and ride bikes on a trail around the lake. The sites have trees, but you will mostly be in the sun during the day and the desert sun can be quite hot. There are showers that cost 25 cents for about a minute, water is comfortably hot and preset, you cannot change the temperature. There are flush toilet