Orange County CA - Reasonable RV park?

[PNW_Steve]

Hey Everyone,

I am planning a trip to Mexico with a stop to visit family in South Orange County CA.

I have been looking at available RV spaces and was shocked to see $60-80 a night for some fairly basic accommodations.

Call me cheap but I will dry camp @ WalMart before I spend $75 for basic RV space.

Can anyone recommend a park with reasonable rates?

As an alternative, can anyone tell me how I may fare parking my TV & 29' 5er in a residential area for a week?

I fear I am turning into my Grandfather.... "I remember when we could have a hamburger for $0.25, I am not going to spend $2.00 for a hamburger!! I'll go hungry first!" 🙂 🙂

Thanks

[ottobob]

san mateo campground in San Clemente, full hookups no tv around $30.00

[tpi]

Enjoy your visit. I hope the weather cooperates for you and you have the nice Oct days and not the occasional heat wave. The fortunate thing about the Rancho Santa Margarita development is that it is up on the bluff (Plano Trabuco), elevated 300 ft above the creek. It is set back enough that from the campground it is not visible. I live in Robinson Ranch which before development was Escape Country. Off road motorcycles, hang gliding, BMX, camping.

For others visiting in the winter and spring, I recommend the Holy Jim falls area. You need high clearance vehicle for the 4 miles of rough dirt road and your NFS pass. Weekdays have far less visitors. It is green and well watered in the in average rainfall years in the spring. Fall isn't good time for this trip, especially after three drought years. It is a small falls a couple miles from the trailhead.

[PNW_Steve]

tpi wrote:
When are you planning on going to O'Neill? If it is mid week period, they let you scope the sites on your own and come back and register. There will be a lot to choose from. Friday, Sat nights can get busier.

I'm a little reluctant to recommend a site because everyone like different things and my memory is not quite perfect. Sites 15, 16, and 17 are very long pull throughs. As I recall they have good shady areas. Location of water faucets vary in the sites. Dump station is near sites 2,3 and 4.

I highly recommend this park for the $15. with senior discount. I sometimes take my nightly walk through the campground. If you have question, I can look. PM me.

park map

Nearby Rose Canyon Cantina good place to grab a drink on their outside deck-very scenic in nice weather. Many good restaurants in nearby Rancho Santa Margarita. Also grocery stores, Target, etc. When you're in campground, it seems much more remote than location suggests. Traffic quiets down on Trabuco Canyon road in the evening after the commute. Campground is generally quiet at night. If you're planning at being out late, chat with ranger about how to get back into your spot.

Thank you for the good info.

I will be headed that way in early/mid October. Likely to arrive mid week.

Spaces 15-17 look sweet. I prefer to be as far from my neighbors as is reasonable.

I spent some time in Trabuco Canyon back in the 80's. Looking at Google Earth I am amazed at how much development has taken place. It looks like residential developments are right across the creek.

Well, I am going to try and reserve one of the 15-17 spaces and after I make camp I will buy you a coldie at Rose Canyon Cantina. 🙂

Unfortunately (or fortunately depending on perspective) I still have to pay the $25 rate.

Thanks for the info.

Steve

[tpi]

Here's campsite photos for O Neill Park

http://www.campsitephotos.com/campground/ONeill-Regional-Park

[tpi]

When are you planning on going to O'Neill? If it is mid week period, they let you scope the sites on your own and come back and register. There will be a lot to choose from. Friday, Sat nights can get busier.

I'm a little reluctant to recommend a site because everyone like different things and my memory is not quite perfect. Sites 15, 16, and 17 are very long pull throughs. As I recall they have good shady areas. Location of water faucets vary in the sites. Dump station is near sites 2,3 and 4.

I highly recommend this park for the $15. with senior discount. I sometimes take my nightly walk through the campground. If you have question, I can look. PM me.

park map

Nearby Rose Canyon Cantina good place to grab a drink on their outside deck-very scenic in nice weather. Many good restaurants in nearby Rancho Santa Margarita. Also grocery stores, Target, etc. When you're in campground, it seems much more remote than location suggests. Traffic quiets down on Trabuco Canyon road in the evening after the commute. Campground is generally quiet at night. If you're planning at being out late, chat with ranger about how to get back into your spot.

[PNW_Steve]

Thank you All for the replies & good information.

It looks like we will be staying at O'neil Park. I have never been there before.

Can anyone comment on which are the "better" spaces? Quiet? Closer to water fill? Showers? Dump station?

Thanks again.

[dons2346]

If you are an Elk, Garden Grove and Santa Ana have water, electric, and a dump

[soos]

2oldman wrote:

PNW_Steve wrote:
As an alternative, can anyone tell me how I may fare parking my TV & 29' 5er in a residential area for a week?

I fear I am turning into my Grandfather...

That alternative is a really bad idea.

Try Dockweiler Beach. Right next to LAX, so it's not quiet, but it's not bad.

We're all turning into our parents.

Dockweiler is $60-70 a ight depending on the site, and you get a narrow spot in a parking lotoverlooking the beach. We stay there because its close to our daughter, and in LA, close is priceless.

Sue

[tpi]

I live in southern OC. O'Neill regional park is nice if you don't need hookups. There are frequently located threaded water spigots and a dump station. There is some shade and big campsites with good separation. With senior discount-as I recall about $15. Best in cooler seasons temps can get in 90s during summer days, but it generally cools into 60s at night ( I live very close by). Mid week sites easy to get. Mid Oct thru May often beautiful weather.

Also, mid week in cooler months, beach sites at the state parks are pretty easy to get-I drop in without reservation. Doheney has some dry sites in the $35. range-some may accommodate your rig. San Clemente has both full hookup and dry sites. I take the cheaper dry sites, but not sure if you would fit in them. You can check out sizes on Reserve America.

OC Fairgrounds rents out sites at times.

Anyway, basic tip is mid fall through mid spring weekdays and take non hookup sites in state park or county park. The weather is usually perfectly conducive for this.

[hotpepperkid]

path1 wrote:

As an alternative, can anyone tell me how I may fare parking my TV & 29' 5er in a residential area for a week?

What specifically are you asking?

Yea in Orange County or any other place in So Cal you have two changes, slim and none

[dodgerdog]

go to the autoclub see if they have any camping info for you... Any of the campgorunds in the national forests are pretty cheap depending on where you want to camp.....

Mike C.

[Not_a_Clue]

Since you said south Orange County you might want to check some of these out.

San Diego county parks

[IAMICHABOD]

outdoorlovers wrote:
If you're in south Orange county, there's O'Neill Regional Park (dry) and further south is Ronald W. Caspers Wilderness Park (FHU)

Ronald w, Caspers Wilderness Park is not FHU, There are only 13 spots that have any hookups
That is the Ortega Flats
part of the camp ground there are only 13 spots there and they have electric only with water spickets spaced around the park, with porta potties and a dump station at the entrance.

[outdoorlovers]

If you're in south Orange county, there's O'Neill Regional Park (dry) and further south is Ronald W. Caspers Wilderness Park (FHU)