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Fry Creek Campground is situated in the heart of Cleveland National Forest, uniquely located down the road from the world-famous Palomar Observatory. The fresh, clean air of the campground provides a refreshing getaway for visitors from San Diego and Los Angeles.
The observatory, atop Palomar Mountain, boasts five high-tech telescopes, among them, the massive 200-inch Hale Telescope, was the world's largest effective telescope for about 45 years. The observatory is owned by the California Institute of Technology and astronomical research includes near-Earth asteroids and the study of distant galaxies.
At Observatory Campground, the site across from Fry Creek, there's a popular astronomy event called Explore the Stars.
Amateur astronomers gather here with their telescopes and share views of planets and constellations with visitors. The event takes place one weekend each month, April through October.
A loop hike, great for exploring local flora and fauna, surrounds Fry Creek.
The campground sits beneath a dense pine canopy, which is not ideal for stargazing, but Observatory Campground across the road has level cement platforms for telescopes and an amphitheater that's open to campers.
Fry Creek is at a 4,900 ft. elevation on Palomar Mountain. The area is dense with evergreen and oak, and is usually cooler than the surrounding area.
The visitor center at Palomar Observatory is 2.2 miles away and can be accessed by road or by hiking trail. A restaurant and gift shop are onsite.
From Los Angeles, CA: head south on I-15 Fwy, go east on Hwy 76 for approximatley 20 miles, turn left onto South Grade Rd. (S6), follow South Grade up to the top of Palomar Mountain. Once at the top, turn left to continue on South Grade Rd/ Canfield Rd. Continue for approximately 2.5 miles and turn left into Fry Creek Campground, approximatley 0.25 miles past Observatory Campground.
From San Diego, CA: Head north on I-15 Fwy, go east on Hwy 76 for approximatley 20 miles, turn left onto South Grade Rd. (S6), follow South Grade up to the top of Palomar Mountain. Once at the top, turn left to continue on South Grade Rd/ Canfield Rd. Continue for approximately 2.5 miles and turn left into Fry Creek Campground, approximatley 0.25 miles past Observatory Campground.
I was looking for a last minute place to camp and found this campground. Sadly the creek was not running. The campsites were clean and their was water close to our campsite. We were camping in a tent site, so I’m not sure of what’s available for larger rigs. We drove through the campground and there are definitely sites for larger groups and camper units. Loved the redwood trees and the stars put on a great show. I booked this on the reserve CA website, and according to the website, I booked the last available spot. However, there was only 2 other campsites being used. I walked through the park and although there were sighs saying they were reserved, no one was there. I’ve been traveling around and every “Fully Reserved “ campground is less than half full. Let me know if you have witnessed the same thing.
We stayed in campsite #9 not flat area at all, very close to the road no privacy. There are other campsites far from road campsites 5 through 8. Keep your dogs in a leash due to cars coming in and out, summer is filled with mosquitoes, flies and bees.
The route here was quite nice and beautiful.
We love this campground despite all the 3 stars reviews I have read over. The trail next to it was nice and has great views. We did not have any bug problems nor issues with mosquitos.
This is the perfect time to camp here because it is cool but not too cold and it's not hot and the sunshine just hits you right when you need a warm up.🙂 we really enjoyed the hike and the campground is clean. This is a nice place to get away from the city.
Nice clean campground! Very clean bathrooms and water. Narrow single lane road goes steep uphill, and the sites are each off the road and very visible, but also have lots of shade. It’s very hot in the summer. With the droughts the creek is not running at all. But observatory, hiking, and general store is close and it’s half as expensive as nearby sites. As mentioned on other reviews, some sites are reserved/closed, which is probably either for renovation or nature protection.
