By:
Submission
The El Prado Group Campground breaks down into five individual group sites - Big Sage, Buckwheat, Manzanita, Whitehorn, and Yerba Santa, each with varying capacity and amenities. All sites connect to the Big Laguna Trail System which offer a multitude of lengths and difficulties (this includes The Sunset Trail, The PCT and Big Laguna)
Located 50 miles east of San Diego, California. Take I-8 to Sunrise Highway exit. Go approximately 15 miles to Laguna/El Prado Campground, just beyond the 26 mile marker. Stop at the entrance station for campground information and site location.
I love Mt. Laguna! This is a nice campground. Bathrooms here. Showers at other nearby campground
Camp Host Jim Kelley is horribly inappropriate and has an unexplainable temper that had zero prompting.
I don’t feel comfortable or safe camping in Mt Laguna anymore. My guess is that this is not the first time he’s treated women like this~
Last night a girlfriend and I arrived relatively late looking forward to a short escape in this lovely place.
While cooking breakfast this morning, Jim Kelley came by asking for $32 in cash or check saying that we were overdo and that if we didn’t pay that very moment he would call the police. I said that I’d happily pay via Venmo or a QR scan that moment, because we didn’t have cash or checks on us. He said that wasn’t an option, so I asked where we could get cash.
He scolded “why did you come here if you weren’t prepared to pay?” When I shared that we were happy to pay and just needed to know where to access an atm, he said “one of you has to stay the other can go to the general store and needs to be back in 30 minutes. Everyone says they’re going to pay and just takes off, but if you do, I’ll call the police! I have your license place number and you will be fined over $100.”
We had zero resistance to paying and didn’t understand why he was coming at us like that.
I got the money and when I brought it to him I said “we would have gone right away if you asked nicely, we just needed to know how to pay. The rude threatening approach was not necessary. You made made us really uncomfortable and we won’t be coming back here.”
To which he yelled “Good! I don’t want thieves in my campground! When you have your one night stands at hotel rooms do you skip out on paying there too!?”
(Even though I’d just paid.)
I was pretty taken aback, Jim’s offensive approach was 100% uncalled for. His wife got my receipt for me and she apologized.
Customer service is clearly not something Jim Kelley is capable of and there are lots of beautiful campgrounds near by, go to those instead.
Again, my guess is that this is not the first time he’s treated people like this.
Fantastic campground for group camping! There is an easy hike to the lake, lots of trees, and plenty of space for groups.
Some group sites have flush toilets, others have pit.
