RATING: ♦♦♦
- Dates: Mar 10, 2019 – Apr 1, 2019
- Length of stay: 22 nights
- Cost per night: $0 for first 21 nights, $30 for 22nd night.
- Discount: Thousand Trails
- Hookups: 50 amp, water, and sewer.
- Site number/quality: #147. Nice wide site. However, there was a low-lying area around the site that collected water when it rained. We had several days when we were surrounded by a large puddle 3-4 inches deep. Other sites had similar issues. Park maintenance pumped out water twice after rains.
- Park Quality: This a typical Thousand Trails park in most respects, except that unlike most which are in rural areas, this one is in the middle of the densely populated suburban communities that run along the I-215 corridor between Temecula and Riverside CA. The park is located within the Greater Los Angeles Metro Area, which has a population of nearly 20 million people. Wilderness Lakes bills itself as a “Los Angeles Area RV Camp,” even though the city of Los Angeles is 85 miles away.
- Access: The campground is just a few miles off the heavily traveled I-215.
- Connectivity: AT&T and T-Mobile were both weak.
- Return yes/no?: Sure, if we pass through this area again. But we would not make a special trip here.
- Notes: The name, Wilderness Lakes, is a bit deceiving, since there is neither wilderness nor lakes. There’s mostly just a lot of houses. It seems inevitable that the park, too, will become a housing development someday. The heavy traffic made travel unpleasant, even in the car. However, being in a suburban area does have some advantages. It’s close to shopping and dining.
In addition to having access to the usual Kohl’s, Lowe’s, and Target, we were able to catch up on our Amazon shopping. Unlike some campgrounds that don’t accept packages for their campers, Wilderness Lakes did, for a fee of $2 per package. We were able to have so many things delivered, such as our new oven that had been ordered back before Christmas, and we got new solar panels and wiring to customize the connection to our batteries.
We had been trying for months to have new curtains made for the front window of the RV, but finally decided to do them ourselves. We ordered a sewing machine from Amazon and fabric from fabrics.com. The curtains were sewn and put up in no time! It’s really great when we are able to get mail and packages on the road, something that most people take for granted.
We also were able to do a little exploring. Southern California was enjoying a spectacular wildflower bloom that was especially vibrant this year due to all the rain of recent months. Everywhere we drove, we saw flowers. One pretty drive was out to Walker Canyon near Lake Elsinore. Another was to the Jojoba Hills SKP co-op campground. Really beautiful place!
One last note. Becky was able to spend a nice day with her old boss and friend, Jennifer, in Carlsbad.
- Website: Wilderness Lakes RV Park