That Cool Travel Couple

Dripping Springs campground is located between Temecula and Aguanga, right outside the Agua Tibia wilderness. This is a campground that would be best enjoyed in late fall or spring time as it gets very hot in this area of California. 

This was one of the campgrounds we had pretty low expectations for for a few reasons, but it passed them with flying colors! First of all, we booked the campground only three weeks before our trip, which is pretty last minute for California camping reservations. Second, there were TONS of available sites when we booked (and also when we showed up). Third, we didn’t know if this campground would have any scenery to look out onto. We use campgroundphotos.com to check out camp sites in advance, so knew there would be some sort of shade, but didn’t know anything else about the campground. 

This campground is only a quick hour and a half drive from Los Angeles. We left after work on Friday, around 8 pm, and didn’t deal with much traffic. This did mean we were setting up a brand new tent in the dark – but we made it work. 

After scoping out all of the campsites, we decided that the best one is site 15. It has a few very large trees so that almost the entire site is in shade all day. The trees are also perfectly spaced for hanging not one but TWO hammocks. And it offers the most spectacular view of the Agua Tibia wilderness.

This campground allows campfires most of the time (we always prefer to check before coming). It was pretty hot during August, but we like to cook over the campfire anyway. Interested in what we cook? You can find our short-list here!

There are a few trails that leave from Dripping Springs campground. We were only able to make it part of the way up the Dripping Springs trail before we decided to turn back. It was 105 degrees and we were concerned about running out of water. The trail has minimal shade and is at a decent incline. There’s actually a sign in book at the bottom asking you to write your name and the time you left, presumably so someone can check to make sure that everyone who went out comes back. 

This campground is also a few minutes drive from many of the wineries in the Temecula region. The closest is Sweet Oaks Winery, but there are so many options to choose from. Check out our post on weekend trip to Temecula here for more inspiration.

We headed to old Town Temecula on Sunday morning for a nice brunch before driving back to LA. And that’s a wrap!