Sweetwater Summit Regional Park

Overview

Are you looking for a place to get outdoors and enjoy the day, have a large family gathering, ride your horse, or even go camping? Sweetwater Summit Regional Park located near CA 125 and CA 54 in eastern Bonita may fit the bill.

Camping

There are 112 campsites with full (water, electricity, sewer) or partial hook-ups (water, electricity); four of the sites are accessible sites. There’s also a dump station for those without access to sewer hookups. The campground is divided into a North Loop and a South Loop, and can accommodate campers up to 45-feet in length.

The North Loop has room for larger campers with many (but not all) pull-through sites with paved pads. It’s more in the open with fewer trees to provide shade. On the other hand, the South Loop has smaller sites with gravel pads nestled among much larger trees. The South Loop has several sites designated for equestrian campers with corrals for the horses. There are restrooms with pay showers available in each loop.

One thing that may be an issue for some is the highway noise from the Southbay Expressway at the bottom of the hill. It wasn’t all that loud, but it is noticeable.

Day Use

The park offers different facilities for spending a day outdoors.

If you’re wanting to just hang out and have a barbecue picnic, there are several gazebos with grills and concrete picnic tables scattered throughout the park. If you want to go bigger for a wedding or family reunion, there’s the Community Building with a patio overlooking the Sweetwater Reservoir that has a capacity of 200 people (standing). There’s also a 60-foot pavilion with a full kitchen available, too. Prices are shown on the summary sheet in the gallery below.

There’s a playground for kids and a splash park that operates in the summer. There’s a $3 per child fee for use of the splash park, but they do offer season passes if you want to visit frequently ($30 per individual; $75 for a family of three).

The park has 15 miles of trails that are open to hikers, bicyclists, and equestrians. Many navigate through the open grassland around the reservoir, so wear a hat and bring plenty of sunscreen and water.

Summary

Sweetwater Summit Regional Park can offer an easy escape from the city for a day or for a few nights if you choose to camp, and you don’t have to drive forever to get to it.

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What You Need to Know

Location:	3218 Summit Meadow Road, Bonita, CA 91902
Hours:	Day Use: 9:30 a.m. – Sunset; Camping 24 hours
Phone:	Office: 619.472.7572; Reservations: 877.565.3600
Website:	https://www.sdparks.org/content/sdparks/en/park-pages/SweetwaterSummit.html
Cost:	Day Use: $3; Camping: $24-$36
Tips:	The campsites in the North Loop are a bit less shaded but have concrete drive-through pads for your camper. The campsites on the South Loop are shaded but have gravel pads for your camper and not all are pull-through sites. The splash park is closed the first Wednesday of every month.
Date Visited:	25 January 2022