Site Overview

Wooded Hill Group Campground can accommodate up to 110 people. Groups will find one large campsite with parking spurs for trailers or RVs (maximum spur length varies from 20-40 ft.). There are no RV hookups. The facility is equipped with picnic tables, vault toilets and a large fire circle.

The most we can outfit at one time is for 100 people and may require a combination of bell tents and tree tents. We'll handle all of the staging logistics in preparation for your event including:

• Group sleeping arrangements
• Hammock lounge area
• Public shaded / lounge area

All your visitors have to bring is their own sleeping bag, pillows and toiletries. We can recommend some local catering companies, or we can outfit your personal group kitchen for additional costs.

We bring our signature outdoor hospitality experience to any gathering and ensure your event runs smoothly. This is ideal for weddings, family reunions, birthday parties and corporate retreats. You'll be immersed in the beautiful mountain forests of our pristine Cleveland National Forest at altitudes of 6,000+ ft. We'll take care of all the logistics so that you can spend time engaging with your group and building life-long memorable experiences.

We'll work with you to create a custom tailored outdoor experience specific to your group needs and desires. Whether you're looking for a weekend group retreat or something a bit longer, we'll make sure that every night is spent in comfort.

Both our tree tents and bell tents are comfortable and of the highest quality in the market. Bell tents come standard with either 1 queen therapeutic mattress or 2 full. Our tree tents are available in either single, double, or triple units and we can configure whatever combination you desire, depending on site. Try our fun double bubble that is a stacked tree tent with a hammock right under. It can sleep 6 people and is perfect for families with young children. We also deploy our trillium hammocks to provide additional lounging areas for your group.

We put a lot of thought into our staging and have lots of experience with this area through our years in service as outfitters. We bring a lot of expertise and have worked with many other groups towards creating the best and most unforgettable outdoor experiences.

For campground inquiries, please call: 619-445-6235

Site Overview

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).

40-ft. maximum RV length allowed. The facility provides drinking water, flush and vault toilets and a large parking area. Part of the campground is fenced off to protect the habitat of the endangered Laguna Skipper butterfly. Visitors are asked to respect the fence boundary and comply with the maximum site occupancy.

It's a very private site for intimate group gatherings and events. Each loop is private and surrounded by the Cleveland National Forest.

The most we can outfit at one time is for 100 people and may require a combination of bell tents and tree tents. We'll handle all of the staging logistics in preparation for your event including:

• Group sleeping arrangements
• Hammock lounge area
• Public shaded / lounge area

All your visitors have to bring is their own sleeping bag, pillows and toiletries. We can recommend some local catering companies, or we can outfit your personal group kitchen for additional costs.

We bring our signature outdoor hospitality experience to any gathering and ensure your event runs smoothly. This is ideal for weddings, family reunions, birthday parties and corporate retreats. You'll be immersed in the beautiful mountain forests of our pristine Cleveland National Forest at altitudes of 6,000+ ft. We'll take care of all the logistics so that you can spend time engaging with your group and building life-long memorable experiences.

We'll work with you to create a custom tailored outdoor experience specific to your group needs and desires. Whether you're looking for a weekend group retreat or something a bit longer, we'll make sure that every night is spent in comfort.

Both our tree tents and bell tents are comfortable and of the highest quality in the market. Bell tents come standard with either 1 queen therapeutic mattress or 2 full. Our tree tents are available in either single, double, or triple units and we can configure whatever combination you desire, depending on site. Try our fun double bubble that is a stacked tree tent with a hammock right under. It can sleep 6 people and is perfect for families with young children. We also deploy our trillium hammocks to provide additional lounging areas for your group.

We put a lot of thought into our staging and have lots of experience with this area through our years in service as outfitters. We bring a lot of expertise and have worked with many other groups towards creating the best and most unforgettable outdoor experiences.

For campground inquiries, please call: 619-445-6235

Glamp out your next event!

Starting in 2020, Alter Experiences will be offering glamping event packages at Mount Laguna, or your preferred location.

Plan your next special event at one of our group campgrounds in Mount Laguna:

• El Prado Campground
• Horse Heaven Campground
• Wooded Hill Campground

We'll help you plan your outdoor event whether you're planning a wedding, birthday party, group retreat or family reunion - we'll make sure your event runs smoothly in comfort and style. We'll wok with you to configure your desired site staging, lounge areas and can offer customized experiences for your group. We can also recommend some local catering companies Such as Jeremy's on the Hill, Julian Beer Company and Quechos.

Alternatively, we'll bring the glamping to you! Host a glamping party in your own backyard. Our team will deliver and stage at your property for your special event, anywhere in San Diego. 

Our bell and tree tents are a perfect and comfortable accommodation option for your overnight visitors.

Let's bring our signature outdoor hospitality standard to your next event. Contact us now for more info: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Group Events at Mount Laguna

The most we can outfit at one time is for 100 people and may require a combination of bell tents and tree tents. We'll handle all of the staging logistics in preparation for your event including:

• Group sleeping arrangements
• Hammock lounge area
• Public shaded / lounge area

All your visitors have to bring is their own sleeping bag, pillows and toiletries. We can recommend some local catering companies, or we can outfit your personal group kitchen for additional costs.

We bring our signature outdoor hospitality experience to any gathering and ensure your event runs smoothly. You'll be immersed in the beautiful mountain forests of our pristine Cleveland National Forest at altitudes of 6,000+ ft. We'll take care of all the logistics so that you can spend time engaging with your group and building life-long memorable experiences.

We'll work with you to create a custom tailored outdoor experience specific to your group needs and desires. Whether you're looking for a weekend group retreat or something a bit longer, we'll make sure that every night is spent in comfort.

Both our tree tents and bell tents are comfortable and of the highest quality in the market. Bell tents come standard with either 1 queen therapeutic mattress or 2 full. Our tree tents are available in either single, double, or triple units and we can configure whatever combination you desire, depending on site. Try our fun double bubble that is a stacked tree tent with a hammock right under. It can sleep 6 people and is perfect for families with young children. We also deploy our trillium hammocks to provide additional lounging areas for your group.

We put a lot of thought into our staging and have lots of experience with this area through our years in service as outfitters. We bring a lot of expertise and have worked with many other groups towards creating the best and most unforgettable outdoor experiences.

We have various waterfalls in the San Diego backcountry which you can visit including: Green Valley Falls, Cedar Creek Falls, Three Sisters Falls and Merrigan Trail Falls. They run strong on occasion if we've had some good winter rain.

A fairly difficult hike, Three Sisters Falls is by far the most popular. Please be prepared and do some research if you're attempting this hike.

Green Valley Falls and Merrigan trail falls are much easier hikes for families and smaller children. Carry plenty of water and plan your hike early to avoid the scorching afternoon sun. Please be careful on the trail and watch out for rattlesnakes.

There is no better place in San Diego to stargaze than our backcountry mountains. We're fortunate to not have very much light pollution at these elevations, which makes for the most splendid star gazing encounters. Each one of our sites is also provided with a a state of the art Trilluim Hammock by Tentsile, which allows you to enjoy the dark sky well into the night. Many of our visitors opt to sleep out on the hammock during summer nights.

About the Laguna Mountain observatory from SDSU web-site:

Mount Laguna Observatory (MLO) is operated by the SDSU Department of Astronomy to support its research, training, and educational programs. Current institutional partners include the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (UIUC) and the University of Kansas (KU). MLO is located 45 miles east of downtown San Diego at a dark site in the Cleveland National Forest at an altitude of 6100 feet (1859 meters). This site is well protected from the urban lighting of the San Diego metropolitan area. Its remoteness, along with the high percentage of clear nights and excellent seeing, makes Mount Laguna one of the best overall observatory sites in the continental United States.

The three major research instruments and their auxiliary equipment are: the 50-inch (1.25-meter) Phillips Claud reflector with KU, currently under construction (4K^2 CCD camera system); the 40-inch (1.0-meter) reflector with UIUC, manufactured by Astro Mechanics, Inc. (two CCD cameras, Cassegrain spectrograph, near-IR camera, automated photometer, Coude bench spectrograph); and the Clifford Smith 24-inch (0.6-meter) reflector (automated photometer, SBIG CCD camera). Our students lead observational projects with these telescopes under the advisement of the faculty. A five bedroom apartment building, four bedroom dormitory, and large shop building are also located on site. Instrument and CCD development are carried out at the on-campus mechanical and electronics shops. Observatory support staff includes a resident astronomer, an engineer, and the observatory superintendent.

Sky conditions at MLO are photometric 60% of the time and spectroscopic 75% of the time. The poorer weather usually occurs in late winter and early spring (February and March). The summer monsoon conditions that plague Kitt Peak in July and August are greatly moderated at MLO. The sky glow from San Diego and other urban areas contributes only about 5% at the zenith on moonless nights. Thus, on these dark nights, the sky brightness at the zenith in the Johnson B filter averages 22.8 magnitudes per square arcsecond. Seeing is generally less than two arcseconds and frequently less than one arcsecond.

The Reginald Buller 21-inch (0.5-meter) visitors’ telescope, manufactured by J.W. Fecker, Inc., is used for instructional support of our General Education Astronomy classes and labs and for special SDSU public outreach programs. This classic telescope has superb optics for viewing by eye.

For information about the MLO Summer Visitors Program, please call 619-594-1415.

Our San Diego mountains offer many bird watching opportunities including Bald Eagles at Lake Cuyamaca.

This vast open area, surrounded by rugged hills, is a great place to spot raptors, such as hawks, golden eagles and owls. The lake also attracts waterfowl, gulls, Red-naped and Red-breasted Sapsuckers, Lewis' Woodpeckers and mountain bluebirds.

With over 50 miles of system OHV trails and roads that traverse through beautiful scenery and challenging terrain, you can find many of the OHV recreational opportunities conveniently located in Corral Canyon, as depicted in the OHV Area Use Map. This guide is designed to provide the off-highway vehicle enthusiast with information, regulations, and travel tips while using National Forest lands. Trails in this area can vary in elevation and difficulty from 3,400 feet at Corral Canyon Campground to 4,169 feet at Bronco Peak. Off-highway vehicle recreation is just one of the many useses allowed on the National Forest. Please ride with care and always watch for other vehicles. Off-Highway Vehicle Route Markers are found on designated OHV trails. On these markers you will find signs and decals designating the type of use recommended, level of difficulty, and system number which corresponds to the map and guide. The OHV guide/map may be obtained at any forest office. Markers with signs, or decals with a red slash mean the route is closed to that type of use. Spark arresters are required year round.

Please visit US Forest Service web-site for important info.

Among the funnest and thrill activities available in our San Diego Backcountry is mountain biking. There are numerous mountain bike trails to choose from that are very close to our glamping sites. Big Laguna Trail and Noble Canyon are 2 of the most popular and can be done as one long track. SDMBA, in collaboration with US Forest service have been supporting the growth of mountain bike trail development in the Laguna Mountain Recreation Area. They've done some amazing work over the years and it's thank to them that we can enjoy this network of trails.

You can visit SDMBA web-site for more info, as well as MTB Project.

We're looking forward to hosting you soon and thank you for your support. Our Kickstarter drive will start on March 1st, 2019 and we have 30 days to reach our goal of $25,000. We have up to 12 pledge options to choose from; including group retreats, Alter Experiences swag, party on the mountain and much more, which you can see below. We'll keep you posted on our #KickstartGlampingSanDiego campaign. We look forward to setting some new and exciting tourism trends in San Diego.

Learn a little more about our tourism model from our company co-founders: