Campsite Review: Lake Elsinore West Marina Campground is on the northwest end of Lake Elsinore, California. It is not a good fit for us. We are not going back.
From Interstate 15 take State Route 74 west for two miles and then make a left turn into the campground. As State Route 74 passes under the interstate the name is Central Avenue then one block west of the interstate turn right on Collier Avenue and then turn left on Riverside Drive until you get to 32700 Riverside Drive. All these local street names comprise State Route 74. Another name for State Route 74 is the Ortega Highway and crosses the Santa Anna Mountain Range ending at the coastline in San Juan Capistrano.
I have not driven the Ortega Highway to the west and cannot comment on its suitability for RVs. Let’s just say, I have my doubts.
This RV park is on the north coast of Lake Elsinore as a resort (as they like to call it) and provides a play place on the lake with a boat launch and 1960s-style snack bar (closed).
We stayed here to break up the drive between Las Vegas and Oceanside and were going to stay much further north but the virus-blamed shutdown caused our extended drive and stop here.
The Lake Elsinore Outlet Mall (nearly closed in 2020) would have been a better location except for one big thing. This RV park had electricity to run our air conditioner and since it was 100 degrees when we arrived (October 17) we really needed the air conditioner. Another good thing about the park is that it had shade trees, very rare in this part of California.
Details
Website: Lake Elsinore West Marina this is not a secure website
Address: 32700 Riverside Dr, Lake Elsinore CA 92530
Link to Google Map for the area: Lake Elsinore West Marina
Phone Number/Reservations: (800) 328-6844
Dates stayed: October 17, 2020
Comfort: Temperatures were Hot. Trees provided some shade, but it was still hot.
Elevation: 1265′
Season: Year-Round
Price Paid: $24/night full hookups with a Passport America Club discount (including taxes). Here is a link to our review of the Passport America RV Discount Club.
Our Site: #209
Hook-ups: Water, electric, and sewer
Dump station: Yes
Restrooms: Yes
Shower: Yes
Laundry: Yes
Potable Water: Yes
Water to fill your RV storage tank: Yes
Cell service: Verizon – Good Service / AT&T – Good Service
Observations
Campsite Review: Lake Elsinore West Marina Campground insider info:
Speaking of location if you are in the northern half, you had some road-noise, again it would have been worse in a tent. Thankfully there were no trains.
The layout of this park is dated. There are no pull-through sites and all the sites are perpendicular to the driveways.
If you have a small RV, like being really close to your neighbors, near a busy road in an RV park designed in the early ages of RV camping, this may be the place for you. It is not the place for me. In our RV we had enough room with a little overlap into the spot behind us so that we could clear the road in front of us.
The layout lacks the angled sites that make RV parking easier. The streets were narrow. Other guests seemed to have an abundance of trucks and boat trailers that made the driveways even worse.
We had adequate room. There were lots of campsites much smaller than our spot. Some of the spots on the layout map appear to be bigger than our spot but I think by comparing the satellite view to the campground layout you can see that they are smaller.
Lake Elsinore West says it has 184 RV sites, most appear to be occupied for extended stays. My count starting at 101 and ending at 317 comes up at 216, but perhaps I am missing something.
Parking was on the dirt between the asphalt driveways. Weeds grew in some of the shaded areas. The dirt was well-packed with a dust layer. Strangely water drops didn’t soak in immediately but rather beaded up on the dirt kind of like water spots on the roof of a car. After a while the dust became saturated and only a few minutes later, the dust dried out because of the heat and lack of humidity.
As you walked, you could not avoid kicking up small clouds of dust. At night you could see the dust suspended in the air in any light source. I’m really glad I wasn’t camping in a tent.
Layout & Satellite Views
That is our campsite review of the Lake Elsinore West Marina campground. Here is the link to our interactive map. Campsite Reviews
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