Where can I park my RV in San Diego?

By Elaine Knight
Page last updated: 05/06/2021 | Next review date: 05/06/2023
close

Author bio


Elaine Knight
View More north_east

In this blog post, we will discuss: Where can I park my RV in San Diego? We will review four of the most RV-friendly resorts, and consider the pros and cons of travelling with an RV in San Diego. 

Where can I park my RV in San Diego?

There are plenty of places to park your RV in San Diego, some free and for some you have to pay a small fee/night. San Diego, with its mild climate and beautiful coastline, offers an ideal environment for motorhome campers. 

The San Diego Freeway runs parallel to the Pacific coast, so RV travellers have easy access to a selection of oceanfront RV parks. Being a popular seasonal base for travellers looking for a warm climate, San Diego has four such campgrounds located on the ocean.

  • Bernardo Shores RV Park

With locations that can accommodate any type of motorhome, the Bernardo Shores RV Park offers first-class facilities and powerful 50-amp electrical service. This family business has almost 40 years of experience providing services to travellers. It is located on San Diego Bay and offers exceptional views of the water and the South Bay Wildlife Refuge. 

Individual sites have privacy hedges, brick patios, personal mailboxes, and parking spaces. The park also has an automatic security gate, free Wi-Fi, and extensive bike paths. Golf enthusiasts can use Bernardo’s professional quality driving range.

  • Chula Vista RV Resort

Located just minutes from downtown San Diego, Chula Vista RV Resort in San Diego South Bay allows guests to park their RVs just 100 meters from the Pacific Ocean. Chula Vista has a wide range of services and amenities, including a jacuzzi and swimming pool, a fully equipped gym and two restaurants. 

Chula Vista also has a grocery store on-site, and the surrounding park and beach provide the ideal area to enjoy the outdoors. Visitors who enjoy outdoor cooking will enjoy the Tiki Bar and Sunset Pavilion, which has a fireplace and views of the ocean. RV travellers with boats can use the slip marina 552 services located next to the park.

  • Mission Bay RV Resort

Mission Bay RV Resort, a pet-friendly park located in San Diego Mission Bay, offers quick access to a variety of popular San Diego attractions. Located minutes from SeaWorld, the San Diego Zoo, the Old Town and the Sunset Cliffs, the resort is a good choice for RV travellers with children. 

It has space to house the largest RVs and offers full connections including free Wi-Fi and cable TV. Guests can also access the resort’s beaches and take advantage of the laundry services, restrooms, and snack concession.

  • Coastal Trailer Villa

Located on Morena Boulevard, across from Tecolote Shores North Park Beach, Coastal Trailer Villa offers the opportunity for long-term accommodations for guests spending the entire season in sunny San Diego. The park has lots of palm trees and offers amenities like showers, toilets, laundry facilities and free cable TV. 

Guests are also close to a variety of San Diego attractions, including Balboa Park and Legoland. Each RV site has a grassy area ideal for lounging or grilling. Coastal Trailer Villa maintains the same rental rate throughout the year.

Advantages of travelling by RV in San Diego

  • The motorhome allows you to travel at your own pace while enjoying the beauty of the landscapes without having to pack your suitcase every day to continue your route.
  • This is a great advantage when travelling with your children since you can start the driving day while they are still in bed.
  •  If, for example, you travel with 2 children, you will save money by renting a motorhome instead of reserving a quadruple room or 2 double rooms in all the places where you spend the night.
  • The prices of the campsites to spend the night in your motorhome are much cheaper than the prices of a hotel room.
  • You can sleep for free in the parking area of ​​the Walmart chain supermarkets since they have an agreement with the government to let you stay overnight in their parking lot. Everything is to attract new customers to the supermarket.
  • You will not have to worry about looking for a restaurant for breakfast because your motorhome will have a refrigerator to keep the essentials to make the first meal of the day.
  •  In the United States, it is normal to find all restaurants closed at 9 at night. And for those of us who live on this side of the “pond”, this is usually early for dinner. But with the motorhome, you will not have to worry about the American schedule, because you can dine in your motorhome.
  •  Travelling to San Diego with an RV is not complicated, because the roads are usually spacious and sometimes infinitely straight. This way of travelling is almost a religion for North Americans and therefore, you will have no problem finding service stations where you can supply the motorhome with clean water or gas. As well as finding a “dump station” were to empty the sewage.

Disadvantages of travelling by RV in San Diego

  •  The first drawback that you will find is its price. Renting a motorhome is considerably more expensive than renting a car.
  • Not everything is included in the price of renting a motorhome. Everything is rented, the kitchenware, the bed linen, the electric generator, the rest of the chairs …
  • Even though the fuel is cheaper in San Diego, you should know that motorhomes consume a lot of gasoline due to their weight and the large displacement engines that they usually equip.
  •  Motorhomes do not include unlimited mileage. This is an extra expense. You will have to calculate the distances that you will travel making your route to know the package of miles that you must buy.
  •  If you are not familiar with this type of vehicle or you have never travelled in a motorhome, you may be overwhelmed by adding some extra maintenance tasks necessary to be able to have all the services that a motorhome provides, such as clean water, electricity or gas.
  • Motorhomes have dimensions that in many cases can be an inconvenience. For example, in Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area you will not be able to access through the south entrance with a motorhome that exceeds 22 feet, which is 6.7 meters. In other places, you will have to pay an extra to be able to cross the access tunnel to the park, since the rangers have to stop the opposite circulation to cross it in a motorhome.
  • When you visit San Diego you will have to stay outside, since in the centre of the city there are no campsites where you can spend the night. Therefore, you will have the task of approaching downtown every day by subway or any transfer that the campsite has for its clients.
  • As you will not be able to move around the cities with the motorhome, you will not have a vehicle to travel them, reducing mobility in the cities.
  • Even if you travel by motorhome, you will have to plan your route in advance to know more or less where you will spend the night and thus be able to reserve the campsites, because you cannot sleep anywhere. You risk a good fine.

The bottom line

Make sure you read the law regarding parking an RV, depending on the state you reside in. After all, you don’t want your RV towed and a “nice” fine written in your name.

Do you have any suggestions or questions regarding parking lots for RVs in San Diego? Don’t hesitate to share them with our other readers!

FAQ on Where can I park my RV in San Diego?

Where can I park an RV?

An RV is perfectly entitled to park in the parking spaces along the roadway. However, its size must allow it, it must not interfere with road traffic or pedestrians. However, due to its size, the motorhome cannot park everywhere.

Where to stop with a motorhome?

A motorhome can stop in town in a parking space and spend the night there. It does not matter whether the motorhome operators are on board or not, as long as they comply with the regulations.

Where to park your RV in the United States?

In general, the best way to visit a city in the US is to park your RV in the parking lot of a shopping centre served by the city’s public transportation system. However, you will have to get back to the vehicle before closing and get back on the road (unless it is in the parking lot of a Walmart that allows you to spend the night there).

References

Was this helpful?

Thanks for your feedback!