POTRERO
Regional Park – A great park for RVers year round! BY DAN & LISA GOY
Baja Amigos RV Caravan Tours
campers, and picnickers will enjoy the shade of hundred-year-old oak trees. Te park is well suited for year round recreation. Te average summer high is 90°F and the average winter
low
is 34°F. At an elevation of 2,300 feet, the valley can receive occasional light snowfall in the winter.” We have been here in all weather: sunny bright warm aſternoons, pouring rain, ice on the puddles at first light and yes, even a bit of snow.
Te park is tucked into a spacious, live-oak-covered corner of Potrero Valley, near the village of Potrero — east of the Tecate turnoff (only 10 minutes away) and
Lisa and I were introduced to the Potrero County Park a few years ago when traveling north to the US border aſter a few weeks on Baja. We made the decision to avoid Tijauna and cross at Tecate. We pulled in at dusk and as “first impressions” go, we were impressed for sure! Now we start all our Baja RV Caravan Tours from Potrero, which includes our Rendezvous Reception.
We know in the tour business it is
important to start strong and meeting everyone at the Potrero ensures that happens. When they arrive, everyone is pleasantly surprised with such a charming and picturesque campground. We are not alone in our opinion, as other Baja RV Caravan operators and most RVers heading to Baja all stage from Potrero and oſten return prior to the journey northward. Te County of San Diego describes
the campground as “Potrero Regional Park, 45 miles east of San Diego, is in a broad valley dotted by coastal live oaks. Its grassy meadow and rocky hillsides provide quiet solitude for hikers and
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west of Campo (a 20 minute drive). Te twisting but scenic drive is a real favourite for motorcyclists from San Diego, via Highway 94. It is 44 miles (from downtown) and takes about an hour to the campground and park. Potrero offers 39 RV sites with 15, 30 and 50 amp connections and potable water that tastes great. Everyone heading to Baja fills up prior to departure. Te showers are hot and the bathrooms are clean. A common pull-through dump station is located at the entrance/exit to the campground. Tere is lots to see and do within the park itself including hiking, walking and birding. Wildlife abounds from rare predators like bobcats to more usual suspects such as mule deer, racoons, skunks, wild rabbits, Red-tailed and Coopers hawks, acorn woodpeckers, owls, jays, gopher snakes, and we cannot forget to mention the ground squirrels everywhere (watch out for holes), and coyotes of course. You may not see them but you can certainly hear them! Potrero is Spanish for “pasturing place” and the Kumeyaay Indians inhabited the entire
region, which includes northern Baja, Mexico, until the mid 1850’s. Past Kumeyaay life can still be found throughout the park, evident on large rocks that are pitted, and smoothed depressions where abundant acorns were likely ground into a meal. Te Potrero Public Library is only a
5-minute drive away and is your closest access to Internet. Te staff are always friendly and helpful and when closed you can connect
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