Payments made by partners impact the order of prices displayed. Room types may vary.
The listings of booking offers for each property take into account the compensation paid to us by our partners. Prices shown may be for varying room types. Prices displayed are the lowest available, corresponding to the least expensive room type available, as provided from our partners as of the time of the user’s search.
Lake Skinner State Park
What is Travellers’ Choice?
Tripadvisor gives a Travellers’ Choice award to accommodations, attractions and restaurants that consistently earn great reviews from travellers and are ranked within the top 10% of properties on Tripadvisor.
Did you already book this hotel?
Tell us so we can help you plan.
About
#22 of 23 hotels in Temecula
Location
Rooms
Value
Cleanliness
Service
Sleep Quality
Suggest edits to improve what we show.Improve this listing
Good to know
HOTEL STYLE
Budget
Property amenities
Pets Allowed ( Dog / Pet Friendly )
Location
Rancho California Road, Temecula, CA
Getting there
Palm Springs Municipal Airport
51.8 km•
See all flights
Carlsbad Airport
59.7 km•
See all flights
Car Hire
15 Restaurants
within 10 kilometers
ReviewsWe perform checks on reviews.Tripadvisor’s approach to reviewsBefore posting, each Tripadvisor review goes through an automated tracking system, which collects information, answering the following questions: how, what, where and when. If the system detects something that potentially contradicts our community guidelines, the review is not published.
When the system detects a problem, a review may be automatically rejected, sent to the reviewer for validation, or manually reviewed by our team of content specialists, who work 24/7 to maintain the quality of the reviews on our site.
Our team checks each review posted on the site disputed by our community as not meeting our community guidelines.
Learn more about our review moderation.
We perform checks on reviews.
Tripadvisor’s approach to reviews
Before posting, each Tripadvisor review goes through an automated tracking system, which collects information, answering the following questions: how, what, where and when. If the system detects something that potentially contradicts our community guidelines, the review is not published.
When the system detects a problem, a review may be automatically rejected, sent to the reviewer for validation, or manually reviewed by our team of content specialists, who work 24/7 to maintain the quality of the reviews on our site.
Our team checks each review posted on the site disputed by our community as not meeting our community guidelines.
Learn more about our review moderation.
Traveller rating
- 7
- 19
- 6
- 9
- 15
Time of year
Traveller type
Language
Selected filters
- Filter
- English
Sort by:
Detailed Reviews
We had been warned by friends to stay away from capmground "A" and "B" and that warning was heeded. Those lots were nothing but one big party. Stayed at Lot "C" instead. Our first night was perfect. No noise, only a few respectful nieghbors in the whole Lot. By the middle of day two (Sat) we could see trouble brewing right next to us. A small company party was "brewing" and it proceeded to get larger and larger. Louder and louder with a campfire more like a bon fire, and passed out partygoers everywhere. They felt the need to provide the entire campground with music of every sort, and this went on till Waaaaay after the 10pm quiet time. In fact by midnight I was just about to call in yet another complaint when suddenly the music stopped. And the revelers then decided to converse with the coyotes and other wildlife untill they passed out. (3AM?)Where is management when you need them? And just what does a "campground host" do anyway?
Read more
Date of stay: August 2009Trip type: Travelled with family
Value
Rooms
Location
Cleanliness
Service
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Just returned ffrom a 3-day stay at Lake Skinner. There were six adults and two young children in our group. We stayed in Camp ground 'C'. It has been about 28 years since I was last at Lake Skinner. At that time the trees were no taller than 6-7 feet tall and I only remember the place being very hot and having little shade. Fast forward 28 years later and a lot has changed. The trees are grown though many of the perimeter camp sites seem to have taller and more filled out trees than the interior sites in each camping area. There are several huge grassy areas perfetct for frisbee, kite flying, and a relatively new water park. There is also a walking/running path around the camp sites that does not appear to be completed. There are also two large play areas with slides for the kids. That much has changed. What has not changed are the following: It is HOT here. granted, we had great breezes from11am to 6pm for two days but our last day provided little or no breeze and the temp was 104, in the shade.That memory is burned in my mind from my stay 30 years ago!! The hills and area immediately surrounding the campsite are off limits because it is a wildlife protection area. Ther is one horse/hiking trail at the entrance of the park which is about 3 miles long and open from 8am to 4pm. We didn't hike this because it was over 100 degrees all three days of our stay. As this lake is a domestic water supply there is no human or animal contact allowed with the water, only fishing, kayaking, canoeing are allowed.. Lastly, the pool that I remembered using as a young boy has been removed and replaced with a small but nice waterpark called splash zone. However, splashzone was closed this incredibly hot weekend because of a few construction issues. This would be a good place for a weekend picnic if the water park was working.
Anyway, the camp sites are small but clean. bathrooms are very clean and the showers worked well. The campers surrounding us were generally quite and respectfull but many of them did make a good deal of noise until 11:30 or 12:00am. As a tent camper, I really didn't sleep all that well because of the air conditioner noise at night but most people were asleep or inside their RV's after 11:00am in our area.
Overall, there wasn't much to do at this camp site since the surrounding areas are off-limits, there is really no water sports to speak of in the lake except fishing. Kids will like the large grassy areas and large play areas with slides. Would have had a much better time if the water park was operating. and possibly if that particular weeked wasn't the hottest of the entire 2010 summer!.
Anyway, the camp sites are small but clean. bathrooms are very clean and the showers worked well. The campers surrounding us were generally quite and respectfull but many of them did make a good deal of noise until 11:30 or 12:00am. As a tent camper, I really didn't sleep all that well because of the air conditioner noise at night but most people were asleep or inside their RV's after 11:00am in our area.
Overall, there wasn't much to do at this camp site since the surrounding areas are off-limits, there is really no water sports to speak of in the lake except fishing. Kids will like the large grassy areas and large play areas with slides. Would have had a much better time if the water park was operating. and possibly if that particular weeked wasn't the hottest of the entire 2010 summer!.
Read more
Date of stay: September 2010Trip type: Travelled with family
Value
Rooms
Location
Cleanliness
Service
Sleep Quality
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
After dark everybody had a radio and felt the need to turn it up so the rest of the campground could hear it. I don't have a problem with this except it was still going on after midnight. I got no sleep. I was hoping the campground host would enforce a "quiet time" after 10pm but this didn't happen. It finally settled down sometime around 1:00 am. If you're looking to spend a nice quiet weekend in the great outdoors and enjoy the peace and quiet, stay away from Skinner on the weekends.
Read more
Date of stay: June 2009Trip type: Travelled with family
Value
Location
Cleanliness
Service
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
There are just a few major issues with this place. But they are major!
1. This park, being a county part, has convict work crews almost every day! That’s right Orange Suits! Last three times I stayed in C these guys were around the camp ground smoking cigs, and looking pretty damned sketchy. They rest near the bathrooms in C! I mean what the hell is that!!!????
2. The general store is subcontracted out and the place is a dump! And the county won’t approve the necessary permits to allow the poor luckless folks that run the store to mix basic stuff. Refrigerator, AC Etc!
3. Warning there is no proactive measures at night to keep crazy’s from partying late into the night. Remember this is the England empire! And believe me you would not want to confront some of these camp groups unless you are 6.5’ and weigh 275.
But the area is beautiful. The lake is great! They have a nice water play area for kids. Tons of great picnics spots.
1. This park, being a county part, has convict work crews almost every day! That’s right Orange Suits! Last three times I stayed in C these guys were around the camp ground smoking cigs, and looking pretty damned sketchy. They rest near the bathrooms in C! I mean what the hell is that!!!????
2. The general store is subcontracted out and the place is a dump! And the county won’t approve the necessary permits to allow the poor luckless folks that run the store to mix basic stuff. Refrigerator, AC Etc!
3. Warning there is no proactive measures at night to keep crazy’s from partying late into the night. Remember this is the England empire! And believe me you would not want to confront some of these camp groups unless you are 6.5’ and weigh 275.
But the area is beautiful. The lake is great! They have a nice water play area for kids. Tons of great picnics spots.
Read more
Date of stay: April 2024Trip type: Travelled with friends
Room Tip: Beware of holiday weekends! Lots of crazies
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
I am sooooo disappointed in this campground! We have stayed here several times in the past in the A section. Our normal site was not available nor was anything in the A or B loops. I like it there because the large grass areas and Big trees with tons of shade along the perimeter area. We were able to get site 335 in the C loop. Looked fine online. Never been past the very small grass area of the C loop in the past so we figured why not let's give it a try. What a dump! I can't believe they even charge the same amount for this area. It's a lot of trailers that have crap everywhere and many of them look long term. ALSO, you share an electrical hook up poll with the site next to you so what that means is your doors are facing each other and that is not ok unless you are with them camping together. NO privacy, NO trees (a few sad half dead ones) NO nothing worth being there for. Felt wrong from the minute we pulled up. Shame on you Lake Skinner for passing this C area on as if it were A
or B!!!
So disappointed left there and heading to Pechanga RV Resort! Gotta go somewhere already spent the time loading!
or B!!!
So disappointed left there and heading to Pechanga RV Resort! Gotta go somewhere already spent the time loading!
Read more
Date of stay: October 2023Trip type: Travelled as a couple
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
decent campground, very pretty lake too. nice sunsets..... wifi is spotty at best. fairly clean and quiet campground. stayed 3 nights and used the fire-pit/grill which did better than expected. all in all we had a nice few days.
Read more
Date of stay: March 2023Trip type: Travelled with friends
Value
Location
Service
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
First off, we are avid campers. We have camped all over California and Arizona. We decided to camp at Skinner because it was close to home and we wanted to form our own opinion. We have children ages 8 & 10 and camp with 5 other groups. The only positive thing about Skinner is the park is clean. The biggest complaint I have which left an awful taste in my mouth was the RUDE staff! From the moment we arrived till the time we left, the camp host, the gate attendants and the Ranger were unbelievably rude. They definitely need to teach a class on customer service and how to approach people.
It started when we decided to drop our children off a day early with their grandparents before we came in. We showed up at 9pm to drop them off and the front gate charged us $3 just to come in to drop them off! I had no cash and they still swiped my credit card. Ridiculous I thought, but those are their rules so I kept my mouth shut. Next, the rangers came by our camp spot multiple times and were extremely rude every time. I mean, extremely rude. I was dumbfounded at the way they approached us. They wouldn't let you talk and treated us like we were children. Also, there is nothing to do in the summer time there. It was extremely hot and all they have is a little baby water splash area that is packed with outside guests because they only charge $5 a car load. Totally trashy people. I also thought it was ridiculous that they lock you in after 10pm. You cannot exit the park from 10pm to 6am. This is a first because usually a park will not allow entry after a certain hour, but will still allow you to exit. I asked the staff, "what if I have an emergency?" Their response was to call 911. I said by the time I wait for the ambulance to come all the way out to Skinner then drive all the way into the park, it could be a matter of life and death. They said we could wake up a camp host and they would unlock the gate. I didn't like the fact that I could get out with my son's asthma. My parents as well as ourselves ended up leaving a day early because we felt uncomfortable there. All of our friends that were camping had the same experience and said they will never come back. I'm filing a complaint on their Ranger as well. Do yourself a favor and stay somewhere else!
It started when we decided to drop our children off a day early with their grandparents before we came in. We showed up at 9pm to drop them off and the front gate charged us $3 just to come in to drop them off! I had no cash and they still swiped my credit card. Ridiculous I thought, but those are their rules so I kept my mouth shut. Next, the rangers came by our camp spot multiple times and were extremely rude every time. I mean, extremely rude. I was dumbfounded at the way they approached us. They wouldn't let you talk and treated us like we were children. Also, there is nothing to do in the summer time there. It was extremely hot and all they have is a little baby water splash area that is packed with outside guests because they only charge $5 a car load. Totally trashy people. I also thought it was ridiculous that they lock you in after 10pm. You cannot exit the park from 10pm to 6am. This is a first because usually a park will not allow entry after a certain hour, but will still allow you to exit. I asked the staff, "what if I have an emergency?" Their response was to call 911. I said by the time I wait for the ambulance to come all the way out to Skinner then drive all the way into the park, it could be a matter of life and death. They said we could wake up a camp host and they would unlock the gate. I didn't like the fact that I could get out with my son's asthma. My parents as well as ourselves ended up leaving a day early because we felt uncomfortable there. All of our friends that were camping had the same experience and said they will never come back. I'm filing a complaint on their Ranger as well. Do yourself a favor and stay somewhere else!
Read more
Date of stay: August 2011Trip type: Travelled with friends
Cleanliness
Service
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
This place was terrible. I would recommend all campers boycott this place. First the rangers are rude, the one camp host we saw was friendly though. Second, leave your pet at home, not dog friendly at all. Thirdly, tons of rules, but the only ones enforced were the ones that deal with dogs, or parking. Loud music and partiing unti 3am with no enforcement of the quiet hours. Fourthly, DON'T let your dogs look at the lake, if you are that close with your dog you will get a ticket. Also, don't even think about fishing on the shore with your feet in the water. BIG NO NO. Hope all can learn from my lesson.
Read more
Date of stay: May 2010Trip type: Travelled with family
Value
Location
Cleanliness
Service
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
My family and I have been camping at Lake Skinner for over twenty years and sometimes it gets a little noisy but we have usually felt safe. This past weekend all of that changed. There were no camp hosts available in our Group C Campground. They were all gone for the night. Apparently there was no one in Campground B where the concert originated. The music was amped up like you were at a concert. All of the campgrounds A, B and C could hear the music. Our group called several times to complain and each time was told someone would be there. It took thirty minutes because the Ranger (only one!) was closing the lake. When he did come I have to say he had an attitude. Yes we went to the campsite to ask them to turn the music down and the men cussed and yelled at us. When we spoke to the Ranger he commented--what do you expect when people come and drink as much as they do at Lake Skinner? Not everyone drinks soft drinks (he assumed that's what we had in our cup). The helper with him (a woman) continually rolled her eyes at anything our group said. I guess rules do not apply to drunks. It also was a little scary to realize that only one ranger was on duty for the weekend with many campers in the park. We used to camp with our young children and had a great time but since the county doesn't seem to take an interest in rules, we will never go back and neither will our friends.
Met a young woman in the campsite and she said it was her first time to camp at Skinner and said, "There is quite a bit of underage drinking going on at the campsites and she would not come back."
Met a young woman in the campsite and she said it was her first time to camp at Skinner and said, "There is quite a bit of underage drinking going on at the campsites and she would not come back."
Read more
Date of stay: September 2009Trip type: Travelled with friends
Location
Cleanliness
Service
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Lake skinner and "Whatacatch bass fishing club, make a great pair" Says David Truby(president of Whatacatch bass fishing club.
I have been fishing in the Temecula, Murrieta, Hemet, Elisnore,and Rainbow california area for abot 27 years and I love lake skinner. It has great fishing and an all aroud good feeing to it. The people are nice. From the park rangers to the store keeper. You might like it just for that.
It is a good place to boat as well.
Have fun out there and be safe!
Thank you and please visit our club:
--------------------------------------
David Truby
president of "Whatacatch Bass Fishing Club"
I have been fishing in the Temecula, Murrieta, Hemet, Elisnore,and Rainbow california area for abot 27 years and I love lake skinner. It has great fishing and an all aroud good feeing to it. The people are nice. From the park rangers to the store keeper. You might like it just for that.
It is a good place to boat as well.
Have fun out there and be safe!
Thank you and please visit our club:
--------------------------------------
David Truby
president of "Whatacatch Bass Fishing Club"
Read more
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Hi James,
is this a response to my review?
-Robert
"Pick the type camping you like and bring a water craft or fishing rod to get the most of what this park has to offer."Read full review
ALSO KNOWN AS
lake skinner state park hotel temecula, lake skinner state park temecula
LOCATION
United StatesCaliforniaTemecula
NUMBER OF ROOMS
10
Prices are provided by our partners, and reflect total costs of the stay, including all taxes and fees known to our partners. Please see our partners for more details.
Is This Your Tripadvisor Listing?
Own or manage this property? Claim your listing for free to respond to reviews, update your profile and much more.
Claim Your ListingLAKE SKINNER STATE PARK | UPDATED 2025 Hotel Reviews (Temecula, CA) - Tripadvisor
Frequently Asked Questions about Lake Skinner State Park
Which popular attractions are close to Lake Skinner State Park?
Nearby attractions include Lake Skinner (4.7 km), Alamos School House (4.8 km), and Earth And Sun Camels (5.9 km).
What are some restaurants close to Lake Skinner State Park?
Conveniently located restaurants include The Creekside Grille, The Bistro at Monte de Oro, and Sangio's Deli.
Are pets allowed at Lake Skinner State Park?
Yes, pets are typically allowed, but it's always best to call ahead to confirm.
Are there any historical sites close to Lake Skinner State Park?
Many travellers enjoy visiting Alamos School House (4.8 km).