Reviews

For KOA Temecula Vail Lake: How this place got a resort rating is beyond me. Power boxes have been prayed by people trying to get them open. If you stand on your head you can find plug in and breakers. No staff here or anywhere to be found. I understand the office was closed but there are no emergency numbers posted and the lady at the gate struggled to help us. She had us move to a site in the Oak area. Also signage in the park is not there. ie, which loop is which. This would be helpful. We’ve stayed at lots of KOA’s and are members. Someone needs to take a look at this place please.

Posted Sep 06, 2023 by Bill Jocewicz from Rincon. This is the subjective opinion of a traveler and not of AllStays LLC.

For KOA Temecula Vail Lake: You’ve probably seen past reviews of this campground that are all over the map, from “our favorite” to “worst ever.” A stay at this KOA requires management of expectations. We stayed here over two separate five-day periods in late February and early March. It is a huge place with over 500 campsites spread out over five separate areas of varying quality. The adjacent Vail Lake’s Enduro mountain biking site is the primary attraction and it makes this KOA a massively popular weekend destination. Add in all of the entertainment amenities (store, mini golf, a bar (!), a cafe, and organized activities for kids and as you might imagine, the place is completely overrun with campers and day users from Friday afternoon until Sunday afternoon. Don’t expect a quiet wilderness experience, they even hosts live bands on weekend evenings that can be heard throughout the park. Bikes are flying everywhere, loud parties and music, barking dogs, corn hole tournaments blocking the roads, and people driving through the loops way too fast. The bath houses quickly become a fright from overuse. The staff here are numerous, cooperative, helpful, and friendly to a fault but it is simply beyond their capability to enforce the rules in the mad house. If you happen to camp on a weekend that coincides with an organized bike race you’ll feel as if you’ve camped in the middle of a rock concert. The property affiliated with KOA about three years ago and the owners are making gradual improvements to the campground but with the crush of weekenders they appear to take a step backward for every two steps of progress. They’ve made nice improvements to Sites 84 - 88 with new hookup fixtures, nice gravel, big patio areas constructed with pavers, and large fire rings. That’s five down and 515 sites to go. All of the campsites throughout the park are gravel or dirt. The one paved road from the entrance past the office and back to the cabin area is in good condition. All other loop roads are poorly maintained asphalt with ruts, potholes, and washouts and most are partially or mostly covered in sand and dirt. Signage varies from good to poor. The most popular camping areas are Chardonnay Mesa and Rincon, which are located on high spots with a good view of the surrounding mountains. The Merlot and Oaks area are in lower areas along washes, there are nice shade trees and the hookups are in good working order. The bathrooms in these areas have good plumbing and plenty of hot water but are stark, worn concrete structures that could use a lot of updating. The largest area, Arroyo Seco, has over 200 sites of which 3/4 have no electricity. It is a vast expanse of sand, dirt, tree stumps, and poorly maintained signage and water spigots. It has the look and feel of something you’d find in the AZ desert. The bathrooms here are equally serviceable but the structures are horrible and appear to be in the process of crumbling. Finally, the entire campground is extremely poor at handling rain and rain runoff. There is silt and mud runoff everywhere, over the roads and blocking access to the bath houses. There is even a deep wash at the entrance to Arroyo Seco that floods easily and may block the only way in or out of this area. For snowbirds in the area during the Dec-Mar rainy season it’s a real consideration. In summary, this is a fabulous place to camp from Monday through Thursday when the weather is cooperative. It’s just too chaotic on the weekends and an absolute mess when it’s raining.

Posted Mar 04, 2023 by Gary M from Upper Midwest . This is the subjective opinion of a traveler and not of AllStays LLC.

For KOA Temecula Vail Lake: We stayed here September 16 - 18, 2021. There may be some great amenities here, but we felt that this park did not meet KOA standards. It is a very large rambling park with several zones. We were not offered a guide to our site and subsequently got lost. We regrouped and found the area of our site, but it was very poorly marked. After a couple of tries, we parked in the all dirt and dust site. The hookups were difficult to use; my husband had to use a bungee cord to keep our electric connected. The restrooms definitely need updating. WiFi was only available for one device; there was a fee for each additional device with no clear instructions on how to buy it. We would not return.

Posted Oct 02, 2021 by Minnesota Vicki from Minnesota. This is the subjective opinion of a traveler and not of AllStays LLC.

For KOA Temecula Vail Lake: Very nice adventure campground. Even though we were subject to social distancing, we did however enjoy biking and hiking. Site was a backin with plenty of room to spread. Woods and nature galore. Stayed for a week in a 38' 5th wheel.

Posted May 13, 2020 by richjann from new york. This is the subjective opinion of a traveler and not of AllStays LLC.

For KOA Temecula Vail Lake: This a nice park for camping as there are many campsites and all are spacious. We have camped here several times and have enjoyed each visit. Our last visit (a week ago) was very peaceful and informative. This location just became a KOA at the beginning of the year and have some great improvements to the park coming later this year. You can play miniature golf, go mountain bike tiding, swimming (2 pools), take long walks and/or hikes and relax. We will definitely be coming back to this park many more times in the future. The staff is very friendly, helpful and informative (including the camp host I spoke too). The weather this time of year is pleasant, but I believe the summer can be hot.

Posted Apr 07, 2019 by SoCal Traveler from Ventura, Ca. This is the subjective opinion of a traveler and not of AllStays LLC.

For KOA Temecula Vail Lake: Vail Lake RV Park is one of the best parks in the area. 2 pools, little village with a store, putt putt golf and a BAR open on weekends. In the summer and holiday weekends live music too. Full hookups, quiet and many sites have tree cover. Good security. No tent-only camping unless you have an RV or trailer. Cost is reasonable for the area, about $50-70/night depending on the site based on electrical box amperage. Note that there isn't lake access to the actual Vail Lake which is a few miles away from the campground anyway.
There are 3 wineries literally 10 minutes away. Plus a nearby Wal-Mart and lots of stores as well as Old Town Temecula across the freeway.

Posted Dec 18, 2017 by Paul from SoCal. This is the subjective opinion of a traveler and not of AllStays LLC.