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Day pools

Agua Caliente County Park

  • From $7
  • 2 hr 15 min from San Diego
  • Walk-in OK

A San Diego County camping park surrounded by Anza-Borrego Desert State Park, with three geothermally heated mineral pools: an indoor pool with age limits, an outdoor pool and a children's pool. The park is open from Labor Day weekend to Memorial Day and offers hookup sites, tent sites and seven cabins. Non-campers can use the pools for a small per-person fee.

Desert campground among cholla cactus below rocky mountains at Agua Caliente County Park, Julian, California
Photo: Jim1138, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Price
From $7
Nearest town
Julian
From San Diego
2 hr 15 min
Reservations
Walk-in OK

Plan your visit

Hours & season

Hours
  • Day use 9:30am-sunset
  • Indoor pool 9:30am-5pm (adults-only first hour)
  • Outdoor 9:30am-5pm
  • Fri-Sat 6-9pm campers only
Season
  • Seasonal
  • Open Labor Day weekend to Memorial Day
  • Closed in summer

Tickets & booking

Price
  • Pool entry for non-campers $7/person plus $5 day-use parking
  • Pool access for campers included with camping
AccessDay pass, walk-ins welcome
Booking
  • Campsites and cabins via the county Reservations Center (858-565-3600)
  • Day-use pool entry not reservable per the park page

Rules

Ages
  • Indoor pool: adults only 9:30-10:30am
  • Adults and kids 14+ 10:30am-5pm
  • Adult campers only Fri-Sat 6-9pm
  • Outdoor and children's pools all ages
DogsNo

On site

Pools3
LodgingYes

Not stated by the venue: swimwear.

Water temperature

This venue doesn't publish pool temperatures.

The pools

PoolTempSetting
Indoor poolAdults only 9:30-10:30am; adults and kids 14+ until 5pm.—Indoor
Outdoor poolAll ages.—Outdoor
Children's poolkidsAll ages, 9:30am-5pm.—Outdoor

As published by the venue. Temperatures shift with the seasons and the weather.

Facilities

  • Restrooms: yes
  • Sauna: no
Bring your own alcoholNot allowed
Good to know
  • No alcohol in pool areas
  • No dogs on trails or pool decks

What's here

  • three natural mineral pools (indoor spa, outdoor pool, children's pool)
  • campground with full and partial hookups, tent sites
  • seven camping cabins
  • desert hiking trails
  • inside Anza-Borrego Desert State Park area

Getting there

  • From San Diego2 hr 15 min92 mi
  • From San Diego (SAN)2 hr 18 min92 mi

Typical driving time without traffic or snow.

Elevation1,426 ft
Road
  • Paved road
  • Off County Route S2 (Great Southern Overland Stage Route), south of Hwy 78
ParkingDay-use parking $5

Things to do near Julian

park

Anza-Borrego Desert State Park

Desert canyons, palm groves and wildflower trails surrounding the park.

park

Vallecito Stage Station County Park

Restored 1850s stage station and campground about 4 mi northwest on S2.

Trailheads

Straight-line distances. Campground and trailhead data © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Nearby springs

Jacumba Hot Springs: 24 mi · Warner Springs Ranch Resort: 30 mi · Bashford's Hot Mineral Spa: 49 mi

Sources (3)

· checked November 2026

Prices, hours and rules are checked against the official site and land-agency pages. Spot something out of date? Let us know.

  1. Official site: AguaCaliente
  2. parks.ca.gov
  3. Official site: Vallecito