dixon lake

Beautiful lake for fishing and boating, overnight camping, picnicking, hiking, etc. Large picnic areas. FUN!

We like it that Dixon Lake is close to home and we can get there after work if we are packed to go and leave right away. The web site has a nice overview of each camping spot. We stayed in one that had a view of the lake. It was great to hear the ducks in the morning. We don't fish but could see lots of them in the water. The lake is designated an "Aquaculture" so you don't need a CA fishing license, just a lake permit. All the rangers were helpful, the camp site was clean. No wood fires are allowed which is logical with the fire danger. There was a nice view of the city a few steps from our campsite. (36)

In April 2014 I went fishing here for the first time. I ended up with no fish and a 46 dollar parking ticket. Fishing is poor. I have 55 plus years of fishing experience. At Dixon lake i tried to catch fish with nightcrawlers, a major brand of floating bait and a silver lure for six hours. I never got even a bite and never caught a fish in that 6 hours.!! They gave me a 46 dollar parking ticket for parking in a SIGNED PRIMITIVE AREA behind two other vehicles, on a semi- paved,semi- dirt un-repaired road. There are NO signs that show valid permitted parking in the Primitive Area. I parked under trees for shade leaving VERY AMPLE room for any possible traffic. The road here is about 45 feet wide.!! Some (FEW) parking signs in this primitive area have " arrows" to indicate DO NOT PARK, BUT most signs do not have arrows.. There is VERY poor signage in the Primitive Area in my opinion!! This is a major PARKING TRAP in my opinion and I have over 50 years of driving experience with no parking tickets for maybe 25 years. Roads in this Primitive Area appear to be NOT REPAIRED for maybe 40 years with uncountable rough potholes. Not good for your vehicle. Also, another car about 3 pm was parked directly in front of a NO PARKING sign , 200 feet from my vehicle. And that car was also parking directly in front of a water hydrant !! There is no water at or very close to the picnic tables and giant squirrels are everywhere in the picnic area. It is a little bit upsetting to see so many fat squirrels. I am a USO volunteer and served drinks and food to warriors at Camp Pendleton in early 2014. I am a good citizen but I cannot recommend Dixon lake.

Good family spot. There is hiking trails (watch out for rattlesnakes), camping (but no pets nor fires) and trout fishing. I haven't fished yet but plan to this year!

We got invited to camp here for the first time for New Years Eve. The site we were at had a beautiful view of the lake on one side and the city of Escondido on the other. Kind of cold, but we had a lot of blankets. (no electricity unless you choose a site with full hookups)They allow 2 vehicles and 4 adults/4 Children per site. We had 3 vehicles and 5 Adults, so we had to rent two spots. (still affordable) We only used one spot though, we used the other for parking and put all our tents on one spot. On the plus side the sites are far enough away that the neighbors don't bother you, BUT when camping with friends that can be a negative I suppose. There is group camping which we might check out for a bigger group when it's warmer. We didn't stay long enough to enjoy the lake or the hiking. I would stay two nights next time because check out is too early to do anything fun if you only stay one night.The only big bummer.. you can't have a WOOD fire. :(

My husband went fishing for a day with his boss. They didn't start until 9:00 am they stayed until 5:00pm and all they got was a sunburn. So when my darlinf husband told me , I knew I could do it better...LOL So the next Saturday morning we got up at 4am went to Walmart got many kinds of bait we got 6 types of line and multiple lures and sunblock...and off we went. We got to Dixon at 6am ready to fish my dh boss came also...we sat there all day!!! Two bites..and they escaped the hook both times. The license office says that they are not fed, yet the fish are not interested in bait, lures or marshmallows!!! This review is not about my pride, this is a typical experience at lake Dixon...just ask the locals

We are intermediate level hikers and the trails around here are pretty leisurely. The campgrounds are well maintained and it's a nice place for picnicking.

Good pic-nick area, good fishing, Beautiful camping area withreasonable rates. Good for a family day outing or over night.

Went to walk but trails are not marked and got lost. Only saw 1 sign that said " 3 mile loop" but didn't show where the loop started so continued down the road and found paths but they were not "the loop" since the path stopped and we had to turn around. That is when we must have taken a different path and ended past where we entered the path originally. Found a ranger on the road and he headed us back in the right direction.

Beautiful place, but found out "NO DOGS ALLOWED" inside this facility and we were really dissapointed, so as our pup....

I love Dixon lake, so much to do. from BBQ's to horseshoes, fishing and of course hiking. The scenery is beautiful. One of my favourite campsites, it is small but lots of space between campers and wonderful views all around you.

I grew up fishing and camping at Dixon..and after all these years it's still a great place to go! The camping is great and convienient to town. Really feels like you are "far away." The hiking is awesome and with the view you can't miss a great family adventure!

This lake is a nice size, however unless you go out to fish or have a picnic., there is not much to do. Too many people visit this place and you have to pay a small fee to get in. There are other nice lakes in the area.

We drove to a back shore area which was fairly isolated on a cool, late afternoon. We enjoyed the solitude and quiet walk along the shore. There were plenty of ducks, coots, and a few other water birds across the lake too far to distinguish. Prior rain had left a number of muddy areas to work around. Would love to go back and sit on the benches on the small dock and let the birds entertain.

Great place to take the kids. Lots of room for a family picnic, throwing a pole in off the dock, feeding the ducks, short hikes or just blowing bubbles! Nothing like being with family in the out of doors under the shade of an old oak tree enjoying the day.