Campland History
History of Campland on the Bay
Campland on the Bay, originally named Mission Bay Campland, opened in 1969. The park has been serving families and providing unique camping and vacation opportunities ever since. Campland is known for its convenient location, its family-oriented, activity-filled experiences and for being a place where it’s safe to let the kids explore its many treasures within the gated community grounds. The land upon which Campland sits was once a salt marsh and wetland. The developers of Campland leased the property from the city of San Diego in 1967 and filled the area with dirt and soil, then built the campground.
When it opened, many of the current amenities existed, however, some are now gone. Campland once had a marina in Rose Creek and a boat hoist that stored boats in a large storage building. In the mid-1970’s the maintenance department moved into that boat storage building. Sadly, in the early 1980’s the entire building burned to the ground from a fire described as the largest in Pacific Beach history. Due to decades of siltation in Rose Creek, the boat hoist became unusable, and there was no longer a need for a boat storage building. As a result, Campland’s existing maintenance building was constructed more centrally in the area behind the propane tank and basketball court.
One of Campland’s great landmarks was an observation platform that towered over the café adjacent to Central Park. Campers could climb almost 60 feet above the ground to a panoramic view of Mission Bay and Pacific Beach. Unfortunately, the rickety structure was deemed unsafe and irreparable and was removed. Even more unfortunate is that it was never rebuilt because new building codes don’t allow structures above 35 feet.
Campland used to rent spaces in what was known as “P” section, the area adjacent to the beach on the easternmost part of the park. Due to City Council political wrangling over the percentage of Mission Bay devoted to commercial purposes, a survey was done in the late 1990’s. Since that section of Campland was technically outside the leasehold boundary, the city required Campland to stop renting those spaces. While it is now used as overflow parking, the hope is someday it will be returned to Campland’s leasehold and the prime camping spots will once again be made available to the public.
Campland is currently managed by Terra Vista Management. Its predecessor was De Anza Group, Inc. which also, up until 2003, managed the De Anza mobile home park located across Rose Creek. Through Terra Vista’s president, Michael Gelfand, Campland has been continuously operated by the same group of people since affiliates of De Anza Group purchased the Campland lease in 1977. Management early on made a commitment to provide a family-oriented recreation and entertainment location on the water that’s safe, kid-friendly and close by to everything you could possibly need. One of the first things the group did at that time was plant over 1,000 trees. Those small trees in 15 gallon pots are now huge and create much-needed shade throughout the park. Management also built an additional swimming pool and spa and rebuilt the entire marina when it virtually sank after a severe storm; wave attenuator docks were also installed to protect the Marina. Terra Vista Management also created Huff n’ Puff Park, the Supersite (private, luxury-style camping), basketball courts, Friendly Bowl Skateboard Park, Dogwood Park, Central Park Stage, enhanced landscaping throughout the park, Central Park White Tent, the gate control booth, Market Mall Fountain, and significantly enhanced the electrical, sewer and water systems on campsites throughout the park.
Management initiated year-round daily activities and events hosted by a staff of amazing Activities Directors. New games and rental equipment are acquired every year. Virtually every inch of the park, including the game room, Café, market, administrative office, reservations office, front desk, and marina has been remodeled. Park-wide environmental assessments have been done and lighting systems converted, toxic material use has ceased, countless energy saving measures have been implemented, recycling trash containers provided, paper and Styrofoam usage curtailed, and many other efforts to protect our environment and reduce resource usage have been initiated and implemented.
Today, improvements to Campland continue. In 2011, the Huff N Buff gym and fitness room was added near the Hot and Cool Pools. Campers can make internet reservations at www.campland.com and access the entire inventory of available campsites online. Wi-Fi is available throughout the campground so everyone can stay connected!
The primary secret to the ongoing enhancement of Campland on the Bay is its employees. Some employees have been at Campland since the lease began in 1977. Campland’s staff members appreciate the importance of providing campers with a fun and memorable experience, not just a place to camp. Campland is special because of its unique, waterfront location on San Diego’s world-renowned Mission Bay, the world’s largest aquatic park. But it takes on its real magic because of the dedication of the Campland staff, and the fun-loving, howling-at-the moon spirit of our guests. The history of Campland is not really about the place as much as the sum total of the wonderful, life-long family experiences that campers have enjoyed since 1969. Fortunately, that history continues to be written, and you are an integral part of it.
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