We’re taking you on a relaxing 2 night glamping getaway at Summit Trail Glamping in Jamul, California. Just outside of San Diego, this peaceful glampsite is the perfect nature retreat for couples, friends, families, or even larger groups since both glamping sites can be rented together. In this episode we share our experiences hiking for sunset on the property and soaking in the pool and hot tub plus the fun add-ons we did like homemade sourdough bread, s’mores kits, sound baths, and goat meet and greets.

Summit Trail Glamping provides everything from a comfortable furnished canvas tent to bedding, extra blankets, camp seating, cooking supplies, compostable toilet, and private shower, making it an easy option for a last minute weekend escape into nature You can book this stay directly through their ⁠listing⁠, where they offer availability, pricing, and all the details to plan your visit.

Follow Summit Trail Glamping on Instagram: ⁠@summittrailglamping⁠

We also cover nearby adventures including hiking Stonewall Peak, Julian apple pie, and wine tasting.

Shop our hiking gear favorites here:⁠ Amazon Hiking Storefront⁠

Find more San Diego travel inspiration, check out our ⁠San Diego Itinerary⁠ to help you plan the perfect trip and our many other glamping/accommodation episodes and San Diego trip inspiration episodes.

Find a great flight deal to San Diego with Thrifty Traveler Premium’s flight deals. Use our promo code TSP to get $20 off your first year subscription.

Galmping in San Diego – Episode Transcript

0:35

And get ready to embark on a new adventure with us around the globe.

Hey squatty, welcome to this week’s Just the Tip Today.

You have me, Brittany, and our honorary.

Squatty Saira.

And we’re taking you on A2 night glamping adventure at Summit Trail Glamping in Hamul, California.

0:51

We are San.

Diego locals and.

We hike and explore in San Diego, but we actually haven’t done much camping or glamping locally.

So we were really excited that we.

Had the opportunity to stay two nights at Summit Trail Glamping and use it as a little weekend nature retreat.

Summit Trail Glamping is located in Hamul, which is a rural community in eastern San Diego County known for its rolling hills, open space and scenic mountain views.

1:13

Located about 25 miles east of downtown San Diego, Hamul offers a quieter country style atmosphere while still being close to the city.

It’s popular for hiking, horseback riding, wineries and outdoor recreation.

So we booked our stay.

Through Hip Camp, which is an online camping platform that connects you with very unique outdoor stays and it’s often.

1:31

Described as like the.

Airbnb of camping.

I had never used hip camp before.

But I have heard about it before so I was really excited to try hip camp for.

The first time and they offer anything from tent campsites, RV parking spots to glamping tents, cabins, tree houses and private land stays.

1:50

We stayed the weekend of May 15th through the 17th and honestly I would recommend two nights at a minimum.

One night doesn’t give you enough time to relax and enjoy the space, so we.

Checked in on a Friday and it was May 15th.

We checked in around 4:00 PM, but you can actually check in starting at around. 3:00 PM Our.

2:05

Site was fantastic.

The site’s.

Located on 11 acres of property with a beautiful mountain backdrop.

Some of their property.

Is actually part.

Of the Cleveland National Forest.

So the hosts are Heidi and Tim and they are so friendly, thoughtful and very responsive.

Prior to having the glamping sites they had yurts and sound healings and retreats.

2:26

Now they have two designated clamping sites.

The sites are actually.

Close enough together that.

You could actually.

Do something with a group of friends up to I would say maximum eight people.

You’d probably be more comfortable keeping it like. 4:00 to 6:00.

But you can do a maximum of eight.

2:41

But it’s.

Also private enough that if there were people in one site that you didn’t know and then you were at another site, you would.

Still feel like.

You had your own and space so.

The tents are large and spacious canvas tents.

It had a full size bed, two small side stool tables and a full dot mattress seating area.

3:00

Also a basket with extra blankets, a propane heater, card games, a little basket with coffee and tea supplies.

There’s a pole in the middle that holds up the tent and there is a mirror and fan attached to that, as well as some twinkling lights.

Twinkling lights were really nice.

It could be a very romantic stay too.

3:15

But it works really great as.

Friends.

The site is really set up for.

Everything they.

Have a prep.

Table with cooking supplies, utensil, serveware, a burner.

A grill.

Water, trash, camping chairs and it’s perfect because.

All you have to do.

Is bring your own stuff and your food, and honestly if you didn’t want to worry about the food portion of it, you’re close enough to some restaurants and civilization that you don’t have to.

3:39

But if you want the full on camping experience you could have that.

Too.

They also have some amazing add-ons, so we did the S’mores kit and we had a propane burner for S’mores and the campfire as well.

Then there’s also a picnic table too.

There’s a toilet and it’s a compostable house so you pee like normal and to poo you open the hole, do your business and crank it to mix it up with the soil.

4:01

So outside of that there was soap, water and hand towels and a trash.

They even had another little building with sink and a shower and so.

If you are.

Out hiking because this area is known for hiking and you feel a little sweaty when you get back.

Or if you use the.

4:16

Pool and hot tub add on and you want to rinse off.

They have the.

Private sink and shower.

Available to use.

They also have mirrors in there, so if you need to glam up before you hit some of those restaurants or wineries, you have that option too.

So Saira mentioned a few of the add-ons, but there are.

4:32

Quite a few.

That they have and offer so they have a S’mores kit that you can add on we.

Did use this?

And it was fantastic.

They.

Also have the.

Option to add on.

Either a fresh loaf of sourdough.

Bread or banana bread and then they have some other add-ons like.

4:49

Charcoal for the grill a.

Sound bath which we added on and a pool and hot tub time which is a 2 hour scheduled window that you can add on and then they have some animals on property so.

You could do.

A meet and greet with their goats and chickens if you wanted to as well.

5:05

And this trip is great for anybody, friends, family, couples.

It is very romantic.

I will say if you want to do something a little bit excluded or maybe away from humanity but close enough, if you need something, you can go do it.

But also they have like a trail on their property which you can get to a really good lookout.

5:20

Take some really beautiful pictures as.

Well, so we.

Got there at around 4430 in the afternoon.

We got settled in and put all of our stuff into the tent area.

Kind of got.

Situated we had picked.

Up burritos on our way and so we ate them at our campsite and then our plans for the evening were just to settle in and enjoy the property and do a little sunset hike that goes up into the 11 acres that they have and it’s right behind their property.

5:47

It leads up to a summit and you can see sunset.

While you’re up there as well, I will say though, it was really steep.

It was pretty steep so I would recommend wearing your hiking boots or if you’re like me and you might have some knee problems, definitely wear your knee braces.

But it was beautiful once you get to the top and the sky looked absolutely amazing and you can see basically all of homole.

6:06

Up there and then we finally made it down to our campsite and Saira actually is a.

Baker herself.

So she made these amazing delicious cinnamon rolls with cinnamon frosting.

So we had this fantastic.

Idea to use.

These s’more skewers and put the cinnamon rolls on that and roast them to get them nice and like warm and gooey and enjoy them by the campfire.

6:29

So the next day on May 16th is what we plan for, mainly hiking.

So in the morning Brittany had made us overnight oats and coffee.

So she got up a little bit early and made us our coffee because the campsite comes with a burner as well as a kettle.

So she made us instant coffee that was already provided for us, and then we had our overnight oats and we were basically getting ready for our day trip of hiking.

6:50

Yeah, so.

We are San Diego.

Locals.

But I don’t feel like we.

Really use.

San Diego’s outdoor.

Space as much as we should.

And I want to and so we just.

Decided to take.

Advantage of where we were and make this kind of like a nice weekend nature.

Retreat for ourselves.

7:06

So we decided.

To do some hiking out near Julian and the reason was we wanted to do a.

Day trip to.

Julian So we hiked Stonewall Peak.

Which is about. 4 miles you.

Do have to park at the?

Campsite across the.

Street pay for.

7:21

Parking day parking is like $10 and then you.

Head across.

The street to Stonewall Peak Stonewall Peak is one of the more popular trails in Julian and it’s located with than Kuyamaka, Rancho State.

Park the trails.

Moderately challenging.

It’s an out and back.

But the best part of it is you go up this rocky stair.

7:38

Section to the panoramic summit and you can see just beautiful panoramic views of the mountains, desert landscapes and like Kuyamaka in the background.

Yeah, it was definitely an easier hike than I thought it was going to be because sometimes Britney sets us up for some hikes that I’m not equipped to do.

7:54

But this one was definitely an easier one.

It has a lot of like smooth, gradual inclines and just like a steep sharp 1.

And maybe it was because we had the previous hike the day before.

So I was mentally prepared for a little bit more of a challenging hike.

And then after that, we headed into Julian.

8:09

If you’ve never been to Julian before, I do recommend doing a day trip to Julian.

Julian is like small town California historic small town.

Historic Gold Rush.

Town known for its small town charm, mountain scenery and famous apple pies and cider.

8:25

So it’s founded during the Southern California Gold Rush in the 1870s, and Julian still preserves his old character with wooden storefronts, historic buildings and a walkable Main St. lined with bakeries, boutiques and local restaurants.

We went there for lunch and we went to Julian Cafe.

8:40

And it is a longtime local favorite in the heart of downtown Julian.

They serve some like real good hearty comfort food.

So I ended up getting a chicken pot pie turnover, which is what they’re known for with a side of mashed potatoes.

And it was a little chilly this day.

8:57

So it was just like so warm and just like warmed my soul and so.

Would you get?

I got the Juliano’s hottest chick.

It was good.

I just don’t know if that’s necessarily what I would get if I went back.

But some of their burgers looked really appetizing as well, and they had one that had shredded apples and into the meat, which I was kind of curious about, but I wasn’t sure how adventurous I felt like being that day.

9:17

But I would probably try that next time I go.

Up there and after we ate lunch we.

Went across the street to.

Mom’s pie house, and this is one of Julian’s most.

Beloved pie shops.

They have amazing fresh.

Baked apple pies.

Crumb toppings, cinnamon ice cream and other homemade desserts.

9:34

So we couldn’t decide what kind of pie we wanted, so we ended up getting.

Three, we got the.

Apple caramel crumble, an apple Berry and a chocolate pecan pie.

And chocolate pecan, I’ve tried it before from mom, so I would highly recommend it.

I’ve only had pecan pie before, prior to me having that one, and when I tried the chocolate pecan, that was pretty good.

9:53

So it was nice to be able to have like 3 different slices of pie to be able to try all three.

They also give you the option to throw some ice cream on it, which I know a lot of people do.

That just felt a little bit decadent, you could say, for us that day, so.

We had a nice little time in Julian.

We were deciding if we wanted to stay in Julian and do some hard cider tasting or.

10:12

Possibly go back.

To and do some wine tasting because the whole.

Area does have a couple.

Different wineries that are open on the weekends or for private tastings, but because it is a.

Little bit of a.

Drive from where we.

Were we decided to.

Go ahead and pick up Julian hard.

10:28

Cider at the.

General store and bring it back to our campsite to enjoy.

So we were.

Actually able to get a nice little assortment.

So if you haven’t had Julian hard cider, I would highly recommend it.

It is some of the better cider that I’ve had.

So they have a black and blue which has blueberries and blackberries mixed into it.

10:43

Just a golden apple, which is their classic apple cider as well as a tray bomb.

But that one is also really delicious and they just have fresh cherries added to that one.

So it was a nice little selection that we were able to take back to the hot tub while we relaxed.

Yeah.

So as we mentioned earlier, the.

10:59

Glamp site.

Does have a few add-ons, one of them that you.

Could do is.

A2 hour booking of the pool and the hot tub and let me tell you, after spending all day out and about and hiking both that day and the night prior, it was so nice to soak and relax and just drink some of our.

11:17

Heart Cider.

In the hot tub.

Yeah, and then we showered and we ended our evening with some s’mores from the S’mores Kit and Brittanie got to discover that I know how to make some perfectly roasted marshmallows.

I have never seen anyone in my life roast A marshmallow.

11:34

As perfect as Saira did.

Like what is your technique?

You got it slow and patient, OK.

You got to hover to right above the fire, not too close.

You don’t want it to catch on fire.

And then you got to make sure you rotate it regularly so you get golden brown all around it.

I like a little bit of charge, so once it’s nice and big and fluffy and golden brown, I get a little bit closer to the flame to like add that nice crispiness flavor.

11:54

But you have to be patient.

I didn’t even know marshmallows could expand as big as she made them to get them like all roasty and toasty and it was perfect and so.

You know you.

Do have the option of bringing your own s’more?

Supplies or just.

Adding it on and she had this.

12:10

Cute.

Little kit set.

Up with the Graham.

Crackers a chocolate.

Bar and the marshmallows and then the skewers for us to enjoy.

Already waiting for us in our tent when we got.

There.

So the next day, which is May 17th, we had planned another hike as well.

12:26

And so we got up, we did our breakfast, which was it’s overnight, as well as coffee again, which they also provided this nice condensed milk.

It’s local to California, so it’s California milk with sugar and a little packet.

We added that to our coffees.

It was actually really delicious.

12:42

And that was when we did our sound bath too.

Yeah, so we.

Scheduled a 9:00 AM sound bath and Heidi one of the hosts.

She does it.

With you directly in your tent.

So she just asks you to find a comfortable laying position and she kind of does a guided meditation to help relaxed you and then starts in with the sound bath and then slowly brings you out of it.

13:04

And it was actually a really nice experience.

It was about. 30 minutes or so.

Yeah, so I have done sound baths before and I wouldn’t say it’s as personalized.

In the past, this was nice because it was in your tent.

I felt like you were able to pick up all of the vibrations from the sound because you could hear it on like both sides of your eardrums as well.

13:22

So I felt like it was a really nice space to have that environment in.

So we did that, and then we talked to Heidi for a little bit and she actually brought her puppy Paloma over, who is being trained to be a livestock guardian dog, and she’s absolutely adorable.

13:38

At the time of this recording, Paloma is about 10 weeks old.

And she was.

So cute and.

Curious and friendly, but also so well behaved and.

If I could steal her, I would have, yeah.

Definitely would have brought her home with me if I could.

The sound bath was such a perfect ending for our weekend.

13:55

Feel like 2 nights is the perfect amount of time because if you were just there one overnight and then checking out at around like 11 you wouldn’t really have the time to enjoy the space, the amenities.

It would feel really rushed.

I feel like 2 days really lended itself well for a nice nature weekend retreat.

14:13

Yeah, I definitely agree with that.

And the host, Heidi and Tim, we’re both very responsive and anytime we needed anything or if there’s anything that came up, they were to respond to meet our needs.

And if we had any questions, they helped with that as well.

I feel like there’s so many different ways that you.

Could use this.

14:29

Glamping space.

That they have.

Like if you want a romantic.

Couples getaway.

And you don’t want to do any hiking, you can just go visit wineries and go out dining and do some restaurants that are in the area.

But if you wanted the nature portion of it, there are so many different hikes in Hamul and the surrounding area.

14:45

Or the day trip like we talked about to.

Julian, And this is?

A great way also to dip.

Your toes in into camping if you really haven’t.

So if you’re considering going camping for the first time with your significant other and you’re not quite.

Sure, how it would go like this is a great baseline.

15:00

Yeah, and I would also think that’s a very nice romantic thing to do with your partner too and go test out their survival skills, maybe out in the wilderness, but.

We are so thankful that we.

Stayed here.

I would definitely come back and stay here again.

It was.

The perfect little getaway.

Like, you’re close enough to San Diego, and so a lot of people do come into San Diego to see the city.

15:20

To see the beach but this just.

Offers a different dynamic of San Diego that you don’t.

See every day.

And I feel like a lot of people would really enjoy it if they knew more about this area and what it offered.

Yeah, and it’s nice that there’s so many hikes local to that area because I feel like the more popular hikes, for example, cows or even Potato Chip Rock or Iron Mountain, those get super populated.

15:43

So if you’re looking for a little bit more secluded this, the hikes around this area are really nice, like Mount McGinty, the Hollenbach Canyon trails also over there, as well as Lawson Peak.

So a lot of those are really accessible from this clamp.

Site, yeah, and they don’t feel as.

Crowded like the.

Trailheads are much smaller in some of them, but you don’t see as many people.

15:59

I’ve done lots of peak a few times and I’ve run into a few.

People, but it just doesn’t feel as crowded as it does on, let’s say, callus.

Mountain which you’re running into someone every other second.

So I’m going to go ahead and post a link to the clamp site in the show notes.

So if you guys are interested, definitely click on that or if you have any questions, send me Adm and I hope you.

16:18

Guys, check out this area because we absolutely.

Loved our weekends day.

Thanks for tuning into Just the tip, make sure to subscribe Leave a review and follow us on all the socials at Trop Squad Podcast.

Have fun travelling this weekend.