Pinecrest Retreat: Home of Old Trailers and New Ideas

Above: Owners enjoy the remote location of Pinecrest Park and the lovely oak-studded canyon hillsides. Photos by Amber Ward

What's new is old at Pinecrest Park, the expansive campground/trailer park, created as a weekend retreat in the mid-1960s for employees of San Diego-based General Dynamics Convair.

The aerospace company operated the park for years with the help of volunteers from its recreation association, until it was sold to local owners, including Stan and Dian Cornette, who sold it to Julian residents Frank Spevacek and Kathleen Rosenow in December 2005.

Through the years, the park had become home to about 80 vintage travel trailers, whose owners maintained year-round sites where they could come for weekend or holiday retreats, parties, birthdays, anniversaries and other events.

Camping enthusiasts come from all over Southern California, most have been visiting Pinecrest for decades, bunking in the old Airstream, Spartan, Teardrop and Terry trailers and spending quality time in the oak-shaded picnic and common areas.

They told new owners Spevacek and Rosenow that the trailer owners enjoyed the remote location of the park, off Highway 79 just outside Julian, the lovely oak-studded canyon hillsides and most of all the quiet of a fairly primitive camping environment.

Solar power system heats the Olympic size pool.

Armed with that information, the new owners knew what to do. Keep it the same and make it better. Who better to tackle the task than this couple whose business is spearheading "intelligent community development" in the Palm Springs desert resorts area. That translates into minimum impact on the environment.

The first task, now nearly complete, was to clean up from the 2003 Cedar fire, which consumed nearly 40 percent of the 87-acre wooded canyon, some trailers and their sites. With the burned vegetation now mostly removed, the next project is to "re-forest the area with native species that are adaptable to living with less rain and more heat," Rosenow says.

The new owners plan to put some of their minimum-impact ideas into practice at the park as they continue to make improvements. "We'd like to lead by example," says Spevacek, who serves on the Julian High School Board of Education.

So, they plan to expand the solar power system that's already in place to heat the sparkling Olympic size pool that's a real perk for trailer owners as well as swimmers in the Julian area. They're going to encourage the trailer owners to use solar panels to bring power to their campsites, where there currently are now electricity hookups.

Also in the works is renovation of the clubhouse adjacent to the pool, addition of hiking trails on the property, addition of some meeting space, and installation of environmentally friendly features. They plan to install low flush toilets and on-demand water systems in the restrooms and showers.

The new owners intend to continue offering the Swim Club, a membership program for Julian residents who can use the pool from June through Labor Day. Family memberships are $250 for the season. They also have a few campsites available for rent on an annual basis. For details, contact the park at 760-765-0464.