Soledad Canyon RV & Camping Resort - Thousand Trails

We weren't a huge fan of this campground. The entrance is nice, and the cabin area looked nice. A lot of people live here permanently in beat up old rigs, and they blast music deep into the night. Zero lighting, no cell signal and constant parties made this a tough place to stay.

This place was the worst RV park we have ever stayed at and it was $55/night. Luckily someone else was paying four of the 5 nights. When we first checked in it took 30 minutes. Then we got to our supposedly pretty and empty location that was almost full and desert like. The only thing this place has going for them in the M lot is that the lot sizes are decent. The rest of the park was close together, the bbqs were either all at an angle or completely fallen over. The laundry room was scary and the 15 minutes of free wifi was in the adult only lounge area that wasn't really adult only and all the locals were in there. There was dog poop and garbage everywhere. This location is also not anywhere near anything worth doing. It would be better to sleep on the side of the road than in this park. The one amazing thing about this place was that the people next to us actually were respectful of the 10p.m. quiet hour.

Let me preface this by saying that we have never actually stayed here but, that being said, we never would either. We drove out to this place to check it out when in the area one weekend as a possible future camping spot. It's set back pretty far off the highway and there is no cell service. The campground is very close to a train track and, while none went by when we were visiting, I would imagine it would be pretty loud if/when they are running.

From what we could tell the campground wasn't very well kept, it was dusty and full of dirt and it seemed like there was a lot of less than desirable people permanently living there.

We won't be staying here.

The park looks a little worse for wear, but I understand that management changed earlier this year. They look like they’re working on it but it must have been in really bad shape because it still has a long way to go.

Overall, a nice place if a bit rough around the edges. The staff is super friendly and helpful. The train tracks are a bit of an issue, but they have spots away from them so that you can still sleep at night. Conveniently enough, those spots are also the ones with the best Wi-Fi and since I work online from home, we gravitated that direction anyway.

The amenities are clean and well-kept. The landscaping needs work but they were also hit by some weather - flooding - that they still haven't recovered from. Not too mention the drought that preceded that. Again, it is very clear that work is progressing. Some spots have electrical issues but they are being addressed. With several hundred spaces available, this isn't too much of an issue.

We will definitely stay here again. The dogs loved it and I’m excited to see the place brought back to what you can tell was once a very nice resort.

We enjoyed this campground and would definitely stay here again. Although we thought the lodge hours and wifi password hoarding must be improved, we enjoyed our stay.

The campground is well landscaped and surrounded by mountains. It really felt like an authentic camping experience due to its location. If you need cell service ask for section "N". N is for network! The lodge wifi works with a password that must be obtained from the front desk. One hour per day.

We would definitely camp here again!

- SEASON - First week of January - very few people here, ample privacy as a result.
- INTERNET - I'm a programmer so I upload and download a lot and I WAS happy to report that the internet was stable and reasonable. Until it suddenly locked me out after I closed my laptop and tried to reconnect. Also only lets one device connect for their fee! 14 down 3 up, but somehow couldn't hold a video conference without it droppping. Staff were clueless as to helping - very upsetting.
- LOCATION - 15-20 minutes from a major city made access to backup coffee shops for work easy. Also makes us feel a bit safer (we travel full time). Multiple Costcos, Home Depots, Starbucks, etc... BUT witnessed a robbery at Albertsons in town. Learned that the crime map suggests you stay in Quartz - which is a part of Palmdale. Lots of crime everywhere else. Definitely didn't seem safe but my experience could be jaded.
- FOREST - We're Oregonians so when we say this has a well forested "green space" - you know it's great for the desert. Well shrouded, dogs loved it. Heard 4 foot creatures sneaking around at night (not sure what they were but nothing bothered us.
- NOISE - There are frequent trains, but we're about 150 yards away and down a slope so it's not enough to wake us or our four kids so I found it interesting and soothing. But if you were in the upper park it would be extremely loud, enough to shake your trailer. But from what I can tell there is only one part of the part that is by them. So unless they're booked I think you'd be ok unless you're extremely sensitive to sound.
- SPACE - We have 4 kids and 2 dogs and had ample space. It *seems* like there would be many spaces like that (by many I mean 1/10th of them) but it's hard to tell since it's the off season.
- UPKEEP - Our campsite had a damaged electrical outlet box that's completely unsafe. I read another review that saw the same thing but many others are well installed. So either they're upgrading them or they are letting them go. The
- SHOWERS / BATH - They're clearly attended too, but definitely not hotel clean. Better than Bend and Pacific City. Water had a subtle body odor smell, Bend's was much worse though, I'm wondering if they use the same filtration system at the two and that's why (I had my wife confirm it's not me, haha!)
- CELL - We have Google Fi and then switched to Verizon. Google Fi uses Sprint and T-Mobile towers - there is no coverage anywhere (including the clubhouse). Verizon we got decent LTE in Section B (up on the hill farthest from all the amenities) but either literally or basically nothing everywhere else.
- No signage, so it's hard to know where do go when you first come in and learn your way around.
- LIGHTING - Pitch black. Which has it's benefits for sleep, but I can understand how it would bother some.
- LODGES - I have only been to one of the buildings here, the adult Lodge. It's fantastic. The best I've been to so far (compared to Bend, Oregon TT and Pacific City TT). The furniture is new and in excellent condition. Floor is a really nice laminated hardwood or actual hardwood. Has 4 pool tables, good TV, cool lighting, really very nice. Family lodge is clearly neglected. As usual with TT there are tons of things "out of service". Such as the fireplace and pool. Can't find remote for the TV to turn the volume down. Thermostat is useless, stuck at 55 in Adult Lodge and Family Lodge. Dark. Empty. Etc...

Other reviewers complained about dog poop everywhere. I see none.

Others reported a lot of dust. Definitely sandy, and some wind but we're not having any problems. Probably depends on time of year.

No campfires aloud (crazy to me considering they're allowed in heavily forested Oregon but not California). But they're just trying to protect things and I understand that.

We stayed at this location recently because of its proximity to friends and also to LA. We are Thousand Trails Elite Members, so it was "free," which is always good!

THE GOOD
- The office staff was fantastic upon our arrival. Very friendly and check in was a breeze.
- Wasn't very busy here, so we weren't too cramped with our neighbors and it was overall very quiet.
- Bathroom/Shower house by us appeared to be fairly recently remodeled and was very clean
- Lovely views and lots of room for walking the dogs
- Dog park is larger than ones at other TTs we've been to, but it was kind of boring (no obstacles to play on and no trees to sniff, just a dirt lot). But +1 for having an off-leash area for them to stretch their legs. No shade, though, so probably gets a little toasty during the summer months.
- Proximity to shopping in Palmdale. Santa Clarita is an easy drive, too.
- The Mexican restaurant down the road is fab.
- The laundry facilities are decent, but half of the card machines (bonus!) aren't working, so make sure you have quarters as a backup.

THE BAD
- This place is literally falling down around us. I believe this is a recent acquisition for Thousand Trails in the last few years (?) and perhaps it was just in *really* bad shape when they got it. I would say more than half of the sites didn't have working electricity. They recently had major flooding here and the bridge that connects the two sides of the park was wiped out. There is also an entire section that is closed off. Gives the place a bit of an apocalyptic feel.
- Cellular coverage in the park is really spotty. We knew this before arriving, so we had our hotspot in the truck while we drove around looking for a spot and chose our location accordingly. We landed in the "N" section close to the road behind the park and got 3 bars with our Verizon and AT&T hotspots. With our booster enabled, we were able to get 4-5 bars and great speeds.
- The longterm areas definitely look and feel more like a trailer park. Lots of junk sitting around.

THE VERDICT
While this place is rundown, it was a decent place to land for our two weeks in the area. We weren't here to visit a fancy RV resort, we were here to do the tourist thing and visit friends. So it definitely served our purposes. We had alot of folks in various Facebook groups tell us this place was awful and so I'm glad we decided to see for ourselves. If you go into your visit with managed expectations, you're not going to hate this place. And if you're well-prepared for your visit (know where you want to park, know what you need in terms of electric hookups and cellular connection), you'll do just fine here. I also would *only* stay here as part of a Thousand Trails membership. I wouldn't pay the exorbitant fees they typically charge at these parks.

This is a really big park so I'm sure if you're in the right part of the park the train isn't such a big deal. Unfortunately the 50 amp slots are all right by the train tracks. The train is not the normal kind of train noise. I can tolerate an occasional horn blow but this train sounds like the wheels are coming off! The screeching noise made by the wheels is so loud you can't have a conversation over it so rather than having an occasional horn blow you have five minutes of screeching screaming wheel noise. The park is humongous and I'm sure that in the 30 amp slots much further away from the train the noise is considerably less but I stayed in a 50 amp slot and from those slots you can throw a rock and hit the train and trust me at 2 AM you want to. Apparently everything opens up the end of May so as I'm writing this the main pool is not open the convenience store is not open and the rec center is also not open. The main pool looks amazing one of the largest pools I've seen in a long time but I can't speak for how good it is.

This is a really big park. They have a really nice large pool for the kids and then an adult pool that's also generally filled with kids. They have a nice hot tub that is rather large but also usually very full. A lot of park is somewhat rundown and I don't think the general store has been open one in a very long time. There is a tremendous amount of dust and sand so just be prepared that everything you own will be covered in silt. The train isn't too bad as long as you don't park in the first two rows next to the train. Unfortunately there are only four rows of 50 amp so there's only two rows that I would park in. Staff are very friendly and I think they do their best to keep the park up, it's just really big and a lot of it is really rundown.

Like many Thousand Trails RV Parks, this one is located "out of the way." Meaning -- if you're looking for big box stores, malls, and other immediate attractions you'll have to travel 30-60 minutes, depending on what you're after. Palmdale - 20 minutes; Lancaster - 26 minutes; Santa Clarita - 32 minutes. There are several nice restaurants in the Acton area, as well as a very nice local grocery store and Ace Hardware store. The park is HUGE with 854 sites. Anyone who complains about "annuals/permanent" people being "everywhere" doesn't have a proper scope for just how large this park is (they're usually people who will complain about annuals/permanent sites no matter how many/few there are). There is a train that runs along the edge of the park -- so if the sound of a commuter train offends you, avoid Sections A, B, C and K. If internet if your thing, you'll want to get a spot in Section N (called "the hill" to those who frequent the park). You can get really good AT&T and Verizon coverage at this location. Some people have reported cellular service in other areas of the park, but unless you have a booster I would not risk it unless your internet use is very light, or you don't "need" it for work or communication. Section M can get some decent download speeds, but upload speeds are not the greatest. Most of the park sites are gravel, so if there are high winds you can expect a dusty environment. There is plenty of beauty to be seen all around, and for the most part the park is nice and quiet. Great for getting away and relaxing. As of this review (October 2019) there are a good number of sites that are without power, and the entire section next to the Adult Lodge and Adult Pool has been closed (Section K). The bridge connecting part of the park is out, so people going to Sections M, N, P, and Q will have to take the back entrance. While rumors of improvements to these sites have been floating around for almost a decade, it looks like the parent company is going to put about $2,000,000 worth of improvements into the park in the next two years -- upgrading all sites to 50/30/110 power poles and also improving the family lodge, as well as a host of other improvements. Only time will tell if they deliver. The Family lodge is large, as is the Family Pool (they claim it's the "largest swimming pool in the west"). It is a nice, large pool... but it's not heated, so it can be a little chilly even in the heat of the summer. Plenty of low areas for smaller kids to play, as well as a small ramp for people to enter (or for kids to play on). There is a splash pad as well, for those who prefer that kind of water play. Mini golf and several playgrounds for the children to play are located throughout the park. Overall, this is not a place for anyone looking for posh city living in their coach. This is great for those who prefer a low-key, out of the way place to relax and kick back, and it's good for families as well. RVs of all shapes, sizes, and condition can be found here... so if you don't like the idea of someone in a 30 year old travel trailer parking next to your 2019 Prevost... this is not the place for you (keeping in mind that the park does require that all RVs are functional and presentable -- with current insurance and registration... so you're not going to see anything horrible or trashy in the park, depending on how you define trashy). We really enjoy the park (2 adults; 4 children) and stay here often when we're in the Los Angeles area. We never have to worry about finding a site (as the park is HUGE and isn't as crowded as the other Los Angeles "area" Thousand Trails parks). If you're a Thousand Trails member, you can stay here for free (obviously not including your initial membership fee)... but if you're not a member the prices for the sites might be a bit high. They do have nice cabins in various parts of the parks which are great for those looking for a quick weekend getaway or for a week-long family reunion.