Lilacs Cabin: Downstairs - Palomar Mountain | Palomar Mountain, California

Cabin in Palomar Mountain, CA

2 guests • 1 bedroom • 1 bed • 1 bathroom

New

WELCOME TO the peace of MOTHER NATURE:
The Cabin is very cozy and comfortable with lots of atmosphere; hand-built without the benefit of electricity in 1924. I met Palomar in 1980, when I moved to San Diego from Colorado and longed for mountains green serenity. It has been a lovefest ever since. This cabin has been my labor of love. I love to share it!

COOL WEATHER: The cabin is one MILE HIGH, 5280 feet of elevation! It is a whole new world up here. We get snow often in the winter, summer rains and a relief from the horrid heat below. This cabin is typically 20 degrees! COOOOOLER than the temperature at the base of the mountain.

Being shaded by the surrounding trees makes this a delightful micro-climate. You will feel like you arrived in the HIGH SIERRAS even though we are just 1.5 hrs from San Diego! The drive up Palomar Mountain from Valley Center is wonderous. Stop and enjoy the transitions of climates and vistas. Roads to the top are in super condition. A busy day of traffic on our Evergreen Trail in front of the cabin is 3 cars per day!

ABOUT THIS HISTORIC CABIN. This is a 2-story cabin on a hillside, so each story feels somewhat like ground-level. You are reading the listing for the LOWER level of the cabin. Upstairs has a super nice, quiet couple renting full time, ready to help if you happened to need it, but otherwise you will FEEL THE PRIVACY down below, entering on the opposite side of the cabin at the lower level. The 1924 cabin was GRANDMA BAILEY'S CABIN bought from grandson Steve Bailey!... how cool is that?

Note: > PRIVACY< YOU DO NOT SHARE ANY SPACE. You have your full bathroom with a tub and hot shower, Queen size bed in a room facing the greenery, a living-dining room with a built-in propane stove, a 5 ft tall fridge/freezer, toaster oven, coffee maker, double sink, condiments, etc. You have your own little private deck with patio furniture. The only thing you share is the barbecue and the fire pit, seldom use by others.

PEACE & QUIET is the theme here; Sorry NO noisy parties or radios anywhere on the property! Birds are the loudest critters you will hear, we like to keep it that way! Official quiet hour 9 PM to 9 AM meaning music down low and chill. Wi-Fi is available for quiet laptop viewing and Wi-Fi calling on cell phone (a new feature on the Mt!) Feel the VIBES of the VORTEX, which runs through this cabin and the surrounding trees.

PALOMAR MOUNTAIN: This mountain is huge and gorgeous. I believe our micro environment is among the most gratifying on the whole mountain, with the exception of the 1600 acres of Palomar State Park, which you should not miss! (See more info in the other regional sections below).

HISTORIC BAILEY MEADOW: The Cabin is located in the Bailey’s Meadow area of Palomar Mountain. Bailey’s Meadow is by all accounts the most historical and quaintest community on the mountain. The stage coach (Say what!!) used to stop at "the house-hotel" here to deliver mail. Horses were the main transportation for food & materials. In the 1880s the Bailey family homesteaded here in the meadow for 5 generations.

INDIGENOUS HISTORY: For thousands of years the indigenous from both the deserts to the east and the foothills to the west seasonally migrated to Palomar Mountain's cool summer environment the abundance of Oaks. Acorns were harvested and processed to make flour, a huge food source. They had many seasonal villages in the cool shade with long vistas -- a total retreat from the dry torturous heat below. Since Artesian springs existed here in Bailey Meadows, this was a home for summering Native peoples in the little valley below the cabin and many other places on this sacred mountain; a source for life and the seasonal cycles.

MOTHER NATURE: Come enjoy the splendors of Mother Nature. Walk the wonderous trails of Palomar Mt. State Park or see the Palomar Observatory. Your cozy retreat has all the amenities to enjoy food, family or friendship. You look out into the lush forest from 3 sides.

SUPER HOST STATUS: We have been SUPER HOSTS on other platforms for 25 years as a rustic but CLEAN, SAFE, PRIVATE retreat to nature. In 2026 I am just beginning to relist on GLAMPING Hub after many years unlisted, starting with the pandemic... sorry, that's why I have no reviews here, lots elsewhere. Serene Historic Cabin with Forest Views Near Palomar Mountain State Park in Palomar Mountain, California

Features and services

Beds

1 Queen-size bed

Most popular features

Pets allowed
Wi-Fi/Internet
Private Kitchen
Bathtub
Heating
Hiking
Fishing
Fireplace
Fridge
Forest
Mountain
Wildlife watching
Stove
Shared Barbecue
Supermarket
Prairie, meadow or plain
Boating/Sailing
Biking

Where you will stay

Get in touch to book your luxury camping rental

Palomar Mountain, California

Detailed location provided after booking

Enlarge map

Scenic views

Joshua Tree National Park
49 miles straight-line distance

79 kilometers straight-line distance
Mountain
Forest
Prairie, meadow or plain

The historic cabin used to belong to the Bailey's Palomar Resort, which is still standing and close to the cabin's now-private property. The Palomar Mountain State Park expands over 1,600 acres of land, approximately an hour and a half inland from San Diego and two and a half hours from Los Angeles.

The park is stunning and quiet, with forests of cedar, pine, and oak spread across its interior. Creeks meander throughout the park, running with cool mountain water, catfish, and bluegill. The area was also home to the Liseños Native American tribe, part of the greater Kumeyaay Peoples. Guests of the cabin can visit the Native American Oak grove just five minutes from the premises, which sits on an overlook that offers views the mountains beyond.

Palomar Mountain, California

Detailed location provided after booking

Terrain

Joshua Tree National Park (49 miles straight-line distance) (79 kilometers straight-line distance)
Mountain
Forest
Prairie, meadow or plain

Nearby local services

Supermarket
distance: 13 miles

Additional Info

The historic cabin used to belong to the Bailey's Palomar Resort, which is still standing and close to the cabin's now-private property. The Palomar Mountain State Park expands over 1,600 acres of land, approximately an hour and a half inland from San Diego and two and a half hours from Los Angeles.

The park is stunning and quiet, with forests of cedar, pine, and oak spread across its interior. Creeks meander throughout the park, running with cool mountain water, catfish, and bluegill. The area was also home to the Liseños Native American tribe, part of the greater Kumeyaay Peoples. Guests of the cabin can visit the Native American Oak grove just five minutes from the premises, which sits on an overlook that offers views the mountains beyond.

Activities near Palomar Mountain

Hiking
Biking
Fishing
Boating/Sailing
Wildlife watching

Though staying in this historic cabin itself is an experiencetraveling back in time, Glampers will also have access to the majestic landscape of Palomar Mountain State Park, just 5 miles down the road. Guests can choose from one of the many hiking trails, all equally scenic and varying in degrees of difficulty. The park reaches elevations of 5,500 feet, where hikers will have excellent views of the Pacific Ocean.

Glampers can also fish in the nearby Doane Pond (in Palomar Mt. state Park); or take the scenic drive to Lake Henshaw, where guests can rent boats for a fee. The Palomar Observatory is celebrated for its 200-inch Hale Telescope, which is operated by the California Institute of Technology and often opens on weekends. Palomar also has a general store and local restaurant OOPS< it is closed for repairs) but we recommend you to bring up your own food since the general store has limited groceries and is expensive.

From the cabin, Glampers can also schedule day-trips to the Anza-Borrego Desert State Park, Cuyamaca Rancho State Park, the historic gold-mining town of Julian, the Cleveland National Forest, or reach San Diego in as little as 1.5 hrs. Guests will learn about the diverse California landscape and history of the region by venturing out beyond Palomar.

Hiking
Biking
Fishing
Boating/Sailing
Wildlife watching

Though staying in this historic cabin itself is an experiencetraveling back in time, Glampers will also have access to the majestic landscape of Palomar Mountain State Park, just 5 miles down the road. Guests can choose from one of the many hiking trails, all equally scenic and varying in degrees of difficulty. The park reaches elevations of 5,500 feet, where hikers will have excellent views of the Pacific Ocean. Glampers can also fish in the nearby Doane Pond (in Palomar Mt. state Park); or take the scenic drive to Lake Henshaw, where guests can rent boats for a fee. The Palomar Observatory is celebrated for its 200-inch Hale Telescope, which is operated by the California Institute of Technology and often opens on weekends. Palomar also has a general store and local restaurant OOPS< it is closed for repairs) but we recommend you to bring up your own food since the general store has limited groceries and is expensive. From the cabin, Glampers can also schedule day-trips to the Anza-Borrego Desert State Park, Cuyamaca Rancho State Park, the historic gold-mining town of Julian, the Cleveland National Forest, or reach San Diego in as little as 1.5 hrs. Guests will learn about the diverse California landscape and history of the region by venturing out beyond Palomar.

Serene Historic Cabin with Forest Views Near Palomar Mountain State Park in Palomar Mountain, California

Cabin in Palomar Mountain, CA

2 guests • 1 bedroom • 1 bed • 1 bathroom

Features and services

Beds

1 Queen-size bed

Most popular features

Pets allowed

Wi-Fi/Internet

Private Kitchen

Bathtub

Heating

Hiking

Fishing

Fireplace

Fridge

Forest

Mountain

Wildlife watching

Stove

Shared Barbecue

Supermarket

Prairie, meadow or plain

Boating/Sailing

Biking

Where you will stay

Get in touch to book your luxury camping rental

Palomar Mountain, California

Scenic views

Joshua Tree National Park 49 miles straight-line distance 79 kilometers straight-line distance

Mountain

Forest

Prairie, meadow or plain

Activities near Palomar Mountain

Hiking

Biking

Fishing

Boating/Sailing

Wildlife watching

No reviews

Things to know

Arrival and departure

Check-in: 03:00 PM - 10:00 PM

Check-out: 11:00 AM

House rules

Cancellation policy

Additional info

Similar accommodations

Luxury accommodations for your next adventure

Our other available options nearby

Joshua Tree National Park
49 miles straight-line distance

79 kilometers straight-line distance