Two new cabins at Potrero Regional Park are open to all visitors, but will make it easier for campers with disabilities to enjoy the great outdoors, county officials announced Monday. Designed according to ADA standards, the new buildings feature wider doorways, hard, flat surfaces, and restrooms that give people with physical challenges the features they need for comfort and safety.

Two new cabins at Potrero Regional Park are building according to ADA standards. They're open to all campers, but people with disabilities will also have easy access. Photo courtesy of County of San Diego.
Two new cabins at Potrero Regional Park are building according to ADA standards. They’re open to all campers, but people with disabilities will also have easy access. Photo courtesy of County of San Diego.

The 390-square-foot cabins sleep five people, and feature porches, small seating areas, heating, and ceiling fans, all nestled among 100-year-old live oak trees. They’re also environmentally friendly and built with wildfire dangers in mind. Each cabin features energy-efficient windows, insulation and water heaters for the sinks, and are constructed of cement siding molded to look like wood, and topped with a metal roof.

“Everyone should have the opportunity to enjoy nature,” Board of Supervisors Chairwoman Dianne Jacob said. “These cabins are the fourth and fifth to be donated by Cabins by the Lake, an organization which is working to put at least one disabled-friendly cabin at each of the eight campgrounds in the county parks system.”

Reservations for the disabled-friendly cabins are popular. The three other cabins located at Guajome Regional Park in Oceanside and Dos Pico Regional Park in Ramona have had about 500 visitors since 2010.

“There is a large demand for cabin camping experiences at county parks. To find cabins for those with disabilities is rare,” Parks Director Brian Albright said. “By working with Cabins by the Lake, Parks is able to give many more visitors the opportunity to discover the beautiful outdoors and everything it has to offer.”

Reservations for the cabins will open up in May, will be available to any park guest, according to county officials.

The cabins rent for $32 a night, and the sites offers a fire rings, barbecues and picnic tables. Pets are allowed. In addition, the 132-acre East County park also offers RV, tent and group camping spaces.

Check the San Diego County Parks online reservation site for more information.