New Campground at Crystal Cove Now Open

Sawdust and the Art-A-Fair fests are in full swing, the Festival of Arts and Pageant of the Masters kick off next week, a slew of new restaurants have either opened or will soon be opening, and there's that fireworks-on-the-beach thing set for the Fourth of July, which is being rumored to draw a few (thousand? Hundred-thousand?) people ...

Sooo ... how about yet another excuse for tourists to invade Laguna Beach in the next couple weeks? (And for locals to flee as far and fast as they can? The ones who don't love crazy car traffic, anyway ...)

Then get ready for today's opening of the beachside Moro Campground at , near Laguna Beach's northern border, just south of Coast Highway. The campground features 60 overnight campsites and 200 day-use parking spaces, perfect for hikers wanting to access Crystal Cove's rough interior.

Yep, this is indeed the same campground built on the site of the now-bulldozed El Morro Village trailer park, the residents of which for decades had vigorously protested the campground's development.

Hey, at least the land wasn't turned into another McMegaresort for the uber-rich. But—also hey—too bad it didn't become low-income housing like once had been proposed, and which the region still sorely needs.

Anyhoo ... officials expect the campground's reservation list to fill up fast (make yours at Reserve America's site right here), to the point of it being sold out year-round once word gets out.