Dreaming of falling asleep to the sound of waves? These amazing California beach campgrounds let you pitch your tent or park your RV right by the surf.
If you are in a hurry, I recommend:
Unique California Beach Campgrounds:
1. Carpinteria State Beach Campground
The Carpinteria State Beach features a mile long stretch of coastline for camping, tidepool exploring, surf fishing, and swimming.
While dogs aren’t permitted on the beach itself, there is a picnic area where they are allowed. Carpinteria State Beach also offers four different campgrounds for overnight visitors: the Anacapa Campground, the Santa Cruz Campground, the Santa Rosa Campground, and the San Miguel Campground.
Santa Rosa is for only trailers and RVs, with all sites including full-hookups, as well as the majority of San Miguel. Anacapa and Santa Cruz can be used for trailer, RV, and tent camping.
205 Palm Ave, Carpinteria, CA 93013, Phone: 805-684-2811
2. Caspar Beach RV Park & Campground
The Caspar Beach RV Park & Campground, located just outside of the Mendocino village, is an ideal place to visit for experiencing the lost harbor, offering a picturesque and pet-friendly RV park and campground.
The friendly, fun, and clean atmosphere provides a place where people of all ages can have an delightful RV or tent camping experience.
A variety of activities are available as well, including an arcade, kite flying, boogie boarding, bike riding, and more.
The on-site store sells batteries, warm clothing, fishing and diving gear, pet toys and food, and several other supplies guests may need during their stay.
14441 Point Cabrillo Dr, Mendocino, CA 95460, Phone: 707-964-3306
3. Crystal Cove State Park Moro Campground
The Crystal Cove State Park Moro Campground features deeply wooded ridges and canyons, gentle sloping hills, tidepools, sandy beaches, and rolling surf, all of which provide an enjoyable contrast to the park’s urban surroundings.
Situated off the famed Pacific Coast Highway, between Laguna Beach and Corona del Mar, Crystal Cove State Park is one of the largest remaining examples of natural seashore and open space in California’s Orange County.
The Moro Campground, situated by along the bluffs, consists of fifty-seven terrace sites along the coast for both RV and tent camping, and access to several recreation activities and restaurants.
8471 North Coast Highway, Laguna Beach, CA 92651, Phone: 949-494-3539
Romantic California Beach Campgrounds:
4. Doheny State Beach
The Doheny State Beach is a great camping beach in California for both first-time campers and experienced camping enthusiasts alike, including other recreation activities. The campsites here are beach level, including premium campsites that face the ocean. The downside, however, is some of these sites can flood from the waves of very high tides. The majority of the sites at Doheny State Beach accommodate both RVs and tents, but there are a handful of them limited to only trailers and RVs. While there are no hookups available at the sites, the campground does offer coin-operated hot showers and clean restrooms.
25300 Dana Point Harbor Drive, Dana Point, CA 92629, Phone: 949-496-6171
5. El Capitan State Beach
El Capitan State Beach in Goleta provides visitors with stands of oaks and sycamore trees along the El Capitán Creek, rocky tidepools, and a sandy beach, offering an ideal environment for camping, picnicking, surfing, fishing, and swimming.
A stairway offers access to the beach from the bluffs and free beach wheelchairs are available. Overnight visitors can relax by the water and fall asleep to waves crashing every night. There are 132 standard campsites at the El Capitán State Beach’s year-round campground, as well as three group camping sites. Amenities include fire rings, flush toilets, a general store, and picnic tables.
2 El Capitan State Beach Road, Goleta., CA 93117, Phone: 805-968-1033
6. Emma Wood State Beach
Emma Wood State Beach is a popular destination for camping, fishing, surfing, and swimming near Ventura, California. Fishing opportunities for corbina, cabezon, bass, and perch are particularly good here. Both family campsites for fully contained vehicles and group campsites are available, with primitive camping available only for fully self-contained vehicles. No tents are permitted. There are no fire rings, restrooms, electricity, water, dump station, or phones available at the campground, which consists of ninety campsites. Tent camping is available, however, at the group campground, along with primitive RV camping. Leashed dogs are allowed at the campground, but no the beach.
Pacific Coast Hwy, Ventura, CA 93001, Phone: 805-585-1850
Family-friendly California Beach Campgrounds:
7. Faria Beach Park
The Faria Beach Park is situated along the Pacific Highway, between the base of the scenic Santa Ynez Mountains and the Pacific Ocean, boasting breathtaking views of the nearby Channel Islands. The campsites at the picturesque, small park are extremely popular and located only steps away from the ocean. The Faria County Beach campground is paved with amenities that include wireless internet, showers, restrooms, picnic tables, and fire pits. Fifteen RV campsites include 50/30/20 amp service, as well as cable television hookups and sewer and water connections. There are also a handful of tent campsites.
4350 Pacific Coast Hwy, Ventura, CA 93001, Phone: 805-654-3951
8. Francis Beach Campground
Stretching four miles of sandy, broad beaches, Half Moon Bay State Beach provides a picturesque setting for fishing, sunbathing, camping, picnicking, and more. Located here is the Francis Beach Campground, which includes more than fifty individual campsites, some suited for tents, while others can accommodate RVs and trailers. Some of these sites offer electric hookups, however, sewer and water hookups aren’t available. There is a station for filling water and a dump station provided for campers to use though. Coin-operated showers are offered in the campground as well. Half Moon Bay also features a Visitor Center, open on the weekends.
650-726-8819, Kelly Ave, Half Moon Bay CA 94019
9. Gaviota State Park
Visitors to Gaviota State Park can pack their tent and their flip-flops to spend a night or two just a short walk from the sandy beach on the scenic coastline around thirty miles from Santa Barbara. Located off of Highway 101, the park includes a campground, hiking trails, a pier, and a railroad trestle. Every one of the nearly forty campsites at Gaviota State Park includes a fire ring with built-in grill and a picnic table. The level campground itself offers flush toilets, showers, and potable water spigots. There is also a small store situated near the campground.
1595 US-101, Goleta, CA 93117, Phone: 805-968-1033
10. Gualala Point Regional Park
The Gualala Point Regional Park is an oceanfront park in Sonoma County. Situated on both sides of the Pacific Coast Highway, visitors will find a forested, small riverside campground, an estuary, and a spacious beach. Trails connect the campground and the beach to The Sea Ranch and the coastal bluffs. Gualala Point is especially popular among day hikers, whale-watchers, and beachcombers, but it is typically not very crowded. There are 19 campsites available for RV, trailer, and tent camping, however, no hookups are included at sites. The campground also contains six walk-in campsites, coin-operated showers, electrical outlets, and flush toilets.
42401 Coast Highway 1, Gualala, CA 95445, Phone: 707-785-2377
📔 I get asked this a lot so I decided to include it:
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Is camping allowed on all California beaches?
- While the idea of camping at one of California's numerous beaches may seem like an easy thing to do, especially since the state boasts more than eight hundred miles of coastline, finding the perfect beach for camping takes some research.
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Are all California beaches suitable for camping?
- While part of this coastline is rocky, protected, or includes steep cliffs, there are fortunately many beaches that do offer camping.
Map:
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