California's Famous Beach-Side Campgrounds
California Has More Than 800 Miles Of Coastline, Making It A Destination For Campers To Setup On Or Near The Shoreline Of Some Of The Top Rated Beaches In The World
With more than 800 miles of coastline, California is inevitably a prime beach camping destination, third only behind Alaska and Florida for the most saltwater frontage. Add in the state’s famous surfing culture, and you’ve got an epic safari, dude!
In fact, California has dozens of beach parks that allow camping, but there are some things to watch out for. First, so-called beachfront parks are frequently located high above the actual surf on top of the California Coast’s famous cliffs. The views are often awe-inspiring, but accessing the sand may require steep descents down long stairways or slippery trails. Others are located across a busy highway from the ocean, or even miles away.
Finding a site on the sand has become more difficult since California State Parks eliminated overnight camping on the beach. Dennis Weber, manager of the California State Parks Communications Office, tells MobileRVing: The Buzz, “All camping in state parks is required to be in developed camping areas, many a short walk from the beach.” Advance reservations are required, or at least recommended, at just about all state park campgrounds, and can be hard to score, although last-minute, no-show sites are sometimes available.
Perhaps the best known beach-side campground in California is the Dockweiler State Beach, located directly on the sand below the approach to LAX Airport. The noise of the air traffic is offset by the 3 miles of beach, sweeping views and the adjacent 22-mile beach bike path. This RV-only park is managed by Los Angeles County.
However, numerous state parks that offer camping can be found all along the coast, with reservations available online. Most permit both RV and tent camping unless otherwise noted. In Southern California, parks with campgrounds directly adjacent to the beach include Bolsa Chica State Beach (RVs only), Doheny State Beach with sites right on the beach, San Clemente State Beach, and San Elijo State Beach, all in Orange County south of Los Angeles. In the San Diego area, Silver Strand State Park (RV-only) offers beaches on both the Pacific and San Diego Bay. Surfers will want to visit San Clemente’s San Onofre State Beach, with its world renowned surf break and several campgrounds.
In Ventura County, north of Los Angeles, beachside camping is available at Emma Wood State Beach (RVs-only), Thornhill Broome State Beach and Sycamore Cove Beach, both in Point Mugu State Park, and Moro Beach in Crystal Cove State Park, adjacent to the charming Crystal Cove Historic District. Refugio State Beach, near Santa Barbara, features a line of palm trees separating beach and campground (no hookups). El Capitan State Beach and Carpinteria State Beach, both near Santa Barbara, have a large campgrounds adjacent to the sand, and are noted for sightings of seals, sea lions and whales in season.
Farther north on the California Coast, Morro Strand State Beach, near Hearst Castle, has a campground separated from the beach by small sand dunes. Also near Morro Bay, the campground in Montana de Oro State Park, is adjacent to dog-friendly Spooner’s Cove Beach. The small Ocean Sites campground at Limekiln State Park, in the Big Sur region, offers camping close to the beach. Near Santa Cruz, Manresa State Beach has oceanfront sites for walk-in tent campers only, while nearby Sunset State Beach hosts RVs, both campgrounds set amid groves of Monterey pines. Seacliff State Beach offers camping for RVs only directly on the sand fronting Monterey Bay.
North of San Francisco, the Gold Bluffs Beach Campground in the Prairie Creek Redwoods State Park offers a unique camping experience. The campground is situated between the ocean and the magnificent stands of redwoods this area is noted for. A large herd of Roosevelt Elk roam the park and are often seen in the Gold Bluffs area.
Near Sonoma, Wright’s Beach Campground on Bodega Bay, part of the Sonoma Coast State Park, has no-hookup sites immediately adjacent to the beach. Advance reservations, at this and all other California State Parks are highly recommended.
Debbie Sipe, executive director of Camp California, the California Association of RV Parks and Campgrounds (CALARVC), agrees that it’s hard to find a spot where you can camp on the sand. “We have very few private campgrounds left that are physically on the beach,” she says. “Most beaches are part of the state park system.”
Sipe says that one private campground with a great beach is Newport Dunes Waterfront Resort in Newport Beach. “It’s located on a cove with a campground directly adjacent to the sand,” she says. In addition to a mile of beach, amenities include a marina, a waterpark, a restaurant, kayak and boat rentals, and many kid-friendly features.
In Northern California, a couple of private parks offer oceanfront camping in the Mendocino area. Caspar Beach and its sister campground at Westport Beach offer a full slate of RV and tent sites, plus cabins and tipis. At Westport, you can pitch your tent directly on the sandy beach, or choose a grassy site along a stream.
Greater flexibility (and availability) of beach camping in California can be found beyond the state parks. The Rincon Parkway, operated by Ventura County, is a great example. RVs can park, first-come, first-served, in the 127 parallel parking spaces along the Old Coast Highway. The sandy beach is just on the other side of the line of rocks. Nearby are two other Ventura County facilities, Faria Beach Park and Hobson Beach Park, both with more facilities, and direct access to the ocean. Santa Barbara County maintains a large oceanfront campground, plus several glamping cabins, at the Jalama Beach County Park. Way up north in Humboldt County, Clam Beach County Park has a small campground on the beach with tent and dry RV sites, popular with those who enjoy digging for clams.
Other beach camping options can be found on federal land. In the Golden Gate National Recreation Area, the tent campground at Kirby Cove, directly on the water, is one of the best places to photograph the famous bridge. Farther north, the Mattole River Recreation Site in the King Range National Conservation Area, operated by the Bureau of Land Management, offers remote primitive beach camping at the end of a long, winding road.
If you dream of driving directly onto the sand, one place remains where you can, Oceano Dunes State Recreational Vehicle Area (SRVA), the only California state facility where vehicles may be driven on the beach. A 5-mile stretch of shoreline near Pismo is open to vehicles, with camping allowed south of Post 2 on the beach and in the open dune area. Four wheel drive vehicles are highly recommended and reservations are available in advance. Beware of mixing the SRVA up with the nearby Oceano Campground at Pismo State Beach, where the sites are screened from the steady ocean winds by a line of trees.
Other options for primitive camping on the beach are sites along the shores of Catalina Island, the Point Reyes National Seashore, and Angel Island in the middle of San Francisco Bay. Designated campsites in these preserves can be reached only by kayak, boat, or, in the case of Angel Island, by ferry.
Gone are the days when you could simply set up a tent on any unposted beach. Or are they? Rumors abound among the surfer community of spots where you can still camp for free. Ask around and you may discover your own (semi-legal) getaway in a private cove. Cowabunga, dude!
Make Sure To Stay At:
Westport Beach RV Park, where you can use your RV as your own beachfront home in one of these roomy Northern California campsites. Both RV and tent sites are also available in our park area, which is sheltered from the wind by large willow and pine trees.