Southern California Beaches
Camping Guide


Beach at El Capitan campground



Find the info you need to sleep to the sound of the surf in this Southern California beaches camping guide. From Santa Barbara to San Diego, there are many choices in campgrounds by the beach. Some may have campsites right at ocean level, while others have campsites up on the bluff.

Many of the beach campgrounds are California State Beach campgrounds, and these can book up well in advance. You are allowed to make reservations for the state campgrounds up to 7 months in advance, starting on the first of the month. You can reserve them online, by phone or by post. For phone reservations you can call 1-800-444-7275. If you're calling from out of the country, try 1-916-638-5883. The California State Parks website is at www.parks.ca.gov.

The phone numbers for other campgrounds are listed below. You can also reserve California beaches camping sites online through www.reserveamerica.com. You'll see a link directly to their reservation page under most campgrounds listed below.

The California State Beach campgrounds that operate on a first-come-first-serve basis include Emma Wood State Beach in Ventura (both north and south), and Topanga State Beach in Pacific Palisades.

Be aware that besides the nightly camping fee, there can be additional charges for showers, RV hookups, parking for extra cars, premium sites and peak season rates. All prices are subject to change.

The following campgrounds are listed in order from north to south. To view separate pages of Southern California beaches camping sites in Newport Beach, Ventura, Catalina Island, San Clemente or San Diego, please click on the appropriate link below.



SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA BEACHES CAMPING DIRECTORY

Refugio State Beach
northwest of Santa Barbara
805-968-3294
85 sites, $12
hiking trails
Book Refugio through ReserveAmerica

El Capitan State Beach
northwest of Santa Barbara
805-968-3294
142 RV and tent sites, $12
store, campfire programs
Book El Capitan through ReserveAmerica

El Capitan Canyon Resort
805-685-3887
cabins, safari tents, $115-$305
122 tent sites
store, nature trails, heated pool, playground

Carpinteria State Beach
Carpinteria
805-684-2811
includes the following 4 campgrounds, each allowing varying lengths of RVs:
Anacapa Campground
39 sites, $12-$26
San Miguel Campground
74 sites, $16-$26
Santa Cruz Campground
61 sites, $26
Santa Rosa Campground
85 sites, $22-$26
More on Carpinteria
Book Carpinteria through ReserveAmerica

Go To Ventura camping



McGrath State Beach
Oxnard
805-654-4610
175 RV and tent sites, $12
not a good swimming beach
Book McGrath through ReserveAmerica

Big Sycamore Canyon/Point Mugu State Park
Oxnard
818-880-0350
126 sites, $7-$12
Book Point Mugu through ReserveAmerica

See Malibu campgrounds



Dockweiler State Beach RV Park
El Segundo
310-322-4951 120 sites (most with hookups)
laundromat, bike trail

Golden Shore RV Resort (private)
Long Beach
562-435-4646
80 RV sites (with hookups), $40-$48
heated pool, store, laundromat, recreation room

Go to Catalina Island camping



Go to Huntington Beach camping



Go to Newport Beach camping



Go to San Clemente camping



Doheny State Beach
Dana Point
949-496-6172
120 RV and tent sites, $11-$25
fire rings, bike trails, horseshoes, volleyball, lifeguards
Book Doheny through ReserveAmerica

Paradise By The Sea RV Park (private)
Oceanside
760-439-1376
100 RV sites (with hookups), $43-$49
pool, jacuzzi, store, clubhouse, laundromat

Oceanside RV Park (private)
Oceanside
760-722-4404
139 RV sites, $36-$49
pool, jacuzzi, recreation room, laundromat

South Carlsbad State Beach
Carlsbad
800-444-7275
224 RV and tent sites, $16-$30
On bluff
See a short video of this beach at sunset.
Book South Carlsbad through ReserveAmerica

San Elijo State Beach
Cardiff-By-The-Sea
800-444-7275
171 RV and tent sites, $16-$26

Book San Elijo through ReserveAmerica

See a short video of birds at the nearby San Elijo Lagoon.



Go to San Diego camping





And here's a website for Recreational Vehicle campers: Camper Trails

- Plan a successful, carefree motorhome vacation using CamperTrails' complete range of RV travel planning tools.

Whether you like to "rough it" in a tent, or kick back in your RV, the Southern California beaches camping experience is not to be missed.

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