We enjoyed a spur of the moment night away in our four wheel camper at Nira on a chilly (28f) night. We had the place to ourselves! Trail head directly from parking lot and campground. Like most of the Los Padres near cities, I’m sure it gets super busy on holiday and nice weather weekends.
Beautiful drive to get to Nira with stunning views. Had a nice visit having the whole campground to ourselves, although the nearby trailheads had several cars. The sites are nicely dispersed with a running creek nearby. The creek had a good flow and the oak trees provide lots of shade. Campground has bathrooms and dumpsters on site. The whole area is serene and pleasing. We took a small hike on the lower manzana trail which had awesome views.
Nira Campground is a great start to a backpacking trip into the San Rafael wilderness. This is a remote campground, bring all amenities including water. Excellent views along the Manzana trail.
Nira is a small, primitive campground in the San Rafael wilderness behind the Santa Ynez Valley. The campground is a bit of a haul to get back to, and is often used as a base for backpackers entering the San Rafael wilderness or the Manzana Creek trail. I myself have only tent camped at Nira, just to go somewhere different - my boyfriend and his friends have backpacked out of Nira into the San Rafael Wilderness and to the Manzana Schoolhouse on multiple occasions.
Nira is the second, smaller campground back on Sunset Valley Road - Davy Brown Campground is up the road a little ways. Nira is small, with only 12 sites in a densely wooded live oak grove. The oaks provide a lot of shade and help separate the various camp sites. The Manzana Creek runs behind the campground; the main road leading into Nira is right above the campground, however, you’re pretty far back in the hills, so there isn’t a lot of noise from traffic.
Each site has a fire ring and a picnic table. There are no hook ups and only pit-toilets are available. There is NO DRINKING WATER available at Nira Campground, so be sure to bring plenty of water, especially if you plan to backpack through the area.
WARNING: You ARE in black bear country! While it is unlikely that a black bear will enter the campground, I would suggest locking your food and coolers in your car at night, as there are no food lockers in the campground. When hiking the Manzana Trail be aware of your surroundings: Black bears, coyotes, mountain lions, bob cats, and coyotes have been seen on the trail. CAMPSITE SPECS
Fees: $20/night (+ $10/ extra vehicle)
Plumbed Toilets: No - vault
Drinking Water: No
Showers: No
Picnic Table: Yes
Firepit: Yes
Cooking Grate: Yes
Shade: Yes
Cell Service: No
Animal Bins/Food lockers: No
Trash: Yes
