Wheeler Gorge Campground

We loved camping here. The whole area has a really peaceful and mellow vibe. We reserved site #49 which was plenty big enough for our 26ft class c, but the drive through the campground to get to the site was a little narrow and tight, wouldn't recommend for larger RVs. This end of the campground is right next to the emergency exit, too, but they keep that gate locked, otherwise it would be an easy swoop in. Camp host was really nice, campground was huge, nice that there's a creek running through it which comes in handy in the hot summer months. You have to drive over some creek runoff at parts, no problem.

There's zero cell reception in this entire area, the roads leading up to the campground as well.

Fees are $35 or $37 for weekends/holidays. Pricey for what you get and for what we're used to paying for a forest service campground.

Camp hosts greeted us upon arrival and gave us a run down which I appreciate. They let us know there was a bear in the area and sure enough that night Bucky the bear was in our campsite plus several others. The hosts were out in force the next day cleaning up all of Bucky's messes and potty breaks. We love the water going through the campground. Only bummer was that the information area across the street seems to have been closed due to covid and never reopened? It could be open now, or maybe there wasn't enough of a need for it.

We stood at space #064 Was a great spot easy access to the creek good place area for the fam and kids 064 was directly in front of the restrooms

Site #35! Prime site!. One of the best spots that I have ever camped at!, Great location and Great big area to set up one or two tents..maybe 3! Down fall was the bathrooms are like 10 -15 walk but besides that it’s great,very distant from a lot of the main camp sites. Excellent Hammock set up with the trees. Listening to the creek at night was peaceful and relaxing, Yiu are right next to the creek or a little climb down a hill next to a creek lol. Fire pits and Tables…NO WIFI/SERVICE!!!! Make sure you have a iPod or music stored on your phone…One last thing…OJIA LIQUOR!!! $6 Firewood and it’s a HEAVY bundle..Great firewood. Recommend 10/10 Campsite

Wheeler Gorge is the only campground we have been to more than once. There's so much to explore that we try a new campground every time we go camping. We have camped there 5 times now. The only downside is the road noise as it sits very close to the highway. It is not constant but the motorcycles on Sunday mornings are less than desirable when you're looking for a quiet getaway. We have camped here in October and the stream was still running. No water and the vault toilets are fine. Great campground for kids, we always have a good time.

Campground Pros: Easily accessible from Ojai, easy drive from LA area; lots of shade; streams running through the campground; clean vault toilets; nice camp hosts that will warn you about the poison oak 

Campground Cons: no running water available; fire ban (the nights that we stayed); a lot of the sites are very close together; two-night minimum to make a reservation (not a huge deal though); poison oak around sites

Ojai is a lovely place to visit, plenty of hiking trails in the area, great spots to eat in town, and very bike friendly. Overall the campsite had a great vibe, but not having water was a bummer.

This campground is a great site to meet up with friends that don't always get out and go exploring as it's a nice campground off a main road through the Ojai area.

We booked a site here while driving through and spent a weekend catching up with friends that were able to drive up in a small car and join us.

Beautiful wooded area with a nice stream that passes through. Good flat soft ground to tent camp and a great spot to throw up some hammocks and relax!

We brought our 22 foot toy hauler and stayed from Sunday to Wednesday. I wouldn’t recommend bringing anything much bigger than 22 feet since the roads in the campground are very narrow and there are lots of trees super close to the roadway. We got lucky and there was a good rainstorm the Monday we were there, which filled up the creeks running through the camp. Site 41 was HUGE, very very spacious with a creek on the backside of the site. We were fairly close to the dumpster and vault toilets. Everything was really well kept and clean. Everyone else cancelled because of the rain so we had the whole campground to ourselves. Some of the sites are really close to one another while others are nicely dispersed, which was hard to tell when looking at the map prior to arrival. We knew it was dry beforehand, so we brought our generator and all our own water. There are still major fire restrictions since it’s CA, so we brought our propane fire pit, which is allowed. All in all, a beautiful campground for dry camping!

Great campground with friendly hosts! 

I arrived after dark with no reservation and was greeted by the campground host. 

Fortunately they had some spots remaining and provided me the best site remaining. It was great- a level spot, no close neighbors, and a short walk to the bathrooms.

I will definitely stay here again when in the area.

The streams are relaxing and the campsites are all pretty nice. The Camp hosts seem great. Be prepared for pit toilets (non flushing) and bring your own water as there is none available. When we went you couldn't have campfires and had to get a "campfire permit" to use a propane stove.

Pros. Lots of canopy/shade. Stream runs through the campsite. No cell service. Quiet.

Cons. Outhouse toilet. No running water. No campfires allowed. Bear in the area. No cell service for miles.

Absolutely love this place. Quick turn around trip. Camp host was friendly and helpful. Camps sites and nature trail are in good shape. The wifey is still not to found of dry camping with out wifi but ended up loving the peace and quite with the sounds of the creek. Kids had a blast.

This campground is beautiful. Its a very nice getaway from your everyday life and just let mother nature nurture you. Spacious sites scenic views. Been going year after year for the past 6 years and it just never gets old

I really enjoyed my experience here last night. Michelle was an amazing host and I can’t wait to go back.

WRITING TO PROTECT OTHER WOMEN & SOLO CAMPERS: 

While I had only been to Wheeler Gorge Campground one other time(back in 2017), I had it on my list of favorite local spots…a beautiful place we could get to within a couple hours that didn’t seem too“campgroundy,” if that makes sense. But my opinion has completely changed thanks to the camp host. Here’s a recount of the events from 10/11/20, and why I cannot recommend anyone go here until changes are made: I decided to take a quick one-day SOLO camping trip, and arrived at Wheeler Gorge Campground around 1pm on Sunday. The gentleman at the camp host tent seemed shy, but nice, and he offered to pick out the camp spot for me. He told me about a bear in the area, that there were no fires permitted, took my$25 and sent me to spot#34. Because I’m a 5’5 female, setting up a rooftop tent and awning by myself takes me a while. During this time, a lady came by in a golf cart. She said“Are you guys supposed to be in 32?” I said“It’s just me. He assigned me 34…do you want to see the hang tag?” She replied by saying,“No, all good. Did he tell you everything? About the bear and no fires?” She seemed to be questioning the other camp host. I told her he had told me the rules and I would be sure to pack away all food and toiletries. I went on a walk searching for cell signal and was gone from about 3:00-4:00. When I returned and walked past the host tent, there was a different, shorter guy sitting inside. He asked if I needed help, and I explained that I had already checked in. I annoyingly asked if there was any Wifi in the area, and he explained they only have 10MB to spare for their office. Then he asked where I had walked, and we had a short conversation about rock climbers being considered vandalism. It was a nice enough conversation and for the most part, I felt safe with my choice of campground for the night. As a side note, I heard the golf cart go past my site a few more times later that afternoon…noticing once that the lady was the driver of the cart. Not sure who was driving the other times because I was sitting on the other side of my truck. I retreated to the rooftop tent once it got dark and I started reading. Around 8:30, I heard the golf cart coming down the road and stop at my site. This is a very dark, tree-covered campground, so it is pitch black. The only light was from the golf cart headlights and my reading light. I hadn’t heard the golf cart in hours(and I didn’t hear it again the rest of the night after this incident described below), so clearly the hosts weren’t patrolling or checking on the campsites…so that meant the guy literally got in his cart just to make a special trip to my site. I heard a voice say“hello in there” and I sat up to look outside. I saw the shorter man(who was in the camp host tent after my walk) coming towards my truck and he was yelling at me saying“you have broken the rules and you need to un-camp and leave right now.” His demeanor was alarming and he seemed drunk, and I sternly asked him to stop walking and stay where he was. From there, he continued to tell me(aka yell at me) that I had broken the rules and I could not park where I was parked. I kept trying to interrupt so I could ask questions and try to understand, but he was belligerent and wobbly and aggressive. He kept saying“we can ask anyone to leave and we can refuse service to anyone, so you need to un-camp right now and leave.” As a side note, I have a small truck/rooftop tent set-up. It has an awning, a fridge in the back of the truck, and I put out a table and chair. I had a TINY footprint and almost no items outside my truck. There would be zero reason to be upset with me as a customer of the campground. I had no music playing, no food, and wasn’t even using the campsite table. I finally started yelling back, saying“Are you saying I can’t park on flat ground? And are you seriously asking me to break down camp in the pitch black? I’m leaving in the morning! I’m a female by myself in the dark and it would be dangerous and take me forever to tear down.” The quantity of rude and unintelligible words coming out of his mouth was staggering, including“you women just think you can do everything by yourself and get away with whatever you want.” Needless to say, I felt 100% threatened. His yelling(and me trying to interrupt) went on for quite a while. I felt he could turn violent at any moment. I said,“If I’m breaking the rules, then why did the camp host lady not say anything when she came to talk with me? And why did no one stop the other four times I heard the golf cart go by this afternoon?” He then said“You’re lying and I’m going to go ask my wife if she talked with you. But you will need to leave.” He stumbled off, got on his golf cart and I watched him attempt to get it in gear/drive it forward for what seemed like an eternity. He was quite intoxicated. I sat there stunned and scared, holding a knife, unsure what to do. I had no cell signal and had seen no other campers near me. If I had gotten out of the tent to start the tear-down process in the dark, I would have felt exposed and vulnerable. And I was worried he had other drunk pals who would come over to scare or threaten me, or do who knows what. I also didn’t want to walk and search for someone else, worried I’d be run down by the drunk guy on a golf cart. So I stayed in the tent and I didn’t sleep a wink until it was daylight. At some point while I was packing up the next morning, the golf cart came by, but I didn’t see who it was and they didn’t stop. Clearly no one thought I was breaking the rules when it was daylight. When I left the campground, the exit road didn’t take me past the camp host, but I did notice a different, very large guy standing near their tent. Obviously the behavior is concerning to anyone outdoors and exposed, no matter if you’re a solo female or a family. I chose not to confront anyone when I was leaving, because I wasn’t sure what type of demeanor I’d get from either husband or wife(assuming they were actually married). With the state of country these days and the attitude that you can just lie and bully your way through an argument, I didn’t want to take the chance of causing a scene and them going berserk. My husband and I are trying to go through the proper channels to report this man. But as with many government contract situations, it is way harder than it should be, especially as it relates to the safety of campers. So he has contacted the Forest Service directly, as they have a Harassment Hotline, solely for the purpose of reporting this type of incident in our parks. We have also been in touch with the contractor that“manages” this and many of the campgrounds in California- who has a website of campone.com- They said they are“investigating.” Again, I cannot stress enough to stay away from this campground, and any other that is managed by Campone aka“Parks Management Service.” In the end, it is their responsibility to hire and vet employees, and to not outsource their Human Resources Department to the campers that end up being threatened by their belligerent hires.

Loved this little gem. Even late into the season the creek was still flowing strong. Everyone we talked to was helpful and friendly.

It’s in los padres park which is a great park. We reserved a spot and were waiting for the other car ( this place no reception of any kind for about 30 min back to the town so be prepared . The spacing to other campers just a bit to close but it didn’t bother me . The host were great they warned us that a black bear might be roaming her at night. Beside that, oh man you’re basically camping right next to this beautiful clear water river that I guess runs all year long. So calming to hear at night and in the mornings just do 6am morning dips to wake you right up! . We loved the place a lot we want to go back again

We went here without knowing anything about the campground. There is no water available here. All the pipes have been capped. The bathrooms are pit toilets. We stayed in site 21 with our friends in site 20. It was nice but a little small. Our sites were next to the road which was okay Friday night but loud Saturday night but we could hear the stream and frogs at night which was nice. The stream runs through the campsite which was cool. Overall it was good.

This is a wonderful campground. You drive across two small streams to get to the back spots. They’ve got BBQs, access to cool trails, lots of space. You wind around the road and there are little hidden spots all around. About 10 degrees colder than Ojai.

If you are looking for gorgeous mountains, green trees, safe and comfortable camping, this place is for you. Perfect for friends, families, and dogs! It was quiet at night although our spot was right next to the road and we heard every loud car and truck drive by but that’s okay, the sound of the creek was just as loud! Very happy I chose this campground.

Our first time here and just like previous reviews state, there are alot of bugs and they want to kiss you. Of course fire, candles and bug spray help but because of the nice creek nearby its kind of unavoidable. With that said, the bugs go night night at dark and a big fire helps. Pretty quiet site, the creek is easily accessible and great for photos. The restroom situation wasn't the best, but was expected from previous reviews and the website stating no running water. We brought 5 gallons of water for dishes/hand washing and 5 gallons of water for drinking. The sites are a little on the small side, however we did book two sites next to each other for two families of four. I suggest you bring wood, it's a little expensive in the campground and in town.

Across the street from the campground theres a store that has trail maps, information and little dry goods and toiletry. They also sell really neat Crystal's, arrowheads and bumper stickers. About 4 or 5 miles up the road there's a nice 15-20 min hike to a nice waterfall.

I wouldn't mind coming back especially since I know what to prepare for next time and it's so close to Los Angeles.

Creek is beautiful. Sites are nice especially 58,59. A lot of bugs but it’s expected. The staff are so nice especially the lady. She’s awesome. She takes very good care of the campground. The bathrooms are so so clean. They are cleaned daily. Beautiful place.

Well maintained campsite. I was at site 46, full shade but luckily I had a small tent because I m not sure how a bigger or even two tents would have fit there. The camp host was very friendly and giving tips on what to do around the campsite. Bathrooms were well maintained and relatively clean for pit toilets. There s poison oak, so be careful, as well as bugs that will eat you alive so be sure to have repellent and citronella candle handy. Quick and easy drive from LA. Will definitely be back.

This place is a slice of heaven right here in So Cal! It was easy to get to in our Rv. Great shady spots, no hookups for Rv but that wasn’t a problem for us. We were in a beautiful spot right by a creek. There is a Vons 8 miles away if you need to stick up on supplies. I would highly recommend this campsite. The host was also amazing and friendly 💕

We camped here with 10 adults and 8 kids. There is teepee yurt's. Very kid friendly with a zipline and play ground. All sites have fire rings and picnic tables. There are bathrooms.

A great campground in the Los Padres National Forest. It is well maintained and has a small creek running through it. There are some good shady spot, however, they fill up quick. Toilets are basic but fairly cleaned and stocked. Fire pit, fire restrictions may apply, stand alone grills and picnics tables are encluded.

I might have had an unusually bad experience? They cleaned the vault toilets while I was there and I had to physically remove myself from the grounds, the fire station nearby had an alarm going off in the middle of the night, noisy neighbors, lots of flies. But...it was pretty and think it could have been better if I had different neighbors or wasn't downwind of the toilets. Large camp, cute town nearby and decent hikes. Would I be in a rush to go back? Not really.

Site: 62 | Our campsite was small, but we managed to fit three 4-person car camping tents and three 2-person backpacking tents. The campground is covered in poison oak, be careful if you're setting up your tent in the dark. The parking area was generous, it's a semi-circle, easily fit 3 cars with room for more. The site came with a picnic table, fire ring with a grill over it and additionally a separate grill. Even though the campground was full that weekend we didn't really notice it. Our site is surrounded by trees on three sides and there is no campsite across from us.

Site: 60 | We had a second site, but ended up not using it. This site is on much smaller and located at the bottom of a hill. I think it can fit one tent, maybe a second. The parking spot fits one vehicle.

Bathrooms: These are pit toilets, no running water, toilet paper is provided. On a holiday weekend the toilet paper ran out. The bathrooms were decently clean, but watch out for the locks. Two of the bathrooms were locked on accident. The door was not pulled shut all the way, when people exited, the door slammed and it got locked. The top lock is removed so if it does get locked you might be able to open it with a tool to fit through the top lock. The other thing to watch, even if you lock it on the inside and pull the door shut, it's possible to still open the door from the outside. A buddy system would be helpful here.

Mosquitos: Bug spray is your friend. We used 7% deet and that seemed to work fine in July.

Firewood: The camp hosts sold firewood at the entrance.

Water: Currently there is no running water available, there are taps but they have been locked. The creek is mostly dry.

This campground is gorgeous. It is nestled by a creek in an oak grove and the sites offer a decent amount of privacy. Most spots are shady. There are a decent amount of bugs so make you bring some spray or whatever your preferred pest keeper away thing is. This site has no water so be sure to bring in all you can.

We stayed in Campsite #70 and all the previous reviews said it was going to be terrible...in truth, this was one of the best campsites I had been to in a long time. An awesome creek runs through the middle of the campsite. The reason people didn't seem to like our site was because of it's proximity to the highway. Didn't bother me too much...motorcycles zoom by maybe once an hour during the day. Nothing too crazy. The bathrooms are well kept and YOU CAN BUY FIREWOOD from the camp hosts!! Campsites come with fire rings, a grill, and a picnic table. Enjoy your time in the woods!!