UPDATE ( February 7, 2024 ) - Limekiln State Park is CLOSED until further notice due to storm damages and Highway 1 road conditions. Highway 1 remains a hard closure at Paul's Slide (Hwy. 1 PM 21.7) - meaning the highway is CLOSED to all public and emergency vehicles at that location with NO DETOUR. Crews continue to work 12-hour shifts and seven days a week to repair damages from the landslide. The current estimate from Caltrans for reopening Hwy. 1 at Paul's Slide is late Spring 2024.

The southern closure is located one half mile south of Paul's Slide. There is no parking in the turnaround area. Limekiln State Park remains CLOSED with entry into the park strictly prohibited. It is also illegal to camp in turnouts or anywhere on Highway 1 along the Big Sur coast unless in a designated campsite in a campground open to the public (Monterey County Code 14.18.020(a)). Travelers on Hwy. 1 north of Ragged Point will encounter multiple areas of intermittent traffic control as repairs to damage from winter storms continues at various locations.

Situated on California’s scenic Big Sur Coast, about 55 miles south of Monterey, Limekiln State Park has weathered its fair share of hardships. It began in the late 1800s, when the Rockland Lime and Lumber Co. began stripping the limestone out of the canyon for use as building materials for the burgeoning San Francisco area. At the time, the redwood forest covering these coastal slopes was almost entirely clearcut. Nearly a century later, after recovering, the area was almost clearcut again, but conservation groups intervened. It finally became a state park in 1995. Since then, a portion of the park burned in 2008, then it was threatened with closure in 2012, due to state budget shortfalls. The park was saved once again when the Save the Redwoods League stepped in to assist with funding and maintenance needs. 

 The small campground in Limekiln State Park offers 29 campsites in two areas along Limekiln Creek. About half are in an open area near the highway, with beach access; the other half are located upslope, under a canopy of shady redwoods. Sites are small and can only accommodate trailers up to 15 feet, and RVs up to 24 feet; each site is equipped with picnic tables and fire rings. Both upper and lower camp areas have drinking water, restrooms, showers and picnic areas. Firewood gathering is not permitted in the park, and dogs must remain leashed at all times. Visitors should keep in mind that this is a rugged coastal environment, and exercise caution around cliffs and near the ocean; climbing on the cliffs is not permitted. Campsite rates are $35/night.

 The main attraction at Limekiln State Park is the old lime kilns that still sit at the base of the hillside, more than a century since their last use. These giant furnaces were used to purify the limestone being mined out of the canyon, before it was shipped north for construction uses. The kilns can be seen via a 0.5-mile trail from the upper camp area. A short side trail on the way to the kilns leads to 100-foot Limekiln Falls. Watch out for poison oak while hiking. The park is also a great place for wildlife watching. Keep your eyes peeled for bobcats, foxes and ringtails on shore, and otters and gray whales in the ocean. More than 200 species of birds are known to inhabit the area, including pelicans, peregrine falcons and California condors.

Limekiln State Park - TEMPORARILY CLOSED

I’ve camped in many beautiful places since my only stay at Limekiln State Park in January 2013. Generally I travel via motorcycle and have had the opportunity to backpack Glacier National Park on several occasions. So rating Limekiln as my favorite spot makes it a special place. Camping under the giant redwoods next to a running stream in January was simply perfect. I think I was one of only two campsites occupied enjoying the tranquility of the rushing water and the crashing Pacific Ocean just a short walk down stream.

Of many, it’s special!

While you can find other campgrounds with big views, they are up off the beach and toasty toasty in the summer.  Limekiln is amazing because it’s a mix of the redwoods AND the beach.  The campsites are nestled back into the redwood forest; therefore you don’t roast in the sun all day! You can walk about 500 feet out and under a gorgeous bridge to this isolated beach.  It really is a magical place. If you’re lucky snag a campsite off the creek! 

A Magical Place!

Enjoyed this campground. The park features breathtaking views of the Big Sur Coast, the beauty of the redwoods, the rugged coast and the cultural history of limekilns. The park is small with 24 campsites and they are booked 6 moths ahead so will will have to plan in advance. Waterfall is pretty and runs to the ocean. 

Very nice place 

Small enchanting Campground in the middle of the big sur coastline. Sites in the redwoods and sites on the beach. Both are wonderful. Great short hike along the creek, to the limekilns or to 2 waterfalls. Sites are in close proximity to your neighbor but people are generally too in awe of the natural beauty to party it up. Remains a fairly serene and peaceful environment. It's special really. A must at least once in your life. Dogs ok in the camp but not on the trails. No swimming in the ocean currents and waves are too strong but you can get your feet wet! 

Magical

I love limekiln state park. It is a little south of big sur, and may be difficult to drive to from hwy 1 south with the bridge construction. That being said, if you are able to head here I highly recommend it! You can camp near the beach or in the redwoods. There are a couple of short trails to both a waterfall and the limekilns. I absolutely love this park!

Beach, redwoods, trails

This spot is a favorite in Big Sur's magical beachside forest. Books up well in advance, so last-minute reservations are quite the long-shot. Lower sites are more exposed, but get the benefit of the ocean sounds and rocky beach proximity. Upper sites are tucked back into redwoods, with a little stream nearby.

Hike to the kilns! It's fun to see them still standing, and the CCC keeps the trail in fantastic condition!

Redwoods at the Beach!

This spot is easy to pass as you cruise along route one but pulling off and scoring a camp site on the right fork on the creek is a great way for some privacy and relaxing water sounds. The sites closer to the beach are kinda crammed in there with less privacy so while the others are further for the beach they offer more of a Forrest feel. Easy short walk to the beach and easy on and off of route one.

Quite and easy to get to 

Easily the most beautiful place we’ve ever camped. Whether you love the forest or the beach, there’s something for everyone. The trails are easy and worth it. Camp hosts have been wonderful. Restrooms are clean. Sites are always booked up so don’t expect to walk in!

Beatiful, Respected Campground 

This was my first ever camping trip and we didn't have any reservations. We were lucky to pull in and here the news that they had vacancies due to cancellations. So we had our choice of the redwoods or beach. We picked redwoods. It was beautiful! The creek running behind our site made for a relaxing night of sleep. The only downside was that the sites are right next to each over. But our neighbors were super nice, warm and welcoming.

there is a short walk to get to a waterfall after passing through the limekilns

Beach, creek and redwoods all in one

We camped up the hill in the Redwood Forrest. There's a great hike up to see the Limekilns with a beautiful waterfall.

There's also beach camping and we watched a beautiful sunset.

The camping spots are a little sparse down by the beach, but the ones up in the redwoods are beautiful.

Best of both worlds.  Beach camping and Forrest Camping

Great camp sites. They're small so only tents and vehicles can camp there. Running water nearby most camp sites and trails to explore to waterfalls and lime depository locations. Darkest night I have ever slept through.

Darkest night of sleep in my life

LOVE this campground. You get the best of both worlds, forest and beach. Not many campsites but if you can get a reservation it's worth it. There's. waterfall in the park and a beautiful creek that runs through.

Personal Favorite

Gorgeous state campground , Alongside a stream, nestled in redwoods, and 4 sites on the beach! It doesn’t get much better than this. couple hikes starting from the campground, but plenty of exploring to be had. i stayed here in April , May and most recently, in January. ( winter makes stream crossings , much more of a challenge !) one of my favorite campgrounds ever. 

make reservations!


Limekiln State Park is one of the many campgrounds located off of Highway 1 in gorgeous Big Sur, CA. Limekiln is one of my very favorite places to camp EVER. There are three different areas to camp in; the beach, by the creek, and in the redwoods. All three areas are gorgeous and magical. I have camped in both the redwoods area, and down by the creek. 

We have camped in site 16 in the Lower Creek area the last couple times we have camped at Limekiln, as it is the most secluded area to camp in. There are only 3 sites down in the Lower Creek area, and they are fairly small sites, so large parties cannot camp there, which leaves it pretty quiet. You are still surrounded by redwoods down in the creek sites, and listening to the creek is so relaxing and peaceful.

Each site has a firepit and picnic table. The campground has plumbed toilets, coin operated showers, and drinking water. 

We like to cook in the campground, plate our food, then walk over to the beach to eat in front of the ocean. The beach is essential a private beach, as the surrounding cliffs block it from other areas of Big Sur.

The trails through the redwoods are easy hikes, and absolutely beautiful. There is a small waterfall down one fork in the trial, and the old, decaying lime kilns are down the other fork - they are a must see! The history of the lime kilns is very interesting, and worth reading about.

One time the camp hosts told us about the bats that come down the creek at dusk - they told us to go stand on the bridge that connects the beach sites with the rest of the campground, and ait for the bats at dusk. I’m sure bats are not everyone’s cup of tea, but we enjoyed seeing them fly around the bridge and down the creek.

Limekiln, in my opinion, is one of the prettiest places in Big Sur, and is a must see!

**CAMPSITE SPECS**

**Fees:** $35/night

**Plumbed Toilets**: Yes

**Drinking Water**: Yes

**Showers**: Yes (coin-operated)

**Picnic Table**: Yes

**Firepit:** Yes

**Cooking Grate**: Yes

**Shade**: Yes

**Cell Service**: No

**Animal Bins/Food Lockers**: No

**Trash**: Yes

Limekiln - the prettiest place in Big Sur!

We came out with a bachelorette group and the rangers were so incredible and helpful that they switched us to a bigger site when they found out there were 7 of us in a site that was stated as being big enough but due to the water flow. It was vacated after the mudslides so they had the "penthouse" available for us to move to. We were sleeping under the Redwoods but we were only a 2-3 min walk to the beach for sunset.

The creek was flowing at full capacity so it seemed like we were the only people in the campground because all noise was drowned out by the lovely flow of the river.

Breathtaking and Serene

Beautiful campgrounds right by ocean. Can get a little cold with ocean breeze but so beautiful and worth it. Redwoods and hiking in campground too.

Ocean view redwood oasis 

Beaches, mountains, rivers, waterfalls, redwoods, must I say more? It’s BREATHTAKING.

The most amazing campsite I’ve been to

There are 12 ocean sites, three of them are up a rocky slope. There are other sites in the redwoods. We were lucky to get an ocean site without a reservation on a Monday and Tuesday at the end of October but the best spots are best reserved. I believe some are set aside for walk-ins. There is also day use but the beach access is reserved for campers. Two toilets, one sink and one shower for the 12 ocean sites but one of the toilets was out of order while we were there. Although there was a light in the other, it was not working but I would assume campers would have flashlights. Camp hosts are very friendly and we had great conversations with other campers. Sites are kinda close together but while we were there not all were occupied so it felt fine. Four short moderate trails were easily doable in one day. One along a creek, one to a viewpoint, one to a great waterfall (caution; there are four stream crossings) and one to the remains of four lime kilns. No hookups and the size of vehicle (no big RVs) is restricted. Fantastic sunsets and while we loved this campground, it was pricey ($35 vs $20 for Oregon state parks for a non hookup site)

Fall asleep to the sound of the ocean - yes please!

I have to disagree with the vast majority of reviews on this site for this campground. After reading all of these reviews, I was very excited to camp here! We even splurged and got one of the "ocean" campsites. However, we were very very very disappointed. Their ocean campsites are mostly located on a large dirt lot directly under highway 1. There is no separation between you and the next campsite other than a log or some rocks so expect zero privacy. The highway itself is very loud throughout the day and into the night. The bathrooms were very dirty all the time with mud, dirt, and large trashcans that were constantly full. The showers also were out of order. The squirrels are pretty vicious here and it is sadly due to the improper trash policy this campground has. The trashcans are simply metal trashcans without any type of lock on them. Throughout the day and the night, squirrels and birds would get the lid off the trashcan and rummage through the trash. Unfortunately, it does not appear that the rangers of the campground do much educating on proper interactions with wildlife either as the vast majority of other visitors were also seen feeding the squirrels. It may seem harmless, but it is very unhealthy for these animals! 

  

The hike to the waterfall and the limekilns was pleasant and definitely pretty. It was a short hike and we completed both in about an hour and a half. The beach is also nice overall.

Very Unhappy

You are deep within the magic of Big Sur. Come here to relax and recharge.  This camp is close to nothing - in a good way! Escape your phone.

  

We enjoyed short hikes to see waterfall and like kilns with no one else on the trail.

  

The camp sites near the ocean seemed a bit windy in November, but we were cozy in the trees.

Redwoods and California Coast

Camped in December (woods). Couldn’t be more happy with the view and the creek running behind us. Lovely to fall asleep with its sound at night! The ground was a bit rocky but nothing compared to the beach camp sites - Woods has more privacy also. There’s no cell reception, nor electricity in the bathrooms. Bathroom was clean ok. We couldn’t get to the waterfall but the walk was pleasant (and very short). We saw a couple of whales on the beach. I would definitely recommend camping in the woods if looking for somewhere peaceful! 


Amazing surroundings 

We have camped here the last 6 years after a friend told us about it. 
The camp sights are smaller than other places we camp at, but no matter if you site is a beach site or Redwoods site, they are worth the price. 
We love getting off the grid, no cell or WiFi, for a few days .... just peaceful relaxation.
Both camp sights have flushing toilets and pay showers. The camp host clean the about 2x a day it seems.
Each site has a fire circle and picnic bench, even the walk In sites.
There are really no services close by, some items like at ice can be bought at Lucia, so everything has to be brought in...


Off the grid camping 

Amazing location.  Campers have options for “beachside” camping, or camping among the trees.  FYI the “beach” really doesn’t have any sand and is very rocky, and those sites are really exposed and close together, almost like a parking lot.   Once among the trees, really short and picturesque hikes to a lovely waterfall and nearby lime kilns can be accessed via a trailhead right in the campground.

Gorgeous

We came without a reservation and got an overflow site right on the beach. You can’t bring your car to the spit but the walk from parking is less than 100 yards. Amazing sunset and comfortable distance from others. 

Overflow Beach Site

This campground is divided into 2 sections- a redwood forest side and a beach side. The forest side is for smaller vehicles only- we were in our van and had to camp on the beach side, which had an RV park feel as sites were crammed close together on gravel and under the highway bridge, unless you can get one of 3 sites on the hill with more privacy but no shade. The redwood side is lovely though, with a creek running through it, so if you’re in a lighter vehicle I’d go for that side. 

Decent camping in beautiful Big Sur

The restrooms were clean, the grounds were clean and the environment was incredible. Definitely planning on coming back. 


Easily the best campground I’ve been to!

Loved camping here as a stop on a road trip along Oregon coast hwy 101. The entire campground isn't like this, but our site was directly beneath the highway and next to the beach. There are fun hikes that leave right from camp that go to a waterfall. Check out the actual decommissioned lime kilns nearby.  

  

It's just on the edge of Big Sur. Not much oversight to the park, but that was OK. It allowed us let some traveling kids without a reservation share our site.

Fantastic and strange!

A great campground with camping in the redwoods and near the beach. Showers available with flushable toilet and water next to almost every campsite. 

A hidden gem

This spectacular campground has it all. Beach access and beach camping. Bluff camping overlooking the Pacific. I choose a spot higher up the creek in the tall pines a short hike away from Limekiln falls. Check out the ruins that give the park its name.

Beach, Bluff, Forest... you choose

Was driving down the 1 and the dog needed a run.  Happened upon it day after the 4th of July. They accept a few last min walk ins!! At 2pm.  Saw otters in the ocean out front and camped next to a river with our very own little path to it.  Hosts were all very welcoming and extremely friendly/helpful. Only wish we could’ve stayed longer. Unfortunately this place books up.  