Morro Bay State Park Campground

We stayed here last year when the area was getting hit by severe storms and flooding - so the campground was almost empty. We loved the campground then and gave it 5 stars. This year when we stayed it was packed, and definitely not as nice of an experience.

The previous review mentions the awkward walk to the showers, and I will agree with that. You either have to go through someone's site, or walk all the way to the end of the road. We got lucky and got to cut through some vacant sites to get to the showers.

We do still love this campground though, because of the boardwalk in the estuary and all the bird sightings there. We got to visit the museum this time as well, small and cute and well worth the $3 entry fee. The restaurant is still there but we didn't go this time. Next time we go we will rent kayaks and explore the water some more. There's a golf course here adjacent to the campground as well.  The town of Morro Bay is cute and relaxed and fun to visit.

There's a dump station here but it's not free even for campers - it's a $10 fee you pay with your credit card right at the dump.  Showers were ok, no complaints.

This is a good, low key and decently priced campground that we'll definitely stop at the next time we're going through the area.

- PROS -

Beautiful location <5 minute drive away from the beach and Morro rock. SLO is close, and the coast is always nice. There's a pretty boardwalk trail next to the site as well (see photos).

- CONS -

These aren't camp sites, they're parking spots with a fire pit on dead grass and weeds. You're packed like sardines next to adjacent campers. It's unclear where the boundary of each others' site is. For facilities, they do have big bathrooms, showers, and dumpsters… but they're all filthy and unkempt. And even though the bathrooms may be right next to your site, there's no way to get to them without walking through another person's camp site or going all the way around– down the road or around many camps. We had a crotchety old man get mad at us for walking somewhat through his site. I enjoyed my stay, but only because I wasn't the one paying for the site.

TLDR: This site functions moreso as an overnight parking spot than it does a campsite.

You can’t beat the location- across from Marina , trails and walking distance to Morro bay town. , the restrooms and shower facilities were always filthy and running out of toilet paper. Bring your own soap and TP 

Not a lot of privacy, but generally quiet and no road noise to speak of. 10-15 min bike ride to town. Only downside is that showers became coin-op some time within the past year. Bring some cash to buy shower tokens....wish I'd known!

Note: The pull-in for site 118 isn't quite level. Not too bad if you back all the way in, but still not level.

Love this place in central California. Lots of shade from the redwoods. Great down town area and farmers market.

Love waking up to the beach. It’s close to everyone but it seemed like we were alone because everyone that camped there was really quiet!

Morro Bay is a great place and we enjoyed it a lot. The campground is not far from the town (perfect biking distance) which was great. The campground itself is a large flat area with campsites. Not a lot of privacy. Coin showers are a little bit outdated

We're working full-timers with a truck and trailer. We stayed here for five days, most of which were at 185 with no hookups and one of which was site 1 with electric and water. There's a nice variety of sites here, with everything a little bit different. If equipment were no object, or we were staying shorter, we'd choose 125 or one of its neighbors. These are in a eucalyptus grove with the golf course behind, and so a little bit secluded and quieter.

The campground itself could use a facelift, with fading signs and some potholes in the road. Let's hope the most recent improvement—a $10 pay-by-card dump station—helps fund some of those upgrades. Can't speak to the token showers or other amenities. We saw a few eucalyptus that had fallen recently, and another that fell the day before we left. Consider camping toward the middle of the lower loop if that sort of thing worries you.

Highlights for us were the nearby boardwalk (an excellent half-mile loop for birding and strolling), the view from the nearby hotel's restaurant, and everything about the little café adjacent to the campground. If we golfed, I'm sure that the course would have impressed, too.

Easy five stars, even with the rain we got.

Really cool campground. We loved it here. There’s Bayside Cafe right across the street from the campground at the marina with great food. The natural history museum is also right there and we heard great things about it, but we never got to go because it was closed due to all the storms in the area when we were there. Admission fee is $3 and it is normally open 7 days a week 10-5pm. 

Showers are good and clean, water had good pressure and was hot. Token machines only take bills, no quarters. 

Campground is only a couple of miles from the cute town of Morro Bay, and we walked to town along a path and residential streets. Trash, mixed recycling, and food compost disposal available here. Good ATT and Verizon.

Enjoyed our stay. State park amenities are fine but not excellent. Great nature walks, and beautiful views of the estuary. Some sites have large trees.

This campground is quiet and peaceful. It is only 2 miles away from Morro Rock and the adorable tourist town full of shops and eateries. The sites are a nice size for a state park but the roads are narrow making maneuverability a challenge. Hike to the to top of the rock next to the Natural History Museum for gorgeous sunsets. I am taking off 1 star because they charged $10 to use the dump station even after I paid for 2 full nights of camping. I’m not sure if that is the policy in all California State Parks.

We have stayed here 3 times. Check in advance for reservations. Check the pad length too. There are sites with hook ups, never available no matter how far in advance I try to book them.

It is a state park, so plan on dry camping. There is a dump and a place to fill water in one location. Works well.

It is an easy walk to the estuary, a very nice walk. More of a walk if you are going to the Embarcadero. Lots of place to eat there or just grab a beer. The golf course is next door to the campground, so that is convenient if you would like to play a fun course. We already have another trip on the books to come back.

The staff were friendly, the facilities were definitely well kept and clean. The campsites were very close together, which worked for us only because it was January and between storms, so the sites weren’t full. Otherwise there’d be a lack of privacy unless you happened to get one of the few spots in the trees.

Site 105 had a fire pit but no separate barbecue or a grate covering the fire pit. (Other sites had both)

I appreciated they had generator noise hours for the RVs in addition to normal quiet campground hours.

Loved the nature walk across the road.

Busy November Tuesday and Wednesday! This is a well-loved campground very near a lovely beach town. Lots of walking and other activities to keep one busy. We were lucky to get a day-of site. No hook up sites available but the attendant found a dry site to fit our truck and trailer. Many beautiful sites here. Ours was central but close to others and not at all private. It was relatively peaceful, quiet at night and smelled of eucalyptus! We’d visit again😊

We paid 33.00/nt with a senior discount.  Had decent Verizon service and thus a wifi hotspot.

Was a nice park to stay at, difficult to find reservations as it is very popular. Site is well kept up and very user friendly.

I live locally & wanted to stay here, so glad I did! Such a gorgeous spot. I stayed In spot 124 & it was perfect! I’d choose spot 125 next time because there’s many hammock trees and none in spot 124. Local tips: Try legends for a local dive bar in Morro bay, visit Montana de oro in Los osos for out of this world beach bluffs & Kuma ramen. Weather superb year round

Beautiful site right in the heart of Morro Bay.  The campground is wooded with plenty of shade and approx  2 hundred feet from the water.  It's also possible to walk into town from here.  There is a small cafe across the road in the marina and from here there is a board walk that goes across the "wetlands" which floods at high tide, lots of birds here too. The pull through sites have a picnic table a fire pit and a high (36") BBQ setup. Would come back here.

Camp is very close to the beach, 3 minute walk to steafood restaurant & kayak rentals which was really fun.

It was so beautiful here! The campground is across the road from the gorgeous estuary, which you can explore via a boardwalk. There's a fun restaurant and a natural history museum there too. The campground itself isn't super fancy, but you might get to see monarch butterflies migrating! Campsites are quite close together. Showers require tokens, each of which will buy you about three minutes of water time. You'll need cash for the token machine. The camp host was super nice and drove around at dusk offering bundles of firewood.

Beautiful, well maintained with immediate access to Morro Bay and wildlife area.

Camp ground was clean. Shade In a lot of the sites. Sites were level. Bathrooms and showers were clean on the higher sites. Kayaking and Museum within walking distance. Downtown Morro Bay was an easy ride.

We rolled in just as the clouds had made their stance for the weekend. A relief after a hot trek from NE Los Angeles via Bakersfield, but it quickly became an art film reminiscent of the Oscar winning film, Nomadland. Close proximity neighboring campsites sites, everyone making the best of the cloud camping. Great food and respectful people made it nice. We spent the day exploring the seaside fishing town and even got tourist trapped by going onto the two lane, two way road to the rock. Nice to see it up close. Would stick to the dock and eat the best oysters I’ve had next time I go.

Amazing campground that has both primitive tent sites, as well as RV with full hookups. Running water, dishwashing station, hot showers, and flushing toilets. The facilities were clean, and the campgrounds are next to a golf course, and a quick drive away from the beach, Morro Rock, and downtown. Each site has a little outside “pantry” cabinet to stash your dry goods, and there is a fire ring for the must do campfire and s’mores. Wood is sold on site. This is definitely one of my favorite spots I have been to, and although far from where I live, it was well worth the trip. I would definitely go back!

Camped in a teepee for a week! Close to all the sights yes away as well. September and it was full. Lots of trails. It was beautiful!

Nice location, golf course next to it, small marina with beach caffe and kayak rental. Downtown is about a mile walk ( or drive ) and it has a marina, shops and restaurants and whale watching tours. It is small but enough. Campground is crowded, hosts don't enforce the rules so it is loud at night and people walking around my spot. Spots are very close to each other also. It was very cold in May so I hope that I will come here again during the warmer time.

We absolutely loved staying here right on the coast. So many things to do. Golf course steps away, marsh land walk across the street, tide pools and beach access. About a little less then a mile walk to the marina/town area. Definitely worth a stop on a road trip through the coast!!!

We looked for a beach not overly populated but clean and easy to camp. Lovely hookups if you need them and tent sites beach side are mostly protected from the winds. Cooler time of year but we knew that coming in. Would love to visit again in warmer months!

Great location for Morro Bay. When there are 4th of July fireworks (hopefully we have these again some day) you can walk across the street and see the fireworks and Morro Rock in the background. There is also a great little museum in the same place. You can also walk to rent a canoe to paddle around the bay.

Love being at the coast and close to the water. This campground is right next to the local golf course known as the “poor man’s Pebble Beach” which sits adjacent to Morro Bay. However, it is more of a trailer and RV park based on the setup of the main campground. There is a more isolated tent-only area, but it is significantly smaller than the main area. While we enjoyed being in this serene coastal town, the campground was busier than we would like and we probably will visit other nearby campgrounds that are more spread out.

Super clean and great location, but docked a star because of the price. After fees when booking, it comes out to about $42.00 a night. 

Showers and bathrooms are spread out nicely. We tent camped and the noise wasnt bad at all. Though there was some mystery animal howling/screeching through out the night haha. Super close to the water. Kayak rentals an restaurant down by the dock and a great place to load kayaks into the water! Will definitely be back. Just make sure you book in advance! Fills up fast.