I stayed in the Gerstle cove campground midweek in August. id say it was about 3/4 full, but the sites are so widely spaced it feels very private. Compared to other CA campgrounds in summer, it was desolate (in a good way)
The ocean is a ways off, but you can hear it. Short drive down to the beach for stunning bluff trails. Very few people around.
My site wasn’t perfectly level, but good enough. Just keep a hand on that pot of boiling water.
I was tempted to move to the overflow lot for its panoramic views of the ocean but opted for my forest-side spot. There were only two campers in the lot when I was there.
The whole site felt strangely apart from other more crowded coastal sites - felt like northern Mendocino. Although apparently it can fill up so maybe I just got lucky.
Either way, seems like a bit of a hidden gem.