Best Tent Camping near Carmel-by-the-Sea, CA

Enjoyed my two night stay camping in a tent. Touring Big Sur and surrounding areas.

I have come here since I was a kid with my Dad. This was the cheapest way to stay with a family in Monterey/Carmel. You will drive through a country residential area that does not look like there would be a campground then all of a sudden you take a turn and you’re in a nice wooded, shady place on a hill. The best of both worlds in the hills outside of Carmel but still close to town and beaches. They have glamping tents, cabins, and small tent camping spots. There is not room for more than two small and medium tents. Camp sites are not very private but they are clean. Kids love the pool and game areas and begged to stay longer and come back. Bathrooms are very nice and clean with hot water. I recommend if you want to take a family trip to Monterey or Carmel to check this place out. Only downside was I missed seeing and hearing the peacocks that I remember as a kid.

Easy peasy! Not much to this campground; however, the location is great as a base for exploring Monterey, Moss Landing, Carmel by the Sea and even Pebble Beach. It’s nice & quiet and clean. Bathrooms are good. One washer & dryer on site. Overall a good experience.

In mid October the campground is still running kids activities daily and they’re good! Great culture here - friendly, lots of things to do (pool, basketball, volleyball, horse shoes, playground, billiards, karaoke, tennis). We lost power twice here which was unfortunate but lasted 90 minutes once and 4-5 hours the other time. Lots to do in the area - we made 2 day trips to Monterey and Carmel by the Sea and spent time in Morgan Hill and Gilroy.

A beautiful campground nestled in the Carmel Valley hills. The fog rolls in just barely touching the campground on most evenings. The vibe is relaxed, from the large pool with twinkle lights in the trees above, to the clean restrooms and friendly staff. Big Sur is just a short drive south and Monterey is just a short drive north. You can spend the day driving the 17 mile drive and seeing Pismo Beach or shop the quaint shops in Carmel by the sea.

My husband and doggos have been to big sur three times now. It is our favorite spot to go. Good size lots, we have only been tent camping. Right near a river which is so much fun! Tubing there is great. Lots of other kids and dogs around.

This place is great! Well kept and clean! Pool area was awesome! Tent site was perfect too! Bathroom/showers were clean as well! Wish we had time to do the trail but will come back again and do it.

Set amidst some amazing redwoods adjacent to a bubbling creek. Clean and well maintained facilities. Has cabins, rv sites, and tent sites. Many trails nearby along with some great restaurants. There is no wifi and no verizon cell service.

First I would give no stars really. We did not stay here (but did drive thru the property Oct 2020) We would have preferred a rest stop on the hwy (although we did find a better campground another hour down the road). 90% of the sites were full with what appeared to be full time residents. The RV spots were extremely packed together. And there were a ton of cars parked in any available area. There were a few actual tent sites - without parking, but other “tent sites” were really just a strip of grass. I found the website photo misleading as the lake was fenced off, and it really just felt like a parking lot next to the highway. There was a little market with food and fishing supplies but it looked like you also had to pay to fish. Friendly staff.

Great for kids and very clean. Sites are close together but the terrace makes for a little space from each tent site. Very close to Carmel makes a morning walk on the beach and back in the pool by lunch very manageable.

Paid 80 bucks for a tent site that was really small and close to other people. This campsite is packed to the gills. Plenty of kids screaming off in the distance. Not ideal but it’s in a highly sought after area, so it is what it is.

New ownership, who reportedly paid $28 mill for the campground, immediately doubled their prices to $225 per night for a standard tent site. No site improvements, just a 100% price increase. They are hopeful people will just pay because it’s Big Sur, after all. Don’t support this business model.

Came here last minute on a surf trip to Santa cruz so its partially our fault, but this place is not the best for tent camping in my opinion. They had a small plot to the side of the rest of the rv slots with a little grass to pitch a tent. Not secluded at all from the hustle and bustle which to me is a major part of the allure for camping. Otherwise the place was nice and looked great for rvs

This campground is tucked away between Watsonville, CA and Gilroy, CA in a small stand of second growth redwwoods. They have one loop of rv sites and three other loops of gorgeous tent sites. They have redwood trees, showers, restrooms, archery, hiking trails, Henry Miller's vacation home ruins, camp fire programs and a pen of exotic white deer.

I've been camping here my entire life in every season and I never get tired of it.

We stayed at Kirk Creek this weekend in one of the walk up tent sites. although we could not park by the spot, we arrived that day with no reservation and we’re happy to park across the street with how beautiful how surroundings were! From what I could tell, every site had a wonderful view of the ocean with how the campground is situated on the bluff. I will most definitely stay here again!