This is such a unique experience! You have to set up a boat trip here and back so do your homework because it takes some coordinating. We picked site 1 unknowingly and it turned out to be the best! It was away from others and felt private with the most spectacular mountains to our back. VERY WINDY! The water tasted icky but after a 10 mile hike we didn't care. Take advantage and hike as far as you can- it's unreal! But bring a ton of water because you'll want it! The crows are unruly so watch your belongings, and the fox are cute but sneaky. Also, there was a dead seal over by the water which was sad, but as the rangers told us, that's nature.
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.
Great place for families and kids they have a water park for the kids and boat rentals to go out into the lake. Showers do close at a certain time and are coin operated which you have to purchase from the ticket stand. You aren’t allowed to get into the water unfortunately but the group boats are pretty fun and easy to handle.we go with a large group of multiple families who also have children and everyone always has a great time.
Great place for kids and families. Went during the week so wasn’t too crazy packed. They have a pool, playground, 24 hour bathroom and showers included with your stay. Also have a small restaurant in case you don’t feel like cooking. They have bike rentals that I believe are free to use. We had a great time and had a nice hike down to El Capitan beach with the kids where they enjoyed themselves. Overall highly recommend this place and will be returning.
This was my second time camping here, the last being in 2017. Got to camp Friday 07/12 and stayed for two nights. Booked site 110 about a month prior by luck, checked daily for any cancellations but only saw a few. Site 110 had absolutely zero shade and very little privacy. To the left was site 109 which we could see into because of a gap between sites, this was a shame because it could see the ocean but also would be staring directly into their site. Towards the back of the site it walked straight into site 106. The whole site was on a slant which made it very annoying to hitch our tent. Driving around the other sites and bluff it seems like little had shade. Sites 99, 101, 103 and 105 all had ocean views and seemed to be the best. Site 107 had the best view but no shade. Our site was also directly across from the group sites which were very noisy at night, especially if you’re trying to sleep at 1am. Also the restrooms were to the right of us which was convenient but also could get very stinky. The grounds were kept clean and restrooms were stocked. The beach was an easy walk from where we were and beautiful. Overall I love this campground but would book your site as soon as the window opens to ensure you get a shaded one, especially if you’re visiting during the summer
Went In January on a weekend and drove up and had our pick of any site. It was all Shaded and quiet. Not many people around. Nice big sites under trees. Plus it’s only around a 10 minute drive to come springs tavern and several hikes. It is located right off the side of the road but it never got loud because the rode is so empty.
Leaving Ocean Mesa and can’t wait to go back. Clean facility. Heated pool and jacuzzi. Concrete pads and lots of trees. Connected to El Cap Canyon that has cabins and yurts. A really great store there with events like wine tasting and concerts. Hiking trails are also connected to the campground. Just a mile from a great beach with lots of parking. No ocean view but the amenities makeup for that.
Great place to go hang out on the beach. Easy parking and hook ups. Beach is great for the kids and fishing. You really have to stay on the front desk as far as getting a reservation confirmation email though. Over all the family liked it and we’ll be back.
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.
Great little campground for our stop through. Clean bathrooms, good flat camping spots for your tent, a good group area, conveniently located water, and great hiking trails with some awesome views of the hills. Depending on the time of the year you go, there may or may not be a flow in the river. Our time it was sparse.
This is probably my favorite beach campground yet! Being on the Military base reduces the number of people trying to get to it. The beach is on the base, and has a protected wetland and then shooting range on one side then on the other is the base itself, so this beach is really JUST for those staying on the base or campground. The weather was a little cooler than expected, but we had a blast! We watch seals, ducks and more swimming around the beach. We practically had it all to ourselves. It was quiet and well maintained. I heard they are shutting down for a year or two for a major campground upgrade.
We camped here June 7, 2019. Not my first choice if I was staying longer than one night. The campground was ok, it did have flush toilets and coin operated showers (signs stated hot water was not working during our stay). There were clean water spigots and trash cans. All the campsites were very close together and it was crowded very crowded. Some loops of the campground were completely closed off and looked like no one had used them for a long time. I saw something that stated this campground was completely closed for a period of time so maybe they are just now getting things back up and running. The beachfront was just a short walk down the road which was nice with some pretty views. Bottom line, it was $35 a night and I’ve stayed at much better campgrounds for less money.
Nice campground on a beautiful beach. Very crowded and expensive $60/$70 a night and right on a railroad track. Not bad for a beach campground but a bit too crowded and loud for my taste.
Nice clean park with great views of our local mountains and the Ojai valley. One of the things we didn’t like was that the lower sites are so close to the highway and traffic can get noisy during the day. However once nighttime comes around it gets really quiet. Hoping to get a upper site on our next visit. Overall, the park is a nice weekend getaway with out having to drive so far.
This is a great campground for anyone wanting to do some camping and mountain biking. In addition, you're right next to the beach! Dogs are allowed on the beach and campsites, but not allowed on the trails. Park Rangers advised me this was due to rattle snakes on trails. Due to the heavy rainfall this past winter, there's heavy vegetation growth along all trails. The campsites are relatively private and well kept. Fire pits have grills on them. Bathroom/showers are dated but well maintained. Good alternative to anyone that usually camped at Leo Carrillo.
It gets very hot in the summer. So we choose spring and fall/winter camping. Less people, quieter. Rv camping is on top of one another. Not really a campng feeling. I would never RV camp here. Tents, yurts and cabin areas are very nice and some are very private. Great fishing.
Stayed late Feb. 2019 Camped in back of Upper Loop
Channel Islands NP is magical. You and your things get dropped off by the ferry, then you head to your campsite. When we were there, work was being done in the lower CG, so we moved to the very back of the upper CG. It was a fortunate move, because the views from the upper are amazing. It’s not that far from the ferry drop off, depending on how much stuff you’re carrying. There aren’t cars or anything so you have to physically carry everything. It’s an easy walk. The campsite was level and clean, with water provided. It was extremely quiet, with only two other sites occupied and one ranger on the island. I couldn’t recommend it more highly! The trails on Santa Cruz were great, too. Hike to Smugglers Cove and to Potato Harbor, if you can!
This is a huge campground that is broken into sections. A nice feature, (we did not take advantage of), is there is a water slide park near the entrance. As far as I know, this is a separate fee, but nothing astronomical. You can fish at Lake Casitas, and when we were there, the water levels were very low due to the drought. There was a nice playground within walking distance from where our site was that the kids enjoyed. We had a spigot nearby to wash our dishes, and there are flushing toilets and pay showers. There were also chemical toilets as well. We went in the middle of the summer, and of course, it was very hot. Thankfully we had our canopies to provide extra shade. Fire pits are at each site, as well as picnic tables. We had a nice time, but for us, this place was a little too big for our liking. I would go back, but I prefer smaller camp grounds.
Haven’t been since it became part of the reservation system, but another go to place. Not the best place for young kids, as it is too scary being right off the highway in my opinion. Just stay down on the beach (break water rocks provide a barrier if you have kids).
Another go to, but for dry camping only. Beautiful bluff-side camping and awesome views of the ocean.
Recent fires and winter storms hit this area hard, and they ate still cleaning up. But the sites have mostly been repaved and are clean. The power was out to part of the park (our bath/showers were still up and running), but we were part dry camping anyways, so all good.
There aren’t sewer or water hook ups, electrical only, but for me that’s perfectly fine for a long weekend or short week with 2 kids and 2 adults. They do have 3 dump stations, too, so that made it nice!
Short jaunt to the beach under the highway, small store with basics in camping area, and lots of walking trails around.
I have been camping here for many years. The sunsets are always beautiful and the weather is usually awesome!
The shoreline may be covered in rocks or not, it depends on the tides and the past storms. This is not a great swimming beach but if relaxing, short walks and sunsets are your thing, it’s a great spot.
The ocean has some resident sea doggies and dolphins which are always fun to watch! Might even spot a 🐳 whale at the right time of year!
The campground is getting smaller as Mother Nature has been taking her beach back. Previous storms have taken a lot of the north end and a couple on the south end.
The toilets are out houses and there is some water across the campground road. The camp host has wood for sale. The highway can be loud at times but it will quite down at night so you can hear waves and rocks rolling. Oh and bring your own shade. Winds can kick up so be prepared!
I have an RV but if you tent camp, watch the tide water marks and monitor your distance or you might just get wet! LOL.
Happy Camping! 🏖⛺️
Awesome view!!! Park against the water where you can hear the waves all day and night. We have an great time here. No hookups so be prepared
Visited during Memorial Day weekend which made the park extremely busy. Would recommend visiting during a non -holiday. However the campsite we stayed at was a bit secluded from other campsites which was great for a little bit of privacy. Our site had Two picnic tables and a fire ring situated under a pine tree with excellent views of the lake. We were glad to discover the park was dog friendly. However we did encounter some ticks so be aware and wear proper repellant. Overall the park is beautiful and we had a good time.
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 💕
Refugio is beautiful. Quiet, clean and very close walk to the beach, this camping spot has almost everything. We camped here on a Monday-Wednesday and the store on location is only open on the weekends, so thank goodness we brought everything we needed, otherwise you’re no where close to a store.
Reserved this campsite about 1 month in advance on Reserve America. 11 total sites in this camp and all filled up with reservations on a weekend. Each campsite is very nice with shade under large oak trees, fire pits, bbq, and nearby trash and water. Bathrooms were clean. Camp host very nice.
Short walk to the Santa Ynez river which was beautiful. A few mile drive to the day use area that had lots of picnic tables and access to hikes. We did the Aliso loop trail which was fairly steep and ~4 miles but had great views of the river valley. $10 fee for day use area.