The best EQUESTRIAN camping near
Garden Farms , CALIFORNIA

Turkey Flat is a great place for groups to camp and drink beer around a fire. Wake up and fire up those off - road vehicles and maybe take a gun out to where they hunt turkeys or wild boar. It’s pretty removed from and residential developments so noise is no problem! 2 Vault toilets, picnic tables, no water, 20$ overnite/10$ day use, first come first served

Santa Margarita Lake is a lovely, quiet medium size lake used for drinking water in San Luis Obispo County, Los Padres National Forest. There are 60 campsites; 54 tent/RV, 2 Boat-in and 4 horse camps. There is a playground and a pool available in summer as swimming in the lake is not allowed. Canoe/boat rentals are available as well as a launch ramp and marina store. This lake is popular with smaller fishing and recreational boats. Amenities include flush toilets in main camp, picnic table, fire pits but no hook ups. Reservations are online except for horse camps which require a phone call to County Parks 805-788-2387, fees run 38$-36$ per night.

Montana de Oro is a beautiful treasure located along a wild coastline, sand dunes, tall peaks and high cliffs above beautiful beaches. Tent camping is limited but the availability of group horse camping is a rare treat. With pipe corrals, pit toilets and trails to the ocean, these site are primitive but worth it. The park has plenty of sun and shade, with mostly eucalyptus trees, great hiking trails and a beach with car parking that is popular with tourists and a few secret beaches locals know. Wildflowers abound in the spring and a car friendly paved road takes to the end and back with plenty of bathrooms and a State Park office/store you can get maps and tips.

Nice location, clean, with good internet access.

This was our very first trip in our new TT.  It was a little chilly at night, but the crashing of the surf made it magical.  Fiercely big raccoons :)

The camp host was great, and the sites are not huge, but decently spaced.

Eenjoyed 2 days here with many other campers. Staff helpful..friendly..restrms clean..quiet at night..fun things for kids..lake nearby also. Only 1 pitfall…we tent camped in space #63..next to a dirt road which looped around the campground. We got nailed with dirt dust every time someone drove by. Other than that..all was well…saw wild turkey and dear right next to our site. Inwould return but not at that camp space.

No OHV activity nearby, Pacific Dunes Resort is a somewhat secluded RV park. Close spaces, picnic tables, but must bring your own fire pit. No grass, but hard packed sand and gravel. Upper area closer to the dunes is preferred for breezes. Lots of permanent residents, but the park is well kept. My only complaint is about sporadic restroom cleaning during Covid-19. Not as often as scheduled and we were camped across, so could visibly observe. The dunes were beautiful, but walking to the beach would be quite an effort. Without the OHV activity, it was safe to hike or dune surf. Horseback riding, basketball court, and remote controlled car track were other amenities. Bike ride to the Oceano Dunes Natural Preserve beach was only 10-15 minutes. Many good restaurants near the park, Sylvesters, Old Juan’s, and Rock & Roll Diner. Old West Cinnamon Rolls and Splash in Pismo Beach are a must.

Nice sites, all on sand/hard pack. Lots of permanent campers or long term folks. They had horseback riding and a small playground. We came in late and it was hard to find our map and site reservations.

No one ever answered the phone whenever we tried to call, days prior, day of, etc. that was disappointing.

Our site was night to the dunes so easy walk to the sand, but about 30 minute hard walk to the ocean, it was worth it.

You don’t need a 4wd for the whole length of Sierra Madre rd. but would highly recommend it and would not recommend a passenger car. The dirt road to get to camp is about 10 miles. The road is bumpy but In good condition overall, we made it on a stock height 2wd truck. We arrived on Saturday 4th of July and all the sites were taken so we decided to drive another 15 miles up the road to a nice shaded location just right off the road. Didn’t see anybody the whole night. The next morning we drove up even more to McPherson peak where the views are amazing. We drove back down the road back to Miranda pines and everybody had left, we had the whole campground to ourselves. There was a full moon that night that lit up everything beautifully. It did get very windy that night. The campground consist of three sites and does have a pit toilet. All sites are great and offer great views. Cell phone service was on and off so don’t rely on it.

Wonderful resort with great views. Great staff, great long term campers, great amenities! Will definitely go back for another visit!