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Best Tent Camping near Huntington Beach, CA

879 Reviews

Tent camping options around Huntington Beach, California include established campgrounds primarily on Catalina Island, where sites cater specifically to tent users. Black Jack Campground and Hermit Gulch Campground provide tent-focused sites in the Avalon area of Catalina Island, accessible by ferry from the mainland. China Camp State Park in Marin County offers walk-in tent sites with a natural setting despite being farther from Huntington Beach.

Most tent sites require campers to carry gear short distances from parking areas to designated camping spots. China Camp features walk-in tent sites where wheeled totes can be borrowed to transport equipment. Black Jack Campground, positioned at the highest elevation on Catalina Island, offers basic amenities including potable water, outdoor showers, picnic tables, fire pits, and food storage boxes. Vault toilets are standard at most locations, though shower facilities vary significantly between campgrounds. A visitor commented that "each site has a picnic table and fire pit. You have to find or bring in your own wood for the fire."

These tent-only camping areas attract visitors seeking a more traditional outdoor experience. Catalina Island campgrounds provide unique wildlife viewing opportunities, with multiple campers reporting fox sightings near their tent sites. The inland location of Black Jack Campground offers shade and cooler temperatures compared to coastal areas, making it attractive for summer tent camping. A camper noted that "wildlife comes through the campsite regularly," mentioning deer, quail, woodpeckers and the Catalina fox. Hermit Gulch Campground sits within walking distance of Avalon's amenities while still providing a natural tent camping experience. Sites farther from access roads typically offer more privacy and less noise disturbance from passing traffic, an important consideration for tent campers seeking tranquility.

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Best Tent Sites Near Huntington Beach, California (40)

    1. China Camp State Park Campground

    10 Reviews
    Chino Hills, CA
    24 miles
    Website
    +1 (415) 456-0766

    $35 - $175 / night

    "The campground was not busy and this allowed me to pick a spot hidden away from others. There are restrooms and a place to get water, but when I was there the showers were closed.  "

    "This walk-in campground is part of China Camp State Park. Only 33 tent-only sites! Wheeled totes can be borrowed to haul your gear up some little hills to your campsite under oak and bay trees."

    2. Two Harbors Campground

    10 Reviews
    Two Harbors, CA
    33 miles
    Website
    +1 (877) 778-1487

    "I am glad we pitched in a tent instead of paying for the high price hotels in town. The campground have toilets, running water, and showers."

    "We took the ferry to two harbors and walked up all of our gear to the site."

    3. Black Jack Campground

    8 Reviews
    Avalon, CA
    31 miles
    Website
    +1 (310) 510-8368

    "Great campground that is very accessible to the trans Catalina trail."

    "Each site has a picnic table and fire pit. You have to find or bring in your own wood for the fire. There’s two bathrooms and a public, open shower. Fresh water is available too."

    4. Little Harbor Campground

    8 Reviews
    Two Harbors, CA
    34 miles
    Website
    +1 (310) 510-4205

    "If you’re backpacking through here, I highly recommend you stay the night. A camp site includes potable water, fire pit, picnic table, food storage box. Everything you need. Porta potties available."

    "If you’re backpacking the Trans-Catalina trail, this is one of the best spots. Great views of the sunset, spaced out campsites with water spouts at each one and a 6 mile hike from airport in the sky."

    5. Hermit Gulch Campground

    6 Reviews
    Avalon, CA
    31 miles
    Website

    "Only 30 mins walk or 5 minute bus ride from downtown Avalon."

    "I stayed here Labor Day weekend for tent camping! So, since I don't plan to camp here again for awhile, I should let you in on the secret(?) that the best campsite is Site 29!!!"

    6. Parsons Landing Campground

    5 Reviews
    Two Harbors, CA
    34 miles
    Website

    "Sites have rocks stacked up as a wind shield, it really helps! You’ll also have a picnic table, food storage box, and a fire pit. Vault toilets are available."

    "This is the final campgound on the Trans Catalina Trail and one of my favorites."

    7. Millard Trail Campground

    9 Reviews
    Altadena, CA
    37 miles
    Website

    "Cool drive to get to the campground. You drive up and down these hilly roads up the mountain to get there. Once there, there's a parking lot that fits about 20 cars."

    "When you can’t do a 2h hike before setting camp, but you also don’t want to camp close to your car, Millard campground is perfect. The parking lot is just behind the corner out of view."

    8. Mount Lowe Trail Campground

    8 Reviews
    Mount Wilson, CA
    37 miles
    +1 (818) 899-1900

    "No water, fountain is capped now"

    "There's no water right now but that could change after first rain or snow.

    Stayed here last week & it's still great."

    9. Hoegees Trail Camp Campground

    5 Reviews
    Mount Wilson, CA
    36 miles
    +1 (818) 899-1900

    "You can only access this campground by backpacking in. There's about 12 campsites with picnic benches and fire rings. There's a creek that runs through. it's beautiful and feels completely isolated."

    "Hoegee’s is 2 miles hike from Chantry Flats by way of the Lower Winter Creek Trail. The site is named for Hoegee’s resort which stood just upstream."

    10. Spruce Grove Trail Campground - TEMPORARILY CLOSED DUE TO FIRE

    5 Reviews
    Mount Wilson, CA
    37 miles
    Website
    +1 (818) 482-8937

    "This is a backpackers campground. First come first serve, picnic tables and fire rings included. I think there is only about 8-10 sites. Nice creek flows though the campground."

    "This is a hike in campground that has stoves and a creek running through. The sites are nicely spaced and there is plenty of shade. Perfect little backpacking trip."

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Recent Tent Camping Photos near Huntington Beach, CA

70 Photos of 40 Huntington Beach Campgrounds

Tent Camping Reviews near Huntington Beach, CA

879 Reviews of 40 Huntington Beach Campgrounds

  • Luis N.The Dyrt PRO User
    Jun. 19, 2020

    Parsons Landing Campground

    Beach side campground

    One of the most amazing campgrounds I’ve ever stayed at. You’re on a sandy beach with waves crashing on the shore. There’s only a handful of sites, so try to book this early. Sites have rocks stacked up as a wind shield, it really helps! You’ll also have a picnic table, food storage box, and a fire pit. Vault toilets are available. No water on site, you must bring your own. Water, firewood, and fire starter are available for purchase. You can buy them at two harbors, which is where they will give you a key for a locker that is at parsons landing which will have all those items. I believe it’s 2 gallons of water.

  • Tony C.
    Sep. 20, 2020

    Little Jimmy Trail Campground

    Local gem of a campsite

    This campsite is located in California and is one of my favorites. Located above Crystal Lake you’ll find Little Jimmy, it’s a backcountry hike-in only campground nestled just 2 miles off the Angeles Crest Highway. It has around 7 first-come, first-served sites with fire rings, vault toilets (which are currently not in service), and vintage backcountry ovens. After parking at Islip Saddle, cross the highway and begin hiking for 2 miles up the switchbacks until you reach Little Jimmy Campground on your right. Popular with Boy Scout and Girl Scout troops, this scenic spot offers a chance to get away from established campgrounds and live amongst the Coulter Pines and Big Doug Firs. Campers turned hikers have easy access to hop on the legendary Pacific Crest Trail which runs through the camp. There is no fee to camp here other than an Adventure pass for your parking. In the summertime, bears can be common visitors so make sure and secure your food in provided bear boxes or bring your own bear canisters. As always, make sure you follow the "Leave No Trace" principles and pack everything in and out!

  • Les R.The Dyrt PRO User
    Aug. 6, 2018

    Buckhorn Campground

    Most beautiful campground in the Angeles National Forest!

    We've wanted to camp here for so long, but we've never been able to get a spot. We finally did this weekend, and it fully lived up to our expectations. Because this campground is set within a ravine that has a stream during the rainier months, so the landscape feels very different than the other nearby campgrounds - very green with tall trees. The campsites have plenty of space between neighbors, so we felt we had privacy and weren't disturbed by any noise from other sites. Each site has a picnic table, firepit, and bear box for food storage. There is a water spigot at the campground, but the ranger advised that it's not potable.

    There's day parking at the end of the campground for the trailhead to Cooper Canyon Falls. In the summer the "waterfall" is barely a trickle, but the hike still has a nice stream and is worth doing.

  • Luis N.The Dyrt PRO User
    Jun. 19, 2020

    Black Jack Campground

    Great site!!

    Great campground that is very accessible to the trans Catalina trail. The campground has potable water, lockers, vault toilets, an outdoor shower (very cold water), trash cans, picnic table, fire pit, food storage box. Foxes are common on this campground as they look for any food, campers may leave behind so make sure you clean up after yourself

  • j
    Mar. 25, 2021

    Millard Trail Campground

    Great campground for hiking/biking

    Cool drive to get to the campground. You drive up and down these hilly roads up the mountain to get there. Once there, there's a parking lot that fits about 20 cars. There's about 100 yd hike to the campsites. There's a road that leads to the campsite but it's been blocked off. Only the campsite managers use that road so it's not accessible by RV, just tents. A campsite manager stays in a little trailer overnight so if there's any problems there's somebody there you can go to and ask for help. There's about six campsites and their first come first serve, no reservations. I went during the week and was the only one camping. This place is heavily used for day camping and hiking. There's not a lot of privacy because there's always lots of people passing by who are hiking and biking. You can stay overnight which I did and everything was fine but there's not a lot of privacy. The next day as I was leaving there was another guy sitting up his tent. I bet on the weekends they can fill up pretty fast. It's in Bear country so they provide food storage for each campsite also trash containers too. Each side has a picnic bench and a fire pit. The fire ban has been lifted so you can have a fire. Each fire pit had wood left at it so you didn't have to go searching for campfirewood. Bathrooms included male and female toilets but no showers or water. There's a creek that runs through the campground which makes it very pretty. I saw two to three cabins along the outskirts of the campground that I assume were for rentals. There was one family at one of the cabins the night I stayed. About a 20 minute hike and you can end up at a waterfall which is very pretty. But there are several trails to take for hiking and biking and I saw lots of people doing that. Overall a good campsite four stars. Would have been five stars if they had showers and running water. I didn't see any bears although there was an animal outside my tent at one point in the night I could hear him nosing around. So it's important to keep all of your food and anything with any kind of smell in the bear boxes

  • K
    Jan. 5, 2022

    Oakwilde Trail Campground

    Half Sunk, Overgrown

    The camp site looks like it was buried in mud from a flood a few years ago. There’s been no maintenance to this camp. The cook stoves are covered, half of the one picnic table was underground. But still, it’s a beautiful and remote spot. The river was running when I was there in January and it was just gorgeous. Looks like there’s really only one usable flat spot to set up a tent. But you can’t have a fire or anything. I didn’t camp just hiked in and checked it out. Dunno if I would try camping here.

  • Tony C.
    Jun. 24, 2019

    Henninger Flat - PERMANENTLY CLOSED

    Great local campsite

    I recently moved to WA from Los Angeles so this review is legit 😁 This was and still continues to be one of my favorite campsite close to Los Angeles, I have plenty of fond memories with close friends at this site. It’s completely exposed all the way to the top, a well worth 3 mile uphill hike to three different camp sites. My favorite is the middle site where you get a clear view of the city, beautiful views at night. They say there’s no water but there is, there’s a spout located by the restroom close to the museum, you’ll have to treat it before using (but don’t take my word for it, they tend to shut it off so take plenty of water for your time there and check it out if you need more) If you continue past the middle campsite to the upper site, you’ll have plenty of space for tents and hammocks just no view due to the trees on the edge. If you continue on that trail for another 3 miles i believe, you’ll get to idlehour campground. It’s a small site right next to a creek, you can continue on to Mt Lowe campground and inspiration point. Back to Henninger, plenty of trees for hammocks and sometimes they have firewood collected. At the museum you can buy soda cans so take some change. Hauling a 24 pack of cold Modelos in my pack was not fun at all, but boy did they taste good at the top hahaha. Bugs can get annoying so carry some bug spray, hang your food and PACK IT OUT!!! Leave no trace behind.

  • Shari G.The Dyrt PRO User
    Oct. 20, 2023

    Ronald W. Caspers Wilderness Park

    A World Away from the City Surrounding It

    Tucked on the outskirts of Mission Viejo is an oasis of green grass and groves of the twisting and searching limbs of Coastal Live Oak trees.  If you stuck me in the middle of this park, I’d never know that I was miles away from the sprawl of suburbia of a major metropolitan area…shhh don’t tell anyone.

    There are 3 campgrounds within this regional park -- one soley dedicated to RV's that require electrical hook-ups (Ortega Flats), a group campground (San Juan Meadow), and another which is a mix of tents and off-grid RVs (Live Oak).  This review is specifically for the off-grid Live Oak Campground which s aptly named because you’ll find yourself enjoying the ample shade of these amazing arbors, but plenty of sun to run our solar powered system.  

    The campsites can be reserved but there is plenty of room for first-come first-served travelers as well.  The sites offer enough space to tuck away a tent in the corner, or set up the longer trailer, as well as the typical picnic table and fire ring.  Plenty of port o potties are scattered throughout the campground and served the large groups gathered here on Easter weekend.  We indulged in making a fabulous brunch of Wood Fired Waffles to celebrate the holiday!  As of April 2023, they were still experiencing a well water issue, so no water was available from the faucet, but the river running through the park was useful for obtaining water to wash dishes.

    Hiking, biking and horseback riding trails meander throughout the park. The campground borders on a small creek for fishing, but is off-limits to wading and swimming because of the instability of the opposite bank. Keep an eye on the kids!  Be sure to check out the volunteer-run Nature Center on the property which is full of great information about flora, fauna, and native history.

    The closest store for firewood, and groceries is just a few miles back toward town.  And, the closest beach is just about 30 minutes away, so a great option for a day trip.

  • Luis N.The Dyrt PRO User
    Jun. 19, 2020

    Little Harbor Campground

    Must visit!!!

    This is one of the most beautiful campgrounds I have ever been too. The view of the beach and the palm trees and all of it is amazing! If you’re backpacking through here, I highly recommend you stay the night. A camp site includes potable water, fire pit, picnic table, food storage box. Everything you need. Porta potties available. Careful with all the buffalo poop. There is almost no cell coverage here except on top of a large rock on the shore.

Guide to Huntington Beach

Tent camping near Huntington Beach, California, offers a fantastic opportunity to immerse yourself in nature while enjoying the coastal climate. With a variety of campgrounds featuring unique amenities and activities, there's something for everyone.

Some prices for tent camping range from $27 to $70

  • At Two Harbors Campground, prices can reach up to $70 per night, but the stunning views and access to kayaking make it worthwhile.
  • Little Harbor Campground offers a more affordable experience, with rates starting around $27, perfect for those looking to enjoy a beachside retreat.
  • For a budget-friendly option, Millard Trail Campground provides free camping, making it an excellent choice for hikers and backpackers.

Tips for tent camping near Huntington Beach

  • When visiting China Camp State Park Campground, be prepared for a short walk from the parking area to your campsite, allowing you to bring along your favorite beverages without too much hassle.
  • At Black Jack Campground, ensure you pack light, as it's a bit of a hike from Avalon, but the views are worth the effort.
  • If you're camping at Parsons Landing Campground, remember to bring your own water, as there are no water hookups available on-site.

Local attractions to explore while camping

  • While staying at Hoegees Trail Camp Campground, take advantage of the nearby hiking trails that lead to beautiful waterfalls and scenic views.
  • The Hermit Gulch Campground is conveniently located near Avalon, making it easy to explore local shops, restaurants, and the stunning Wrigley Botanical Garden.
  • For those at Idlehour Trail Campground, the surrounding area offers numerous trails for hiking and wildlife viewing, providing a perfect escape from the city.

Frequently Asked Questions

When is the best time of year for tent camping at Huntington Beach?

The ideal time for tent camping around Huntington Beach is late spring through early fall (May to October) when temperatures are mild and precipitation is minimal. Little Jimmy Trail Campground offers pleasant conditions during these months, with summer bringing warm days and cool nights. For a less crowded experience, consider Millard Trail Campground, which is more accessible during shoulder seasons (April-May and September-October) when temperatures are moderate and crowds are thinner. Winter camping is possible but less comfortable due to cooler temperatures and increased chance of rain.

What amenities are provided at Huntington Beach tent camping sites?

Tent camping sites in the Huntington Beach area typically offer a range of amenities depending on the location. Angeles National Forest Big Rock Campground provides basic amenities including fire rings and creek access. For more developed options, Two Harbors Campground offers potable water, toilets, picnic tables, and fire pits. Most coastal campgrounds provide food storage boxes to protect supplies from wildlife, while some include outdoor showers (though often cold water only). Vault toilets are standard at most locations, but full shower facilities are less common. Always check specific campground details when booking as amenities can vary significantly between sites.

Where is tent camping allowed in Huntington Beach?

Tent camping in the Huntington Beach area is primarily available along the coastal areas of Southern California. Parsons Landing Campground offers beachfront tent camping with sites directly on a sandy beach where you can fall asleep to crashing waves. For those seeking tent camping with more inland options, China Camp State Park Campground provides traditional tent sites a short hike from the parking area. Most beach area campgrounds require reservations well in advance, especially during peak seasons, as sites are limited and in high demand.

How much does tent camping cost at Huntington Beach?

Tent camping costs in the Huntington Beach area vary by location and amenities. At Black Jack Campground, which is accessible from the Trans Catalina Trail, tent sites typically range from $25-35 per night. Little Harbor Campground, with its beautiful beachfront location, generally charges $30-45 per night for tent sites. Most coastal campgrounds in the region require reservation fees in addition to nightly rates. Some locations also have additional charges for premium sites with ocean views or for holiday and summer weekends when demand is highest.

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