Best Campgrounds in California

Recent Reviews in California

10000 Reviews of 3901 California Campgrounds

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  Chris C.

  Guide

  Jul. 21, 2026

  Ventana Campground

  Nice, but Overpriced and Crowded

  This is a resort campground. Nice bathrooms w/ showers, well kept campsites, a store in the campground, beautiful redwoods and staff rolling around in golf carts. For $80 you basically share a campsite with 2-3 other groups and park your car in tiny parking spaces. For spending that kind of money I was expecting to have some more space. The only place I’ve been so close to other people was upper pines in Yosemite.

  I recommend this as a backup option for your camping in Big Sur. The price for what you get is not worth it and there is cheaper and much better camping around the area - just book far in advance!

• A

  Anapatricia N.

  Traveler

  Jul. 21, 2026

  Crescent City/Redwoods KOA

  Site 601 – Redwoods KOA, Crescent City

  Stayed at site 601 July 17–20. Site itself was very exposed with no privacy — there’s another section of the park where you can actually sleep under the redwoods, and I’d recommend requesting that side instead. Playground nearby was nice for the kids. Washers and dryers on site were a welcome treat, and good cell service was a nice change of pace. Grounds were well maintained and staff were friendly. Bathrooms were a letdown though, especially coming straight from Crater Lake, which were in far better shape — toilets were clogged, showers were dingy and dirty, surprising for a KOA on my first stay with them. Very noisy late at night with no patrolling to keep things in check.

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• 

  Megan G.

  Scout

  Jul. 21, 2026

  Riverside Campground — Castle Crags State Park

  first camping trip

  This place was a blessing. Rangers were very kind and informative however price is misleading at riverside it’s more expensive $25 a night. Felt safe and quiet for the most part beside the train.

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  lee's freelance M.

  Guide

  Jul. 21, 2026

  FS Rd 42n19

  Trees or open spaces

  Great overnight dispersed sites. Open areas or under trees. Area is pretty level. Some cows in area. Not far from highway but little noise even if you go just a 1/4-1/2 mile in.

• 

  Pamela A.

  Guide

  Jul. 21, 2026

  Coldbrook Campground

  Awesome place, reasonable price

  We have been to this campground quite a few times in the last couple of years and I really love it, personally because it’s really close to home. I also love that it’s first come first serve, which allows us to spontaneously go and enjoy without having to make reservations. I also like the fact that all the campsites have a fire pit and a picnic table, which were very recently replaced so they look very new. They installed metal storage boxes for saving your food overnight, this is super helpful. I love the creek even though the water is freezing cold but it’s truly a favorite. This place is wonderful and even though right now there is no water access until further notice, as long as you know you need to take lots of water for cooking and cleaning up you are good.

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• R

  Ralph N.

  Scout

  Jul. 20, 2026

  Anacapa Campground — Carpinteria State Beach

  Unsafe in Carpinteria Anacapa

  We have camped at Carp for 30 years - brought our grandchildren this year - felt unsafe for the first time - and rangers blew us off causing us to have to camp next to an illegal homeless camper with a pitbull next to our 2 year old and 6 mth old - he screamed at all hours at his dog on a 20 ft leash - I heard say on his phone that his dog has mange - he was allowed to camp illegally in bicycle only camp site and next to the visitor center- without a tent and his worldly possessions spread out everywhere - when I complained ranger said he was sweet - I know bicycle campers rode by when they saw him in their site, pitbull and tarps and stuff spread all over site - I know others did not go to visitor center because of him - ranger told me he and his dog are “sweet” - we found him to be an intimidating freeloader - we left early

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• 

  Lee D.

  Legend

  Jul. 20, 2026

  Grover Hot Springs State Park Campground

  Basic campground nestled among the tall pines

  General: 76-site campground in two sections. No utility hookups. Some sites are designated for tents only while others allow vans and small trailers or RVs. 27-foot max for RVs; 24-foot max for trailers. 

  Site Quality: Paved camper pad; not all are level. No designated tent pads. Site amenities include a wood picnic table, fire ring, bear box, and shelves for pots/pans and other supplies. 

  Bath/Shower: Basic but clean. There is a shelf above the sinks, but be careful when you are brushing your teeth or washing your face, as you can easily bump your head. Like most other California state parks, you need tokens to operate the shower (there is a token machine nearby), but I did not use the shower. 

  Activities/Amenities: Several hiking trails. We hiked to Hot Springs Creek Waterfall. Depending on where you start your hike, it is around 3-3.5 miles round-trip. It is easy to lose the trail as you get close to the waterfall, but it appeared there were several ways to get back to the trail. Hot springs/pool; summer schedule Wednesday– Monday with 1.5-hour sessions for $10 pp. Unfortunately, I read the pool would be closed when we planned to be here, so we didn’t arrive in time on a Monday to take advantage of it. There are two large utility sinks for laundry, but not for dishwashing.

  This is a beautiful area despite damage from the most recent fire. We were there on a Monday the week before Memorial Day, and the campground was only about 10% occupied, but we were told it would be completely full the following week.

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• 

  Lee D.

  Legend

  Jul. 20, 2026

  Gaviota Campground — Gaviota State Park

  Oceanfront camping but so-so campground

  General: Small campground (38-site) with direct ocean access. 

  Site Quality: All sites have paved driveways but would not be suitable for large RVs. All but five sites are “partner” sites, so they would be better suited for friends or family camping together. Most people were tent camping in the grassy area behind the driveway pads. 

  Bath/Shower: Very basic all-gender units with a toilet and sink. Cold water only and NO soap, paper towels, air dryer, or light, so make sure you bring your own (especially at night). Did not use the shower, but from what I heard, people had difficulty getting it to work (as is usual with CA state parks, it looked like you needed tokens to operate). 

  Activities/Amenities: Mainly make your own fun. There is a small sandy beach. The Gaviota rail bridge runs directly overhead. We saw several Amtrak trains running, and they were not very loud (apparently, this bridge is the most photographed bridge for Amtrak, and I caught a few trains going over the bridge). There was also a small store, but it was not open at all on Saturday or Sunday in late April, so not sure when/if it would be open.

  I loved the easy beach access but was disappointed in the lack of privacy with “partner” sites. In the end, this was not a huge issue, but it would have been more fun if we had been here with friends.

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  Melinda S.

  Scout

  Jul. 20, 2026

  Sherman Island Regional Park

  Kite Surfers Dream

  This location is perfect for people who are looking for the wind. Everyone is pretty respectful of one another. First come first serve $45/night. Not well maintained the road was flooded and it hadn’t rained in weeks in the area. Not well maintained. Must have self contained camper: van, rv, trailer. Tight quarters, it’s like a parking lot of vehicles camping right next to one another. There is a boat launch.