Best Tent Camping near Lebec, CA

Recent Tent Reviews near Lebec, California

604 Reviews of 38 Lebec Campgrounds

• 

  Veronica S.

  Legend

  

  Jul. 22, 2022

  Foster Residence Campground

  Conveniently close to Ventura, nicely managed

  We stayed here in June as part of a 3 week camping trip. Foster Residence was the closest to a city that we've stayed in, and that was apparent during the stay (i.e. we had 2 fuel canisters stolen, odd people obviously tweeking coming in the middle of the night and screaming obscenities the next morning, a couple families setting up next to us for the weekend for late night partying, lots of road traffic, etc.).

  There are some reviews for this campground under Foster Park Campground. That is a separate campground right next to this one separated by a little nature trail. The same camp host manages both. Foster Park CG is RIGHT next to the road. But it does have a swing set with like one swing if that sways you. Foster Residence is otherwise the better choice. 

  The tent sites are further back into the trees and there is a lot of shade. When we pulled in, there was an oak branch down on top of our fire pit and picnic table. We tried to get the host, but he was unavailable. The next morning he stopped by and said he'd get maintance. I told him they can leave the wood next to the fire pit and we could burn some of it, and that's what we did. That came in handy because there were tons of biting flies. The smoke helped to control them while we were at the campsite. And on the subject of little flying things, there are also a lot of wasps in the area that LOVE meat. So if you are going to try to cook meat, just be aware that they will consider it theirs lol. 

  The bathroom is separated into male and female and the female has 2 toilet stalls with flushing toilets and stall doors that work and lock. Also a sink with running water, coconut-smelling hand soap, and hand dryers with warm air. I'm assuming the mens is similar.

  The tent sites do not have electricity (normal for a tent site). We stayed for 6 nights and on the last morning we received a notice from a "park ranger" that privacy tents are not allowed due to sanitary concerns? That's like national park-level control-freakness there. There IS full cell service at site 14 and other random places in the campground area. There are no showers, no store, and there is plenty of potable water.

  Overall, it was nice being able to tent camp so close to the beach (the reason we came to the area was for my son to take surf lessons... we live in the Midwest) and also not be IN the city. But the area was definitely not my kinda bag. Still, if I had to go back to the area, I'd probably stay again.

• 

  Amanda M.

  Legend

  

  Oct. 24, 2018

  Santa Cruz Campground — Carpinteria State Beach

  Carpinteria State Beach Campground

  Carpinteria State Beach Campground is a one of our frequently visited “staycation” spots. We live in nearby Santa Barbara, but will use Carp State Beach as a midway meeting point when friends from Southern California and Central California meet up.

  The campground is pretty large, and caters mostly to RVs and trailers. There are loops within the campground that are essentially just asphalt lots with small dirt spaces for fire pits and picnic benches - these are intended for RV campers, but we have tent camped there in a pinch. Since we are tent campers we do prefer to camp in the grassy tent sites, but they are limited in number and tend fill up quickly. Because of the moderate year-round weather, Carpinteria State Beach Campground stays pretty full all year long!

  The campground has full hook ups, clean plumed bathrooms, and coin-operated showers. There are grocery stores and conscience stores within short walking distance for anything you might need. Train tracks run directly behind the campground, so there is some noise pollution from the passing trains.

  The campground is at the very end of downtown Carpinteria, right next to the ocean. There are no “ocean front” sites, but the beach is a quick 1-minute walk from essentially anywhere in the campground. Some small sandy dunes separate the campground from the beach, and there is an accessible paved boardwalk running along the length of the dunes. There are beautiful tide pools just south of Carpinteria State Beach Campground that are a must see. Check the tide charts on the internet to visit the tide pools at low to mid tide.

  While we really enjoy camp cooking, we tend to opt to walk into town to eat when camping in Carpinteria. Linden Avenue is right next to the campground, and is the main street in downtown Carpinteria. There is a wide variety of restaurants, breweries and coffee shops downtown. Island Brewery CO is a local favorite just on the edge of the campground - while I don’t think they have food available (yet), their beer is GREAT! Their avocado beer is a must try - I know it sounds weird, but it’s delicious (and doesn’t taste like avocados)! Rincon Brewery is a few blocks up from the campground, and also has great beer, and TASTY FOOD!

  CAMPSITE SPECS

  Fees: $45/night (normal campsite)

  Plumbed Toilets: Yes

  Drinking Water: Yes

  Showers: Yes (coin-operated)

  Picnic Table: Yes

  Firepit: Yes

  Cooking Grate: Yes

  Shade: No

  Cell Service: Yes

  Animal Bins/Food lockers: No

  Trash: Yes

• 

  Antonio C.

  Guide

  

  Mar. 16, 2020

  Foster Park Campground - TEMPORARILY CLOSED

  Local Favorite

  Located right off highway 33 in Ventura California. This campground sits were the historical town of Foster Park once stood, which was torn down to build the highway. There are actually two campgrounds here separated by an abandoned road, Red Mountain and Foster Park residence campground. We stayed at the residence campground which offers some nice primitive tent sites. With lots of Boulders and old tables and abandoned buildings this campground was perfect. Foster park bowl, an old abandoned amphitheater is just a short walk away. Campground sits in close proximity to either Ventura or Ojai. The campground host was nice and friendly. All the tent sites were unoccupied so we were the only ones there which was great.

• 

  Ben M.

  Scout

  

  Jan. 25, 2020

  Lake Piru Recreation Area

  Rugged Camp ground!

  Very Rugged Camp Ground presented with all that you need for comfortable tent camping. Plus fishing is good!

• 

  Sierra V.

  Scout

  

  Sep. 1, 2018

  Faria Beach Park

  Sweet beach spot

  Rv and tent camping along with quarter operating showers. fairly close to the fairgrounds as well.

• 

  Anna B.

  Traveler

  

  May. 29, 2022

  Kern River County Park

  Beautiful easy get away

  We went tent camping and the spots were huge and close to the river which made for beautiful peaceful mornings.

• K

  Kelly E.

  Traveler

  

  Jun. 20, 2018

  Santa Cruz Campground — Carpinteria State Beach

  Nice State Beach Campground

  This is a nice little spot, close to town, but not as close to the train as some of the other Southern California state beaches. The campground hosts went above and beyond to keep the bathrooms clean and even provided nice soap. The tent camping spots were a pretty good size for beach camping.

• J

  Jessica R.

  Scout

  

  May. 28, 2021

  Ventura Ranch KOA

  Great place to camp!

  Booked a last minute trip and was not disappointed. This KOA site was great. You can either tent camp or RV. I tent camp and the sites were clean and spacious. Great shaded areas. Lots of trails and activities for both kids and adults. I took my two dogs and they loved it. My family stayed at one of the RV sites and had a great time too. Peacocks live there! They roost in the trees and just mingle with the campers without a care in the world. There is a store that sells firewood and other items you may need. Definitely going back!

• 

  Jorge R.

  Traveler

  

  Jun. 9, 2024

  A Country RV Park

  Accommodating and Clean

  Very convenient and super clean. The lady who answers the phone is super friendly and helpful. I think it's better for RVs and don't think there are any tent sites.

• 

  Darryl L.

  Scout

  

  Feb. 21, 2023

  Dennison Park

  Spent President’s Day here

  Small quiet ,off road but highway noise. Very friendly camp host, Ojai just a few miles away, no full hookup, clean bathroom no showers. Good views from tent sites-not RV sites.

• 

  robherr

  Ranger

  

  Oct. 21, 2018

  Tapo Canyon Park

  Great for RVs, not so much for tents

  The first thing you should know about Tapo Canyon Park is that for actual tent camping, you will be in either decomposed granite or concrete. The second thing is that there is no cell service and no phone landlines there. 

  The park is very nice, and very well maintained. There is a large grass area with an upgraded playground, ample covered picnic area for large groups, and an archery range (private, but open to the public on Saturdays).

  The archery range is one of the best in California. There is a members area and the original range is open to the public on Saturdays from 9-1, with a nominal $5 fee.

  The campsites are designed for RVs. I have camped here in a tent and there is no way to drive a stake into the ground. The sites are fairly large and well spread out for an RV lot. 

  Each site has a fireplace, picnic table, and full hook ups. There is not much shade. The sites are very well maintained daily by the camp host Terri. 

  At night you can hear the coyotes calling as they roam the rugged hills, but don't worry it's a very safe park.

  I would give the park 4 stars for camping in an RV, 2 stars for tent camping, the facility as a whole is probably a 4.

• 

  Charlotte R.

  Traveler

  

  Jul. 19, 2018

  Brite Lake Aquatic Recreation Area

  Nice .. Not for kids so much

  Our family stayed here for 2 nights. We enjoyed our time but the kids were disappointed they couldn't touch the water at the lake. I brought a small plastic pool for them to get wet in at our site because it was hot. They do not take reservations and they do fill up quickly so claim your spot early if you plan on going. Fishing is nice if you have a boat of some kind. The boat has to have a trolling motor only though. Not a whole lot of shade in the RV sites there is more shade in tent areas. Bathrooms near RV sites were clean and nice. Down by the tent sites not so much there were ants everywhere. We will probably stay here again as it is only 30 minutes from our house but we will bring our generator and stay near tent sites with shade.

• L

  Laura S.

  Scout

  

  Jul. 18, 2016

  Castaic Lake State Recreation Area

  Weekend warrior

  Our campsite & the bathrooms were clean & well maintained. However the location of tent camping v RV camping is awful. We are tent campers and had a nice spot with a beautiful lake view BUT the RV site was directly in front of the lake between our tent & the lake! So when a monstrous RV drove in all we could see was the side of the thing & we had to go around it to enjoy the view.

• 

  Jennifer D.

  Ranger

  

  Jul. 31, 2018

  Kern River Campground

  camping riverside

  rv camped. but could’ve tent camped in our spot, closer to the water. sites are HUGE! rv hookups lots of trees. water has enough pools to chill in. short walk upstream, gives you option for rafting back down to your camp. very enjoyable couple of days. oh! and super close , for a run into Sequoia for the day ( we did that!) we also reserved our spots, so our whole caravan of rvs would be together!

• C

  Cierra M.

  Guide

  

  Apr. 1, 2021

  Valencia Travel Village

  Great spot but RV ONLY

  I didn’t actually stay here as I was looking for a tent camping spot, but I did drive around the facility and it was super clean and looked like a great spot if you’ve got an RV. Pool and clean bathrooms available, host also mentioned it has WiFi access.

  Daily rates started at $65 a night, which was a little out of my budget, but if you’ve got the money and you’ve got the rig I’d totally recommend staying here!

• L

  Luke L.

  Traveler

  

  May. 17, 2018

  Santa Cruz Campground — Carpinteria State Beach

  Beautiful ocean sunsets at this quaint campground

  Nestled between Ventura and Santa Barbara just north of Los Angeles is this picture perfect State Beach campground. This location has both full hook-ups as well as tent camping right up to the coast This campsite also has showers availa le and restrooms There are plenty of miles of bike trails as well as hiking tails to the Bluffs that overlook a sea lion protected sanctuary But the most glorious reason to come here are the breath taking sunsets viewable from your own campsite

• K

  Kela K.

  Traveler

  

  Nov. 9, 2021

  Wheeler Gorge Campground

  Easily accessible campground in any vehicle

  This campground is a great site to meet up with friends that don't always get out and go exploring as it's a nice campground off a main road through the Ojai area.

  We booked a site here while driving through and spent a weekend catching up with friends that were able to drive up in a small car and join us.

  Beautiful wooded area with a nice stream that passes through. Good flat soft ground to tent camp and a great spot to throw up some hammocks and relax!

• 

  Sasha D.

  Traveler

  

  Mar. 28, 2022

  Buena Vista Aquatic Recreational Area

  Good for fishing and water sports

  Super dusty, muddy and dirty if you’re off the main camp site away from the RV circle. What balances being away from the main campsite though- is the literal waterfront campsites. Weather is all over and there are tons of bugs because you’re on the waters edge- but the symphony of frogs singing you to sleep at night is great! Was there with my two dogs tent camping. Def not worth the cost if it’s a frequent visit place. Water spouts and flushing toilets/showers are only in the main campsite- not in the PKW where we were.

• 

  Roger W.

  Legend

  

  Dec. 31, 2022

  Dennison Park

  Rainy stop over near Ojai

  Rolling Oak Woodlands. Shade. Solar will be available in some sites. Note: sites near the road are near the highway -road noise.

  Tent site loop appears to be very nice and away from the highway. Trailer/ RV sites:. Our site, #1, looks down on day use parking area. Sites 2,5 and 6 are clustered together. Site 4 is one of the nicer RV sites - farthest RV site from the road and somewhat private.

  General: Quiet. Bathrooms are fine. There is some road noise during the day, I anticipate little at night.

• G

  Gustavo C.

  Guide

  

  Oct. 12, 2021

  Thousand Trails Soledad Canyon

  Very Friendly staff with lots of amenities

  I can't deduct stars for how crowded it was during Labor Day Weekend. I think it was a treat that we were able to book on a fairly short notice for a holiday weekend. The pool is awesome and huge compared to other campgrounds. It was overly crowded this Labor Day weekend but what do you expect, right? It was hot. They had a live band, movie night, roomy campsites. It was loud and rowdy in the tent camping area but calm in the RV area. I had T-Mobile and had ZERO reception here. I have since dropped T-Mobile and got Verizon because it seems like T-Mobile reception is terrible at most campsites. We are looking forward to going back soon.

• 

  Brandon C.

  Guide

  

  Jun. 12, 2022

  Foster Park Campground - TEMPORARILY CLOSED

  Worth every penny

  Being that we chose this camp site last minute is a total score. Large sites, full hookup options and 10 minutes from the beach. Camp host were very nice and accommodating. Some sites are close to the 33 highway so you will have road noise but we are used to Rincon. There is tent camping in the higher sites. Covered with plenty of mature trees for nice shade. Clean restrooms but no showers. Campground is very close to the Ojai-Ventura bike trail. Hiking trails all over and did I say 10 minutes from the beach!!! We stayed with our 2 toddlers/teen and had a blast. Only odd thing is that some sites hookups are backwards. No biggie. We just ran our lines under our rig. We would definitely stay here again.

• L

  Lisa

  Traveler

  

  Dec. 27, 2021

  Rose Valley Campground

  Camping Gem

  The campground itself does not have much to offer. It is small and quiet with a vault toilet. It is surrounded by burn scars so that is unfortunate but the scenery is still beautiful. We enjoy tent camping with minimal amenities and easy hiking trails for kids. The trail that starts in this campground and leads you to the waterfall is a pleasant surprise. It is completely unexpected, you feel like you're at a waterfall in Hawaii, it's a beautiful must-see. Most sites have little to no shade or privacy. We were there in April and it was too hot for our liking with no tress/no shade at our site. It is a small campground so even if full it wouldn't feel crowded. Most of the traffic is foot traffic from day hikers coming through to get to the waterfall.

• P

  Patty M.

  Guide

  

  Jun. 24, 2021

  Castaic Lake State Recreation Area

  Castaic Lake Campground

  This is a nice campground. Very close to the city but still with visiting. I’m a van camper so I rented an RV site because I wanted shade trees. The tent camping sites in the first section have very little shade. Maybe one or two sites have shade. You definitely have to bring a canopy. I camped there in Nov2020 it was a nice getaway. The view of the lake is beautiful. I enjoyed seeing all the ducks on the lake. Each campsite has a table and fire ring. The bathrooms have flush toilets and the campground is kept clean and trash cans are emptied daily. It has a fish cleaning area with running water too. Must put away all your food because the raccoons will get into it. Overall it’s a nice local place to camp if you live in Santa Clarita, Ca.

• 

  Daniel J.

  Guide

  

  Mar. 17, 2020

  Beartrap Number 1 Campsite

  Great Winter or beginner backpacking campsite

  This is a great campsite if you want to get out during the winter, but don't want to get stuck in deep snow. It's also great for beginners. The second time I visited this campsite, I brought a friend who was coming out for his first backpacking trip. The trail to get here is technical enough to be challenging and fun, without the high altitude lung busting that is usually necessary for dense tree areas.

  When you get there you'll find several fire rings that can be used during safe seasons. Be sure to check with the Los Padres National Forest site to make sure you can have an open fire.

  The creek here runs year round, so you can expect to find easy water access throughout the campsite.

  Another big plus is the abundance of trees in this area. This worked out beautiful for my friend and I as we were hammock camping. But there are tons of tent sites available here too.

• P

  Pamela O.

  Scout

  

  Apr. 24, 2021

  Mountain Valley RV Park

  Sweet spot along the way

  Mountain Valley RV park in Tehachapi, Ca is a nice mid-way stop between Las Vegas and the Bay area. We stayed here when we discovered our trailer was a bit too large to get into Tehachapi Mt State Park Campground. (Although this RV park isn’t that far from the state park where you could drive and do some day hikes.) Although Mt Valley RV Park is probably on few peoples list as a destination spot, my husband and I would consider coming back for the sheer peacefulness of the place. There is something embracing about the valley location at about 4000 ft elevation- with views of the surrounding hills, minimal road noise, mature trees, space between sites and lovely song birds the 3rd week of April when we were there. Not to mention, the gliders in the sky will mesmerize you since it’s located adjacent to a glider strip. Due to Covid the laundry and external restrooms were closed, and tent camping, which is normally accepted, was canceled for the time being. It’s definitely a place to consider if you’re passing through or plan to stay in Tehachapi ,CA.

• 

  Mario M.

  Traveler

  

  May. 30, 2022

  Los Alamos Campground at Pyramid Lake

  Great for a quick getaway but come prepared

  Tried this campground out for a single day/night of camping for my family of 4.

  Location - 5 out of 5 Great location in terms of close to home (40 minutes from Bakersfield). 1.5 miles from Pyramid Lake for a day trip.

  Campground - 3 out of 5. $20 per night, by all means, this is only regards to the tent camping not the people or bathrooms etc. We camped in Loop 4 camp 72. While I was towards the end of the campground, very little shade was available. Prepare to bring multiple ezups for shade. Tent was easily put up as ground is soft. This camp was overrun by fire ants, so had to carefully move around their nest. There was a small section in between some trees that allowed us to get some shade, maybe even a small tent fits there. Bathrooms are flush toilets and very clean. No showers available to my knowledge. Camping came with a cement picnic table and a fire pit.

  The 2 points off was just because of the shade situation. I did go through the campground all together to see which sites were more shaded and out of all of the sites perhaps 4 had some trees with good shade.

  If you are looking for a weekend getaway from the city, good place to come. Just come prepared with multiple shade apparatus.

  **My pictures were taken after 6pm when the sun is behind the mountains.

• 

  Brian L.

  Traveler

  

  Jun. 3, 2019

  Kenney Grove Park

  Very nicely maintained smaller campground.

  I really liked this place, and would definitely go back. This is on the smaller scale of campgrounds, which is very nice. Less chance of drunk, noisy neighbors. When we went, us, and the other family we went with, were the only ones in that particular section. The kids had plenty of room to run around and get dirty, and there was a playground with an old school merry-go-round within sight of where our spot was. RV’s are allowed as well, but those sites are separate from the tent sites, which is nice too. The drive was 45 minutes to an hour from our house, which was great. You don’t have to go far to go camping. The one drawback was the camp host. We always bring our dog with us, who is a diabetic alert service dog for our two boys. This particular person kept telling us that the dog had to be on a leash, and that he was not allowed in the playground area. We explained to her that he was a service animal, and is allowed under the ADA to go anywhere. She wasn’t having it. Hopefully this person’s time as the host is over, because this really is a great spot.