Best Glamping near Los Osos, CA

Recent Glamping Reviews near Los Osos, California

173 Reviews of 14 Los Osos Campgrounds

• M

  Martha G.

  Traveler

  

  Jul. 9, 2018

  Santa Margarita KOA

  Dusty

  RV hookups , pool , huge jumping pad for kids about a mile walk to the lake . They have yurts for tent & cabins.

• S

  Stanley

  Traveler

  

  Oct. 18, 2020

  Avila-Pismo Beach KOA

  Nothing speical

  Dusty little place. It was the only one available since all of the surrounding spots were booked up.

  Restrooms and showers close at 6p, so only potter potties are available after that.

  Also the tenting spots are really close together.

  $45 is way to expensive for what it is. Even for California.

• 

  Erin M.

  Legend

  

  Jul. 25, 2016

  Lake Nacimiento Resort

  Huge lake great camping

  We camped right on the lake and were able to pay to have our boat docked overnight. Huge lake awesome experience, we were able to do some night wake boarding which I had never done . Tons of grass when we were there, California has since had a gnarly drought so you might wanna call ahead. Really Great Lake to camp and take the family to!

• 

  Frank P.

  Traveler

  

  Apr. 14, 2022

  Lopez Lake Recreation Area

  Great spot for kids!!

  We recently stayed at Lopez Lake with our three children (all under age 9). The sites are easy to navigate, the wildlife flourishes throughout the area for some fun viewings, the rangers and staff were super helpful and there was plenty of room for the kids to run around. The Lake was low, but this is California so, ya know. Water was chilly but the kids were soldiers and it was a good time and extra relaxing for us parents. For $30 a night, it’s worth every penny!

• 

  Laura M.

  Legend

  

  Aug. 17, 2024

  Oceano Campground — Pismo State Beach

  Great Campground

  We stayed here a few years ago, but on the primitive / non-hookup side. We stayed on the E/W hookup side this time and liked it as well, though it does have the more typical RV/parking lot feel as compared to the other side.  There's a nice walking trail that connects the two sides. It's $50 for an E/W site, plus an $8.25 reservation fee.

  There's a cool lagoon that you can walk all the way around on, with lots of birds, and much of it accessible as well which is nice. There's a cool visitor center, open 12-4. The beach is a short walk away. There's a great Mexican restaurant down the road also, Old Juan's, it's so good and has great vegan options.

  The showers here are nice and clean, and $1 gets you 4 minutes.  The showers are individual, private, and non-gendered. There was no host on site when we were there, but the rangers were very present.  This campground, like all California State campgrounds we've been to recently, has trash, recycling, and a food compost bin which I love.

  There's a fun game for kids where you download an app and go on a scavenger hunt and complete other challenges.

  No dump station here, but there's one just 2 miles north at North Beach Campground, and it's $10 for dump and water fill there.

• 

  Nathaniel S.

  Guide

  

  Jul. 13, 2021

  Lopez Lake Recreation Area

  A Gem of a County Park

  Long time campers in California are probably familiar with the feeling that the prep work required simply to get a reservation at the most popular national and state parks is more than prepping for the trip itself. This is true not just for the most famous parks, like Yosemite, but for many others as well. Wanna camp between late May and early October in a well known state park? Better book that reservation months in advance. This is especially true for RV sites, as there are even fewer of those.

  But sometimes you want to just get away on shorter notice. This is where the CA county park system comes to the rescue. County parks are numerous and much easier to get reservations at. And Lopez Lake, part of San Luis Obispo county doesn’t disappoint. The lake itself is a man made reservoir, and the campground sits right behind it. It’s got a mixture of tent sites and RV sites, some will full hookup - although some may only have 15/20A power. There’s lots to do on the lake, and Pismo Beach is a short drive away. Is a weekend at Lopez going to be like that epic 4 day trip you took to King’s Canyon or Zion or Yellowstone that you planned years in advance? No. But if you decide to take a long weekend in the late summer, there’s a good chance Lopez Lake will have spots available, especially during the week. Highly recommended.

• 

  Laura M.

  Legend

  

  May. 9, 2023

  Oceano Campground — Pismo State Beach

  Affordable on the beach!

  We rolled through on a Friday night in May with no reservations and got absolutely lucky to snag the very last site.  Would not recommend chancing it on weekends in the high season.  We only were able to get a site because the ADA sites are released at 5pm and we happened to be there right at the right time to get one.

  Very nice campground - one side is hookups at $40 (electric and water only), and this side is kind of boring with RVs all lined up in a row. FYI there are no sewer hookups here and no dump station. You can drive two miles up the road to North Beach and use their dump station and water fill for $10.  We stayed on the tent side for $25, no hookups and much more pleasant and green and beautiful.

  There's a lagoon and a boardwalk to walk around it, but the boardwalk ends and the trail turns to mud and it was pretty much impassible when we were there - thick black muck that will suck your shoes off and get your dog's belly all dirty. Watch for mosquitoes, especially the sites along the lagoon.

  Beautiful walking trails to the beach - we saw a coyote here!  We heard them yipping all night as well.  Interesting experience for us to see and hear them right on the beach. 

  As with all state parks now, there are recycling and food waste bins available, thank you California!

  The visitor center is right at the entrance of the campground and there's a good Mexican restaurant within easy walking distance as well.

  Overall a great place, amazingly cheap, and we're happy we got lucky and snagged a spot!

• 

  Chanel C.

  Legend

  

  Oct. 18, 2019

  Oceano Campground — Pismo State Beach

  Ranger Review: Morsel Sporks XL at Pismo State Beach Oceano Campground

  [ PROS]

  • Super close to the beach! There are a couple beach trails that lead you right to the ocean.

  • Love that you can walk to the dunes and spend the entire day there.People bring the craziest beach set ups and have bonfires and cookouts here. Souped up trucks with ATVs roll through and drive right along the beach. It’s quite the sight to see.

  • Very convenient location to ATV rentals, beach/convenient stores, and a few eateries.

  • Fantastic park rangers serveiling the campgrounds every hour. The ranger presence definitely keeps the rowdy crowd here in check.

  • There looked to be a very nice Visitor Center. For some unknown reason, they were closed both days that we were there.

  • Really big and clean showers and restroom facilities. They were very well maintained considering how packed and heavily used they were. Toilets ran out of toilet paper so make sure you come prepared.

  • We saw tons of cool birds around the campsite. My favorite of the weekend were the swallows that flew around dusk. They fly like bats! We also enjoyed seeing a couple ospreys by the beach. We even saw one catch a fish!

  • Campfire is sold here for$8/bundle at the camp host.

  • Each site comes with a picnic table, fire ring, and 2 parking spot. Our neighbors had 3 cars so we let them use one of our parking spots since it was a madhouse here.

  **[ CONS]
  **

  • Hard to find availability. This place is usually pretty booked up.

  • Very, very crowded campsite. Sites are extremely close together so there is very little privacy. It feels like a giant parking lot

  • Sites are small so setting up two tents feels very cramped already. Luckily we just stayed in our tent trailer on a parking spot so we felt like we had a little more space.

  • Loud campground! This place attracts a party crowd so be prepared to listen to people roll in with their loud souped up trucks and blast music on speakers throughout the day. Hope you like listening to hip hop from 10am-9pm!

  • It doesn’t seem like the 8 person max/site rule was regulated. People had upwards of 12 people at a single campsite so you can imagine how crowded the place was.

  • There was constantly a long line for the showers throughout the day.

  Overall, this is not my favorite place to camp by far. It feels more like a giant tailgate party than it does camping. We were looking for a nice relaxing weekend by the beach so had an unexpected weekend. This is one of the few places left in California that allow cars, trucks, RVs, and ATVs to drive right on the beach. It’s pretty weird to see. They also allow people to have bonfires right on the sand so be careful where you walk. There’s ash and coal everywhere. And sadly, also lots of trash left behind from people.

• 

  Amanda M.

  Legend

  

  Oct. 27, 2018

  Lopez Lake Recreation Area

  Lopez Lake

  Lopez Lake Recreation Area is 15 minutes behind the “Village” of Arroyo Grande, CA.

  Lopez is a frequently visited spot for us - We generally camp in a primitive site the back of the Squirrel Loop of the park. The Squirrel Loop is not a lakeside loop (you cannot see the lake at all from here), but we have found it to be one of the quieter, less trafficked campground in the park. The Squirrel Loop is nestled inside a canyon, surrounded by big, beautiful live oak trees.

  Lopez Lake is a very large campground with many different loops, so many of which are nearby the lake. If you haven’t been to the campground before and are not worried about reserving a site ahead of time, take some time to drive around the park when you arrive to see what area you would most like to camp in - there are a lot of great spots here there and everywhere!

  Each site has a picnic table and a fire ring. There are clean plumbed bathrooms, and coin-operated showers. Lopez has full hook-ups for RVs, and a marina to launch boats. There is a small but well-stocked convenience store in the marina with food, ice, firewood, beer, fishing gear, etc. There is also a small cafe located in the marina store, with limited hours.

  Lopez Lake is the home of the Mustang Waterpark, a small, but super fun water park. I believe the park is closed during the fall and winter months, but is open during the spring and summer. Swimming is allowed in the lake, and there are some “beach” areas that have been cleared of lake plants and rocks for safe swimming.

  Hiking to Big Falls is a fun adventure if you want to leave the campground. There are certain times when the falls are not accessible without 4WD, however, we have been in severe drought conditions in Central California for the last few years, so you don’t have to worry about crossing any deep creeks, if any. A super low clearance vehicle may have a challenging time crossing the creek beds, even when dry. The drive to Big Falls trailhead from Lopez is short, but probably takes 15-20 minutes as you are driving through a curvy, narrow canyon road. The hike is through live oak trees most of the way, so most of the hike is nice and shaded. Keep and eye out for salamanders when crossing the creek beds! While it is unlikely, black bears mountain lions have been spotted on the Big Falls trail, so be aware of your surroundings. Here are directions to the Big Falls trailhead: http://www.hikeslo.com/big-falls/

  WARNING : While the possibility of a black bear sighting is fairly uncommon, black bears are seen every year at Lopez Lake. You are in black bear county, and there are no bear boxes/ food lockers at Lopez Lake. I would suggest locking your food and coolers up in the car at night to avoid attracting wild animals to your campsite.

  CAMPSITE SPECS

  Fees: $35/night (primitive site)

  Plumbed Toilets: Yes

  Drinking Water: Yes

  Showers: Yes (coin-operated)

  Picnic Table: Yes

  Firepit: Yes

  Cooking Grate: Yes

  Shade: Yes

  Cell Service: No

  Animal Bins/Food lockers: No

  Trash: Yes

• 

  Dennis R.

  Guide

  

  Aug. 7, 2021

  Cerro Alto Campground

  Nice, Shaded sights

  I’ve camped here twice this year. Nice sight, small campground, vault toilets and running water available. Trail head is at the back of the campground day use parking is available. Short drive to Atascadero and Morro Bay.

• 

  Tommy B.

  Ranger

  

  Aug. 21, 2021

  Cerro Alto Campground

  Near the ocean

  I would stay there again. The campground is kept clean by the Hosts. It is the only first come first served campground on the coast.

• 

  Amanda A.

  Guide

  

  Oct. 27, 2021

  Cerro Alto Campground

  Easy Accessible - amazing views

  Campground was easy to get to from main road. Close to Morro Bay. Campground had access to Cerro Alto Summit which had 360 views at the top. Bathrooms were clean and 2 locations on site.

• 

  Matt L.

  Guide

  

  Nov. 29, 2021

  Cerro Alto Campground

  Camp hosts are out of their minds

  Camped here 11-28-21, the current camp hosts were out of control, yelling, aggressive, and just rude all around. Definitely acting in what would be called an altered mental status. If there was a polite host or even one that didn’t have a desire to abuse the little power they were given the place would be great.

• 

  Becbecandbunny O.

  Ranger

  

  Jan. 15, 2022

  Cerro Alto Campground

  Great campground near Morro Bay

  We had such a wonderful time staying 3 nights at Cerro Alto campground. Most sites are spaced for privacy. Very quite & peaceful. Easy access to hiking trails (Cerro Alto summit) from campsite. About a 20 min drive to Morro Bay/ Morro Rock. Pit toilets. No showers.

  Only issue we encountered was that campground water source was contaminated and therefore shut off. Luckily we brought plenty with us and we're able to refill in Morro Bay. Check website about water situation or bring in own supply.

• 

  Joy C.

  Traveler

  

  May. 31, 2018

  Cerro Alto Campground

  Magic Forest on the way to Morro Bay near Paso Robles

  Shady tree-lined campground with a few trailheads that I passed. It was cool morning in May & had condensation form on our tent in the early morning hours. The bathrooms were well stocked and clean. It was small and the campsites had enough elbow room in between them. Will definitely make it a point to come back! We were able to walk-in & pay for the site after it got dark, just make sure that you read for the handwritten dates for when the signs say it is reserved(we passed all the sites because all you read is reserved as you drive by them).

• 

  Shannon S.

  Scout

  

  Aug. 28, 2018

  Cerro Alto Campground

  A bit sketchy

  I love the hike here and really wanted to like the campground too but our stay was a bit sketchy! There are some more private sites as you drive into the campground but we were in the cul-de-sac area near the trailhead. We had some trouble with a lady who was clearly spending the night in her van and kept yelling at us that we were parked in her space. The camp host came over in the morning and confirmed that we were parked right where we were supposed to park. There was also a couple there that were pretty clearly on drugs and they came in and out of our campsite at times. The scenery itself is beautiful, and the Cerro Alto hike is amazing, but we had some questionable people and little to no help from the camp hosts.

• 

  robherr

  Ranger

  

  Sep. 9, 2018

  Cerro Alto Campground

  Cerro Alto

  Rustic campsite with great trails.

  Water is available, as well as pit toilets. There is plenty of poison oak amidst the Shrubbery and bushes so be wary. We stayed in campsite 20 which was a little bit smaller than all of the other campsites, but will still hold two tents. It looks like most campsites will hold two to three tents.

• 

  Chanel C.

  Legend

  

  May. 7, 2019

  Cerro Alto Campground

  Ranger Review: RovR RollR 60-quart cooler at Cerro Alto Campground

  [ PROS ]

  • Plenty of walk-in sites available. Easy to reserve online! $25/night (this is cheap for the area!)
  • One of the few campsites near Morro Bay that ever have availability for last minute campers
  • Close to avocado groves! We went to Morro Creek Ranch (about 3.5 miles from campground) to pick up fresh avocados to make breakfast with
  • Easy drive to Morro Bay Rock where you can see otters, sea lions, and lots of marine life. Morro Bay is a bird sanctuary so you can always see Great Blue Herons, White Herons, Ospreys, Pelicans, Cormorants, Turkey Vultures, and more!
  • Beautiful primitive campground with lots of lush greenery all around and lots of wildlife. Most of the sites have plenty of shade from the canopies of trees. There are so many different birds here as well. We fell asleep to the sound of a resident Pygmy Owl hooting and woke up to Acorn Woodpeckers, Toweys, Robins, Steller Jays, and Warblers singing.
  • Cerro Alto Trail is located right inside the campground. Day Use parking is $10. The hike is really beautiful and on a clear day you can see the ocean at peak!
  • Campsites are spread pretty far apart, are fairly large, and have most have pretty good privacy. I think Campsite #18 is one of the best! It’s HUGE, tucked in the far corner, close to the hiking trail, fairly close to toilets, and has its own water spigot. If you have a large group, I would suggest booking Sites #18 & 19. They are side by side and would be perfect for accommodating a larger party.
  • Each site comes with a picnic table, fire ring, and 1 parking spot. Additional cars need to park in the day use area.
  • Very popular campground and it feels very safe. People are very respectful of quite hours and other campground rules. There is a camp host on site who is present and you can buy firewood from.

  [ CONS ]

  • No showers and only pit (long drop) toilets. They provide toilet paper, but it is superrrrr thin. Bring your own.
  • The actual campground is pretty deep-in from the main road, but it’s a very narrow and winding one car lane that goes for about a mile. Drive slow!
  • Not close to any gas station or store so come prepared.
  • There is poison oak EVERYWHERE so do not go wandering off into the brush.
  • TICKS TICKS TICKS. Make sure you read the warnings and stay on the trails. We actually saw ticks during our hike
  • Lots of hikers come in and out of the campgrounds to access the Cerro Alto trailhead. Although it felt very safe, just make sure you pack away valuables when you leave your site. The hiking trail is very popular so there is a lot of activity and strangers walking around and exploring.
  • We heard a lot of people complaining about the smell of the toilets, but we didn’t experience that problem from our campsite. After a while, we started noticing a smell and realized it was the fragrance coming off the flowering Eucalyptus trees -- they have a funny smell that can smell like urine.

  Note: No reception at campgrounds (0 bars with AT&T)

  Product Review

  As a Ranger for The Dyrt, I get products to test from time to time. This weekend I had the opportunity to test out RovR RollR 60-quart cooler on a camping trip to Cerro Alto. I recently just purchased a Yeti Cooler which I am in love with so I was skeptical about the RovR. It has a lot of really cool features that I felt were just extraneous when I was shopping around, but now I’m a total believer. I can actually say that I prefer the RovR cooler over my Yeti cooler now!

  • As far as cooling, it does just as good a job as other equivalent coolers. It’s very sturdy and the walls of the cooler are thick and insulates like a boss.
  • Transporting this cooler is CAKE! The tires are amazing. We tested it on different terrains and were very impressed with how easy the cooler was to maneuver. Even when we rolled it on very loose dirt trails that sinks a little, it performed beyond our expectations. The wheels are large enough to roll over bumpy roads and rocks, they turn well, and are extremely sturdy.
  • The handle on the cooler is the perfect length and folds flush to the side of the cooler and out of the way. My husband typically find wagons, cooler, and luggage handles a little on the short side which make it awkward for him to pull, but he was very pleased with the height of the handle.
  • The dry bin is soooo clutch! It’s very deep and you can fit a wine bottle standing up. You can even uncork the bottle and stick it back in the dry box without worry about wine spilling. We used it to keep things dry and it worked like a charm. We had small tupperware in there that we never had to worry about water seeping into. It also makes organization really nice. I don’t know how I survived this long without this feature in a cooler!
  • I love the wagon bin!! The way it straps to the top of the cooler is extremely secure. That box is staying put and not going anywhere! It’s also very sturdy and thick. It’s so nice to have extra storage to store items when you’re towing the storage. It really frees up your hands and overall, it’s just a freakin’ nice bin to have when camping. We used it for stashing away our tent bags, blanket stuff sacks, and other miscellaneous items. It folds away really nice and attaches back to the top of the cooler which makes storing it really nice.
  • We purchased the prep board (table/cutting board) attachment and we are so happy we did. It works great as an extra table so you can still open and close your cooler. It has a really smooth surface that’s easy to clean after using as a cutting board. It attaches really easily and can be removed really easily.
  • We also purchased the bike kit to attach the cooler to our bike. We live close to the beach and bringing a cooler is always something we’ve been restricted on when we bike, but now our day trips to the beach just got A WHOLE LOT BETTER!
  • We also registered our cooler and got a free stash bag that attaches to the cooler. We’re so excited to use it on our next trip. It’s perfect for storing lighters, beer openers, multi-tools, headlamps, and other small gear items in.

  There are SOOO many different attachments you can add to the cooler to make it more functional. You can’t do this with any other cooler on the market which really sets it apart from everyone else. My husband and I just placed an order for the Umbrella/Rod Holder which will come in handy for the beach and future camping trips. We cannot say enough good things about the Rovr cooler.

• B

  Brandon B.

  Guide

  

  Jun. 10, 2019

  Cerro Alto Campground

  Beautiful little secret

  When we stayed here they were on fire watch, so obviously that was not a possibility. The sites are well maintained and basic services are available. Get a site with shade and you’re good to go, very close to Morro Bay as well.

• 

  Christine O.

  Traveler

  

  Jul. 1, 2020

  Cerro Alto Campground

  Exceeded expectation

  First time at Cerro Alto and the site was better than we could have hoped for, especially being a “primitive” campground . We had read reviews about the vault toilets onsite, so we mentally prepared ourselves before going. But in actuality, it is not as bad if everyone just put down the toilet seat covers after use. Our site (#18) was awesome! It was spacious enough for our 10-person tent and more. It even had a water faucet for easy cleaning. We were impressed that the bbq grill was exceptionally clean upon arrival and no trash were left behind from previous campers. We can tell that the campground hosts really took time to care for the sites. Just be aware of poison oak and ticks. If based on the campground alone, we would have given it 5-stars. Unfortunately, the quality of our experience was diminished by our inconsiderate neighbors in site#19. Not only did they partied each night until midnight, they spoke loudly on topics that were highly inappropriate for our young boys. Other than our rowdy neighbors, we loved the site and will definitely return.

• 

  Anthony O.

  Guide

  

  Aug. 1, 2020

  Cerro Alto Campground

  Morning bliss with birds signing

  We were running late and it was first come first serve so we were nervous getting but when we did they were hardly anyone there so we got a lot of space to ourself, the campground aren’t to smush together. If you can get one where there’s no one it’s amazing. It’s like 45 min away from morrow bay, downtown slo so you can grab some stuff back and downtown slo is just awesome every cool. Bring a lot of Deet spray cause that place was crazy in bugs and day and all night .they had good trails and a lot of nice green forest when we went around June. Would come back again !

• 

  Lulu A.

  Scout

  

  Aug. 3, 2020

  Cerro Alto Campground

  First come first serve

  Found a location on fcf basis. Campsite #2 was nice but had to walk through campsite no. 1 In order to get to my car, which was kind of a hassle. I’m thankful the people in campsite 1 were friendly and didn’t mind me walking by their site. The site was far away from the host, and the near by neighbors partied til 1am. That sucked, it was a Tuesday and they had no respect for the nearby campers. I wish the host would do their rounds at 10pm, which is their quiet hours, and ask the campers to quiet down.

• 

  Stacy C.

  Guide

  

  Nov. 15, 2020

  Cerro Alto Campground

  Plans change when Big Sur is on fire

  We got here on a Friday around 11am for a walk in site and the campground was packed. Luckily the campground hosts were very nice and had placed us in the overflow campsites. Which was just a small open area with another group already set up there. The next day they gave us a walk in campsite so we could have a campfire. However it was next to the restroom and the wind brought the smell to our site. The host did keep the toilets clean though. Lots of mosquitos around as well.

• B

  Brett L.

  Guide

  

  Jun. 3, 2021

  Cerro Alto Campground

  Incredible trails, lots of tree cover, all sites are in the shade

  This is not a camp ground for taking your big travel trailer or large RV!!!!  I would say that your max tow trailer would be a 24' and then you will need a place to park your truck.  Some spots are great, some horrible.  Meaning that you are just parking next to the main road.  We got very lucky because the camp host saw us trying to set up and said that someone else was a no-show and we could have their spot.  It turns out it was the only spot that we could fit in!!!  Other spots are just a spur from the main road, but have a nice area a little further from the parking spot.

  If you are tent or van camping, I think that this place would work fine.  Picnic tables, fire rings, and pit toilets.  We made reservations months in advance so I don't know how busy it can get.  Our 4 day/3 night trip was in November and all of the sites were reserved, but only 30% of the people showed up (at most).

  It rained when we were there and it was beautiful.  We probably won't return due to the size of the camp sites and there are other places near this one that are cheaper.

• C

  Chang L.

  Scout

  

  Dec. 20, 2021

  Flying Flags Avila Beach

  Fishing on the party boat

  We are staying no hook up sites not used to live with the generator on but really good experience

• 

  Wendy S.

  Traveler

  

  Aug. 9, 2023

  Flying Flags Avila Beach

  Wish they were all like this

  What a beautiful campground. This campground actually got our journey started and now we are camping and enjoying all that is out there!

• 

  Bridgette H.

  Guide

  

  Dec. 9, 2023

  Flying Flags Avila Beach

  Stellar Stay - Top Choice!

  I’m so glad I came across this on the maps. It was a bit of a splurge ($105/night), but when I pulled in and saw that view - it was totally worth it. I even added an extra night at the end of my week, bc I just didn’t want to leave. Sites are spaced decently, but still 10-ish feet apart. Propane fire pits at each site. Clean bathrooms and lovely, huge private shower rooms. Laundry onsite is cashless - Apple Pay. The views, I can not say enough. Sunrise in the morning is epic and watching to cotton candy sky show every night while listening to the seals bark from the ocean. I loved every second of it. Such a treat.