Best Tent Camping near Mission Viejo, CA

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.

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.

If you're looking for primitive dispersed camping, this is probably not your spot.

If you're camping with kids, it doesn't get much better than this!  We stayed at campsite #58 which we felt was very large are private. Will definitely come back.

For our purposes:

• Dog Friendly: ⭐️⭐️⭐️
• Kid Friendly: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
• Overall: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Pros:

• Clean facilities, flushing toilets and hot showers, well maintained sites.
• Very affordable
• Friendly staff and atmosphere
• Recently paved streets (perfect for scootering, skating, biking)
• Great playground for children
• Easy and fun "Story Trail" hike for children.   The hike features a new book every month, each page is mounted to a placard along the trail.
• Nice creek for kids to explore
• Close to town if you need a quick drink, lunch, or shopping.

Cons:

• Traffic noise from nearby roads (not terrible, but reminds you that you're not fully engulfed in nature.
• No alcohol (not an issue for us, but may be an issue for some).
• No hammocks or anything hanging from trees.
• Dogs 100% must be on leash at all times.  If you're a dog owner, they do patrol the park frequently and your dog must be leashed.

[ LOCATION -5 Stars ]

• Walking distance to Dana Point Harbor and Baby Beach. Lots of fun things to do there including whale watching, boat/kayak rentals, SUP boarding rentals, and restaurants/bars. Also walking distance to Wheel Fun Rentals where you can rent 4 seater surrey bikes to cruise along Doheny Beach for $35/hr.
• The campgrounds are SO close to the beach. Just a couple feet over the dunes! Campsites 45-73 are the best IMO. They book up fast, but they are GOLD if you can get one. Campsites near the road are loud from the freeway and street.
• Convenient to lots of liquor stores and restaurants along Del Prado Avenue. The Double Tree is also SUPER close to the campsite entrance. They have a nice rooftop bar, and a small lobby shop if you need to buy toiletries, snacks, drinks.
• Close to the San Clemente Metrolink which is less than 4 miles from the campground.

[ AMENITIES -3 Stars ]

• The day use areas are so nice for picnics! If you walk along the beach there are rows of day use areas with picnic tables and bbq grills.
• The restroom and shower facilities are cleaned daily in the mornings, but they are very dirty. There aren’t many restrooms for the amount of campsites/campers so they flood, run out of toilet paper, and become disgusting. Showers take CA State Park coins.
• There are lots of homeless people who linger in the park, and they use the showers as well. We saw two go in to a shower and didn’t come out until 45 minutes later.
• You can purchase firewood at the check-in area for $7 a bundle. Not every camp host site had firewood so we had to walk further to find some.
• Sites are really small and close together. The best sites are along the ocean, but they are also the furthest from the restrooms. You give up convenience for a good view. The place is always booked and packed. A LOT of people so it doesn’t feel quite as relaxing.
• Sites come with 2 parking spots, a fire ring, and picnic table. Water spigots are near the restrooms.

[ CLEANLINESS -2 Stars]

• The restrooms are a NIGHTMARE. It’s obviously better than pit toilets, but a lot of them overflow and there is urine and feces all over the toilets and floor.
• There are lots of crows, seagulls, and birds at the campsite. They poop everywhere. All over our tents and picnic tables. Lesson learned: Don’t pitch your tent under any trees.
• Lots of ground squirrels around. They are very aggressive and brave. They will jump onto you table and take food.

Product Review

As a Ranger for The Dyrt, I get products to test from time to time - this weekend I tested Renogy’s Multi-Functional Solar Backpack. I have another solar product (bluetooth speaker) from Renogy that I love, but this solar backpack blew me way. The panels are much larger so it charges so much more quickly and efficiently. I was able to charge my phone to 100% in an hour and a half of being plugged in, and also it kept my husband’s laptop charged while he was doing some programming at our campground. As a charger, it totally met my needs and exceeded my expectations.

There are also so many features to this backpack that really impressed me. I love that the solar panel part can be unzipped off from the rest of the pack which makes it really convenient. I was able to remove the solar panel from the backpack and lean it on the ground to charge while keeping the rest of the backpack safely inside my tent. The solar panel part of the pack can also be flipped and reversed so you can have the panel facing out when you want it charging or faced inside when you want to protect it from exposure to rain. The backpack is also very safely padded for a laptop so that it is protected. I love the convenience of all the little pockets and compartments for organizing, the sunglass loop, and also a side pocket to hold a water bottle.

This backpack was so well constructed and designed with the user in mind. I highly recommend this rucksack to anyone looking for a solar backpack.

If you live in LA and you're looking for a close place to get away for the weekend, O'Neill Campground is perfect. It's close to civilization so you'll have easy access to lots of shops and markets, but you still can enjoy the great outdoors. This campsite is definitely more family-oriented so you'll see lots of youth groups at the group sites. Campsites are large and spacious, but you're quite close to your neighbors -- don't expect much privacy. Each campsite has a paved driveway, fire pit, grill, and a picnic table. The showers and restrooms here are pretty incredible. Great water pressure and FREE hot showers. If you like hiking, this place will be great for you. Depending on how much of a work out you want to get in, you can choose your trail and length of your hike. Along the hike, you can get great views on the peaks as well as enjoy all the beautiful cactus along the path.

This place is very family oriented so you'll see lots of children and youth groups here. They have fantastic group camp sites that can accommodate groups of 50+. 

Note: No alcohol allowed on the park grounds.