For those who want to experience New Cuyama, but still want the creature comforts of home, consider glamping for your trip. Glamping near New Cuyama is especially popular among campers who enjoy beds and electricity. You're sure to find glamping for your New Cuyama camping adventure.
Set amidst acres of wilderness flanked by the picturesque Santa Ynez and San Rafael Mountains, lies glimmering Cachuma Lake. Here you will find practically everything you need for a relaxing getaway in the great outdoors. Mild temperatures, typically sunny skies, and celebrated fishing conditions make camping here during winter months exceptionally rewarding. The County entered into a long-term lease with the Federal Bureau of Reclamation in 1953 to manage the 9,000 acre Cachuma Lake Recreation Area. Cachuma Lake was formed by the construction of Bradbury Dam in that same year. Located off scenic Highway 154 in the Santa Ynez Valley, Cachuma Lake is midway between the beaches and bustle of Santa Barbara and the Danish Community of Solvang. At any age... in any season... you'll find that the Cachuma Lake Recreation Area offers a fun and relaxing getaway.
Twelve miles south of Santa Barbara, Carpinteria camping offers a mile of beach for swimming, surf fishing, tidepool exploring and camping. Although dogs are not allowed on beach, we have a great picnic area where they are allowed to enjoy the outdoors as well. Lifeguards patrol the beach year round and lifeguard towers are staffed roughly from Memorial Day weekend through Labor Day weekend. The Spanish named the area Carpinteria because the Chumash tribe, which lived in the area, had a large seagoing canoe-building enterprise, or "carpentry shop" here. This was because of naturally-occurring surface tar, which was used to waterproof the canoes.
Seals and sea lions can be seen in the area December through May, as well as an occasional gray whale. Tidepools contain starfish, sea anemones, crabs, snails, octopi and sea urchins.
$45 - $180 / night
Lake Casitas camping offers over 400 sites, so you can choose the camping experience that suits you best. Some sites are lakeside, close enough to hear the lapping water, others are nestled among the trees, and still more are located on hillsides offering splendid views of the sparkling lake.
We have sites to accommodate tents, tent trailers, campers and RVs, all with picnic tables and fire rings, and some with children's playgrounds close by. Shower houses with bathrooms are located at the front gate and towards the back of the park. We also have a convenient, fenced, dry storage facility for recreational vehicles, boats, canoes & kayaks
Hammock spots, dipping holes and a fishing stream make Reyes Creek Campground an ideal hideaway. Located near the Sespe Wilderness alongside Reyes Creek you will find renewal and replenishment, Reyes Creek-style.
Trail hiking, fishing, swimming, group camping, mountain biking, hunting, horseback riding, nature viewing, and recreational mining are favored activities. Day trips to higher elevation snow play in the winter is also enjoyed.
This shaded streamside campground located at 3,500 feet elevation boasts an ample supply of riparian oak and cottonwood trees. The creek area is well shaded and runs year-round. Overhead you may catch a glimpse of red-tailed hawks soaring above the trees. If you are lucky, you may see a California condor!
Located south of Ozena Valley, this campground provides access to the Sespe Wilderness via the Reyes Creek Trail linking to the Piedra Blanc National Recreation Trail. This site is the trailhead for Gene Marshall-Piedra Blanca National Recreation Area ideal for hiking or mountain biking.
$150 - $154 / night
With a s’more in your hand and a brand new friend at your side, you might not remember all the things that inspired you to visit Flying Flags in the first place. Like the fact that it’s surrounded by miles and miles of lush, Central Coast vineyards. Or the fact that it’s just down the road from an outrageously charming ostrich refuge. Or the fact that it’s on the edge of the village of Buellton—the home of split pea soup. Because when you’re at Flying Flags, you’ll see that these grounds create a village in themselves.
Here, poolside cabanas keep families cool late into the afternoon. And expertly groomed bocce courts host brackets late into the evening. Front porches foster interactions between neighbors. And fire pits tend to spark a few stories among them too. Sure, the beauty of this place is more than enough to inspire you to come for a vacation. But the beauty of our community is what just might inspire you to come back.
Located just ten miles east of Arroyo Grande, California, Lopez Lake Recreation Area is one of the top choices for camping and leisure trips. With 22 miles of shoreline and summer lake temperatures around 70°F, there is something for everyone; camping, fishing, boating, picnicking, hiking and equestrian trails, mountain biking, zip-lining, birdwatching and so much more. The warm climate of the Central Coast makes Lopez Lake the ideal, year-round recreational destination. Once covered by the sea, the surrounding hills of Lopez Lake are rich with relics of ancient days and studded with oak trees. Over 175 species of flowering plants, and more than 150 species of birds have been identified within the park. The naturally beautiful canyons were once hunting and fishing grounds for the Chumash Indians. Later, homesteaders and ranchers inhabited the area and harvested grain crops for Mission San Luis Obispo. Lopez Lake was then created in 1969 to provide domestic water for the Five Cities area of the Central Coast.
Lopez Lake with its 22 miles of shoreline is the ideal year-round recreational destination for everyone. There are 377 campsites to choose from. Many overlook the lake, and others are nestled among picturesque oaks. There are primitive, electrical, full hook-up, and group campsites available. Hot shower facilities are at several campgrounds. Camping reservations can be made up to one year in advance.
$60 - $70 / night
Songdog Ranch is not a dude ranch, nor some ritzy retreat. It is a secluded rustic get away for the 'real' and adventurous. There are no cattle grazing in the pastures, nor fields of fruit along our fence line. The only things ever raised here are small herds of wine glasses in the light of campfires.
$20 - $40 / night
Nira Campground is a beautiful site covered in oak trees and located along Manzana Creek. Whether you come to cast a line in the river, camp and relax, ride horses, mountain bike or hike, Nira offers a scenic location with a variety of recreation activities.
Along with hiking, mountain biking, fishing and swimming, Nira Campground is a great starting point for backpacking and deer hunting expeditions into the San Rafael Wilderness. Located on Manzana Creek just upstream from the mouth of Davy Brown Creek, a trailhead provides access for various trails up and down Manzana Creek that enter the San Rafael Wilderness.
Nira Campground is surrounded and shaded by oak tree- covered mountains. Whether you're a beginner in the art of birdwatching, or an experienced birder, Nira will not disappoint. A bounty of birds such as king-fishers, juncos, Stellar jays, white-breasted nuthatches, warblers and many more flourish in this section of the Los Padres National Forest.
The Manzana River runs through the campground where swimming and fishing are favorite activities. The trailhead for San Rafael Wilderness is easily accessible. Los Olivios, Santa Ynez, Solvang and Buelton are all within a one hour's drive.
$30 - $34 / night
Treat the family to memorable camping on California's Central Coast at Sun Outdoors Santa Barbara, formerly Ocean Mesa RV Resort. Our fantastic resort is situated in Santa Barbara, where the Pacific Ocean and Ynez Mountains offer a spectacular setting and stunning backdrop for activities and adventure.
Choose your experience with a selection of spacious RV and tent sites. Enjoy fun amenities like a heated swimming pool and our amazing market that features camping gear, souvenirs, local wine, craft beer, and beach gear. Gather for seasonal outdoor movie nights on the market lawn. Or explore trails on docent-led hikes, take the kids to our llama and goat farm, and check out the events hosted at the El Capitan Canyon Market, located at El Capitan Canyon, our sister resort.
Scout
Not a bad campground, but driving in, the owner has large political flags flying. In these highly divisive times, I don't want to stay at places that divide our country, I want to get away from that. Not recommended.
Guide
Facilities are run down. This places needs a major make over! Bathrooms are dirty, showers are gross. Sinks to wash dishes are disgusting & right next to dumpsters. You have no privacy and sites are right on top of each other…you’re basically in a parking lot. Barking dogs right next to you can get pretty annoying pretty fast. NOT WORTH the $70 a night fee. I would only stay here here as a LAST resort
Guide
This is a nicely maintained municipal water reservoir with a very large lake. No swimming allowed, but boating is. Go figure.
There are campgrounds with hookups that are only available for RVs. There is one Campground -Indian- that has a mixture of tent and RV sites with hookups available but it was under maintenance when I was here this weekend. So all the rest of the areas that do have hookups do not accommodate my truck and tent rig. And there are no 110V or 30a outlets available for people who are traveling light -with solar and a minimum amount of panels, where you might need to plug in once in awhile- they can't cover you here. Too bad no one thought of that when they were designing this place, because it's an awfully big place with a lot of sites.
So we're leaving today to find another place to weekend.
But two nights next to the lake, in the campground called Mallard was lovely as can be. Next time I'll come out with more panels to keep my pair of EcoFlow RiverPro solar generators topped up.
Traveler
This is tragi-comedy: I was invited to a wedding in Santa Barbara. It was summer and the most fleabitten motel prices were astronomical. I began to look at campsites within driving distance, I was desperate. Booked Catchuma and thought, hoorah, I’ve defeated the tourism trap.
Well… from the moment I arrived . . . I really could not care less about the wedding. My god. I think I’ll leave it at that.
Bring binos. Boat, bring your canoe/kayak.
Ranger
We had reservations for 2 nights on an Augugst Friday / Saturday at Lopez Lake in a full-hook-up site in Bandtail (Site 38). The reviews of this place were great, and the photos were beautiful. We arrived to find a HUGE park (yes, I should have noted how many campsites there are). Check-in involved parking our van and standing in line like Disneyland. The park employees were nice though. There were big signs all around "NO FIRES" (more on this later) and I was also told at check in that there were no fires. We found our site easily enough, only to realize how closely packed the sites were in Bandtail. Some nice folks to our right had three sites - 11 kids and 21 people between them. The kids rode their bikes all over, and even onto our site (while also running around our van chasing a chipmunk). We had our daughter's dog, so tried sitting outside in the shade, only to find that in addition to the heat (it was mid 80s), there were biting flies. :( Poor puppy got bit or stung more than once. So we went in our van and turned on the AC (it could run on low with the 20A service there). Then, after dark, a dad and his young son arrive on our other side and had to back in their boat in the dark. We got out of our rig and helped them (twice) with our portable lights and guidance. In the morning, they spoke in very loud voices and we were right next door. We did take one of the trails in the heat, but they are not at all well maintained - basically trampled grass that could easily hold a snake. While the area is pretty, it is just way too crowded for our taste. Oh, and the bathrooms were dimily lit, had a couple of non-functioning toilets, and were dirty. We were ready to get out of there and will not be back. Lastly, though the fire danger was marked as extremely high and "NO FIRES" signs at check-in, along with verbal warnings of no fires, I saw two campsites had open fires in the fire pits. This blatant lack of regard for rules and safety didn't sit well with me. And no one was enforcing the fire ban. Sad.
Legend
This is such a nice and small campground, it's low key and seems to be overlooked because there always seems to be sites available.
We stayed in site #13, which is a weird "pull in" site, which in all the traveling we've done, we've never stayed in one before. So you pull in forward (not back in), because all your hookups are to the left of the site, on the driver's side. Which is fine, except that unless you have a long sewer hose, your hose won't reach from the back of your RV to the sewer connection. Luckily there were vacant spots when we left, so we backed into a vacant spot with a traditional setup and dumped on our way out.
The best part of this campground is the creek that runs behind it. It's so nice and refreshing on a hot day, and safe for little kids to splash around in. There's also a park, day use area, playground, and some sort of meeting spot adjacent to this campground. The showers were nice (coin operated) and as a full timer I always love to see laundry machines at campgrounds.
Pricey, but that's just the norm now. I think our one night was about $50. Great little place.
GuideLarge sites with plenty of room for tents and all the other camping necessities. This site backs up into the hills and there are black bears that roam the area so be sure to prepare for that. The lake is full and lots of areas to fish.
Traveler
Very tight space, lots of amenities like pools, playgrounds for kids, restaurants, activities, performances on weekends but can get quite busy and crowded. Close by solvang town and many pretty hiking trails
ScoutJust to be clear, I love lake Casitas. I grew up camping here with my family. The reason I’m writing this review is to warn pet owners about the abundance of foxtails and burs. We have 2 poodle mixes with med-long hair and they both ended up with their fur filled with burs and foxtails. So much that it required a vet visit. This was from a weekend camp in our RV that had a large rug and they have raised dog cots.
Scout
Great spot! Been here 2 times already!
LegendHaving stayed here a few times, it is always fun. Check in was nice and efficient.
We had a pull trough site that is on the southern part of the park. This is normally more quiet and has better maneuvering room. Friends joined us in the retro Airstream. Nothing but good reports from them. Wineries and breweries located very close by, so slaking a thirst is never a problem. I'm sure we will be back.
ScoutI stayed for a quick stop overnight and found the site as described. Just a table, fire pit, and water spigot. The hosts are very accommodating and made sure I was able to find my site after dark and were very responsive to my texts! Cell service was fine and I felt perfectly safe as a solo female! I really enjoyed the ranch dogs coming to hang out with me! I'll be back to try one of the other sites with more amazing views!
Guide
Great weekend experience
TravelerMy family camps here everyone year for as long as I can remember. The beaches are always nice. The trail that goes to the end of the campground is always fun bike ride. Carp itself is one of my favorite little towns. When camping, we also stop at Robitaille's Fine Candy shop.
Legend
Jake from the Dyrt here! We're excited to have this campground on the Dyrt and ready for you to book, check them out and make sure to leave a review!
Legend
This was another trip here. We needed a quick getaway, and this is always a good choice for us. Check in was easy, they even changed our site after showing all that were available. The was February, so lots of available sites. We will be back!
LegendEconomical for California and the area. Off the beaten path from all the craziness by the beach.
We are just passing through CA or it would not be my top spot. They nickel and dime a lot of things, showers pets. We paid online and we pull up and all of a sudden getting charged $5 a day extra for pets including a cat that doesn't leave the camper. Was not thrilled about that.
Otherwise, it was scenic, had a camp store, was close to restaurants, had a gate to drive into, so the place was pretty secure. Seemed like a lot of people gathered on the weekends.
We had the dirt campground which wasn't my favorite but all that was left, while the other campgrounds had cement pads. It was still pretty level.We did have cell reception, nice views and they had a water park for kids during summer months, though wasn't open while we were there.
LegendThe lovely county run park in the hills above the Santa Barbara coastline, is a great campground offering a wide variety of camping experiences from full hook ups to grass covered spaces under the trees along the shores of this lovely reservoir. The sites offer the usual camp picnic table and fire ring, and the many group sites offer large grills and even a few picnic shelters.
The sunshine is typically abundant in this California park, and even without full hook ups you can easily get all the power you need with an appropriately sized solar panel system. We’ve run on solar for over 10 years, and it saves us thousands of dollars each year for our full-time camping life.
The flush bathrooms are clean and spacious. Water spigots were plentiful throughout the campground. The coin operated showers got the job done, but since we were there during a chilly March, things could have been warmer. But hey, everything important got clean…
The lake is perfect for boating, but since it’s a drinking water reservoir, there is no body contact with this body of water. So plan on using the campground pool to cool off during the summer months. Hiking and mountain biking trails are abundant throughout the area, and kayaking, canoeing, fishing or sailing on the lake is the perfect way to spend the afternoon.
The campground offers some excellent yurts and cabins for nightly rent right on the shores of the lake. These are often booked out so plan ahead.
The camp store offers enough grocery supplies in case you forgot something, including ice, snacks, fire wood, and gas. There is also a cool pub down by the boat ramp which offers live music in the weekends. The nearby tourist town of Solvang offers a great day trip to sample the amazing Dutch pastry treats, pick up some groceries, wine tasting, or a night out on the town.
GuideGreat location, spots are so close to the beach with no bluff and stairs. Spots are very snug. You can get stuck waiting for a while if your neighbors don’t know how to park their unit. Only downside is the neighbors sewer is in your site. Also we had some grumpy neighbors which sucks with the smaller sites. Seals and dolphins all around while you swim or surf
LegendGeneral: Many different options from tent sites to premium tent sites, water/electric, and FHU sites in addition to yurts and cabins.
Site Quality: Varies greatly depending on what type of site you choose. The only sites with gravel paved pads were the ones with water/electric hookups or FHU; all others were grass. Most seemed level. It was raining heavily when we were there and some of the sites were flooded. Very little to no separation/privacy between sites. We were in a w/e site, and it was long enough to easily accommodate two camper vans.
Activities/Amenities: Off-season, everything was closed but in-season, there is a marina, boat rentals, restaurant, store, gas station, pool, and laundry.
Bath/Shower house: Clean but very basic. No hooks or shelves for toiletries. Cold water only. The shower looked nice but did not use so cannot comment on it.
IMO, the best options are the premier tent sites, yurts, and cabins as they offer the best lake views. We had not planned on camping here but after evacuating from Jalama Beach, we were told this park would honor our reservation. It rained most of the time we were there, and it was off-season, so I imagine it would be an entirely different experience in the summer when all amenities were offered and the campground was full.
ScoutWe loved the atmosphere. Small well maintained and cute, outdoor shower was a highlight!
Scout$10 per night per person, max 2 nights and 48 hour wait before you can come back. Max 5 times per year.
Took my son here for a weekend to explore Santa Barbara. There is no overnight parking in the park unless you have a previously reserved car camping campsite. We walking in with our belongings and there was three other campers on their bikes. Short walk to the Amtrak Surfliner, restaurants, dogs are allowed on a leash on the campsite. There is a dog beach a few minutes walk away.
There’s 3 fire pits for H&B campers, a Food box and a bike rack.
TravelerSprawling campgrounds.
TravelerSnagged a cancellation at Carp Santa Cruz site C233 to celebrate our new trailer and our Labrador’s first birthday!!! Doors opened to the west (that’s a good thing!), and it was easy to back into. Site was flat, but in the back. Heavy foot traffic on sidewalk that connects the different campgrounds gave us little privacy. Still, any time we get to spend in Carp is time well-spent!
Pros:
Cons:
TravelerStayed at camp site #143 no shade trees very dusty site. Rental boats pontoon type are brand new. Boat rental opens at 7am close at 7pm boat harbor is very nice with new boat docks. If going fishing the K boats are nice but anchor line to short to use I bring my own 50’ of anchor rope and use their anchor. Came hear to get away from all the illegal fire works where I live. Not one fireworks at the park yea the dog had a great nights sleep. Plus the swimming pool was great open from 12 noon to 5:30pm they have plenty of chairs and have life guards
GuideCamped here 4th of July weekend and it was quiet and family friendly. Bathrooms were clean, people were respectful, and it was just an all around nice place to camp - expensive though.
TravelerThe staff here were very pleasant, and the sites were beautiful paved, level sites with privacy hedges between each (at least where we were). The bath house was very clean and showers were spacious and clean. Kids were having a great time at the pool. I wanted to use the hot tub, but there were 5 little kids in it. There was a big, CLEAN dishwashing sink. The laundry room was small, but everything worked great. The only real negative was the cost which was astronomical, but keeps it nice.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which is the most popular glamping campsite near New Cuyama, CA?
According to TheDyrt.com, the most popular glamping campground near New Cuyama, CA is Cachuma Lake Recreation Area with a 4.3-star rating from 56 reviews.
What is the best site to find glamping camping near New Cuyama, CA?
TheDyrt.com has all 18 glamping camping locations near New Cuyama, CA, with real photos and reviews from campers.
