Best Glamping near Oceanside, CA

Great time “glamping”. Close to home with all the amenities!

Great clean campground, beautiful views, short walk down to the beach! Lots of hiking trils around, or take the walk across the beach to the shake shack! Definitely recommend for a local glamping trip!

Let me first off say that the property is beautiful and that my hosts Carolyn and Bernie were very accommodating and had great energy.  Plenty of room for beautiful hikes on their many acres of land packed with some great views a few decks scattered around the property.  I found out they have a full size professional disc golf course here! I don’t bring my discs, but Carolyn and Bernie happily lent me some discs so I could try it out. 

Now to the Glamping- now I been camping a bunch, the reason I say that this is glamping is that they have actual running water flushable toilets and outdoor hot showers!  I can’t tell you how excited I was lol, it really upleveled the whole camping experience. They also have an industrial kitchen as well as an outdoor bar where they have very fairly priced beer and wine. Did I mention they have a full size professional pool table? Turns out Bernie and Carolyn are professional pool players too! This place is awesome! I will definitely be coming back again again to relax. I live in sd so it’s only about 35-40min drive from my place.  Thank you so much Carolyn and Bernie for such a great experience!!

Went here with friends and it was nice but there are way too many RV'S and ATV'S. there's no place to have a fire because there might be a wild fire outbreak. Bathrooms are clean and the showers are free. There are even halls where you can play BINGO and a game room with Wii games. Camping spots are big enough for 2 8 person tents or 1 small rv and a 4 person tent. If you want to glamping this is a good place but if you want to tent camp I would look somewhere else.

This is hands down the best campground around. The facility is spotless, extremely clean, environment is awesome where everyone is friendly and they put so much effort into making it fun for the kids with activities at the kids club, bike and trike rentals, a super modern pool and awesome gift shop on top of huge jumping pillows, playgrounds and a giant backyard. It’s our favorite camping spot and everywhere we go is unmatched to here. The kids usually ride around the site and you’re in the middle of San Diego so you can go to the beach, Legoland, Sea World go out to eat or door dash some food! Definitely convenient to everything and the best way to glamp!

If you’re headed to San Diego, be sure to stop and check out Carlsbad just off of the 5. this awesome beach town is quintessential Southern California beach awesomeness and it is absolutely gorgeous. Camp right off of the beach as well as have access to local shopping and restaurants. While you camp, you’ve got to check out Carlsbad cliffs for some stellar views. There are also loads of beach activities like whale watching, kayaking, surfing, fishing, and paddle boarding! My secret spot for the best fish and chips EVER is close by in Oceanside called “Harbor Fish n’ Chips.” Be sure to check this place out!

We spent 4 nights here. The park is renovated and clean. Best laundry room I’ve seen in our travels. Sites are gravel with a concrete pad and picnic table. Each corner has a super bright street light. Thank goodness for blackout shades. The lake was closed due to algae bloom. They have a great area of vintage trailers that can be rented, as well as some super nice yurts. The restaurant was only open one of the nights we were there. Not impressive. We were the only diners there. We explored the area. As it was winter, there wasn’t much to do.

Nice campground try to get a spot on the ocean side. The road side is louder... showers and bathrooms are available. Long walk downstairs to the beach.

South Carlsbad State Beach is extremely crowded (like many coastal campsites in Southern California), but has very easy access to your own space on the beach below the cliffs.

We scored a last minute site because the weather was cold and windy on a Saturday in February, otherwise BOOK IN ADVANCE.

There are lots of RVs, kids riding their bikes, and dogs galore, all of which are fun, but if you’re looking for a private site, look elsewhere!

Fire Pits and a picnic table at each campsite and plenty of area to park your car and set up a table/easy up/etc.

If you book on the West or Ocean side, only a chain link fence separates you from the beautiful sunsets the Pacific Ocean has to offer!

Overall I’d rate this park a“meh.” It’s an okay location, across the highway and a short walk from a “beach” (more like a little beachy play area), though it’s also right up against the train tracks. Oceanside as a town is pretty cute, depending on which part you're in. You’re also a very close drive to Lego Land and not too far from San Diego and such. Since campgrounds in Southern California tend to be very, very expensive, this one falls about in the middle.

The spots were okay. Not too tight, but not cute. There's some fences and scrub-trees in-between the spots, so that helps a bit. There’s also a dog area, which is helpful. Bathrooms okay. Nothing special. Like I said, mostly a “meh.”

When we were there, there was also a bit of construction and such going on. In reading other reviews online it looks like there’s a new owner as of some time in 2019, so it may end up nicer in the future. But as it was, I’d try somewhere else first if you can find other options more to your liking.

We liked this campground because the beach is literally right there under your nose! Just a few steps down the stairs. There are showers to wash the sand off your feet. We camped on the ocean side so listening to the waves at night was lovely. It is a crowded campground with spaces so close together you can hear everything from your neighbor. Fun location as just across the street is the charming community of Cardiff. Amazing swanky Seaside Market, quirky thrift shop and great VG's donuts.

South Carlsbad SB is a gem ~ it sits on a bluff right over the Pacific Ocean and is just a few steps down to beach. 👣

Each site has a large iron fire pit and picnic table ~ btahrooms and showers are plenty ~ there is a little genrral store that has firewood ~ food ~ batteries and the like.

Close to many wonderful places to see La Jolla ~ Del Mar horse racing track ~ Carlsbad flower fields & Windmill ~ Oceanside pier are just a few miles drive.

Sooooö PĘÅCĘFUL to have a fire going ~ watching SŮN set and heat the waves lapping you to sleep.

ĘNJÖY

Nice basic county campground, everything is nice and new and clean. I think once the trees and bushes and things start to grow in, there will be a little bit of separation between the sites, but for now most sites are wide open. 

The playground area is really cool, all the structures are made of wood and are all natural. Decent showers, you buy tokens from the ranger. There are nice trails and walking paths right from the campground. We didn’t walk to the beach because the area was flooded when we were there, but it appears that you can easily walk to the beach from the campground, it’s about 1.5 miles away. 

Sites are all dry camping, no power or water at sites, and no dump station at campground. There are water spigots throughout the campground though to fill your jugs. There are yurts to rent, and some equestrian sites as well. The little loop off to the side is tents only. 

You can see the border wall from the campground, and Verizon thought I was in Mexico when we arrived, haha. Good cell service with ATT and Verizon (not sure if Verizon switched me to the international plan during our stay there).

There is one reason and one reason only to stay at South Carlsbad Campground, and that is Carlsbad State Beach. It's a pretty convincing reason. The sand is perfect. The waves consistent. The water warmer than normal (which probably isn't a good thing in the long run, but it feels like the Caribbean Sea right now.

The actual campground is huge and narrow with one road splitting the sites down the middle. All the sites are roughly the same with the major differences being depth and the amount of shade. The ocean side sites are premium priced ($50 during peak season) and the road side is more affordable ($35) but still pricey for a campsite. Especially one that has no privacy and is backed up against a highway. The Pacific Coast Highway but still. Sites are on sand, have a picnic table and a fire pit...and that's about it. If you're lucky, we weren't, you'll have some shade or privacy to one direction or another. Not many sites do so google earth it if you can. There are pay showers, flush toilets and a camp store with booze, ice cream bars and flip-flops if you forget yours.

And it's busy...all the time. Most sites are booked in advance most of the peak seasons and the camp also acts as the access point for locals and tourists accessing big portions of the beach. With nearly 200 sites and additional traffic be prepared for sand always being kicked up, kids wandering aimlessly and noise from generators, partiers and traffic.

That all sounds not so great, but the location of the camp on the cliffs overlooking the beach is still pretty great. It's not Big Sur, but it if you're looking for beach you won't find a finer spot to camp just about anywhere in SoCal. San Elijo Campground down the road is a smaller version of Carlsbad SB but is also hard to get a spot in without reservations.

Overall, I'm giving Carlsbad SB Campground 2 1/2 Tent Stakes of Awesomeness. It isn't wilderness, but it is the beach. The location makes it worth it. Car, RV or Van camping is more fun that tent camping just because of all the sand, and to cut down on noise, and surf spots within walking distance. 

Pro-Tip #1: California has its own reservation site now. reservecalifornia.com. You can still see the basics on reserveamerica but can't actually reserve it. The new reservecali site is kind of a dick.

Pro-Tip #2: The far south end of the camp has the most shade/privacy brush, and only has sites on the ocean side so you'll have far more privacy.

Pro-Tip #3: Google Earth your site. The difference between sites next to each other is big when you're talking about any versus zero shade.

Pro-Tip #4: Pizza Port Brewing for pizza and beer. You'll be glad you did.

PROS:

This site offers amazing sunsets and ocean breezes. There are plenty of facilities, and the camp store is great. The live music is always good, too. 

A grocery store is nearby, just over the freeway. 

CONS:

It can get very crowded and packed. 

Hard to get a site

Many generators are always on.

If you get a site at the far ends, it's a hike to go in and out. Try to get a site closer to the entrance and the store. But you will get a lot of traffic through your site. 

Don't try to get there earlier; they usually won't let you in before check-in. 

Biking and Running:

Great if you want to ride along PCH. This stretch has good bike lanes that take you into Oceanside or Encinitas. 

Good running. You can lap the campsite, which is almost 1 mile, end to end. I usually run down towards Encinitas along PCH.

Paid $70/night for an ocean view dry camp spot, crazy expensive but we loved the vibe and the views here. The campground is fun and active, and everyone is friendly and happy. We had a great time.

We got lucky that our site (#31) was completely flat, didn't even need our levels. Some of the sites are on a full on hill.

There are showers here, $0.50 for 2 minutes, you buy tokens near the entrance.

There is laundry here, but it was kind of awkward. We did a load, just because we didn't want to pass up the convenience, but it's a single washer and a single dryer behind the camp store (outside), and what the camp store uses to wash their rags and towels and stuff. When I went in to check it out I was told it's $1.50/load (payable by quarters in the washer and the dryer is free) but when I went back they said no it's actually $4. They let me pay just $1.50 but I guess it's really $4. They give you a tide pod too.

The camp store is a fun place to hang out and people watch.

There are two dump stations, payable by machine at the dump station, and potable water to fill your tanks (free). Dump is $10 per sign on machine, but $15 per sign at kiosk. We didn't use it so I don't know how much it really is.

You can watch surfers and dolphins and sunsets right from your camp, if you get an ocean side spot. We had a fun time here.

Great place to camp in Southern California. Beautiful beach!

Gorgeous oceanview campground! Clean restrooms and showers. Nearby grocery store. Beautiful visit to California coast!

One of best beach campgrounds in California. Beach is right there next to camping. Restroom and shower are clean even though too many people there