Best Dog-Friendly Camping near Pismo Beach, CA

We stopped here for a few nights so we could hook up to shore power for a bit, do laundry, dump etc. The campground itself is small and old so the sites can be a little small for the larger rigs. Bathrooms and showers were clean. People who run it were extremely accommodating - it was difficult for us to access the dump hookup in our first assigned site (we have a macerater with a very short hose) so they moved us to a better site. Easy walking/biking access to Avila beach (4.8miles round trip), and quick drive from Pismo Beach and San Luis Obispo. They allow leashes pets and have a small dog park and pet “walk,” and while these are great, I also like to walk my dog around the whole campground when we can’t take her walks elsewhere, and this campground is very limiting. They have several signs up where dogs aren’t allowed.

Overall, this is a great location if you want access to the beach and nearby towns with nice basic amenities.

I’m a newbie camper but really enjoyed this campground. Stayed in Chumash. Sites were big enough and private enough. Nice dog park. Nice couple of hikes in the park. Very quiet. Would definitely stay again.

Nice camp site. Near San Luis Obispo & Pismo Beach. When we stayed here it was for the Renaissance Faire (which has moved to San Luis Obispo proper). There were tons of loud people. We definitely need to return to give this an honest review. It can't be as bad as I'm remembering it.

If you’re headed up or down the 101, Avila is a must stop. Located just north of Pismo Beach, Avila is tucked away down a hill that is totally worth venturing off to. It’s a beautiful place to camp and has an awesome little private beach town with restaurants, bars, and shops. I do not recommend camping here during peak times in the Summer. My advice is to wander here late Spring and Fall while the temperatures are still warm enough to enjoy while beating the crowds!

No OHV activity nearby, Pacific Dunes Resort is a somewhat secluded RV park. Close spaces, picnic tables, but must bring your own fire pit. No grass, but hard packed sand and gravel. Upper area closer to the dunes is preferred for breezes. Lots of permanent residents, but the park is well kept. My only complaint is about sporadic restroom cleaning during Covid-19. Not as often as scheduled and we were camped across, so could visibly observe. The dunes were beautiful, but walking to the beach would be quite an effort. Without the OHV activity, it was safe to hike or dune surf. Horseback riding, basketball court, and remote controlled car track were other amenities. Bike ride to the Oceano Dunes Natural Preserve beach was only 10-15 minutes. Many good restaurants near the park, Sylvesters, Old Juan’s, and Rock & Roll Diner. Old West Cinnamon Rolls and Splash in Pismo Beach are a must.

We have gone twice in the last couple months to this campground. The first time was because it was the last spot available anywhere in slo county and we wanted to take our 2 young kids camping. We enjoyed the fact that there was a park a short walk from the campground and a nice hike down the road past the park. There is also a dog park, golf course and botanical garden within walking distance. The only con is that you can hear the highway from the campground but it’s honestly not horrible. We stayed 4th of July weekend the first time and the golf course set off a big booming firework both nights at 11 pm on the dot which was pretty annoying. The 2 times we have gone people are very respectful of the quiet times. The showers were above my expectations and the bathrooms were very clean. I believe it’s $3 for 5 minutes in the shower. The water pressure was strong and the water was HOT. The bishop loop is pretty exposed during the day but the hook up loops have a ton of shade. My family will probably go back and it’s only about 25 minutes from our house.

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.

This small hot springs resort has a unique charm about it. With not a lot of acreage, they maximize the space for sure. The main attraction is the warm pool, 25 yards with swimming lanes, and the hot pool which can accommodate 30 people. We found this rustic resort a good place to spend the night and get in a quick soak, but not exactly someplace we’d like to spend a weekend. 

The RV lot is a large parking lot with spaces allocated on the outside of the gravel road. The tent camping section was a narrow patch of grass, with sites slotted in together along a tight corner of the property. Get to know your neighbors, because you’ll be close! Our little camper and truck rig was just small enough to fit into one of the grass camping sites at 32 feet combined, but it was a tight fit.  We were easily able to run on solar instead of paying for an electrical site.

There's a picnic table and fire ring at each site, but the sites are so small, you are practically on top of your neighbors with zero privacy.  There are pit toilets in the campground as well as flush toilets and showers available near the bath house.  They also offer cabins for rent.

The town of Avila Beach has restaurants and a few convenience stores, but the larger grocery stores are available in nearby Pismo Beach.  Morro Bay is definitely worth a visit as well!

Morro strand in Morro Bay, CA is so perfect. Pets allowed, great water pressure in the showers, laundry is cheap and it's also right around the corner from the beach! Your can hear the waves crashing at night, which is very peaceful to fall asleep to. Perfect weather year 'round and they have a great staff.

My wife,son and I stayed here May 11-13 in our class C. We even brought our two dogs. A quick get away during the lock down. This was one of the few campgrounds we found that were taking reservations. They only took full hookup sites because bathrooms, showers and laundry are closed. The playground was open. Fun bounce pad. There is frisbee golf and horse shoes. They even have an Emu that is friendly and your kids can pet. The place is very clean and the staff is friendly. The campground was pretty empty except for a very few brave campers and the staff. It is a short walk down to Lake Santa Margarita. We stayed in site 28. AT&T cell service was zero to very poor at our site. WiFi was poor and slow. They advertised good WiFi in our spot but it just wasn’t so. A bit pricey but we just wanted to get out of the house. We would stay here again.

While visiting Los Padres National forest on a Valentines Weekend, we unfortunately couldn’t do much camping near the higher altitudes due to high wind gusts so we headed toward the other camps, Davy Brown and Nina. Only problem was these were all reserved!! Why I hate most camping in California Bc nothing is ever available. Either way I hate these type of campgrounds where there are fire pits, and bathrooms, and typically more humans nearby. So we ditched that and settled on a campsite off the road since the sun was setting. It was off one of the many horse/hike trails and was at least flat and somewhat further from the road and hidden by brush and trees. It was a nice night and enjoyed a quiet night alone on the forest. We only needed to do an overnight since we were doing the wineries and we’re staying at an bed and breakfast the next night. Overall it was nice but rather stay in 2 other spots we found that could make for future camping trips. ☺️⛺️

Jalama Beach offers great walks along a long beach that is nestled in a cozy bay. Surfers, couples & families can enjoy this beautiful place. Watch for tar on the sand & pack some petroleum jelly to help remove it in case you step on it barefoot. There’s a small freshwater stream that flows right into the shore where your pets & kids like to splash around & play. Lots of driftwood & rocks pepper the shore so bring water shoes.