Best Campgrounds near Salinas, CA

Pretty & windy drive. No visitor center but rangers drove by once. We were the only ones at the site that night. It lightly rained but mostly the air was misty, & the fog got more dense as the night went on, but by the morning it cleared revealing a great view. (Site 8 seemed like it had an awesome view!)

Our site was right next to a trail but again we were alone so no issues. Didn’t get to try a trail this time but the campground is still just a pretty place to hang out. Picnic table, fire pit, & nearby water, trash can, & bathroom. Saw quails, a mouse, & a bobcat? Had a great time!

I recently spent a weekend at Veteran's Memorial Park Campground and had a fantastic experience. The grounds are well-maintained, the campsites are spacious, and the park offers a peaceful atmosphere surrounded by nature. Whether you're hiking, grilling, or just enjoying the fresh air, it's the perfect spot to unwind. One thing I really appreciated was the clean restroom facilities and how friendly the staff were. They genuinely care about making your stay comfortable. I brought along my laptop for some offline fun, and playing Minecraft with the Optifine mod made the serene forest setting even more immersive at night. If you're looking for a relaxing getaway with all the essentials covered, I highly recommend checking out Veteran's Memorial Park Campground.

I recently spent a weekend at Veteran's Memorial Park Campground and had a fantastic experience. The grounds are well-maintained, the campsites are spacious, and the park offers a peaceful atmosphere surrounded by nature. Whether you're hiking, grilling, or just enjoying the fresh air, it's the perfect spot to unwind. One thing I really appreciated was the clean restroom facilities and how friendly the staff were. They genuinely care about making your stay comfortable. I brought along my laptop for some offline fun, and playing Minecraft with Optifine mod made the serene forest setting even more immersive at night. If you're looking for a relaxing getaway with all the essentials covered, I highly recommend checking out Veteran's Memorial Park Campground.

Endroit très sympathique. Malheureusement nous n’avions pas réservé donc nous avons eu une place simple sans branchement… la vue est belle sur la mer.

Many here will tell you about the raccoons! The campground is split by a creek which has a lot of critters, rabbits, chipmunks(?), quail, mice, and raccoon. My campsite was right next to a common raccoon path and a few walked by within a few feet of me and my campfire. Don’t leave food out and make sure they are afraid of humans. It’s for their safety and ours!

This campsite was lovely. The sites were quite large and had the needed amenities. The shower had hot water and the restrooms were cleaned each morning. I loved that the beach was easily accessible for my morning walk. The many flowers were also lovely to wake up to.

I've been looking for a secluded spot near Monterey and this one looks perfect for a block blast. Love that it's only a mile from downtown but still tucked away in the woods. Has anyone been here recently? Curious how crowded it gets on the weekends.

Although there is a 1/4 mile hike from parking to camp sites. Having access close to the beach and forest as well was great.

Tight spaces for RVs or trailers, hot water shut off around 6 pm. Women’s restroom is clean, shower has no pressure, it’s basically like a stream (reminded me of my carrier days). Other than these things, the place was quiet, clean, and a nice stop if you need a quick nights rest. There are only around 30 ish or so spots. There were fire signs indicating you can’t use the fire ring, which was fine for us since it was raining. Grateful for this little spot.

The campsites we had were great. No other sites behind us. It felt secluded and private. Close to the bathrooms. And the bathrooms were clean. We didn’t have a river site but the river was right across from us. The part of the river that was in front of us wasn’t appropriate for kids to play in but the kids still enjoyed putting their feet in at the rivers edge. It was great staying in the SP because you can walk to many of the trails offered.

raccoons….everywhere…. seriously leave your car locked, these little buggers were not afraid of humans. otherwise, good showers, clean bathrooms. private sites. very convenient location to trails.

We camped here February 24-26, 2025. The forest service website indicated the campground is open all year, but when we arrived on the site one through four were available. Beyond site number five was a locked gate. Site five was closed due to “hazardous tree“. The stream was running plentifully and gave a lovely background noise. Sites 1 & 2 share a parking pad which is almost level. Site 1 is completely exposed and quite spacious and full of ground squirrel disruption. Site 2 is very convenient to the parked car, and it was our choice because we sleep in our van. Most of the water taps were not operable but the one by the toilet near the entrance did work and was labeled “non-potable, not for drinking or cooking”. The tap in site number 2 had no handle and was dripping at a rapid pace so we hung a bucket on that tap and use the collected water for handwashing. There were trash cans conveniently located to all of the sites, and there was a good supply of toilet paper, but even though the weather was cool, the toilet closest to the entrance was a bit smelly. It is a pit stop for people driving over or back on Naciemiento-Ferguson Road. I noted that reviewers indicated that they were plagued by flies and yellow jackets in the mid summer, but we had only a couple of flies, no yellow jackets. The weather was predicted to be sunny and pleasant with highs of 70° based on checking the weather reports for Jolon, California. It was almost a new moon and the stars at night we’re gorgeous. There was heavy dew which turned into frost in the early morning. We saw the occasional lizard and a couple of slow moving salamanders. We saw no raccoons, and considering that they have switched from having dumpsters to having trash cans I suspect that raccoons are not a problem. There was a posted memo dated February 2 reported that for the Monterey Ranger district, campfire restrictions were lifted until March 25, due to sufficient rain having been received. We walked the loop of the other campsites; some of them have the picnic table and fire ring located some distance from the parking spot, a few are possibly suitable for RV camping but most of those would require at least some leveling. I don’t know when they plan to open the rest of the sites, but probably March would be a good time to come and enjoy this campground. Bring your own drinking water. The fee is expensive for a no-water campground, but I was willing to pay the discounted price with my lifetime senior pass.

Nice campground, not very big. Beautiful views of Salinas Valley and San Juan Bautista. Great star gazing too!

Very close to the beach, quiet, excellent friendly staff always happy to help. Had some helpful neighbors for my first time in the travel trailer. They have activities daily and things to do which are sent out daily in a text. The store has many items that may be needed and some souvenirs. It was a great visit!