Best Glamping near San Simeon, CA

This was our first trip in our RV and I think it worked out well. The location of this place is perfect with lots to do in the area. 1 hour south of here was Solvang and Ostrich farm, 1 hourish north is Cambria and San Simeon. There is also Avila beach about 5 minutes away and pismo about 10 min. If you need anything, San Luis Obispo is 5 minutes away.. the facility was very nice, with lots of trees that give the "escape" feeling and the people that work here are FABULOUS!! The only downside was the noise. You are really close to the highway so you hear cars zoom past all night, not great for a light sleeper like me.

RV hookups , pool , huge jumping pad for kids about a mile walk to the lake . They have yurts for tent & cabins.

We camped right on the lake and were able to pay to have our boat docked overnight. Huge lake awesome experience, we were able to do some night wake boarding which I had never done . Tons of grass when we were there, California has since had a gnarly drought so you might wanna call ahead. Really Great Lake to camp and take the family to!

Dusty little place. It was the only one available since all of the surrounding spots were booked up.

Restrooms and showers close at 6p, so only potter potties are available after that.

Also the tenting spots are really close together.

$45 is way to expensive for what it is. Even for California.

We recently stayed at Lopez Lake with our three children (all under age 9). The sites are easy to navigate, the wildlife flourishes throughout the area for some fun viewings, the rangers and staff were super helpful and there was plenty of room for the kids to run around. The Lake was low, but this is California so, ya know. Water was chilly but the kids were soldiers and it was a good time and extra relaxing for us parents. For $30 a night, it’s worth every penny!

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.

Lopez Lake Recreation Area is 15 minutes behind the “Village” of Arroyo Grande, CA.

Lopez is a frequently visited spot for us - We generally camp in a primitive site the back of the Squirrel Loop of the park. The Squirrel Loop is not a lakeside loop (you cannot see the lake at all from here), but we have found it to be one of the quieter, less trafficked campground in the park. The Squirrel Loop is nestled inside a canyon, surrounded by big, beautiful live oak trees.

Lopez Lake is a very large campground with many different loops, so many of which are nearby the lake. If you haven’t been to the campground before and are not worried about reserving a site ahead of time, take some time to drive around the park when you arrive to see what area you would most like to camp in - there are a lot of great spots here there and everywhere!

Each site has a picnic table and a fire ring. There are clean plumbed bathrooms, and coin-operated showers. Lopez has full hook-ups for RVs, and a marina to launch boats. There is a small but well-stocked convenience store in the marina with food, ice, firewood, beer, fishing gear, etc. There is also a small cafe located in the marina store, with limited hours.

Lopez Lake is the home of the Mustang Waterpark, a small, but super fun water park. I believe the park is closed during the fall and winter months, but is open during the spring and summer. Swimming is allowed in the lake, and there are some “beach” areas that have been cleared of lake plants and rocks for safe swimming.

Hiking to Big Falls is a fun adventure if you want to leave the campground. There are certain times when the falls are not accessible without 4WD, however, we have been in severe drought conditions in Central California for the last few years, so you don’t have to worry about crossing any deep creeks, if any. A super low clearance vehicle may have a challenging time crossing the creek beds, even when dry. The drive to Big Falls trailhead from Lopez is short, but probably takes 15-20 minutes as you are driving through a curvy, narrow canyon road. The hike is through live oak trees most of the way, so most of the hike is nice and shaded. Keep and eye out for salamanders when crossing the creek beds! While it is unlikely, black bears mountain lions have been spotted on the Big Falls trail, so be aware of your surroundings. Here are directions to the Big Falls trailhead: http://www.hikeslo.com/big-falls/

WARNING : While the possibility of a black bear sighting is fairly uncommon, black bears are seen every year at Lopez Lake. You are in black bear county, and there are no bear boxes/ food lockers at Lopez Lake. I would suggest locking your food and coolers up in the car at night to avoid attracting wild animals to your campsite.

CAMPSITE SPECS

Fees: $35/night (primitive site)

Plumbed Toilets: Yes

Drinking Water: Yes

Showers: Yes (coin-operated)

Picnic Table: Yes

Firepit: Yes

Cooking Grate: Yes

Shade: Yes

Cell Service: No

Animal Bins/Food lockers: No

Trash: Yes

This lake and the one up the road, San Antonio Lake , are very popular motor boating locations in north San Luis Obispo County. Camping in the summer months are very hot and crowded and not cheap. On the positive side, the lake is huge with narrow passages where you can get off the main lake and fish or just have fun. Jet skis, kayaks etc are permitted. There is a beach for kids near the marina area campground. The campground is part of the private Lake Nacimiento Resort located near the marina and extends along the shore toward the dam with various types of sites. Some sites have direct access to your temporarily moored boat. It gets a bit noisy in the evening as college students party after a long fun day on the lake. All services are available even a store. Three stars for noise and crowds and prices ( tents 35$ hookups 50$, plus pet fee, vehicle fee,etc.)

We were headed to Kirk creek for New Years and hwy 1 was closed, so we found here as a alternative. Pretty much had the place to ourselves probably because it poured for 3 days prior and was cold. Bathrooms were clean, campsites are really close together, we overland and need a wide campsite for the full set up. Camp sites # 313, 217, 215, 311 were the ones we like for size and view.

Our campsite was pretty ideal! We were in pine knoll with a great view of the lake! We scored with the size of our site! Our site was shaded all morning and all afternoon...midday unsure cuz well we were on the lake....but a lot of sites near us had direct sun on the site constantly it seemed...also was like next door to restrooms so that was nice...but had a lot of foot traffic because of that.. I am new to Lake life but finding quickly I am more of a mountain camper...this camp ground is definitely a party site and camp sites are on top of each other thankfully we had very nice neighbors that actually gave us tips and tricks to all things lake camping. With being on top of each other my family now knows all the baby momma drama of everyone that stayed there....dont go here to relax and hear nature....again great camping if party is what your looking for!

We went here with another family and were in spots 23 & 36. It was a perfect area for the kids to play. The campsite was very crowded and quite a few of the neighbors were very loud even after the quiet hrs. The park staff never came to ask them to quiet down at all. The bathrooms were not great. I didn’t take a shower but they are free and according to my friend were hot but not clean. We had fun but it definitely has a party vibe at the campsite

Great camp ground. Launched the boat and anchored it to shore. Literally had the place to ourselves. Fishing was great from shore in morning and dusk. They had clean bathrooms and showers.

New camper great experience beautiful place friendly staff great prices

We stayed at a cottage at Lake San Antonio. We were fortunate to have a local show us around. Grandpa is a local to Bradley and this is a favorite spot when we want to get away but still have all the accommodations of home.

I love this place! So many beautiful views and amazing spots to camp. The lake is everything. A few years ago it was dried up. Thank you rain! Now it’s back and better than ever.

It was a warm weekend at San Antonio. The temperature at the lake often exceeds 100 in the summer. There is ample space for camping . You’ll need reservations if you want a hookup . Boat ramps are available. During the drought the water level has dropped significantly as well as the quality of the water. Some years the lake is almost dry. Camping spaces are spread out finding shade can be a challenge. Bathrooms and shower are available.

First time at Cerro Alto and the site was better than we could have hoped for, especially being a “primitive” campground . We had read reviews about the vault toilets onsite, so we mentally prepared ourselves before going. But in actuality, it is not as bad if everyone just put down the toilet seat covers after use. Our site (#18) was awesome! It was spacious enough for our 10-person tent and more. It even had a water faucet for easy cleaning. We were impressed that the bbq grill was exceptionally clean upon arrival and no trash were left behind from previous campers. We can tell that the campground hosts really took time to care for the sites. Just be aware of poison oak and ticks. If based on the campground alone, we would have given it 5-stars. Unfortunately, the quality of our experience was diminished by our inconsiderate neighbors in site#19. Not only did they partied each night until midnight, they spoke loudly on topics that were highly inappropriate for our young boys. Other than our rowdy neighbors, we loved the site and will definitely return.

Found a location on fcf basis. Campsite #2 was nice but had to walk through campsite no. 1 In order to get to my car, which was kind of a hassle. I’m thankful the people in campsite 1 were friendly and didn’t mind me walking by their site. The site was far away from the host, and the near by neighbors partied til 1am. That sucked, it was a Tuesday and they had no respect for the nearby campers. I wish the host would do their rounds at 10pm, which is their quiet hours, and ask the campers to quiet down.