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Best Tent Camping near San Simeon, CA

642 Reviews

Tent camping options near San Simeon, California range from established campgrounds to more primitive sites within national forest areas. Lake San Antonio North Shore provides tent camping with amenities including drinking water, showers, and fire rings. Nacimiento Campground offers more secluded tent sites set along a creek with vault toilets and picnic tables, though the campground is sometimes subject to seasonal closures.

Most tent sites around San Simeon require careful planning as amenities vary significantly between locations. Nacimiento Campground features basic sites on natural surfaces near a creek but requires a drive of approximately 45 minutes on forest roads, with some sections demanding high-clearance vehicles. Several campgrounds maintain vault toilets, though Nacimiento has been noted for occasional facility closures. Sites at Lake San Antonio include picnic tables and fire pits, with the benefit of clean bathrooms and shower facilities. Water availability fluctuates seasonally, particularly during drought periods when lake levels can drop significantly.

Tent camping experiences in this region offer distinct advantages over other accommodation types. The Nacimiento River provides a natural sound barrier at riverside sites, drowning out any road noise while creating a peaceful backdrop for overnight stays. Shade availability varies by location, with Nacimiento offering good tree cover that makes it suitable for hammock setup. A visitor described the area as "one of my favorite places to camp" with proximity to both creek swimming and ocean access approximately 30 minutes away. Tent campers particularly value Lake San Antonio's spaciousness, where one camper noted they "literally had the place to ourselves" during an off-season weekend. Weather conditions require consideration, as summer temperatures at Lake San Antonio often exceed 100 degrees, making shade-finding crucial for tent campers.

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Best Tent Sites Near San Simeon, California (8)

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15 Photos of 8 San Simeon Campgrounds

Tent Camping Reviews near San Simeon, CA

642 Reviews of 8 San Simeon Campgrounds

  • Lee D.The Dyrt PRO User
    Nov. 15, 2023

    San Simeon Creek Campground — Hearst San Simeon State Park

    Easy beach access

    General: Two campgrounds: San Simeon Creek, close to Highway One and the beach and Washburn Primitive, located about a mile inland. We stayed in San Simeon Creek, so the bulk of this review focuses on that one. 

    Site Quality: Sites are spaced a decent amount apart, some with foliage providing privacy. The camper pads are level, paved, and designated as either 25 - or 35-foot campsites. Site 102 was a 25-foot site but IMO that is a stretch as our 18-foot campervan fit but not with much extra room. Surprisingly enough, we saw some rather large rigs in some of the spaces. No hookups. Depending on where your site is located, you will hear road noise from the highway. The tent section is closest to the highway. 

    Bath/Shower House: What we’ve come to expect from California state parks: single units, most with a toilet and sink but one with just a toilet. Although they had toilet seat covers, there was NO soap or trash receptables in any of the units. Two outside sinks. Token-operated showers that looked decent but did not use. In the Washburn Primitive campground, there are only vault toilets but the one I looked at appeared clean. 

    Activities: There is a horseshoe pit, but it looks like it has not been used in a long time. Also an amphitheater but do not know if there are currently programs as we were there during the week in the “off-season”. There are two trails that lead to the beach: one from the campsites and the other via a wooden boardwalk, a short walk from the campground. There is zero cell service in the San Simeon Creek campground, but I got two bars of Verizon in the Washburn campground. 

    I waffled back and forth between three and four stars; the sites were fairly well maintained, and the beach access (and proximity to Hearst Castle) is likely the reason most people stay, but it annoyed me that there was no soap or garbage receptacles in the bathrooms (in an eternal Covid world, there should be soap in all bathrooms!) but we had a quiet and pleasant stay during the week in early November.

  • Amanda M.
    Oct. 3, 2018

    San Simeon Creek Campground — Hearst San Simeon State Park

    Washburn Campground at San Simeon State Park

    Washburn Campground at San Simeon State Park

    The Washburn Campground at San Simeon State Park is our go-to campground for quick and easy camping in Central California. My boyfriend and I met at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo, and love visiting SLO and the surrounding areas. If we don’t want to pay to stay at a hotel and can’t crash with some friends, we like to set up our base-camp at Washburn, the primitive campground within San Simeon State Park. SSSP does have full campsites with hookups on its Creek Campground, but we prefer the views and the star gazing at the primitive Washburn sites - Washburn is on the top of a hill, with beautiful views of the ocean and surrounding hillsides and mountains. The fees for the primitive Washburn sites are $18 per night, versus $35 per night for the full campsites in the Creek Campground.

    San Simeon State Park is easy to get to, as its right off Highway 1. You can make a reservation ahead of time, but you cannot select a specific site until you arrive. The ranger will ask you to go check out the campgrounds, and compile a list of site numbers that you are interested in. Once you return, they will go over the list with you and if one that you like is available, that site is yours.

    Each primitive campsite has a fire ring and a bench, and there are pit toilets available. These are the nicest pit toilets I have seen anywhere. There are water spigots in Washburn, which have had running water for the last year or so; the water had previously been shut off due to the drastic drought. I believe there are plumbed toilets in the lower Creek Campgrounds, but we have yet to go down and confirm that.

    Some sites are on the perimeter of the Washburn are more barren, but most sites have trees for some shade. Because you are right by the ocean, it can get pretty cold at night. Each site has a picnic bench and a fire pit - I can’t recall if the fire pits have grates. We generally do not cook while we camp at Washburn, as we usually pick something up in the nearby cities. Sebastian’s Store in San Simeon has GREAT burgers and various barbecue sandwiches. There is also a Hearst Ranch wine tasting room in the same shared building that sells frozen steaks from Hearst Ranch - great quality steaks, if you will be camping for a couple nights I suggest getting some Hearst steaks to cook while you are there.

    There is a great new-ish restaurant and bar called Centrally Grown just down the road on Highway 1. This place has great, locally sourced food, and a good bar. We have been there for dinner, breakfast, and just for drinks, and have always had a great experience - the view from the upstairs restaurant is GORGEOUS. Centrally Grown is part of what looks like a compound called Off The Grid - it has a Bed and Breakfast, some goats and chickens, an event space for bands, and a very very interesting garden. Even if you want to just stop in for a coffee or pastry, I think Off The Grid is worth seeing - we like sitting in the garden with coffee.

    I am a rock hound and Central California beaches have some reach rocks! To the North is Big Sur, so small jade can be found. There are moonstones from Cambria, and lots of agate and quartz.

    The small town of Harmony (literally - it has a population of 18) is worth the visit - there is a lot of local art to be seen and purchased there at the hand blown glass shop and the pottery shop. There is also a winery and ice cream.

    The elephant seals are always fun to go watch, and individuals can sometimes be seen on San Simeon beach. This beach is open to the public, and the seals are not behind any barriers as they are at the rookery. If you see a seal on the beach, give him lots of space and don’t harass him - elephant seals are huge animals, and are quicker than you’d think.

    The Firestone Walker Brewery is in nearby Paso Robles - if you like beer, the tour is super interesting, and they have a tap room and store. The tap room restaurant is very good.

    CAMPSITE SPECS

    Fees: $20/night (primitive site fee)

    Plumbed Toilets: No - pit

    Drinking Water: Yes

    Showers: No

    Picnic Table: Yes

    Firepit: Yes

    Cooking Grate: Yes

    Shade: Yes

    Cell Service: Limited

    Animal Bins/Food lockers: No

    Trash: Yes

  • E
    Feb. 28, 2025

    Ponderosa Campground

    Nice quiet spot in early spring

    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.

  • Annie C.The Dyrt PRO User
    Jul. 1, 2018

    Kirk Creek Campground

    Beautiful campground above the Pacific

    Full disclosure, I did not camp here (all the sites were full). However, I was passing through and wanted to take a look. All of the sites have great views of the Pacific Ocean which is about 100 feet below. There is very little tree cover, which means very little shade and it seemed like there was a slope going on (might be hard to get a level site). I talked with the ranger/camp host in charge (mostly because he had an amazing, huge, beautiful bloodhound dog) and he said that even though there is no water available in this campground it is very popular and usually full from May until October. You can buy water for $5 a gallon,so be sure to come with plenty of your own water! In the winter months you apparently can watch whales migrating just off the coast. The vault toilet was very clean and well maintained, and each site had a picnic table and fire ring with grill. You are allowed to forage for firewood, but you really won’t find any in or around the campground, so be prepared to pay out the nose for firewood ($12 a bundle!!). You will have better luck heading into the Los Padres National Forest (inland) to gather firewood. It’s only a couple of miles. Just up the road are Sand Dollar Beach and McWay Falls, and there are hiking trails all over the hills (including one trailhead directly across the street from the campground).

  • Annie C.The Dyrt PRO User
    Jul. 1, 2018

    Nacimiento Campground

    Hidden jem

    If you can’t secure a spot on the coast in Big Sur, this might be a nice option for you. Tucked in the forest along the Nacimiento River is this nice little campground with just a few campsites (9 or 10 sites total). There really isn’t room for RV’s or campers (I think the limit is 25 feet), so most of your neighbors will be tents. Sites are set right next to the river which drowns out any road noise. Sites are also fairly close to each other, tho there is some underbrush and there is great tree cover for shade. Most sites have good hammocking trees. The vault toilet is fairly clean and each site has a picnic table and fire pit with grill. These sites are not reservable, so first come first serve. It’s only about 10 or so miles to the coast and there are lots of hiking trails nearby both in the forest and on the coast.

  • Chanel C.The Dyrt PRO User
    Apr. 4, 2019

    Memorial Campground - Los Padres National Forest

    Camp under Oak trees near the Arroyo Seco River

    • A primitive campground that has about 8 campsites. Some campsites are pretty big and have privacy. Some are closer together than others. We stayed at site 8 and it was really nice. Tucked in the back with lots of privacy and space.
    • First-come, first-serve walk-in campground ($20/day) but I was able to make reservations online as well.
    • No running water, but there is are vault toilets (long drop) near the entrance of the campground
    • Lots of fantastic hiking nearby including Junipero Serro Peak. Trails are a little difficult to see because there are so many going in different directions, so a map can help. You can also see LOTS of animal scat so there are animals using hiking paths as game trail. Stay alert and be careful. Otherwise, it's so beautiful here and you can get AMAZING VIEWS!
    • This campground is in the valley of a few peaks so it was freezing at night (especially without a campfire)
    • Each campsite has a picnic table, firepit, and trashcans (with lids). The campground floors were covered with leaves but for the most part very flat and easy to find good spots for pitching a tent.
    • There was a fire ban during the time we stayed so no fires were allowed
    • Lots of wildlife and animal activity nearby. Loved camping underneath the canopies of Live Oak trees and listening to Acorn Woodpeckers in the morning. They are loud but still pleasant
    • The 18-mile drive getting here off the main highway was also beautiful and windy. We saw lots of deer and rabbits. This campground is far from shops or stores so make sure you come with plenty of supplies and water.
    • Very secluded and rustic campground. We only saw one other group in the evening, and they ended up leaving. During the day time there were more people coming for day hikes and parked at the visitor parking lot.
    • No cell reception AT ALL so you feel like you're off the grid (AT&T)
  • Chanel C.The Dyrt PRO User
    Oct. 16, 2017

    Morro Bay State Park Campground

    More RV campers than tent campers

    [ LOCATION -5 Stars ]

    • Walking distance to the Morro Bay Natural History Museum -- great for kids and very educational for all ages. Admission is only $3 and they have a fun Nature Shop to pick up souvenirs and gifts.
    • Bayside Cafe is adjacent to the Campgrounds. If you don't feel like going through the hassle of cooking an elaborate meal at camp, you can take it easy and eat at the cafe. It has a great view of the marina and Morro Bay Rock.
    • Campgrounds is a stone's throw from the marina. This is especially great if you enjoy being by the water. A lot of campers bring their own kayaks, canoes, SUP boards, etc.
    • Less than 2 miles from the Embarcadero where there are shops, restaurants, bars, cafes, boat tours, and water equipment rentals. It's a beautiful walk, an easy bike ride, and a quick drive into town. Best part, FREE PARKING everywhere! Also, plenty of public restrooms that are relatively clean.
    • The campgrounds is right by a large and well-manicured golf course. So that's cool…if you're into golf!

    [ AMENITIES -4.5 Stars ]

    • Plenty of showers and restrooms throughout the campgrounds. Some are not all operational but it's not that far of a walk to get to the next available one. PRO TIP: Exchange your shower tokens at the check-in Kiosk. A lot of the token machines were out of order. 2 tokens for $1. Each token buys you 2 minutes time.
    • Firewood & fire starters can be purchased at Camp Host sites. $7 for a bundle and $1 for firestarters. The profits go back to CA state parks :)
    • Sites are very close together and not very spacious or private. Each campsite comes with parking for 1 car, a charcoal BBQ grill, a firepit, bear box, and picnic table.
    • There are plenty of shared water spigots for potable water by every site. Make sure you turn it gently because the water pressure is super strong and you'll get a ton of splash back.

    [ CLEANLINESS -5 Stars]

    • Restrooms & showers are SO CLEAN! Most of the campers here are RV campers, so they aren't really using the public restrooms. Less foot traffic = cleaner!
    • The majority of campers here are older, retired RV campers so the campgrounds are kept-up meticulously well. Everyone is very considerate and clean up after themselves. There aren't too many pests or ants either.
  • SThe Dyrt PRO User
    Jun. 14, 2025

    Creek Tent Campground — Hearst San Simeon State Park

    Nice place

    This campground is fairly open and trees are sparse, but the sites are spaced sufficiently apart that they afford privacy. No hookups, but there’s water at each site and conveniently located flush toilets, sinks and showers.

    Right off Highway 1 for a bike ride and walking distance to a beautiful rugged beach. We nerded out on birds and wildflowers.

    The campground was full during our stay, but we found the campground quiet at night.

    Directly behind the campground is a large, unattractive human-made pond. Lots of fencing, plastic sheeting and a herd of sheep who may have been put there to graze down the grass and weeds. A little jarring in the context of the natural beauty, but nbd. The sheep were actually kind of entertaining.

    Rangers and camp host were super friendly. Host sells firewood. Cambria is the best bet for groceries and other necessities. San Simeon is more limited and fancy.

    Extremely limited Verizon service here: 1 bar flitting on and off.

  • E
    May. 24, 2019

    Islay Creek Campground — Montaña de Oro State Park

    Beautiful cove

    The best part of this campground is access to the beach. We were there in early July and the water was like ice but absolutely beautiful. The campground itself was ok, it was a bit more primitive than I’m used to, but the sites themselves were nice. Each had a picnic table and fire ring. Most of the sites were nice sized as far as I could tell. There are no showers and only vault toilets so I wouldn’t stay here for more than 2 nights. Another perk is how it feels so far removed from civilization, but it’s really not.

Guide to San Simeon

Tent camping near San Simeon, California, offers a fantastic opportunity to immerse yourself in nature while enjoying various amenities and activities. With several well-reviewed spots nearby, campers can find the perfect setting for their outdoor adventures.

Tent campers like these nearby activities

  • At Lake San Antonio - North Shore, you can launch your boat and enjoy fishing from the shore, especially during the early morning and dusk hours.
  • Nacimiento Campground is a hidden gem where you can explore hiking trails and enjoy the serene sounds of the nearby river.
  • For those seeking a more secluded experience, Alder Creek Camp offers off-road trails that lead to stunning views and a chance to connect with nature.

Local attractions worth exploring

Tent campers should check out amenities

  • Lake San Antonio - North Shore features clean bathrooms, showers, and picnic tables, making it a comfortable choice for families.
  • At KOA Campground Santa Margarita, you'll find a variety of amenities, including a pool, playground, and easy access to hiking trails.
  • Friis Campground provides a more rustic experience with basic facilities, perfect for those looking to disconnect and enjoy a simpler camping experience.

Frequently Asked Questions

Which is the most popular tent campsite near San Simeon, CA?

According to TheDyrt.com, the most popular tent campground near San Simeon, CA is Lake San Antonio - North Shore with a 4.8-star rating from 5 reviews.

What is the best site to find tent camping near San Simeon, CA?

TheDyrt.com has all 8 tent camping locations near San Simeon, CA, with real photos and reviews from campers.

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