Best Tent Camping near San Simeon, CA

Back in February, before my foot injuries hobbled me, we spent two nights here.    We chose to camp in the tent camping area, away from RVs and their generators and lights.

The location was great.....right next to the beach, with our car conveniently parked next to our tent campsite.     

We hadn't been tent camping for a long time before that, so we were surprised that we were one of the very few people in the tent camping area that actually camped in tents.  The rest of the people in the area just camped in the campervans, small camper trucks, or disconnected towable campers.     

We could hear the wind all night in our tent, but during the day, the weather was perfect....cool and sunny.

Restrooms were nearby and clean.   There were no showers, but we were told that we could (if we wanted) use the ones in another nearby State Park.

Rangers were friendly.  

Overall, a very nice experience.

[ PROS ]

• The campground is super close to the beach! You can just walk over the tiny dunes and the waves are right there.
• Nothing like falling asleep to the sound of crashing waves. So soothing and will knock you right out!
• The beach itself is very calm and not very crowded/busy.
• Driving distance to stores, restaurants, markets, and The Embarcadero (for a day trip)
• Stunning view of Morro Rock 

[ CONS]

• This campground is basically like one giant parking lot which mostly caters to RVS and trailers.

• Not ideal for tent camping. There is very little space to pitch a tent, don't even think about 2 tents.

• Sites are very, very close together with very little privacy. I could hear my neighbor's whole conversations even with the sound of the surf.

• It was super windy here at night. We were camping in our tent trailer and our entire tent was rattling for hours. The tent next to us packed up in the middle of the night and left.

• No shade at this campground so it's pretty awful when it's sunny. I wouldn't suggest bringing a canopy because it gets super windy here.

Overall, this campground was very disappointing. Especially for the price! The only redeeming quality is the beach. It was super hard to get a reservation and is normally completely booked.

Nice bathrooms, ocean sounds, not that level for tent camping at c7 .

Close to the beach within walking distance. Showers and restrooms not chemis . No hookups last time I was there both RV & tent camping .

Beautiful park. We thoroughly enjoyed our drive-in tent site, the scenery, and the abundant bird life.

Green, grassy campground with well separated spaces. Most pull thru and level. All surrounded by grass for nice tent camping. Surf sound is continuous. Masks other sounds except noisy generator in next site. Nice restrooms

The location was pretty sweet right by the beach. I tent camped while my family members RVd. My site was large with a fire pit but they were slightly crammed in and had no fire pit. Did notice that some had the pits so be careful if choosing which site. Overall a nice visit.

We looked for a beach not overly populated but clean and easy to camp. Lovely hookups if you need them and tent sites beach side are mostly protected from the winds. Cooler time of year but we knew that coming in. Would love to visit again in warmer months!

This is the closest developed campground to Hearst Castle on the south side of “The Slide” (they hope to have Hwy 1 reopened this fall). Its also close to the Elephant Seal beaches (the young adults were moltIng when I visIted). This is a nice campground with three loops/camping areas, none of which is tent only, although there is a section next to the road that is tent only (while that gives these tents the closest access to the the tunnel to the beach, it also means lots of Hwy 1 traffic noise). Try and get a site along San Simeon Creek (sites 114, 72, and 70 are nice, and you can hang a hammock). The bathrooms and showers are clean. If a view and access to hiking trails are important, head all the way back to the Primitive Campground. SItes have a slightly bigger footprint, there is a great view of the ocean from several sites and there is access to the San Simeon Trail. There is also a footpath leading to the boardwalk and trail to the beach.

Washburn is the primitive campground behind San Simeon Creek Campground. You can save some money and stay here if you don't need hook-ups. It is great and has fairly level sites with plenty of tent space. There are a lot of birds/squirrels so make sure not to leave food out.

Washburn Campground is one of two campgrounds in Hearst San Simeon State Park, the other being San Simeon Creek Campground.  We stayed in both campgrounds. The two campgrounds have different amenities and features, with the Washburn one being more "primitive" even though neither have hookups.  

Coin operated showers are technically available to San Simeon Creek guests only, though I'm not sure how anyone would know or care if a Washburn camper went over to shower at San Simeon Creek. 

There are pit toilets available in Washburn, as well as trash and mixed recycling dumpsters.

Washburn is $20/night, with an $8 reservation fee when making reservations online.

There is practically zero verizon service, very weak AT&T service, but decent T-Mobile service on our hotspot.

There is a path over to the beach, very convenient (goes under Hwy 1).

Elephant seal viewing is nearby, as well as being close to the cute town of Cambria and San Simeon.

Warning: the map is wrong!  We picked site #226 based on the map showing that it wasn't next to the toilet.  The toilets ended up being directly next to 226, which was fine but not our favorite thing.

There is a dump and water fill for RVs located in between the campgrounds, and they are available to guests of both (or $5 to use for people not staying at the campgrounds).  Firewood also available for sale from the host, but check out the hours before heading over to buy wood.

We stayed here in mid-March, and the campground was beautiful and green and peaceful.   The landscape may turn brown later in the year.  

The sites are nicely spaced out for the most part.  Each site has a picnic table and steel fire pit.  Some sites have some trees for shade, but most do not.

We really liked it here.  The $20/night compared to the $35 at the busier and more active San Simeon Creek makes it a no-brainer that Washburn is where we'd choose to come.

Eenjoyed 2 days here with many other campers. Staff helpful..friendly..restrms clean..quiet at night..fun things for kids..lake nearby also. Only 1 pitfall...we tent camped in space #63..next to a dirt road which looped around the campground. We got nailed with dirt dust every time someone drove by. Other than that..all was well...saw wild turkey and dear right next to our site. Inwould return but not at that camp space.

When I stayed at San Simeon State Park, the campground loop closer to the road (San Simeon Creek Loop) was full, so I ended up in the more primitive Washburn Loop. I switched spots from my initial camping spot for one along the back. It was by the pit toilets, which actually weren't bad. It had a nice fire pit and my site overlooked the mountains to the east. I could get to hiking trails from my site, which was nice. Campsites are with short grass. No showers. (I believe there are showers in the developed loop closer to the ocean.) Still, this was pretty quiet, despite the lack of privacy.

San Simeon Creek Campground is one of two campgrounds at Hearst San Simeon State Park, the other being the primitive Washburn Campground. The only difference between the two besides the $15 / night price difference is that San Simeon Creek has flush toilets and showers available, and Washburn has pit toilets.  Neither have hookups and both have access to the dump and water fill which is located between the two campgrounds near the host.

We stayed in site #9 for one night, which I would recommend you avoid. This spot is used as a cut through to the bathroom, not only by campground guests but by people parked on the road behind the campground who hop the fence to come into the campground and use the restroom.  We had people traipsing through all day and all night.

Showers are clean and reasonably priced, at $1 for 12 min. Pressure was decent and temperature was good (warm enough).  

Campground was busy with families and kids and large groups.  It was very active, but we stayed there on a Saturday night so that might be why.

Staff was really friendly.  When we arrived there was a sign indicating both campgrounds were full but we asked if there were any cancellations or anything available and they said one spot had just opened up which they allowed us to pay for and take without making the reservation online.

The campground is close to the cute town of Cambria, as well as some restaurants in San Simeon.

Firewood is sold by the host only during certain hours, currently 330-630pm only.

There was good ATT and ok TMobile service, but Verizon was very weak/unusable.

This lake has a no body contact rule which makes it a great quiet fishing lake with no jet skiing, swimming etc... there is a seasonal swimming pool that is right across from the rv spots. It is a dry campground and the 7 rv spots are basically on a parking lot but are on the waters edge which is nice. The tent sites are nice and are close the the lake. There is a well stocked and surprisingly well priced store as well as a marina that rents boats and kayaks. The lake has 2 boat launches and miles of hiking trails all within a short walk to the camping area. We get a few tv channels on our antenna but there is no cell reception. We launch our kayaks 20’ from our camper and when we had a boat we would launch it when we got there and leave it in the water right next to the camper which was very convenient. This of course always depends on the water level which has been very low some years, but has been good this year. The pool, showers and restrooms are newer, clean and very close to the rv spots but a bit of a walk to most of the tent sites.

Super clean and great location, but docked a star because of the price. After fees when booking, it comes out to about $42.00 a night. 

Showers and bathrooms are spread out nicely. We tent camped and the noise wasnt bad at all. Though there was some mystery animal howling/screeching through out the night haha. Super close to the water. Kayak rentals an restaurant down by the dock and a great place to load kayaks into the water! Will definitely be back. Just make sure you book in advance! Fills up fast.

This is in a beautiful area, and a gorgeous site but I’ll tell you why I gave it a 3 Pro: friendly staff, lots of shade & some grass at what seemed like all sites, close to small food and many things to do, availability, They let my small van stay at tent only camping, firewood $10 on site, flushable clean bathrooms

Cons: upkeep of foliage was good but walking through whole campsite saw trash and full fire pits at every site. I stayed at two sites and preferred the tent camping first come serve area as it has less vehicle traffic. C36 felt so busy.

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

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.

Tent site C74 didn’t have much of a level setup site and was right across from the bathroom. We heard slamming doors all night. This particular site was practically on-top of the adjacent site. Good things is the proximity to the bathroom if you don’t mind the slamming doors. It was also close to the trashcans. We came in late and left early so we didn’t experience much of the park but it appeared well maintained and well traveled. Campsite was full so reservations are probably needed.

Amazing campground that has both primitive tent sites, as well as RV with full hookups. Running water, dishwashing station, hot showers, and flushing toilets. The facilities were clean, and the campgrounds are next to a golf course, and a quick drive away from the beach, Morro Rock, and downtown. Each site has a little outside “pantry” cabinet to stash your dry goods, and there is a fire ring for the must do campfire and s’mores. Wood is sold on site. This is definitely one of my favorite spots I have been to, and although far from where I live, it was well worth the trip. I would definitely go back!

Morro Strand is steps away from a beautiful stretch of beach filled with sand dollars and an amazing view of Morro rock looking south. It gets windy starting around 2pm into the evening - right when you are setting up camp. If you are tent camping on the beach side, bring some extra long tent pegs as you are staking into sand. We had to go to Ace hardware while we were there to get extra long tent pegs. We also had a few ropes that came in handy to tie the tent down further.

If you are tent camping, make sure to get a spot on the beach side. Beach side sites are: A-D (30-40ft long) and odd numbered sites 1-45 (24ft or less). The middle sites (even numbered sites 2-46) are in a narrow parking median and pretty tight on space. Our site D was far and away the largest site with the highest view (meaning we could see Morro rock from our tent) and had the most distance from other campers. Snag that one if you get a chance. Not all beachside sites have views of the oceans since some sit further down. Odd sites 35-45 have a better view of the beach.

All the RV hook up sites are on the east side of the campground/parking lot.

The bathrooms are centrally located, but there are no showers. Luckily your parking pass gets you into Morro Bay State Beach Park and you can buy tokens there and shower.

I would definitely return. This location is beautiful and peaceful with amazing long empty stretches of beach to walk on. It stayed pretty cool, even in June. Downtown Morro Bay is delightful to spend the day walking through with amazing seafood, cute shops and even a skateboard museum. We even saw sea otters playing in the bay!

The only reason I didn't give it 5 stars was that it seems like an old beach parking lot that was converted into a campsite, so not all the sites are great. But the location can't be beat and if you get a beachside spot you are good to go!

No hook ups. Bathrooms ok. No cell or WiFi unless you go park by Park Entrance Ranger office and you get a weak signal. Easy Access to beach. San Simeon town just 5 min away.

Grass all dead. Many ground squirrels who come right up to you and beg for treats. Some noise from highway. Country is beautiful