Best Dog-Friendly Camping near Santa Cruz, CA

Nice lots on a cliff above the beach protected from the wind by some doug firs and eucalyptus. Beach is long and expansive with very few people on an average day. Nice place to take a stroll and relax. Not far from Santa Cruz, maybe 25-30 minutes depending on traffic. Sometimes there's a decent sandbar for surfing. Always had a good time at this campground.

We just got back from New Brighton, stayed in site 108. Love this State Beach! Our site was large enough for our big truck and 26 ft trailer, plus a 2nd small SUV. There was plenty of flat area for my sons tent as well. Not a ton of trees, so this particular spot didnt get a lot of natural shade, bring pop ups! The site next door, 110, had many more trees and shade. The sites are far enough apart to feel secluded. At night you can still hear the ocean even though we werent in a premium spot. You can walk a short ways to see the ocean and there are several trails down, but the one with real stairs is closed so you better be sure-footed if you're taking the other trail. We opted for the short drive to the beach lot. There are bathrooms with flush toilets and showers close by and a dump station on the way out. Plus New Brighton is just a few mins from downtown Capitola, and not much further from Santa Cruz so there are SO many things to explore when you're there. Definitely a new favorite place!

An inexpensive way to stay & vacation in Santa Cruz.

Many ways to explore nature (Hiking, Biking, Train Ride through redwoods down to the ocean & beach, camping, leisure easy walk through old growth redwood trees, zip line through the redwoods - just down the road, etc)

Short beautiful drives & motorcycle rides, in the Santa Cruz Mountains & to San Francisco & Monterey/Carmel/Big Sur - only a few hours away in either direction

Dog friendly

Kid friendly

Great Surfing Areas nearby (learn to surf at Cowell’s Beach - a great long board & beginners spot)

Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk (free concerts on Main Beach in the summer months)

Santa Cruz has a huge selection of super awesome food & restaurant choices!!! Brekkie, Brunch, Lunch, Dinner, Ice Cream, Candy. Unbelievable food!

If I missed something, just ask. Although, I don’t live there now. I grew up there & lived there for 30 years. When I go back to visit, I camp at Henry Cowell.

This park has mostly long-term residents. It was super quiet, though there was a somewhat noisy road next to us. We were on the first site next to the road, so I suspect it would be a non issue for most of the sites.

The dog park is extremely well-maintained. Beautiful grass, very nice fence, a bench to sit on, water for your pets and plenty of space to run.

There a really nice stream to hike along. And underneath a bridge there are bat houses. We went under there at sundown and watched the bats come out. Strongly recommended!

The lady who runs the place was extremely nice and helpful.

Full hook-ups and relatively large, gravel sites with some shade. However, I needed to raise one wheel about 5 inches and another 2 to get level.

Short drive to downtown Morgan hill or Gilroy. And there’s a Camping World as well.

We stayed here Summer 2012. There were many nice amenities here like gravel/paved sites, restrooms, game room, the blob, train rides, swimming pool, general store, playground, etc. the staff was friendly and the grounds were very neat and tidy. We had a campfire and relaxed outside at night. The temperature was perfect. We didn’t have to run the A/C at all. Campground is not on the beach though :( We drove into Santa Cruz for and signed the older boys up for a 2 hour session at Richard Schmidt surf school. Later we went to the boardwalk amusement park that was over 100 years old right on the ocean. We ate seafood at the pier then let the kids get on some rides. The one thing that I thought was really special was the indoor merry go round which was on the National Historic Register. The horses were beautifully decorated and had real hair for the tails. This was definitely a cool place to go visit!

If your looking for redwoods, this is a great stop. Beautiful hikes with great views. Near downtown Santa Cruz and Felton.

This campground is in Santa Cruz. Surfed pleasure point a 10 minute drive away every morning and night. Sites are ok, nothing special and neighbors are very visible. Coin showers with awful pressure. Wood available from host.

So sad the devastation of last month's fires on the oldest state park in California, home to thr biggest redwoods south of San Francisco. We were lucky to have camped there this summer and when it reopens will return.

Our space was in the Huckleberry campsite. My only complaint was the proximity to the cabins & their noisy doors, lol. The site was otherwise quite comfortable.

If you like day hiking the Santa Cruz mountains are glorious. From giant trees to waterfalls to sandstone, the variety will keep you interested.

It is impossible to complain about the Redwoods. The park is beautiful. It is a fantastic place but crowded most of the time. It is relatively close to UC Santa Cruz so it’s full of drunk college kids. Don’t expect peace or solitude. It is best enjoyed in the off season during weekdays. There is a store and deli on site selling ice cream and sundries. There is plenty of lovely spots on the water and several little spots to swim or at least splash, depending on the time of year. Dogs are not welcome at the water.  There are sites on the hill that require a wagon to haul gear. They are an exhausting haul each time you leave the site but offer an incredible amount of privacy.

This is an awesome spot to camp with your family. Hiking and biking trails, nature walks, showers, flush toilets, it has it all for the not so campy campers. I make a point to camp here at least one time a year on a Fall surf trip to Santa Cruz.

Moss Landing RV park is a small, tight park close to Salinas Beach. Lots of great food close by. Cell and WiFi have been ok to good this past week, with a couple nights not being able to connect or stay connected. 20-30 drive to downtown Santa Cruz or downtown Monterey. Lots of trails, hiking, kayaking available. One of our favorite RV parks while traveling in this area.

Great campground and location. You can easily walk to the beach. Close to Capitola Village, Santa Cruz, and Kayaking at Moss Landing. There are some wonderful large campsites facing the beach but hard to reserve unless you are quick to get in when window opens up. The other sites are OK and there are a lot of them. Some are close together but walk to the beach and there is lots of room.

We camped here a few years ago. What can we say- we enjoyed our stay. The sites were spaced nicely and clean. We were there the first of January (off season) so some amenities were not offered but we had an enjoyable time. A short drive to Santa Cruz and Monterey. They have a heated pool, laundry facilities and on site store. There are however some large raccoons so use caution with your trash. Overall good experience camping there.