Best Cabin Camping near Santa Margarita, CA

My wife,son and I stayed here May 11-13 in our class C. We even brought our two dogs. A quick get away during the lock down. This was one of the few campgrounds we found that were taking reservations. They only took full hookup sites because bathrooms, showers and laundry are closed. The playground was open. Fun bounce pad. There is frisbee golf and horse shoes. They even have an Emu that is friendly and your kids can pet. The place is very clean and the staff is friendly. The campground was pretty empty except for a very few brave campers and the staff. It is a short walk down to Lake Santa Margarita. We stayed in site 28. AT&T cell service was zero to very poor at our site. WiFi was poor and slow. They advertised good WiFi in our spot but it just wasn’t so. A bit pricey but we just wanted to get out of the house. We would stay here again.

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

Stayed here in a cabin for 2 yrs because of work in area. Quiet, clean and away from the city. Love this place.

Cool spot to explore, it’s an event ground space with cabins, pool, showers, trails, nice views, and a beautiful place to explore. I called around 4pm and was there for 1 night on a Thursday and it seemed like I was the only one there. Amanda was super sweet and got back to me immediately.

Easter weekend visit. Staff was awesome. The cabin was exactly what we needed for a low impact weekend of camping. Proximity to the lake was great. We had so much fun out on the water doing some fishing. The highlight for my kids was the Easter egg hunt put on by the staff. A happy surprise for sure. We will be going back!

Last minute booking for us as all of the surrounding parks were fully booked. We got site “W.” Stayed for one night. This spot seems to mostly cater to tent and cabin campers... had to use 4 blocks to level our tailer, the site was full of trash and dog poop too.

One thing that is awesome is that there is a bike path (5 miles ish round trip) that leads to the beach. The path is along a creek, surrounded by trees, and goes through a golf course. It is relatively flat and our 7yr old had a blast.

Such an awesome unique space! Looks to be an old summer camp that is recently acquired to be a campground/outdoor event space. Amanda, the owner, is extremely sweet and accommodating. There is hookups for rigs, I saw two vans and a smaller/mid-sized SUV. They also have small private cabins to rent as well. We paid $35 for boondock camping and slept on the ridge overlooking two valleys. Half the price of pismo and Oceano, and half of the dismissive, gnarly attitudes. For what it is, it’s a little patch of heaven. Worth checking it out!

My family used to visit this campground for its easy accessibility for younger children. Deciduous trees and leafy ground cover make for a comfortable experience. Canoeing and kayak rentals available, beware of spiders!

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.

This small hot springs resort has a unique charm about it. With not a lot of acreage, they maximize the space for sure. The main attraction is the warm pool, 25 yards with swimming lanes, and the hot pool which can accommodate 30 people. We found this rustic resort a good place to spend the night and get in a quick soak, but not exactly someplace we’d like to spend a weekend. 

The RV lot is a large parking lot with spaces allocated on the outside of the gravel road. The tent camping section was a narrow patch of grass, with sites slotted in together along a tight corner of the property. Get to know your neighbors, because you’ll be close! Our little camper and truck rig was just small enough to fit into one of the grass camping sites at 32 feet combined, but it was a tight fit.  We were easily able to run on solar instead of paying for an electrical site.

There's a picnic table and fire ring at each site, but the sites are so small, you are practically on top of your neighbors with zero privacy.  There are pit toilets in the campground as well as flush toilets and showers available near the bath house.  They also offer cabins for rent.

The town of Avila Beach has restaurants and a few convenience stores, but the larger grocery stores are available in nearby Pismo Beach.  Morro Bay is definitely worth a visit as well!

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.

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 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!

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!

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

Probably the best camp ground we've been. They always have an overflow camp site for just vehicle with a camper or RTT. We have a RTT. We paid $60 for 2 adult and 2 kids but the shower is included and super accessible bathroom. Only con about it was that it was a bit noisy after 11PM.

This place is amazing. Nice private sites. Our site was on the side of a large hill overlooking everything. We were king of the mountain. Campground is remote but SO worth it. A bit pricy but each site has concrete patio along with patio furniture and a nice charcoal grill. Sitting out at night with a clear view of the stars was breathtaking. Very quiet and they even had an ostrich! Staff met us on the way in and even checked on us as we were setting up as to if we needed any help. Would highly recommend!!!!