Best Tent Camping near Santa Margarita, CA

Tent Camping Reviews near Santa Margarita, CA

557 Reviews of 12 Santa Margarita Campgrounds

• 

  Chanel C.

  Legend

  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.

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• E

  Elly A.

  Guide

  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.

• 

  Dani P.

  Guide

  Jul. 12, 2019

  Miranda Pine Campground

  Secluded but difficult to get to campground

  Set atop a mountain, Miranda Pine campground gives sweeping views all the way to the ocean. Beware the road is long and unpaved, not suitable for a compact car. I did it with a high clearance 4WD and made it to the top. Only a couple sites at the top, but they are free. Picnic tables at each site. Named for the larged Pine tree at the top of the mountain. Sunset and Sunrise views are incredible. Brought my dogs and they loved it. No real services up here so its especially important to pack out all your trash and follow Leave No Trace ethics.

• 

  Margo A.

  Guide

  Oct. 27, 2020

  Santa Margarita Lake Regional Park

  Camping, Fishing, Boating, and Riding Horses at Santa Margarita Lake

  Santa Margarita Lake is a lovely, quiet medium size lake used for drinking water in San Luis Obispo County, Los Padres National Forest. There are 60 campsites; 54 tent/RV, 2 Boat-in and 4 horse camps. There is a playground and a pool available in summer as swimming in the lake is not allowed. Canoe/boat rentals are available as well as a launch ramp and marina store. This lake is popular with smaller fishing and recreational boats. Amenities include flush toilets in main camp, picnic table, fire pits but no hook ups. Reservations are online except for horse camps which require a phone call to County Parks 805-788-2387, fees run 38$-36$ per night.

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• 

  Kari T.

  Traveler

  Apr. 5, 2020

  Navajo Flat Campground

  Great place to get away from reality

  If you want to escape, this is the place. No signal, hardly ever see any other people and tons of open space and trails for motorcycles and quads. Dry camping only. No water available but there is a vault toilet and picnic tables.

• 

  John Y.

  Traveler

  Oct. 8, 2019

  Coastal Dunes RV Park & Campground

  Great location but no privacy

  I was attending a weekend Jeep event at Pismo Dunes and had booked a space in the OHV area on the beach.  When I got there the wind was so bad it was impossible to put up a tent.  So I looked up this place, which is probably 1/2 mile from the entrance to the beach.

  The campground has mixture of tent and pull-through sites.  All sites have full hookups, and include a fire ring and picnic table.  The bathrooms were clean and had showers, but everything was very old.  There was also a pool and laundry rooms on the property.

  The sites were flat, but there was no barrier between you and your neighbors.  The RV sites looked very cramped but the tent sites seemed adequately spaced for the most part.  I stayed in site 252 which appeared to be some kind of double site, because there were two sets of hookups in the space (one of which required a large pole in the middle of the site).

  In spite of the convenience of the location, there were drawbacks.  The campground is narrow and situated directly between PCH and the railroad tracks on either side.  So traffic noise was significant, and as an added bonus, every now and then Amtrack would roll past.

  Over all, it met all the basic needs, was well maintained, and was close to the beach.  And the noise was probably less than I would get sleeping in the OHV camping area.

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• 

  Laura M.

  Legend

  Mar. 22, 2021

  Navajo Flat Campground

  Pozo La Panza OHV staging campground

  We didn't stay at this campground, but we walked over and checked it out while disperse-camping up the road.  

  This campground has 6 sites, and is $20/night and $10 additional for each extra vehicle.  There is a $10/day fee for day use.

  5 campsites are reservable through recreation.gov or by calling 1-877-444-6777, and 1 site is first come first served.

  There is zero ATT, Verizon, or T-Mobile signal at this campground, but the Los Padres forest area as a whole is very spotty - you can go from zero to good reception for all 3 carriers as you move from area to area.

  No water or any amenities here other than vault toilets. Fire is allowed in the fire rings at each site, no fire permit required here (but fire permits are required elsewhere in the National Forest).  There were a couple of garbage cans by the toilets.   Sites have 2 picnic tables, a shade structure, fire ring, and a grill.

  There is no signage directing you to the campground, so download the map ahead of time if you need directions.  From 58 you take Red Hill Rd/Forest Rte 29S15 and turn left at the dead end at Fernandez Rd. Keep going straight until you see the campground on your right. There is a road turning right at the cattle guard, but keep going straight.

  Campground is fairly large with wide open spaces to turn around, so bigger rigs should be fine.  The roads coming in from Hwy 58 -- Red Hill Rd and Fernandez Rd -- are ok, they are compacted dirt / DG with some washboarding and a few ruts.  There are people who live in this area and travel these roads in regular sedans, so it's definitely doable for most vehicles, but I'd imagine large class A's would have a tough time.

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• M

  Michael

  Ranger

  Jun. 22, 2023

  Washburn Primitive Campground — Hearst San Simeon State Park

  Hill top big sky view

  Nice family oriented campground. Many tents, trailers, few rv’s. Spots are fairly far apart 50-70 feet. Just fire ring, table, and parking spot. Vault toilets. Few trees. In mid June mostly dry grass with little shade, but fine tent pitching area. Most spots are mostly level for rv parking. Few bugs. Hawks,crows, towhee, quail. Should be good star gazing. Quiet. No road noise. Somewhat windy.

• 

  Amanda M.

  Legend

  Oct. 27, 2018

  Lopez Lake Recreation Area

  Lopez Lake

  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

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