Best Dog-Friendly Camping near Santa Maria, CA

We attempted to get here based on some GPS coordinates we found online (I later noticed Google has it listed as a campground in the same spot we were were looking at). However, we arrived at a locked gate with a “private property, no trespassing” sign and didn’t see any other way to get to where we thought the campground was. We had passed by the ranger station on the way and it was closed so we had to find a different spot. The official directions do seem different than where we were, so maybe try this way or get directions from the rangers: “From Santa Maria: Highway 166 to Sierra Madre Road. Sierra Madre Road to Miranda Pines Road. Take Miranda Pines Road to Forest Road #11N04 and make a right into Brookshire Campground.” If you can find it, make sure to have a California Adventure Pass ($5/day or $30/year).

We stopped here for a few nights so we could hook up to shore power for a bit, do laundry, dump etc. The campground itself is small and old so the sites can be a little small for the larger rigs. Bathrooms and showers were clean. People who run it were extremely accommodating - it was difficult for us to access the dump hookup in our first assigned site (we have a macerater with a very short hose) so they moved us to a better site. Easy walking/biking access to Avila beach (4.8miles round trip), and quick drive from Pismo Beach and San Luis Obispo. They allow leashes pets and have a small dog park and pet “walk,” and while these are great, I also like to walk my dog around the whole campground when we can’t take her walks elsewhere, and this campground is very limiting. They have several signs up where dogs aren’t allowed.

Overall, this is a great location if you want access to the beach and nearby towns with nice basic amenities.

I’m a newbie camper but really enjoyed this campground. Stayed in Chumash. Sites were big enough and private enough. Nice dog park. Nice couple of hikes in the park. Very quiet. Would definitely stay again.

Lovely place and lovely staff! It’s a bit pricey but you get what you pay for. They also have heated pool and jacuzzi, clean showers, and bathrooms. Trail and dog park available. Just kinda sucks you hear the cars passing at the 101. But I’d still come back.

Huge campground! Variety of sites from dry to full hookups. Anything with hookups is cramped though. We originally booked FHU and opted out for much more spacious dry site. Dry sites really vary but all are largish. Fire pit at 409 put in a strange location so that we is located on the back side of our trailer. Really no other way we could have configured it. For such a large park with so many amenities I cannot believe the dog park is downright tiny. But park during week is largely vacant so a lot of space to let your dog run (which is against policy). Sure the place is a muddy mess is the rain. Ground squirrels got the place all torn up but hey they were there first. Generally this is a great destination resort! Go see the monarch butterflies in Goleta in winter months. They overwinter there!

We have gone twice in the last couple months to this campground. The first time was because it was the last spot available anywhere in slo county and we wanted to take our 2 young kids camping. We enjoyed the fact that there was a park a short walk from the campground and a nice hike down the road past the park. There is also a dog park, golf course and botanical garden within walking distance. The only con is that you can hear the highway from the campground but it’s honestly not horrible. We stayed 4th of July weekend the first time and the golf course set off a big booming firework both nights at 11 pm on the dot which was pretty annoying. The 2 times we have gone people are very respectful of the quiet times. The showers were above my expectations and the bathrooms were very clean. I believe it’s $3 for 5 minutes in the shower. The water pressure was strong and the water was HOT. The bishop loop is pretty exposed during the day but the hook up loops have a ton of shade. My family will probably go back and it’s only about 25 minutes from our house.

Morro strand in Morro Bay, CA is so perfect. Pets allowed, great water pressure in the showers, laundry is cheap and it's also right around the corner from the beach! Your can hear the waves crashing at night, which is very peaceful to fall asleep to. Perfect weather year 'round and they have a great staff.

While visiting Los Padres National forest on a Valentines Weekend, we unfortunately couldn’t do much camping near the higher altitudes due to high wind gusts so we headed toward the other camps, Davy Brown and Nina. Only problem was these were all reserved!! Why I hate most camping in California Bc nothing is ever available. Either way I hate these type of campgrounds where there are fire pits, and bathrooms, and typically more humans nearby. So we ditched that and settled on a campsite off the road since the sun was setting. It was off one of the many horse/hike trails and was at least flat and somewhat further from the road and hidden by brush and trees. It was a nice night and enjoyed a quiet night alone on the forest. We only needed to do an overnight since we were doing the wineries and we’re staying at an bed and breakfast the next night. Overall it was nice but rather stay in 2 other spots we found that could make for future camping trips. ☺️⛺️

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.

Jalama Beach offers great walks along a long beach that is nestled in a cozy bay. Surfers, couples & families can enjoy this beautiful place. Watch for tar on the sand & pack some petroleum jelly to help remove it in case you step on it barefoot. There’s a small freshwater stream that flows right into the shore where your pets & kids like to splash around & play. Lots of driftwood & rocks pepper the shore so bring water shoes.

This campground has 3 loops: Bishop (no hookups), Chumash (FHU), and Romauldo (FHU).

We stayed in Bishop loop, which is basically a park with some gravel strips for tents or RVs and some grass with a picnic table and fire pit in between.  It is really close to the freeway and you can hear cars all day and all night.  You are really close to your neighbor.  There are no hookups here, but there are a few threaded water spigots throughout the loop. The cost to stay here per night is $25 to $36, depending on weekday/weekend/holiday.  

Chumash and Romauldo are full hookup sites (20 and 30 amp only), and are much more expensive ($40-50 depending on weekday/weekend/holiday).  These sites have much more space and privacy in between the sites.

Neither the primitive loop nor the FHU loops is worth the high cost of the campground, in our opinion.  It's a good place to explore other nearby places, but at Bishop anyway, it felt like staying in a day use park and not a campground.  Sites not very level - our blocks were not enough to level out our RV.

There are clean flush toilets and coin operated showers.  Not sure how much the showers are. See photo.  It only said to deposit $1 so I'm not sure if it's unlimited time for just $1? There are trash dumpsters and segregated recycling bins.

There is a $3.50 per pet per night fee, though it didn't come up while I was making reservations and the attendant checking us in didn't mention it. I only happened to see the fee when looking at the info board on our last day.

According to the info board there is also a $13 fee for second vehicles.  

Unlike other campgrounds in California we've stayed in recently, visitors seem to be allowed here.  Other campers had people visiting and there were people coming and going all day long.

There is no RV dump at this campground.  Sneaking into one of the full hookup sites to dump your tanks before you leave is one suggestion though.

Good cell service here.

If we ever found ourselves having to stay here again, I would choose site 11 in Bishop loop.  Though very close to #12, site #11 is in the corner and offers the most privacy and view of the grassy hill - - the most campground-like feel of this loop.

If you’re up for a trek through weeds and thick mud, then you’ll love this place. We’ve gone cat fishing here so many times, it’s a fun place to have a drink with some friends, take the pups, turn on some music and enjoy the view by the lake. There are fees depending on your reservation, we did not reserve a day use spot just fished, so we did not pay a fee. We just parked and walked to a good place to fish at the lake. If you’d like to use the designated grills though, there is a fee. There’s a lot of passing boats on the lake and other fisherman, especially near the visitors center so be sure to find a spot away from the action if you really want to catch some fish. They will check your fishing license while on property and patrol the lake area regularly. It’s an enjoyable place to go for the day and sunsets are a beauty! Just don’t forget to hike back to your car before the sun sets as it gets very dark, very quickly. Happy fishing!

Figueroa Campground is a 33-35 site campground behind Los Olivos, CA. It is surrounded by live oaks and gorgeous manzanita trees, so there is a lot of shade available.

Each site has a fire ring and a picnic table. There are no hook ups, and only pit-toilets are available. Note that there is NO DRINKING WATER available at Figueroa Campground, so be sure to bring plenty of water, especially if you plan to hike or backpack through the area.

There is a a lot of hiking trails available in the nearby area. Both Figueroa Mountain and nearby Grass Mountain are extremely popular hiking spots, especially in early spring when the wildflowers bloom in late March or early April . During the wildflower bloom, the sides of the hills and mountains can look solid vibrant ORANGE from afar - the wild California poppies grow dense in this area. Purple mountain lupine flowers are also found during the wildflower bloom.

If you or anyone in your party does not want to/cannot hike, the top of Figueroa Mountain is completely assessable by car - all of the big lookout points for optimal wildflower viewing are accessible by car, so the wildflowers are essentially accessible to everyone, hikers or not.

The Davy Brown Creek and Manzana Creek trails are also accessible from the Figueroa Mountain area; the area is popular for cyclists and off-road cyclists.

WARNING: You ARE in black bear country! While it is unlikely that a black bear will enter the campground, I would suggest locking your food and coolers in your car at night, as there are no food lockers in the campground. When hiking be aware of your surroundings: Black bears, coyotes, mountain lions, bob cats, and coyotes have been seen on the trails.

While the campground is fairly remote in the the hills, you are only 20 minutes away from Los Olivos, and 30 minutes away from Santa Ynez. Los Olivos has a great market with groceries, a bakery/coffee shop, a deli, and beer and local wine. There are many local vineyards, wineries, and breweries nearby. The Firestone Walker brewery, taproom, and Resturant is close-by - we highly recommend their food and beers!

CAMPSITE SPECS

Fees: $20/night (+ $10/ extra vehicle)

Plumbed Toilets: No - vault

Drinking Water: No

Showers: No

Picnic Table: Yes

Firepit: Yes

Cooking Grate: Yes

Shade: Yes

Cell Service: No

Animal Bins/Food lockers: No

Trash: Yes

Nira is a small, primitive campground in the San Rafael wilderness behind the Santa Ynez Valley. The campground is a bit of a haul to get back to, and is often used as a base for backpackers entering the San Rafael wilderness or the Manzana Creek trail. I myself have only tent camped at Nira, just to go somewhere different - my boyfriend and his friends have backpacked out of Nira into the San Rafael Wilderness and to the Manzana Schoolhouse on multiple occasions.

Nira is the second, smaller campground back on Sunset Valley Road - Davy Brown Campground is up the road a little ways. Nira is small, with only 12 sites in a densely wooded live oak grove. The oaks provide a lot of shade and help separate the various camp sites. The Manzana Creek runs behind the campground; the main road leading into Nira is right above the campground, however, you’re pretty far back in the hills, so there isn’t a lot of noise from traffic.

Each site has a fire ring and a picnic table. There are no hook ups and only pit-toilets are available. There is NO DRINKING WATER available at Nira Campground, so be sure to bring plenty of water, especially if you plan to backpack through the area.

WARNING: You ARE in black bear country! While it is unlikely that a black bear will enter the campground, I would suggest locking your food and coolers in your car at night, as there are no food lockers in the campground. When hiking the Manzana Trail be aware of your surroundings: Black bears, coyotes, mountain lions, bob cats, and coyotes have been seen on the trail. CAMPSITE SPECS

Fees: $20/night (+ $10/ extra vehicle)

Plumbed Toilets: No - vault

Drinking Water: No

Showers: No

Picnic Table: Yes

Firepit: Yes

Cooking Grate: Yes

Shade: Yes

Cell Service: No

Animal Bins/Food lockers: No

Trash: Yes

A nice gem not far from Burbank when you're itching for a weekend getaway. Our camp host was extremely nice and came around with dog treats for every single dog there so they all loved her. Water spouts vlose to each site and bathrooms surprisingly super nice. The real treat is how close the campground is to Cold Springs Tavern that is clearly the hot spot in the area.

Simple campsite, no laundry facilities. Internet connection is poor. No family with kids, but dog friendl

Really enjoyed our first visit to this site. Lots to do. Very dog friendly. Closed to downtown Pismo. Easy access to the beach. Will go again.