Are you planning a trip to Santa Maria with your RV? We've got you covered. Find the best information on RV campsites and dispersed camping near Santa Maria, including sites, reviews, and tips for getting the most out of your RVing experience. Whether you're looking for a quiet location in the woods or a happening campground near the attractions, The Dyrt makes it easy to find the perfect place to park your RV.
Pacific Dunes Ranch RV Resort is the most unique RV resort in California's Pismo Beach region, with rolling sand dunes and rollicking waves in the beautiful Oceano Preserve. At Pacific Dunes Ranch, you'll enjoy an RV resort that highlights breathtaking vistas and trails to the beach. In California, we call this a winning combination - secluded and quiet but not remote. With its coastal location, Pacific Dunes Ranch RV Resort lends itself to numerous water sports and activities. Swimming, boating, fishing and surfing are popular forms of recreation at our RV resort in California , and biking and hiking are at the top of list for those without their sea legs. Secluded RV Resort in California Whether you're planning a retreat for the whole family, a group of friends or a getaway for two, there's no shortage of unique activities to explore at Pacific Dunes Ranch RV Resort. Plan activities upon arrival or visit this page before your departure to plan ahead. Looking for more? Our friendly staff can fill you in on all of the great ways to make your stay a memorable experience.
Treat the family to memorable camping on California's Central Coast at Sun Outdoors Santa Barbara, formerly Ocean Mesa RV Resort. Our fantastic resort is situated in Santa Barbara, where the Pacific Ocean and Ynez Mountains offer a spectacular setting and stunning backdrop for activities and adventure.
Choose your experience with a selection of spacious RV and tent sites. Enjoy fun amenities like a heated swimming pool and our amazing market that features camping gear, souvenirs, local wine, craft beer, and beach gear. Gather for seasonal outdoor movie nights on the market lawn. Or explore trails on docent-led hikes, take the kids to our llama and goat farm, and check out the events hosted at the El Capitan Canyon Market, located at El Capitan Canyon, our sister resort.
With a s’more in your hand and a brand new friend at your side, you might not remember all the things that inspired you to visit Flying Flags in the first place. Like the fact that it’s surrounded by miles and miles of lush, Central Coast vineyards. Or the fact that it’s just down the road from an outrageously charming ostrich refuge. Or the fact that it’s on the edge of the village of Buellton—the home of split pea soup. Because when you’re at Flying Flags, you’ll see that these grounds create a village in themselves.
Here, poolside cabanas keep families cool late into the afternoon. And expertly groomed bocce courts host brackets late into the evening. Front porches foster interactions between neighbors. And fire pits tend to spark a few stories among them too. Sure, the beauty of this place is more than enough to inspire you to come for a vacation. But the beauty of our community is what just might inspire you to come back.
Situated midway between San Francisco and Los Angeles in beautiful Pismo Beach, Pismo Coast Village RV Resort needs only to be seen to be appreciated. Beautifully landscaped and nestled right on Pismo Beach (currently Pismo Creek is flowing along the resort and it is necessary to walk around the lagoon to get to the ocean), it is truly an outstanding destination RV resort. This award winning, nationally recognized resort is conveniently located within walking distance from downtown Pismo Beach shopping, restaurants, and the famous Pismo Pier.
Pismo Coast Village RV Resort features 400 full hookup sites, each with complimentary wireless internet access and cable TV , on 26 acres. Pismo Coast Village RV Resort also offers many great amenities including a General Store, restaurant, heated pool, arcade, laundromat, bicycle rentals, and miniature golf.
Relax to the sound of the surf, scent of the salt air, and the feel of an ocean breeze. It won’t take long to find you have discovered a unique RV camping paradise on the ocean.
$35 - $74 / night
Off the beaten path, yet near the beach, the caves, kayaking, shell-collecting, surfing, fishing, and all the reasons you come to California’s Central Coast. It’s beautiful here. It’s natural. And it’s just perfect for you. Come in your RV and stay as long as you like – you don’t have to leave. Month-long stays are available in Paradise.
Conveniently located near the Halcyon Road exit of US 101, Pismo Sands RV Resort offers 133 level, paved, full hook-up sites with 20/30/50 amp electric. Our pull-thru and back-in sites will accommodate RVs of up to 40 feet in length. FREE WiFi is available at every site.
$70 - $73 / night
$55 / night
San Luis Obispo County Parks has been managing the operations of Coastal Dunes RV Park and Campground since October 1, 2006 and is located along Highway 1 on the scenic Central Coast. The park is conveniently located next to the Grover Beach Amtrak Station, adjacent to the railroad tracks. Throughout the park, there are restrooms, hot shower facilities, and laundromats. If the outdoors is more your style, relax at our heated swimming pool.
Please Note: The swimming pool is closed until further notice for maintenance.
During your stay you don’t want to miss out on the many local activities and attractions that the Central Coast has to offer. Pismo State Beach is a short walk from Coastal Dunes and for the more adventurous, ride an all-terrain vehicle at Oceano Dunes. A must see is a show at The Great American Melodrama just minutes away! Spend the day exploring award-winning wineries or meander in Old Town Arroyo Grande. Whatever your interest, Coastal Dunes is sure to please and we look forward to providing you a great experience with friendly service.
$47 - $65 / night
Avila Beach Camping has 5 areas for recreational vehicles:
-Woodyard turnout (dry camping)
-Nobi Point turnout (dry camping)
-Coastal Gateway RV Camping (8 hook-up sites)
-Trailer Boat Camping Opens a New Window. (dry camping) [spaces 1 thru 12] are ALWAYS for trailer boat parking ONLY!
-Day Use is available until 4 pm for trailer boat parking.
-After 4 pm, a camping reservation is needed and the site requires that a California, currently-registered vessel must be present for the duration of stay.
-When making a reservation for this location, you MUST provide the CF number of the vessel associated with the reservation.
$50 - $70 / night
Ranger
Nice RV park... It's pretty big and offers several options for staying from small cabins to full RV hook up sites. I personally was a little disappointed that place was packed as most places we have been staying had a 50% capacity restriction. Staff was friendly and helpful and definitely will return after pandemic is gone. Quiet time wasn't enforce which is nice for those wanting to party.
Our site had a gas grill and fire pit which was nice for some of the chilly nights we had.
Traveler
This "campground" is on an Army Reserve and National Guard base, with the security that comes with it. Military ID is required. The RV spots are stacked next to each other, with no trees or barriers of any kind in between. Right next to a road, so plenty of traffic noise. Positives are; decent bathrooms, nearby laundry, full hookups.
Couple things to note; the billeting office where you check in is about .25 miles from the RV park. Guards at the gate did not know about the RV park at all, let alone how to direct us to it. Billeting office closes at 4pm.
Also, be aware that pricing has changed. I was charged $10 for overflow camping and $31 per night for a hookup spot.
Guide
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!
Legend
Part of the Thousand Trails network. There is very clean bathrooms, room for RV'S, a rec center, store, pool, hot tub. There is a small creek and plenty of hiking trails.
ScoutThis RV resort has everything. Super clean, great staff. Close to so many things to do.
Traveler
RV hookups , pool , huge jumping pad for kids about a mile walk to the lake . They have yurts for tent & cabins.
GuideThis Campground belongs to the Thousand Trails network. We use it quite often as it is only 2 hours from our house. The campground is nice. There are wild turkeys that wander thru the campground and you will see an occassional deer or 2. Good & bad is that your wifi, cell service is very limited here. If you want to get away from that hectic "connected 24/7" life this is a place you can do it. If you need that constant connection you won't like it.
RangerFlying Flags RV Resort& Campground is one of my favorite RV resorts. It is located in Buellton, CA very near the historic town of Solvang, as well as Lake Cachuma and Los Padres National Forest. The campsite is in a beautiful setting surrounded by green rolling hills. April, May is the perfect time to visit.
The resort features a plethora of housing options, including vintage trailers and airstreams, cottages, luxury tents, and RV/tent camping spots.
Free WiFi, a full laundry facility, pools, and a hot tub, every aspect of your stay is covered. For a relaxing time, they have poolside cabanas, a communal fire pit, picnic areas, and a communal TV lounge with pool and foosball tables.
If you have children there is a playground as well as bocce and horseshoes. There is a full fitness center in case you want to get your workout in without the heat. All of the amenities are very well maintained, including the bathrooms and showers. When you get hungry the campground/resort has a few options.
There is a full fitness center in case you want to get your workout in without the heat. I rode my bicycle to Solvang, which is 4 miles away. All of the amenities are very well maintained, including the bathrooms and showers. When you get hungry the campground/resort has a few options. There is a convenience store and snack bar on-site, as well as the Campfire Cafe, an eatery with a full menu that allows you to eat in or even deliver to your site.
In case you are feeling like an adult beverage, Flying Flags has a fairly extensive wine and beer bar. There are also restaurants, convenience, and grocery stores within walking distance. The location of Flying Flags is perfect if you are looking to venture out for an evening or you are here for the wineries.
There are several museums in the area, including the Solvang vintage motorcycle museum. There are also golf courses, breweries, wineries, a casino/resort, and the Solvang farmers market. This resort and campground overall is a very nice spot to stop on a long journey, or just to get away for a while.
Well worth the trip. It seems like the RVs in the RV park are newer, the park is pretty upscale. I would assume most of the people are full-timers, retired couples who are spending some time in the park. Although it was beautiful weather, you hardly see people outside, it seems like everyone is keeping to themselves. I am not sure why that is.
Legend
Wonderful resort with great views. Great staff, great long term campers, great amenities! Will definitely go back for another visit!
Guide
This a a very nice campground nestled in the hills of Santa Barbara county. The sites for dry camping are the largest that I have every come across in 50 years. The full hookup sites are your standard size that you see at most rv parks. The lake is nice but is at an all time low water level because of the ongoing drought. The Danish town of Solvang is 12 miles away and there must be 50 places that you can go wine tasting in the area if that is your thing.
Guide
This campsite is just south of the City of Pismo Beach along Highway 1 (albeit its called something different along this stretch). It’s a mixture of tent and trailer camping. Plenty of amenities on site but also very much a communal experience. Don’t expect to have a lot of space between you and your neighbor or much privacy. But heck there are stones throw from the beach and there is a trail on the south end to access. Also adjacent to the monarch butterfly sanctuary
GuideThere's a lot to like about Flying Flags RV park. Its clean, has lots of full hookup sites, an onsite restaurant, clean facilities, as well as tents and cabins for rent. Why a 3 star rating then? Well, per my system, 5 stars are the truly special places (i.e Yosemite, Zion) where one should travel to for multiple days. 4 stars are top-tier spots for locals, and should be part of a larger trip to the region for out-of-staters (examples include Lake Sonoma and Lopez Lake). 3 stars are perfectly fine, but you mostly go there for convenience. Flying Flags in Buellton is such a place. You come here because you can explore Santa Barbara, Solvang, and the surrounding wine region. The RV park itself is big, and the spots are pretty close together, and while it's not necessarily beautiful itself, it is clean and comfortable. If I'm planning a trip to Santa Barbara in my 28' Airstream, this is absolutely a park I'd stay at again. I prefer dry camping (i.e. limited or no hookups) in my trailer, but I certainly appreciate full service as well, and Flying Flags delivers.
If you own an RV, this is a perfect "home base" for exploring the area. Solvang is a town in central California that looks like a Scandinavian village. It was featured prominently in the movie Sideways. Buellton and Solvang are both basically right in the heart of Santa Barbara wine country. Many, many wineries are within short driving distance. Santa Barbara is an easy hour-ish trip. The coast in Santa Barbara and just south in Carpineria is some of the most beautiful in California. The surfing is exquisite (these are well known, popular spots so expect the usual "locals only" aggression in the line up). Paso Robles is about 100 miles up the road from Buellton, so it's entirely possible to do an "up and back" in the same day.
Flying Flags RV park won't take your breath away with natural beauty, but it's close to a lot of places that will. It's convenient, clean, and a great place to park an RV for a couple of nights as you explore the surrounding areas.
TravelerGreat place to stay if traveling down the coast. Full hook- ups ,with showers and restrooms. Must be military affiliated!
Legend
In looking for some places to camp near Santa Barbara when I was there for work, I explored all the listings which said “camping”. This like in many locations was a bit deceiving as camping means different things to different people.
Let me start off by saying this is a RV site only, not a tent site therefore it offered no services that applied to me as a tent camper. However like always I chose to explore the site anyway, because I do have friends in the traveling life who do have RVs.
This place targets the more long term campers. As Santa Barbara is vacation destination they encourage the person who is wanting to spend anywhere from a month or more and even do long term site leasing. It is basically a place you can rent a slot and have water, sewer and trash just like an apartment, but you are in charge of your own electric which is already run to each site as well as cable or internet.
The sites were nothing super exciting in appearance and didn’t offer much shade around the facility but they did have the pool which was a big bonus. It is relatively small so there is no way staying here you wouldn’t know your neighbors.
You are minutes from the beach which is a HUGE bonus of this site as well as access to the golf course and resorts so it is like resort living on a more realistic budget. I could see this being a great option for full timers for sure.
Again though, this place isn’t really for a short time stay for an RV and does not accommodate tents whatsoever.
TIPS:
GuideGood experience overall. There are many kinds of sites including full hook up, partial, primitive, cabins & yurts. Many sites have views of the lake.
Traveler
We have spent many weekends at this resort, they have great amenities. Walking distance to downtown Pismo. You can’t beat the price and location. They have full hook-ups.
Ranger
If you find yourself up near Santa Barbara, this luxury RV Resort and Campground is a real splurge. The grounds are beautiful, overlooking the ocean, and connecting to the El Capitan Canyon glamping resort, which offers yurts and safari tents. We enjoyed exploring the property's hiking trails and the heated pool was really nice.
If you don't feel like cooking, there's a really cute little deli and gift shop called Canyon Market that sells a nice selection of California wines, craft beers and BBQ kits for grill-your-own meals. Their breakfast burritos were really good, and they also serve tacos, burgers, sandwiches and salads throughout the day.
El Capitan State Beach is about a 20 minute walk away, so keep that in mind if you have a lot of beach gear.
My video:
TravelerNice sites, all on sand/hard pack. Lots of permanent campers or long term folks. They had horseback riding and a small playground. We came in late and it was hard to find our map and site reservations.
No one ever answered the phone whenever we tried to call, days prior, day of, etc. that was disappointing.
Our site was night to the dunes so easy walk to the sand, but about 30 minute hard walk to the ocean, it was worth it.
ScoutIf you want to be ON the beach this is a great choice. Incredible, unbeatable beachfront. Some sites are on the sand. Full hook-up sites are not on beach but very close. Very basic bathrooms but no showers.
ScoutWe stayed at Rancho Oso for two weeks. We chose it because it was near Santa Barbara. And it was affordable (with Thousand Trails). So near to Santa Barbara is a relative term. It’s a 35 minute drive on a lovely windey mountain road. Beautiful drive!!! The problem was the resort does not have wifi or Verizon cell service. So I had to commute daily, I work remotely. If you want remote this is good.
The other problem was ants. The 2nd day we came back and we were infested. We were able to move spots but what a hassle. We used all of our available poisons (windex, bug spray, rubbing alcohol) to kill or drown them. Then vacuumed for hours. It took two weeks before they were gone. The resort knew they had a problem but didn’t really help. So we recommend you be proactive and watch for them and maybe spray your perimeter occasionally.
So no wifi and cell service - on them. They need to fix this.
Ant infestations- they should spray.
Hot, dry, things closed because of Coronavirus and fire risk - not on them.
If you want remote, it’s good.
Legend
This campground came to my rescue on a Sunday night when most everything else in the area was full. Coastal Dunes RV Park down the road handles the check-ins for Oceano. This is a small campground with just a single loop, but all the amenities: full hookups at every site and a central bathroom. My site was neat and clean, and there were bushes that provided some privacy.
The bathrooms at Oceano have high-flow faucets, but that's about all they have going for them. The men's room was in dire need of a cleaning and general tune up when I visited. The bathrooms at the nearby Oceano Memorial Park were marginally cleaner, but a superior alternative is the clean, modern, single occupancy bathrooms at Pismo State Beach campground, a minute's walk down the road. I would have preferred a porta potty to the bathrooms at Oceano.
GuideWe were there in the middle of summer in the dumpster fire year of 2020. Make sure you get the correct weather report of ‘Cachuma Village’ and not assume it is the same climate as the much cooler Santa Barbara (15 degrees difference).
There are hundreds of campsites and many have RV hookups. I found the following YouTube video helpful when reserving a space. We were glad we picked a space that was under the canopy of two mature trees. https://youtu.be/sDWHOIo66F4
Although the lake looks beautiful, it is only a boating lake. There is no swimming nor paddle boarding allowed on the lake. There were plenty of fishing boats there as well as rentable pontoon boats.
There is not much of a hiking experience at the Lake except to walk around it. As we walked around, we loved seeing how other campers set up their camps since we’re relatively new campers.
We brought our dog and she loved it despite having little balls of thorns attach to her paws like magnets. (See picture). We ended up having to just carry her.
We’d love to go back again but next time we’ll make time to rent a boat and go fishing ON the lake.
Traveler
I grew up going to Lopez since we lived in Santa Maria so maybe I’m biased. Unlike many other campgrounds on the central coast which are a little pricy and have you feeling a little packed like sardines- not so here. There are many types of sites to pick from; tent, rv, group, cabin. Of course we have our favorite “loops” and site within those. The full hookup sites are priced reasonably and you have a good amount of space between you and your neighbor (some are better than others). You are about 15 mins from the beach or 20-30 mins from SLO. The lake has good fishing. The marina store is well stocked with food and tackle. If you go during the summer there are water slides available for an extra charge. There is also an obstacle course and zip line- also an extra charge. I would recommend checking this place out.
LegendThe lovely county run park in the hills above the Santa Barbara coastline, is a great campground offering a wide variety of camping experiences from full hook ups to grass covered spaces under the trees along the shores of this lovely reservoir. The sites offer the usual camp picnic table and fire ring, and the many group sites offer large grills and even a few picnic shelters.
The sunshine is typically abundant in this California park, and even without full hook ups you can easily get all the power you need with an appropriately sized solar panel system. We’ve run on solar for over 10 years, and it saves us thousands of dollars each year for our full-time camping life.
The flush bathrooms are clean and spacious. Water spigots were plentiful throughout the campground. The coin operated showers got the job done, but since we were there during a chilly March, things could have been warmer. But hey, everything important got clean…
The lake is perfect for boating, but since it’s a drinking water reservoir, there is no body contact with this body of water. So plan on using the campground pool to cool off during the summer months. Hiking and mountain biking trails are abundant throughout the area, and kayaking, canoeing, fishing or sailing on the lake is the perfect way to spend the afternoon.
The campground offers some excellent yurts and cabins for nightly rent right on the shores of the lake. These are often booked out so plan ahead.
The camp store offers enough grocery supplies in case you forgot something, including ice, snacks, fire wood, and gas. There is also a cool pub down by the boat ramp which offers live music in the weekends. The nearby tourist town of Solvang offers a great day trip to sample the amazing Dutch pastry treats, pick up some groceries, wine tasting, or a night out on the town.
GuideFirst: the bad… it was so windy and cold. Make sure you bring warm clothes!
The good: nice level site, full hookup, picnic table, trees.. (hookup sites don’t have fire pits) Biking/hiking trail was nice:) And can bike and walk around campground! It’s a very big place to explore:) Great disc golf course!! Free to play! The store has camping items, some food (overpriced but that’s expected) , souvenirs, gas… We wanted to get propane when checking out, but nobody in the store knew how to do it, so we were told to come back in 1.5 hours, but we were leaving. It was too windy and cold to fish, which is why we went there:( check the forecast and any wind advisories!! Great restaurant, lots of space to explore. No human contact with the water. Don’t expect to swim.
Ranger
Best part about the RV park is its location, right next to the dunes! The RV park is clean and well maintained. Sites are spaced close together but no major issues with noisy neighbors. Nice little dog run. Family friendly. We went during COVID time so many of the community areas (playground, showers) were closed, but didn't detract from an enjoyable getaway.
Scout
Huge RV park right on the beach. Always busy yet clean and well maintained. Can walk to the beach and walk to town for coffee/food with more nearby beaches and things to do if you want to drive. Big swimming pool and other activities. The downside is the sites are tiny and you’re packed in super tight with other RVs but it feels lively and kinda like a big tailgate party.
Discover the charm of RV camping near Santa Maria, California, where stunning coastal views and a variety of outdoor activities await. This region offers a range of campgrounds that cater to all types of RV enthusiasts.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which is the most popular RV campsite near Santa Maria, CA?
According to TheDyrt.com, the most popular RV campground near Santa Maria, CA is Pacific Dunes Ranch with a 4.3-star rating from 11 reviews.
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