Best Tent Camping near Two Harbors, CA

One of the most amazing campgrounds I’ve ever stayed at. You’re on a sandy beach with waves crashing on the shore. There’s only a handful of sites, so try to book this early. Sites have rocks stacked up as a wind shield, it really helps! You’ll also have a picnic table, food storage box, and a fire pit. Vault toilets are available. No water on site, you must bring your own. Water, firewood, and fire starter are available for purchase. You can buy them at two harbors, which is where they will give you a key for a locker that is at parsons landing which will have all those items. I believe it’s 2 gallons of water.

This is the final campgound on the Trans Catalina Trail and one of my favorites. Reservations are required and you'll need to purchase water and firewood in a locker since it is walk in only and trust me you won't want to try and carry it. Also be sure to utilize the bear boxes even though there aren't any bears. The birds there are relentless and will poke holes in everything including water jugs if you turn your back for even a second. They even know how to get into unlocked lockers. But the exploring and sunsets are hard to beat. Just be prepared for lots of wind and rocky ground.

[ LOCATION -5 Stars ]

• Walking distance to Dana Point Harbor and Baby Beach. Lots of fun things to do there including whale watching, boat/kayak rentals, SUP boarding rentals, and restaurants/bars. Also walking distance to Wheel Fun Rentals where you can rent 4 seater surrey bikes to cruise along Doheny Beach for $35/hr.
• The campgrounds are SO close to the beach. Just a couple feet over the dunes! Campsites 45-73 are the best IMO. They book up fast, but they are GOLD if you can get one. Campsites near the road are loud from the freeway and street.
• Convenient to lots of liquor stores and restaurants along Del Prado Avenue. The Double Tree is also SUPER close to the campsite entrance. They have a nice rooftop bar, and a small lobby shop if you need to buy toiletries, snacks, drinks.
• Close to the San Clemente Metrolink which is less than 4 miles from the campground.

[ AMENITIES -3 Stars ]

• The day use areas are so nice for picnics! If you walk along the beach there are rows of day use areas with picnic tables and bbq grills.
• The restroom and shower facilities are cleaned daily in the mornings, but they are very dirty. There aren’t many restrooms for the amount of campsites/campers so they flood, run out of toilet paper, and become disgusting. Showers take CA State Park coins.
• There are lots of homeless people who linger in the park, and they use the showers as well. We saw two go in to a shower and didn’t come out until 45 minutes later.
• You can purchase firewood at the check-in area for $7 a bundle. Not every camp host site had firewood so we had to walk further to find some.
• Sites are really small and close together. The best sites are along the ocean, but they are also the furthest from the restrooms. You give up convenience for a good view. The place is always booked and packed. A LOT of people so it doesn’t feel quite as relaxing.
• Sites come with 2 parking spots, a fire ring, and picnic table. Water spigots are near the restrooms.

[ CLEANLINESS -2 Stars]

• The restrooms are a NIGHTMARE. It’s obviously better than pit toilets, but a lot of them overflow and there is urine and feces all over the toilets and floor.
• There are lots of crows, seagulls, and birds at the campsite. They poop everywhere. All over our tents and picnic tables. Lesson learned: Don’t pitch your tent under any trees.
• Lots of ground squirrels around. They are very aggressive and brave. They will jump onto you table and take food.

Product Review

As a Ranger for The Dyrt, I get products to test from time to time - this weekend I tested Renogy’s Multi-Functional Solar Backpack. I have another solar product (bluetooth speaker) from Renogy that I love, but this solar backpack blew me way. The panels are much larger so it charges so much more quickly and efficiently. I was able to charge my phone to 100% in an hour and a half of being plugged in, and also it kept my husband’s laptop charged while he was doing some programming at our campground. As a charger, it totally met my needs and exceeded my expectations.

There are also so many features to this backpack that really impressed me. I love that the solar panel part can be unzipped off from the rest of the pack which makes it really convenient. I was able to remove the solar panel from the backpack and lean it on the ground to charge while keeping the rest of the backpack safely inside my tent. The solar panel part of the pack can also be flipped and reversed so you can have the panel facing out when you want it charging or faced inside when you want to protect it from exposure to rain. The backpack is also very safely padded for a laptop so that it is protected. I love the convenience of all the little pockets and compartments for organizing, the sunglass loop, and also a side pocket to hold a water bottle.

This backpack was so well constructed and designed with the user in mind. I highly recommend this rucksack to anyone looking for a solar backpack.

General: 122 sites located between the ocean and a street and railroad tracks. None have hookups. $60 for beachfront sites; $40 for others. 

Site Quality: We reserved two adjacent sites as we were meeting friends. A few weeks later, we received an email canceling half our reservation as one of the sites would be under renovation. We quickly hopped on the computer and the only site available was 22. This backs up to the street with a view of a hotel beyond the chain-link fence. We were dismayed upon arrival to see this site. There is some foliage between some of the sites but basically NO privacy between sites. Sites also include a fire ring and picnic table. 

Restrooms: There are more than sufficient restrooms located throughout the park; some are combos with toilet and sink while others are traditional restrooms. No paper towels or soap; I don’t have a problem bringing my own towel but especially in the time of Covid, soap should be available! Showers are separate and require tokens. I didn’t use them so cannot comment on the quality of the shower. Restrooms were basically clean but lots of toilet paper litter. 

Activities: Good day-use facilities with toy rentals (bikes, tandems, surreys, etc.), beach volleyball and many picnic tables. Walking distance to town with coffee shops, and other shops, however, there is no sidewalk on the road leading out of the park, making the walk on the hazardous side. At low tide, you can walk to town on the beach. We found a local yoga studio that offered sessions in a nearby park. 

Other: We were there about the time new camp hosts were arriving and they took their responsibilities way too seriously! Each morning, we woke to a new pink slip on our vehicles, requiring a walk to the entrance gate (no sidewalk) where the gate attendant would just shake her head and tell us not to worry. After traffic noise dies down and in between the trains that rumble by, you can almost hear the ocean at the sites that back to the street. IMO, the cost of this park is way too much for what is offered. I would only consider returning if I could get a beachfront site but still the cost of one of these would make me think twice.

Parson's Landing is a super unique campground.  I would say it's the only TRUE beach camping I've ever been able to find.  You have to coordinate the ferry to Two Harbors on Catalina Island and then hike about 8 miles to the far end of the island.  It's not a bad hike, just long and around the perimeter.  You can plan ahead to have a bundle of wood and a gallon of water waiting for you in a locker.  The campground is a secluded beach with a rock wall on one end.  Site 1 is tucked around next to the wall - very cool!  Site 2 is great too but a little more exposed.  After that the other sites are basically spots spread out on the beach and designated by a picnic table.  The beach in narrowish and rock - a lot of the sites have rock walls built up to protect the fire pit from wind.  Unfortunately a dead seal had washed up on shore near site 1 and when some people tried to push it back into the ocean it released the most horrid smell ever.  There's hiking around that end of the island but beware that it is extremely steep in some areas!  We only did a couple miles and going down the trial/roads were scarier than going up.  Also, almost stepped on a rattlesnake.  I promise you though that this is a special place and a trip you will never forget!  Just be prepared to rough it.