Best Equestrian Camping near Ventura, CA

Only two nights this time. Parked trailer in section without sewage, which I prefer because it has more trees and campers are not on top of each other. Horse trips were booked up, so call in advance.

I drove up the 101 by the coast of Santa Barbara on a Wednesday. It was beautiful, and pretty chilly by the water. Then I made the climb up the mountains to Rancho Oso. I stayed in the 5th level that had full hookups, and it was tiered in 7 levels, with an average of 10 spaces a level. The pool is open by sign up. I played some mini golf, right next to the horseshoe pits, but other amenities you use at your own risk. The store, and kitchen are closed. The lodge is open to use their WiFi, which is wicked slow, but beggars can’t be choosers. They have horse rides, and farm animals for the kids to view, and horses to rent for rides. There’s also there’s also a couple of families of Turkeys wandering around. The closest full grocery store is about 1/2 hour away, in Solvang, but Lake Cachuma has a gas station, and a small convenience store, and gas, at the midway point. I ran out of gas on my Vespa going there one day. No bueno! And forget about that chilly weather on the coast. This is in the mountains, and even though it’s a little over 1,000 feet up, it was quite a bit warmer. Unseasonably warm for the first week, in the mid-90’s. There was also a steady breeze going through. More like a steady wind, as it was pretty strong. I had to take my awning down it was so strong. My second week started out nice, as it cooled down to the upper 70’s, but that wind still swept through the canyon we’re located in. Since I don’t have a truck or car in tow, I had plenty of room to back in, and fully open my awning when I first set up, not realizing the wind in the early afternoon kicks in. Plus there was still room for the picnic table, BBQ at every space. And I also had plenty of room for my Vespa . Most people can’t open their awnings, since they parked their tow vehicle in that area. The ones that could open them had them closed, like I did, because of the wind. All levels are full hookups, and some in another area were just E/W. Pretty much full sun all day, except for a couple of shady spaces. No fires, but charcoal grilling is okay, and probably a portable propane fire pit would be okay, too. The Men’s and Women’s rest rooms/showers were 2 spaces over from me, right where the washers/dryers were. The lI stayed on the 5th tier, right next to the laundry was , whichvery reasonable at $2.00 to wash, $1.50 to dry. If you have a heavy load of clothes to wash, they charge an extra 25 cents to wash., and free hot , No cell service, but I The only was and it was super slow, and that was with my WeBoost. I ran a speedtest, and it wasn’t even 1 Mbps. The upload speed was twice as fast, at a whopping 2Mbps. I was there for an hour for something that should have taken 10 minutes. On one But, beggars can’t be choosers, if you really need it, which I did. Cell service was , surprisingly, one bar, if you’re lucky, but most days it’s none, even with my WeBoost. Next time I’ll put it up higher. No OTA channels with my Winegard antenna. I only watch TV at night anyway, and I have the Dish Playmaker, so no biggie. I mostly listened to my tunes, walked the dog during the day, and take the the occasional scooter ride., and I played a couple rounds of mini. Even got 2 holes in one! ranger I his Took water for both of us. They cater to horse owners, and there were at least 20 horses I saw roaming in their corrals, and I’m sure there’s some nice trails around here, too. I love it in the mountains, heat and all, and the Western feel of Rancho Oso has a nice vibe to it. I’ll be back, as it’s nice and quiet, and you always see the rangers, or employees riding around. Not bad enough to keep me away, as I’m sure I’ll be back this way again. I spent a nice quiet, enjoyable, 2 weeks.

As with many southern California lakes, there is no human contact with the water due to it being a reclamation center. Unlike many other southern California lakes, this one has a pool!

The bathrooms are well maintained and there are flush toilets and coin operated showers. Each site has a picnic table and fire ring. I tent camped, like always, but they have cabins, yurts and rv spots. The guys enjoyed the fishing.

I still have a problem paying $25+ for a place in the dirt, but families love it.

We stayed during the recent storm of the century in Central California so weren’t able to take advantage of what the park has to offer. The sites are very long and not too jammed together. Immaculate bathrooms and showers. Close to Los Olivos (great wine tasting) and Solvang. Disc gold course.

Such a lovely place off the beaten path. The staff go out of their way to find solutions to help make your stay the best ever! I feel very lucky to have stayed there. And look see there’s Bambi!!

Facilities kept really clean and lots of tp in the loos!!

Truly a Great place where the staff really go above and beyond to make your stay an amazing one.

Down the road is the very cool and quite eccentric town of Solvang which looks like a little bit of Holland transplanted into the middle of California desert! With Windmills and cheese shops galore! Great place to visit for the Christmas shop that is open all year round (Plus the amazing pancakes) Loads of microbreweries around here too really so much to see and do you need at least a week. 👍👍👍

I have been coming to this campground annually since around 2009, and I've loved every trip. The campground is on the larger side, filled with grassy and shaded sites all throughout it. There is a general store, clean bathrooms, and showers.

The campground is based on a peninsula that juts into the lake, therefore it has waterfront campsites on both sides, and all the sites in the middle are only a matter of 2-3 campsites from a water's edge. When you first enter the campground, there are a few day use only spots near the general store. All campsites at the base of the peninsula are the ones that families tend to stick to, as there is a pool, its close to the store, and that is the only area on the campground with full and partial hookups. As you travel up the peninsula, limited Yurts and Cabins are along the waterfront. Most yurts have a foot trail down to the water. The Yurt I stayed in (we camped 3 nights and had a yurt the last two) slept 4-6 people, 6 if you have kids. Yurts do not have bathrooms. It has electricity and heat, two bunk beds, a view of the lake, a wrap- around patio with chairs, picnic table, fire pit, water source, grill, and ample parking space. I have never stayed in a cabin here before but they look really nice.

The general store is filled with pretty much anything you could ask for. About 3 rows of dry grocery goods, 1 refrigerated section including a very impressive selection of local craft beers, ice machine, firewood, smores stuff, fishing poles/ odd's and end's, candy, trinkets and gifts, propane, camping supplies, cooking supplies, stationary, etc. The wine selection, on the other hand, is sub-par; so a stop in SB on the way up is a must if you need wine! Keep in mind the store closes week days at 4 and weekends at 5 if i'm not mistaken.

I think the main thing that keeps this campground so peaceful (other than their strictly enforced quiet hour from 10pm-7am) is the fact that NO SWIMMING, speedboats, wake boarding or waterskiing is allowed in the lake because is is a source of drinking water in the area. That being said, you are more than welcome to rent a 4 or 6 person fishing boat or 6-10 person pontoon boat for the day or hourly at the marina fishing store. The lake is open to fish until 6pm if you have a vehicle or are on a boat- a park ranger will come around at 6 and let everyone with a car know its time to go. However, if you walk to the marina, you could fish all night for all they care. You can also purchase fishing licenses for the day, 2 days, or year, at a reasonable price (I got a year pass it was $53.74) along with endless fishing lures, bait (including live), hooks, line, and poles. In regards to actually catching fish- In the past years I always rented a boat and i caught a lot of bass and carp, an occasional rainbow trout. This time I had plenty luck from certain parts of shore! Tons of beautiful 3 lb rainbow trout and 2 lb crappie! The limit was 10 per person, and people around us definitely caught their limit, but we were conservative and only caught what we needed for the day. Some fish bite more in certain areas of the lake than others, if you don't mind to hike a mellow/ moderate journey you'll find plenty of little coves within a reasonable distance of the campground. If you're looking for a bit more strenuous of a journey word has it there is a trail that goes all the way around the perimeter of the lake- I, however, have not hiked the trail, as my husband and I were backpacking into the campsite and that was an adventure in its self and I was exhausted!

Like I mentioned before, the bathrooms and showers are very clean. No mirrors in the bathroom, there are multiple bathroom buildings throughout the campground along with the showers. Showers are individual rooms that have a locking door. Showers are pay showers, so bring a lot of quarters if you plan to stink pretty. I think it was $1.50 for 3 minutes.

Another note: This campground is near the water (the lake and the ocean) and you're in the mountains; which means it will be generally pretty windy (bring chapstick!). The wind dies down midday and at night. If you're trying to light a fire when the sun is setting- good luck. 20 minutes later- you're golden. It also gets very cold at night! I'm form Southern California, so by cold I mean mid to low 40's, then add wind- yikes. On the contrary, bring sun screen for the day- cause it gets pretty warm! I'm still suffering the repercussions of not wearing any after fishing all day lol.

Overall the campground is aesthetically pleasing on many levels. From the abundance of grass (no dirt sites), trees, rolling hills of knee high grass, blooming flowers, wildlife (ground squirrels, birds including california condors, blue jays, hawks, etc.), and, of course, the gorgeous cascading mountains plummeting straight into the lake, there's not a thing about this campsite I couldn't love.

+ Great amenities— large restrooms with multiple stalls, hand soap, plenty of toilet paper, and clean showers. Each site has a fire pit with grill, picnic table, and parking for 2 cars

+ Beautiful California Oak trees surround the campgrounds and you get the most amazing variety of birds visiting.

+ Some sites have lake views! Our site#290 had a great view but the site itself was not the best. The grounds were every rocky and uneven. It was hard to find ground to set up a tent and most spots had rocks embedded into the floor so you would be sleeping on bumps.

+ FANTASTIC camp store. One of the best I’ve seen. They have everything you could need. It’s a gift store, mini mart, and a liquor store. You can buy eggs, milk, butter, and tons of shelf and can items. You can also buy a variety of beverages including wine and beer. The store carries plenty of snacks and candy, and you can get hot food items like hot dogs. They also carry camp gear in case you need— tents, chairs, sleeping bags, flash lights, cooking gear(stove, camp mugs/plates, fuel. Etc. Firewood is a little pricey at$8/bundle but when you need it, you need it! The store is SO CLUTCH because having to leave to purchase anything would be a longggg drive.

+ Lots if lake activities. You can bring your own boat and they have a small gas station for boat fuel. The camp shop also carry bait and other fishing gear. There are boat, kayak rentals, and you could also sign up for a lake boat tour. Only downside is no swimming or SUP boarding.

+ Lovely lake cafe with good hot food, beer/wine, and even cocktails. There is outdoor dining and even a fire pit for colder months. Careful during hot climate, there are yellow jackets everywhere. It makes sitting at the cafe unbearable. Service is friendly and the food is good. We tried their burger and fries and were not disappointed. Prices are a little high but it’s nice if you want to skip preparing and cleaning up a camp meal.

+ Quiet Time begins at 10pm which is great because I find this campground louder and more rowdy than others. It’s packed and people love running their music speakers super loud. They wait until the park rangers come around at 10pm to tell them to turn off their music. It’s definitely a fun crowd that comes here so heads up if you’re looking for a more serene camping experience.

+ There are yurts and cabins for rental that are a little more removed from the loud crowd. I definitely would love to try renting a yurt with a lake view next time I visit.

Overall, this is a really fun campground with tons of convenience. Run out of booze? No problem. Head to the cafe or the camp store. Too lazy to cook? No problem, Lake Cachuma has options for you. Bored? Head to the lake or play some air frisbee. It’s also a great place for first time campers. You get a good introduction to nature, run activities, and camping while still having comfort and convenience just a few steps from your tent.

They got a nice nature trail , this time there was decent size water flowing , got tables and bathrooms. There was a trail was had to much poison oak in the entrance we couldn’t enter.

Beautiful drive down grade valley to get to this awesome site. We were looking for a more remote place to camp and this site satisfied all our needs. We were the only ones there and the scenery was pleasing. There is access to some nice hiking trails of Los Padres National Forest. There was some water still available in the nearby creek.

Spare of the moment trip idea lead me to finding this campsite. Coming from Frazier, CA I was able to access the camp site with a 2012 Chevy Equinox LS FWD (By no means an off-roading vehicle) and return back home with no issues. The drive down into the little valley is spectacular. There are few cool rock faces on the drive into camp which I had a great time doing some bouldering. The campground was shared by one other vehicle and it was fantastic. The site was pretty clean! Only found and picked up the usual (glass, caps, twist ties, styrofoam, toilet paper, etc.) There are a lot of trails near by and the scenery is pretty incredible.

This site is highly accessible but still felt local and gives a great mixture of relaxation and creature comforts. There is a bar at the campground entrance if that is your speed, but we took advantage of the winding creek side path behind site 18. Our fellow campers were very respectful and the grounds were tidy.

Found it browsing campsites; what a beauty. Sitting alongside a creek, the camp is clean, quiet, the ranger is super friendly and knowledgeable of the area. There is no running water, and the pit toilets are definitely of the smellier side, but clean nevertheless. There is a bar right at the entrance of the campsite, as well as a small residential neighborhood. The site itself is a quick drive from LA, with easy access. Be mindful of the road leading into the camp, it is quite narrow, so drive carefully.

Camped out July 21 -22 2019 at Reyes creek campground. We got the last available spot as we showed up late that afternoon. Plenty of fish in the creek. Temp was well in the mid 90s ... it was super hot. We still managed to do a small hike up the piedra Blanca trail to upper Reyes. Trail is brushy in some areas with some washouts in others. Some beautiful shaded areas where we took a few breaks to get away from the heat.

I prefer primitive or dispersed camping because I usually like as much privacy as I can get when I'm camping, but with current fire restrictions I was limited to developed campsites if I wanted a campfire (and what's the point of camping without a campfire?). I was also planning the trip on short notice, so developed, reserveable campsites were in short supply. Then I found Reyes Creek.

The campground is very isolated. It's about a 40 minute drive from the nearest town (and therefore the nearest gas station or market - plan ahead). There is no power, or water. There's no cell service in the camp, but a 5 minute drive up the mountain there's a dirt lot they call the 'phone booth' that gets decent reception. The camp hosts were super friendly and helpful. There are 2 loops for campsites - the center of the main loop seemed pretty flat, but all the sites were visible to your neighbors. Sites on the outside of the main loop offered more privacy, but most appeared to not be very level, and not necessarily well laid out. I stayed in site 11 on the outside of the loop which was large and fairly quiet, but my 6 person tent just barely fit in between some trees which offered some shade and was only on a slight angle. The one downside was the bathrooms - vault toilets that varied in condition, but none that I used were particularly good. If bathroom condition is a major sticking point with you, you may want to look elsewhere.

As an added bonus, as isolated as the place is, right outside the entrance to the campground is a bar & grill called the Camp Scheideck Lodge. They have a full bar and great food (and the customer-only bathroom is a great step up from the campground). It just changed owners last month (second time in a couple years) and the new owner, Devin, is friendly and welcoming.

The temperature varies greatly from day to night (90's to 50's when I was there) and there are bugs a plenty, so bring repellant. Firewood is available at the camp, and ice is available at the lodge.

So if you want a little isolation with privacy, a campfire, and a friendly bar within walking distance, this place is for you. I'll definitely be coming back.

The drive in through BLM land is breath taking. 40 minutes of curves and turns and aw! I loved every minute. Then camped next to a creek that babbles and bounces through the campground. Is this a Laura ingles wilder book?! Tiny adorable bar and grill run by the locals, right at the foot of the camp makes for a not-so-off-the-grid trip if you choose to partake. Camp hosts - best I’ve ever encountered. I will 100% be back.

The only thing we had an issue with is the day we were there the overflow parking was full and there is no cell service, other then that it was a blast we all had a great time the creek made it really fun for the kids and adults too and the little ghost town at the entrance makes an ideal photo op for the kids and adults too... It truly feels a world away! Super helpful camp host, lots of families and overall a super great time took our cat adventure camping and he even loved it a great place especially with kids !!

Reyes creek is beautiful! Great camping spots, beautiful creeks & hikes, cute abandoned town for a photo opp and awesome camp host. We ended up in group site 1 due to Covid they can’t have big groups and it was spacious and great for our doggos to have a big area. There are 3 neighborhood dogs that come and go through your campsite but they are sweet pups and don’t cause any trouble. The abandoned town is a 3 minute walk from camp and really interesting. Some camp spots are right on the creek and the running water is a peaceful background noise for your trip. Highly recommend!

Camp hosts were great. Valut toilets were in better shape. We went in June 2020 and it was hot. But there is a fun stream you can hike by and it did the trick. Nice and relaxing off the beaten path.

This campground was nice. The camp host really did a great job of keeping things clean and nice. Some shady spots and a really great seasonal creek.

Pros

• Quiet location. No road noise
• well-maintained sites
• seasonal creek -- and a nice little hike up the creek
• cool "ghost town" right outside the campground
• friendly & helpful camp host

Cons

• You have to pack in your water
• several of the sites are pretty small
• while there are some shady spots, there are a lot with no tree cover and it gets HOT.

Loved the campground and the camp host is the best! We hiked the creek and loved the tree coverage. It’s even beautiful enough to enjoy despite the horrible campers that are so loud you can hear them in the canyon from dawn to dusk. The websites say that max 22’ RV is recommended. I drove a 24’ and managed the treacherous switchbacks… but much bigger and you’ll either get stuck or fall off the edge of a cliff.

The host Jade was one of the most friendliest host we’ve ever met. There are raccoons, squirrels and deers around. Nice little creek runs next to campsites and hiking trail. The ghost town was fun, too.

First off, Jade the camp host, has to be one of the nicest people We’ve ever met! Super helpful and informative! We stumbled across this place as our original plan fell apart. Lucked out on a site and enjoyed a quiet, relaxing overnight trip. Sites were clean and kept up, bathrooms were clean and there was a nice little creek, perfect for a stroll.