Best Dog-Friendly Camping near Ventura, CA

For a national park that’s located just off mainland California, Channel Islands feels like a world away from bustling L.A. We visited in March, and while the weather was cold and rainy, our experience was one of the most unique we have had in the national parks.

After ferrying from Ventura, we arrived at Santa Cruz to set up our tent (be sure to reserve your site ahead of time online) and squeeze in an afternoon of kayaking before the rain hit. We brought our own kayak to the island (an extra fee on the ferry) but you can also rent kayaks or take a guided tour on Santa Cruz. We’d highly recommend kayaking while you’re there!

The campsites were spacious, flat, and SO GREEN! Santa Cruz is one of the few Channel Islands to have running water, but you’ll have to bring all the other supplies you’ll need during your stay. If you visit in the spring like we did, we’d recommend bringing plenty of rain gear and maybe a deck of cards, as there wasn’t too much to entertain us when it poured. Also, mind your food and clothing; an island fox ran off with a pair of underwear we had left out to dry!

The rest of the island provides many hiking trails (we loved Potato Harbor and Cavern Point Loop) and secret coves (like Smuggler’s Cove) which provide even more sanctuary and solitude than just being on the island. And the ferry itself was a wildlife viewing experience, with harbor seals and dolphins dotting the way.

You can read much more about our four days in the park on our blog: Switchback Kids (Channel Islands)

Everything‘s clean and orderly. Pool area is nice with a nice hot tub. Friendly staff and the grounds are well kept. Nice dog park. Not much road noise from the 101. Has all the modern conveniences. And all this comes with a price. It is pricey, but there’s a lot of amenities.

Casitas Lake near Ojai in Ventura County has something for everyone, especially parents with children off from school in the summertime. The campgrounds are spacious and clean and there are at least six different types from basic tent on dirt all the way up to executive motorhome with all hook ups. Prices vary from 35 to 55$ for tents on dirt to 65-75$ for RVs with hook ups.There is also a charge for a vehicle, boat, pet, etc. The highlight for families though is the waterpark. Open during the summer, it’s perfect for the younger kids when it’s hot.Always check current Covid restrictions as most water parks are closed.

Just to be clear, I love lake Casitas. I grew up camping here with my family. The reason I’m writing this review is to warn pet owners about the abundance of foxtails and burs. We have 2 poodle mixes with med-long hair and they both ended up with their fur filled with burs and foxtails. So much that it required a vet visit. This was from a weekend camp in our RV that had a large rug and they have raised dog cots.

Hardly anyone there when I went in March and felt like I had the place to myself! Hot showers and picnic table available. Just a 1 min walk down the hill to the lake - a perfect place to have my morning coffee! They allowed pets which is awesome. Super quiet, lots of stars, and a beautiful view. Couldn’t ask for better!

Even though you are lined up next to your neighbors, noise just doesn’t carry because the roar of the ocean is so loud! It’s amazing to fall asleep to. We loved exploring the sand dunes across the street and even saw a pod of dolphins! Restrooms were well maintained and staff was friendly. A huge bonus is that it was pet friendly, but most of the trails around are not.

Campground Review:

This would be the most epic campground ever for a huge family reunion! There is something for everyone here- RV sites, tent sites, cabins, yurts, even big group sites. There are tent sites overlooking Lake Cachuma, and tent sites in the shady grass, and almost everything in between. There's a dog park, and playgrounds, and a pool (since you can't swim in the lake because it's drinking water... which was strange to us as Utahns when all reservoirs are drinking water and we still swim in them), and a general store! There are close to 200 sites here, which is mind-boggling to me. It was an awesome campground, and we were cooking up plans for a someday party (be it friends or family) there.

The restrooms are plentiful and clean, the quiet hours are well observed (though that may have had more to do with the fact that the campground was pretty empty while we were there), and the facilities are reasonably easy to navigate. Every employee we interacted with was helpful and professional. We rented kayaks for several hours while we were there and it was a blast! This place is a perfect little getaway a super reasonable distance from Santa Barbara and the surrounding areas.

My only complaints were mostly about the tent sites. Some of them are a little too smashed together with unclear boundaries, and the footing consisted of kind of icky weeds. I know, it's me being absurdly nitpicky. But I can't give EVERY campground 5 stars... right..?

Product Review:

As Rangers for The Dyrt, we get products to test from time to time, and at Lake Cachuma we tested out some Optic Nerve sunglasses. We used them throughout our trip, but they came in especially handy while kayaking! The morning started out a little cloudy so we were worried that we wouldn't get a real opportunity to use them, but the sun eventually came out and the sunglasses were PERFECT. The pairs we got were polarized, which was great for cutting glare from the water (as well as driving throughout our whole road trip. The sunglasses were comfortable and seemed high quality, which was great considering they're nowhere near as spendy as some of the high-end brands of sunglasses. I'll admit I was too much of a wuss to see if they'd float in the lake, but they were awesome for keeping our eyes safe and protected (from the sun and from splashes)! If I had to have any gripe it would be that the wood grain print on the sunglasses I got (which I love) is pretty pixelated up close- completely a non-issue that only affects aesthetics, but might look better with a higher resolution for future printings.

Pro Tip for Hungry Adventurers: DO NOT MISS Cold Spring Tavern just up the highway from Lake Cachuma. Delicious food, atmosphere that is simply out of this world, and a gorgeous setting. Seriously. Don't miss it. And if you live in Santa Barbara and you've never been... GO. NOW. You won't regret it.

This is a very nice campground near everything but still away from it all. No issues parking our 42' 5th wheel here. Clean and quiet despite the peacocks. They can be rather loud when startled. I swear they could hear my morning alarm and squawked their disapproval. The camp host Shawn is AMAZING! Bathrooms are very clean. Showers are coin operated. DO NOT expect cell service. I could only work from this spot by placing my mobile HomeFi router on top of the camper. Our Verizon phones were paper weights. Make sure your reservations are complete online before arriving. The Rangers check the spots multiple times a week. The kids enjoyed the playground and fields. It's not uncommon to see and hear movie/TV production crews at the filming locations along the road. Pet friendly but be careful at night. Mountain lions were spotted while there.

Located right off highway 33 in Ventura California. This campground sits were the historical town of Foster Park once stood, which was torn down to build the highway. There are actually two campgrounds here separated by an abandoned road, Red Mountain and Foster Park residence campground. We stayed at the residence campground which offers some nice primitive tent sites. With lots of Boulders and old tables and abandoned buildings this campground was perfect. Foster park bowl, an old abandoned amphitheater is just a short walk away. Campground sits in close proximity to either Ventura or Ojai. The campground host was nice and friendly. All the tent sites were unoccupied so we were the only ones there which was great.

We camped here once in May; although the best time to go is in the later summer-fall for the warmest weather. All the campsites are parallel to the beach but on a busy road. We had a dog and newly walking baby with us, so we REALLY had to keep an eye on both of them.  We brought little baby gates which helped.  The only way to get down to the beach is to walk down the big rocks.  Some sites have a very easy access to the beach and some not so much.  You're also a few miles from downtown Ventura for a night out and live music.

Quick and easy is my trips to Thornhill Broome!

5 miles north of Neptune’s Net, Los Angeles/Ventura county line at Point Magu Rock! 

Depending on the time of year, the beach may be very rocky or it may be smooth. This is not a great beach to swim and if you tent camp, be sure to know where the high tide line is!  

The bathrooms are out houses. No showers but there is water facets scattered across the road.  This is dry camping only but you can dump after your stay at Sycamore Cyn campground which is only a mile or so away. 

This campground is a line of spaces right on the beach and up against PCH. The car noise does slow down at night so you can hear the waves crashing!

The winds can kick up pretty good here also!  Be prepared to baton down the hatches!  

There are dolphins and seals that swim back and forth. Pelicans and sea gulls. If you’re really lucky, you might see whales!  

There’s a camp host selling wood but nothing around unless you drive back to Neptune’s. 

Dogs need to be on a lease...despite my video!  LOL 

You will be sited if they catch your dog off lease!

The group campground at Emma Wood State Beach is called Ventura River and it's about 2 miles south from Emma Wood campground.  It's closed at this time due to storm damage - check the website for updates.

Reservations are required for the group camps. 

There are 4 group campsites for 30 people max - walk to campsite from parking area.  Restrooms and water are available.

There's also an RV camping area (no hookups) for 50 people max, max RV length is 45ft.

There's also a day use area and beach access.  Access to downtown Ventura is super easy via bike or foot.  

Really fun campground and location!  Hopefully they're able to open up again soon.

This RV park had some severe storm damage in early 2023, and at this time is partially open.  They are still cleaning up and fixing up the place - check their website for updates.  They are planning for a soft reopening and a grand reopening soon!  They are great at caring for their guests - they have all kinds of amenities, and they have a weekly weekend pancake breakfast.

We love this area - it's right near the Emma Wood State Beach, and just a short walk to downtown Ventura.  Main St in Ventura is closed off to vehicles and is a fun place to walk and shop and eat and hang out and people watch. Saturday mornings there is a huge farmers market as well.

Great spot on the Malibu-ventura border. A stones throw from a great point surf break and great tide pools! The getty villa is right around the corner too! Tokens for the showers...so prepare for that. Little store inside the campground will help with anything you might have forgot!