Best Tent Camping near Ventura, CA

We just spent one night at Cachuma Lake (a Sunday), camping near Chumash Meadows. The tent camping sites were probably only ~30% full, which made for a very peaceful (albeit short) stay! The sites are big with picnic tables and fire pits, and many are shaded by large trees. The nearby toilet block was clean, as were the showers (a little further away). Our tent site had a view out to the lake, and was a bargain! 

There is a store (with a not-so-great assortment of goods), a restaurant and a fishing/boat hire shop. The roads and paths make for great cycling, and there are trails to explore too.

We drove through the whole camp ground checking out the various areas (full RV sites, partial RV sites, tent sites, yurts & cabins). The full RV sites were (not surprisingly) still pretty full, even in mid-October, but the rest were not. We loved the campground, and plan to return for longer next time. Its proximity to cute little nearby towns is a bonus!

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 stayed here in June as part of a 3 week camping trip. Foster Residence was the closest to a city that we've stayed in, and that was apparent during the stay (i.e. we had 2 fuel canisters stolen, odd people obviously tweeking coming in the middle of the night and screaming obscenities the next morning, a couple families setting up next to us for the weekend for late night partying, lots of road traffic, etc.).

There are some reviews for this campground under Foster Park Campground. That is a separate campground right next to this one separated by a little nature trail. The same camp host manages both. Foster Park CG is RIGHT next to the road. But it does have a swing set with like one swing if that sways you. Foster Residence is otherwise the better choice. 

The tent sites are further back into the trees and there is a lot of shade. When we pulled in, there was an oak branch down on top of our fire pit and picnic table. We tried to get the host, but he was unavailable. The next morning he stopped by and said he'd get maintance. I told him they can leave the wood next to the fire pit and we could burn some of it, and that's what we did. That came in handy because there were tons of biting flies. The smoke helped to control them while we were at the campsite. And on the subject of little flying things, there are also a lot of wasps in the area that LOVE meat. So if you are going to try to cook meat, just be aware that they will consider it theirs lol. 

The bathroom is separated into male and female and the female has 2 toilet stalls with flushing toilets and stall doors that work and lock. Also a sink with running water, coconut-smelling hand soap, and hand dryers with warm air. I'm assuming the mens is similar.

The tent sites do not have electricity (normal for a tent site). We stayed for 6 nights and on the last morning we received a notice from a "park ranger" that privacy tents are not allowed due to sanitary concerns? That's like national park-level control-freakness there. There IS full cell service at site 14 and other random places in the campground area. There are no showers, no store, and there is plenty of potable water.

Overall, it was nice being able to tent camp so close to the beach (the reason we came to the area was for my son to take surf lessons... we live in the Midwest) and also not be IN the city. But the area was definitely not my kinda bag. Still, if I had to go back to the area, I'd probably stay again.

Nestled between Ventura and Santa Barbara just north of Los Angeles is this picture perfect State Beach campground. This location has both full hook-ups as well as tent camping right up to the coast This campsite also has showers availa le and restrooms There are plenty of miles of bike trails as well as hiking tails to the Bluffs that overlook a sea lion protected sanctuary But the most glorious reason to come here are the breath taking sunsets viewable from your own campsite

Carpinteria State Beach Campground is a one of our frequently visited “staycation” spots. We live in nearby Santa Barbara, but will use Carp State Beach as a midway meeting point when friends from Southern California and Central California meet up.

The campground is pretty large, and caters mostly to RVs and trailers. There are loops within the campground that are essentially just asphalt lots with small dirt spaces for fire pits and picnic benches - these are intended for RV campers, but we have tent camped there in a pinch. Since we are tent campers we do prefer to camp in the grassy tent sites, but they are limited in number and tend fill up quickly. Because of the moderate year-round weather, Carpinteria State Beach Campground stays pretty full all year long!

The campground has full hook ups, clean plumed bathrooms, and coin-operated showers. There are grocery stores and conscience stores within short walking distance for anything you might need. Train tracks run directly behind the campground, so there is some noise pollution from the passing trains.

The campground is at the very end of downtown Carpinteria, right next to the ocean. There are no “ocean front” sites, but the beach is a quick 1-minute walk from essentially anywhere in the campground. Some small sandy dunes separate the campground from the beach, and there is an accessible paved boardwalk running along the length of the dunes. There are beautiful tide pools just south of Carpinteria State Beach Campground that are a must see. Check the tide charts on the internet to visit the tide pools at low to mid tide.

While we really enjoy camp cooking, we tend to opt to walk into town to eat when camping in Carpinteria. Linden Avenue is right next to the campground, and is the main street in downtown Carpinteria. There is a wide variety of restaurants, breweries and coffee shops downtown. Island Brewery CO is a local favorite just on the edge of the campground - while I don’t think they have food available (yet), their beer is GREAT! Their avocado beer is a must try - I know it sounds weird, but it’s delicious (and doesn’t taste like avocados)! Rincon Brewery is a few blocks up from the campground, and also has great beer, and TASTY FOOD!

CAMPSITE SPECS

Fees: $45/night (normal campsite)

Plumbed Toilets: Yes

Drinking Water: Yes

Showers: Yes (coin-operated)

Picnic Table: Yes

Firepit: Yes

Cooking Grate: Yes

Shade: No

Cell Service: Yes

Animal Bins/Food lockers: No

Trash: Yes

This is a nice little spot, close to town, but not as close to the train as some of the other Southern California state beaches. The campground hosts went above and beyond to keep the bathrooms clean and even provided nice soap. The tent camping spots were a pretty good size for beach camping.

Being that we chose this camp site last minute is a total score. Large sites, full hookup options and 10 minutes from the beach. Camp host were very nice and accommodating. Some sites are close to the 33 highway so you will have road noise but we are used to Rincon. There is tent camping in the higher sites. Covered with plenty of mature trees for nice shade. Clean restrooms but no showers. Campground is very close to the Ojai-Ventura bike trail. Hiking trails all over and did I say 10 minutes from the beach!!! We stayed with our 2 toddlers/teen and had a blast. Only odd thing is that some sites hookups are backwards. No biggie. We just ran our lines under our rig. We would definitely stay here again.

The beach is amazing. But if you’re tent camping don’t bother going if you can only get a site on the back side by the freeway. Way too loud, especially when the trains go by. Sites by the beach are night and day

This is a great camping spot. The beach is across the street. Facilities are closer then that. The Navy Exchange down the street has camping supplies. The cost for a tent site is $10. An unbelievable place.

The first thing you should know about Tapo Canyon Park is that for actual tent camping, you will be in either decomposed granite or concrete. The second thing is that there is no cell service and no phone landlines there. 

The park is very nice, and very well maintained. There is a large grass area with an upgraded playground, ample covered picnic area for large groups, and an archery range (private, but open to the public on Saturdays).

The archery range is one of the best in California. There is a members area and the original range is open to the public on Saturdays from 9-1, with a nominal $5 fee.

The campsites are designed for RVs. I have camped here in a tent and there is no way to drive a stake into the ground. The sites are fairly large and well spread out for an RV lot. 

Each site has a fireplace, picnic table, and full hook ups. There is not much shade. The sites are very well maintained daily by the camp host Terri. 

At night you can hear the coyotes calling as they roam the rugged hills, but don't worry it's a very safe park.

I would give the park 4 stars for camping in an RV, 2 stars for tent camping, the facility as a whole is probably a 4.

Our campsite & the bathrooms were clean & well maintained. However the location of tent camping v RV camping is awful. We are tent campers and had a nice spot with a beautiful lake view BUT the RV site was directly in front of the lake between our tent & the lake! So when a monstrous RV drove in all we could see was the side of the thing & we had to go around it to enjoy the view.

I've camped here a handful of times. Our friends camp here regularly. It's convenient, easy drive-up and set up tent camping. The campground and the bathrooms are well taken care of and clean. It's also nice that the beach is nearby. Down at the beach, there is an area where the wind is also pretty decent and great for kite flying. Central California is a wonderful area to camp. Sometimes we stay at the campground and enjoy the beach or chill at our site. Other times we've driven and gone wine tasting nearby for a couple hours. Either way we always have a great time! Just wish it was easier to get a weekend reservation in the summer.

This campground is a great site to meet up with friends that don't always get out and go exploring as it's a nice campground off a main road through the Ojai area.

We booked a site here while driving through and spent a weekend catching up with friends that were able to drive up in a small car and join us.

Beautiful wooded area with a nice stream that passes through. Good flat soft ground to tent camp and a great spot to throw up some hammocks and relax!

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!

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.

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)