San Simeon Creek Campground, near Cambria, California, is a fantastic place for those looking to enjoy the great outdoors while being close to the iconic Hearst Castle. This campground offers a mix of tent and RV sites, with some spots providing stunning views of the ocean and surrounding hills.

Visitors often rave about the clean facilities, including well-maintained bathrooms and showers. Many campers appreciate the convenience of having drinking water and trash disposal readily available, making their stay more comfortable. As one camper noted, “The stars here are incredible at night, all you hear are the waves crashing,” highlighting the serene atmosphere that this campground provides.

Access to the beach is a breeze, with trails leading directly from the campground. Whether you’re interested in a leisurely stroll along the shore or a more adventurous hike, there’s plenty to explore nearby. Plus, the campground is pet-friendly, so you can bring your furry friends along for the fun.

While some sites are closer together, the overall vibe is friendly and welcoming. Campers have enjoyed the peaceful environment, with many noting the beauty of the natural surroundings. If you’re looking for a spot that combines convenience with a touch of nature, San Simeon Creek Campground is worth considering for your next getaway.

The San Simeon Creek Campground offers 115 campsites for tent camping or recreational vehicles. The maximum length for an RV is 35 feet. Each campsite has a fire ring and picnic table. There are currently flush toilets and shower facilities in place. Chemical toilets are available. A dump station and pay phone are available. Firewood is for sale from the campground host. Recreational activities include camping, picnicking, hiking, fishing, surfing, beachcombing, bird watching and whale watching. The Junior Ranger Program is a regularly scheduled interpretive program for children. Interpretive walks of the San Simeon Trail may also be available.

San Simeon Creek Campground — Hearst San Simeon State Park

Whether you're a tent camper, an RVer, or just passing through, San Simeon, CA has a lot to offer. There are tons of hikes and other fun activities to partake in. Experience some of the most stunning views that California camping has to offer. Ready to plan your adventure? Check out our campgrounds near San Simeon and user-submitted reviews.

San Simeon

The Best Camping Near San Simeon, California

Right off highway 1. It's cheap and you can hear the ocean from your campsite. You can see the ocean from some of the sites. Campsites are open and clean. Great views from all around this area. Just perfect.

Perfect.

Spent 4 days at this campground. It is a wonderful place to visit. The individual site are large to allow multiple tents and still have room to get around. Wonderful hiking trails and close access to the beach.

Excellent campground 

This primitive but serene campground is right off Pacific Coast Highway. It's just past the quaint town of Cambria and before Hearst Castle. Also nearby is the Elephant Seal overlook and a lighthouse, Piedras Blancas. The sites are large with lots of trees for shade. There's a picnic table and a fire ring. This a large campground with several loops but once at your site, you feel alone in nature. Beautiful site to stay at, although we did have a nighttime visit of a skunk.

Peaceful

I was just driving down Hwy 1 on a Monday Afternoon. Then As I Was Looking To See How Many Miles From Cambria, Ca to San Simeon Park, Ca it was I notice the Big Brown Sign Along The Hwy And It Said Next Right To Camp. Cool We Pulled In And Seen It Was Beautiful. So We Stayed For 3 Nights. Big Campsite Areas.

My Camping Trip

Washburn is the primitive campground behind San Simeon Creek Campground. You can save some money and stay here if you don't need hook-ups. It is great and has fairly level sites with plenty of tent space. There are a lot of birds/squirrels so make sure not to leave food out.

Try Washburn Campground

Hiking trails, firewood available in park. Had a great time. Close to Hearst Castle.

Great views. Space enough neighbors aren't on top of you.

This is the closest developed campground to Hearst Castle on the south side of “The Slide” (they hope to have Hwy 1 reopened this fall). Its also close to the Elephant Seal beaches (the young adults were moltIng when I visIted). This is a nice campground with three loops/camping areas, none of which is tent only, although there is a section next to the road that is tent only (while that gives these tents the closest access to the the tunnel to the beach, it also means lots of Hwy 1 traffic noise). Try and get a site along San Simeon Creek (sites 114, 72, and 70 are nice, and you can hang a hammock). The bathrooms and showers are clean. If a view and access to hiking trails are important, head all the way back to the Primitive Campground. SItes have a slightly bigger footprint, there is a great view of the ocean from several sites and there is access to the San Simeon Trail. There is also a footpath leading to the boardwalk and trail to the beach.
 

Beaches, Elephant Seals, and opulence 

Close to the beach within walking distance. Showers and restrooms not chemis . No hookups last time I was there both RV &amp; tent camping .

Popular  park

I spent the last 5 days at the Washburn campground and it is an amazing place to stay. 

The park is right off of highway 1. The campground is about 2 miles east of the entrance and about 200 feet above sea level. 

The Salmon Creek Trail in the Los Padres National Forest is about 15 miles north, right before the area that was closed due to the landslides. I’ve included photos of that as well. 

The views that can been seen from the campsites are incredible. Take a look at the photos. 

THINGS TO KNOW

You can make reservations online, but you cannot reserve a specific site, it is first come, first serve. 

Check-in is at 2 pm, but they normally will let people in earlier, checkout is at 2PM. 

The cost is $20.00 a night. This includes one vehicle per site, you can pay an extra $10 a night for an additional vehicle.

Dogs are allowed in the campground, but they must be on a leash at all times.

It is one vehicle per site, you can pay an extra $10 a night for an additional vehicle.

The Washburn sites are primitive, basically there are water spigots every few sItes and pit toilets. The rangers come by every morning and clean them, so they are not too bad. 

There is a trailhead that leads to two different trails at the entrance to the campground. Both are nice, but dogs are not allowed on the trails. 





Amazing views from the Washburn campground 

Enjoyed this campground! You can walk to the beach from the campgrounds. The restrooms were fine and there are showers available. Great campground for kids to bike around. It's close to the Hearst Castle. The park ranger gave us a great tip to see the Elephant Seals....what a great experience for all, adults and kids alike.

Great access to the Hearst Castle

The rangers were very friendly. The tent spaces are pretty close together. Finding a shower in the morning is nearly impossible. The bathrooms are not clean and there is no light. It does have beach access and lots of trees. There are also ground squirrels that will be up rustling around all night. They are pretty cute during the day though. Not a bad campground for the price. 

Nice little spot

this was my first time camping in this area. I made a reservation as it was late June. camped in lower campground. no hookups here but was able to walk out to beach from our site.  lots of trees in the sites and bathrooms clean

calif coast camping

This is a quaint campsite along California’s Central Coast. Not a lot at the site but in great proximity to Hearst Castle, elephant seals, zebras (no joke) and cute towns.

Castle and Sea

It's a small campsite for the same price as others, but a good location while traveling down Pacific Coast Highway. I've always wanted to camp there, but was a bit disappointed in the actual site that we got. It barely fits two cars and barely enough room for one maybe two tents. They are all close to each other, which is not very comfortable , but there are trees/bushes for shade some and privacy. It is really close to Hearst Castle, elephant seals and a great beach for the kids to play in all day. I would stay there again if I was traveling down PCH, but wouldn't go out of my way to stay there just to go camping.

Small, but good location

The drive along the coast to the campground takes you through beautiful countryside.  The hike and bike area is set away from the RV areas and near the highway. Still, at night the highway noise is not noticeable.  Be sure to keep you food and small items secure and out of reach of the local racoons.

Beautiful Country

No hook ups. Bathrooms ok. No cell or WiFi unless you go park by Park Entrance Ranger office and you get a weak signal. Easy Access to beach. San Simeon town just 5 min away.

Grass all dead. Many ground squirrels who come right up to you and beg for treats. Some noise from highway. Country is beautiful

Beautiful Area.

[Washburn Campground at San Simeon State Park](https://thedyrt.com/camping/california/san-simeon-state-park/review/32484)

The Washburn Campground at San Simeon State Park is our go-to campground for quick and easy camping in Central California. My boyfriend and I met at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo, and love visiting SLO and the surrounding areas. If we don’t want to pay to stay at a hotel and can’t crash with some friends, we like to set up our base-camp at Washburn, the primitive campground within San Simeon State Park. SSSP does have full campsites with hookups on its Creek Campground, but we prefer the views and the star gazing at the primitive Washburn sites - Washburn is on the top of a hill, with beautiful views of the ocean and surrounding hillsides and mountains. The fees for the primitive Washburn sites are $18 per night, versus $35 per night for the full campsites in the Creek Campground.

San Simeon State Park is easy to get to, as its right off Highway 1\. You can make a reservation ahead of time, but you cannot select a specific site until you arrive. The ranger will ask you to go check out the campgrounds, and compile a list of site numbers that you are interested in. Once you return, they will go over the list with you and if one that you like is available, that site is yours.

Each primitive campsite has a fire ring and a bench, and there are pit toilets available. These are the nicest pit toilets I have seen anywhere. There are water spigots in Washburn, which have had running water for the last year or so; the water had previously been shut off due to the drastic drought. I believe there are plumbed toilets in the lower Creek Campgrounds, but we have yet to go down and confirm that.

Some sites are on the perimeter of the Washburn are more barren, but most sites have trees for some shade. Because you are right by the ocean, it can get pretty cold at night. Each site has a picnic bench and a fire pit - I can’t recall if the fire pits have grates. We generally do not cook while we camp at Washburn, as we usually pick something up in the nearby cities. Sebastian’s Store in San Simeon has GREAT burgers and various barbecue sandwiches. There is also a Hearst Ranch wine tasting room in the same shared building that sells frozen steaks from Hearst Ranch - great quality steaks, if you will be camping for a couple nights I suggest getting some Hearst steaks to cook while you are there.

There is a great new-ish restaurant and bar called Centrally Grown just down the road on Highway 1\. This place has great, locally sourced food, and a good bar. We have been there for dinner, breakfast, and just for drinks, and have always had a great experience - the view from the upstairs restaurant is GORGEOUS. Centrally Grown is part of what looks like a compound called Off The Grid - it has a Bed and Breakfast, some goats and chickens, an event space for bands, and a very very interesting garden. Even if you want to just stop in for a coffee or pastry, I think Off The Grid is worth seeing - we like sitting in the garden with coffee.

I am a rock hound and Central California beaches have some reach rocks! To the North is Big Sur, so small jade can be found. There are moonstones from Cambria, and lots of agate and quartz.

The small town of Harmony (literally - it has a population of 18) is worth the visit - there is a lot of local art to be seen and purchased there at the hand blown glass shop and the pottery shop. There is also a winery and ice cream.

The elephant seals are always fun to go watch, and individuals can sometimes be seen on San Simeon beach. This beach is open to the public, and the seals are not behind any barriers as they are at the rookery. If you see a seal on the beach, give him lots of space and don’t harass him - elephant seals are huge animals, and are quicker than you’d think.

The Firestone Walker Brewery is in nearby Paso Robles - if you like beer, the tour is super interesting, and they have a tap room and store. The tap room restaurant is very good.

**CAMPSITE SPECS**

**Fees:** $20/night (primitive site fee)

**Plumbed Toilets**: No - pit

**Drinking Water**: Yes

**Showers**: No

**Picnic Table**: Yes

**Firepit**: Yes

**Cooking Grate**: Yes

**Shade**: Yes

**Cell Service**: Limited

**Animal Bins/Food lockers**: No

**Trash**: Yes

Washburn Campground at San Simeon State Park 

Have stayed here a couple of times in the primitive sites. They usually book up quite a bit in advance as a short walk provides beach access. Very easy access to Hwy 1 if you like to bike as well. Sites are a bit close together and one night I stayed there was a group that was pretty loud past quiet time. Havent stayed at the sites with hookups closer to the beach. Restrooms are VERY clean and well stocked for a CA state campground. 

Biking and Camping

Nice sites with tables and fire pits. We were able to get a spot same day so some parts of the year it’s pretty mellow out there next time would go with the primitive sites. Close walk to beach and short drove to elephant seals. Right next to Hearst castle if visiting 

Great stop when hwy 1 was closed

Wife, daughter and I stumbled on this site while heading south on 1. They had plenty of open sites and allowed dogs. For $20, can’t beat it. 

Open space with few tree. I assume it get hot in summer. 

My wife say five stars, but I will rate it a 4 in case someone comes for summer. 

Nice simple site  

When I stayed at San Simeon State Park, the campground loop closer to the road (San Simeon Creek Loop) was full, so I ended up in the more primitive Washburn Loop. I switched spots from my initial camping spot for one along the back. It was by the pit toilets, which actually weren't bad. It had a nice fire pit and my site overlooked the mountains to the east. I could get to hiking trails from my site, which was nice. Campsites are with short grass. No showers. (I believe there are showers in the developed loop closer to the ocean.) Still, this was pretty quiet, despite the lack of privacy.

Primitive Back Loop is Quiet, But Not Much Privacy

Great site! We found availability on the spot in early June Monday-Thursday. Hot showers $.25/min. Nice sites. $35/ night for tent or RV spots with flush toilets and hot showers. $20/night for the rugged area with no showers and outhouses. Both areas have faucets. Each spot has fire pit and picnic table and a nice wide parking spot. Nearby trails lead to beach. Dog friendly campsite, no extra fee. Trails not dog friendly, neither is the closest beach but there’s 5 miles of dog friendly beaches just north. 

Sweet spot, surprised to find summer availability

The sites are tight,  it most are in the area to be out exploring all day.  Many services, but the showers were down while we were there and no fire due to the area being in a State Park.  Ultimately this felt like dispersed camping due to many services being out.

A bit expensive for the services offered

Tent site C74 didn’t have much of a level setup site and was right across from the bathroom.  We heard slamming doors all night.  This particular site was practically on-top of the adjacent site.  Good things is the proximity to the bathroom if you don’t mind the slamming doors. It was also close to the trashcans.  We came in late and left early so we didn’t experience much of the park but it appeared well maintained and well traveled. Campsite was full so reservations are probably needed. 

Slamming Doors 

Tucked in among trees and only a 5minute walk to the beach: it’s the best of both worlds. 
Nice clean bathrooms and showers. Plus a place to wash dishes! 
We love camping here and will come back every year. 

Great location

This is a very family friendly campground, kids everywhere scooters, bicycles. Friendly staff. Beautiful  estuaries with wildlife. Great place to spend time with family.

Sunshine, beaches, adventure 

Sites are spaced more than at other State Park campgrounds that we’ve been to. Nice hike to a beach with beautiful views, tho it’s rocky and covered with eel weed/kelp. Bathrooms are not cleaned too good, but they do have showers. No electric hookups. Some sites have water, ours did not. 

Nicer than other area state run campgrounds

On the central coast. Lots and lots of marine life. The coast village of Cambria just two miles south on the 1 highway. 

I love this place! 

Love this campground! Tons of trees, walking distance to the beach. It’s beautiful!

Love!!!

And listen all night. Nice clean campground with plenty of spaces and an overflow for extras. Spent many summers camping here and now I live here! Hiking, ocean fishing, Cambria downtown only 5 miles away for bike rentals, gas,   restaurants or grocery shopping. GREAT weather year round!

Walk to the beach!

Although our trip landed on a gloomy 60's weekend weather, that did not take from the enjoyment we had at this state beach park. We stayed at the upper level of the San Simeon campground, which frankly was the better of the 3 available. I prefer to have some quiet, and level one although a bit closer to the beach was a bit more rowdy since it is bigger. Washburn was just plain depressing, maybe some people enjoy the views from up there so they don't mind the lack of trees and unpaved roads, but it just was too sad. Where we stayed at was just right, had beautiful trees, no neighbors behind our sites C13 and C15, and we could see and hear the ocean from where we stayed. The walk to the beach is not short, but who cares (unless you can't walk which is understandable for some people). The lower campsite is also not as close to the beach as one may seem to think, you still have to cross the trail and a stinky creek to get to the shore. So it's going to be a walk no matter what, and the hardest part is indeed the sandy part. At night time we got to hear owls too, see some bats, and cows. There is a cow farm/barn in the distant hills where the cows graze freely. The bathrooms are clean, and for $1.00 you get 12min of a hot shower. We took a drive to elephant seal beach, and got to see them bathing in the sun. On the way there, there is private land off the road where we saw Zebra’s. We were able to snap pics just off from the road, not disturbing the private land. We also saw blue jay's, some other little pretty birds, and squirrels (too friendly hmmmmm).  Wonderful time here, wish it didn't have to end. I loved it that all neighbors were respectful too.

Combination of forestry with beach 

This is a great stop if you want to spend some time with the elephant seals without the crowds of Big Sur. 

Elephant seals and sunsets

Loved how spacious the campgrounds were. February is a great time to visit - not too cold and very green :)

Awesome getaway!

Very nice drive to the site, restrooms were clean and the views were great!

Great campsites!

It’s a beautiful area that’s great for family camping. The cell phone reception is bad, the closer you are to the host site the better the reception 

Clean and quiet

Our trip began with us coming up short finding a site on a first come first serve basis. We drove along the coastline to "Big sur" and still nothing we made our way back here, and checked again with our camp host "Rachel" and she said after seeing us twice if we stuck around we might have a cancellation soon. They did and we snagged Site #51 which we are calling camp "Area 51" Great site my kids loved all the trees that were there to climb on and I even set-up a hammock underneath the shaded Dome hung trees. Clean Flushing Toilets &amp; Hot showers were less then 100ft from our site. My kids made friends with the sites both to left and right of us and they played hide and go seek and Tag and even climbed the tress together Upon leaving the kids added each other on Roblox and Fortnite and this wouldn't be possible without "Rachel" for making this trip one for my kids to remember.

                                       Thankyou,

"Area 51"

The campground is very big, roomy, clean, nice. Our two campsite we stayed at were perfect for the family nice big space, across the way from the restrooms not a far walk. Nice walking distance from the beach. I love the beach access from the campground. The showers had hot water. I don’t remember the site number, my brother-in-law reserved the sites for us. The over flow parking was just on the outside of the main entrance of the campground, not a bad area. Cell service-no good, verizon. 

Family weekend camping trip

Nice place near beach with clean bathrooms. We were able to get a spot by just showing up. Dogs are not allowed on the beach or trails.

Our first camp out

We stayed in the upper primitive Washburn campground. It is small and sites don't offer much privacy (rv lights shining on our tent) so it wasn't our favorite type of camping experience. But the hike to the beach is  perfect and beautiful. We drove through the lower campground and it is much closer to the beach. Those sites offered much more privacy and there's lots to choose from as it's a much larger campground. We will likely go back to that campground. The vault toilets at Washburn were the nicest I've ever seen. Large, clean and modern (if a vault toilet could be modern!).

Easy Beach Camping

This place had nice campsites surrounded by trees. Clean bathrooms and quiet location near the ocean. 

Lovely site

This site was such a great find! The camping spots are big, fit pit and picnic table available. Some sites had nice large trees for privacy. Location was perfect, secluded but close enough to small towns and beach. Fall asleep listening to the waves crash on the sand. Bathrooms were really clean. Rangers were available on site.

Hidden Gem

 Nice bathrooms, ocean sounds, not that level for tent camping at c7 . 

Nice 

Got to the ocean and needed a spot to sleep that wasn’t on the side of the road. Online said it was full but we chanced it and went to the campground anyway and they had lots of spots available! The sites were close, bathrooms weren’t amazing and only a few showers worked but it was good enough for the night. There’s a trail that is behind the campground that leads to a little lagoon type spot and right out to the beach. There were otters lagoon in the morning and the sunset was gorgeous on the beach at night. Nice location to Cambria and plenty of beaches! 

Nice quick visit!

This is in a beautiful area, and a gorgeous site but I’ll tell you why I gave it a 3
Pro: friendly staff, lots of shade &amp; some grass at what seemed like all sites, close to small food and many things to do, availability, They let my small van stay at tent only camping, firewood $10 on site, flushable clean bathrooms

Cons: upkeep of foliage was good but walking through whole campsite saw trash and full fire pits at every site. I stayed at two sites and preferred the tent camping first come serve area as it has less vehicle traffic. C36 felt so busy. 

Lots of shade 

Was there for 4 days for the first time. Very well kept and a joy to stay at, found out about the gang of trash panda’s (raccoons) by another campers experience, would love to be there when the berries are ready to harvest as there were many vines all around the campground. Was very pet friendly as far as we were concerned. Looking forward to staying there again.

Busy but nice

We made our reservations through reserve California. The pad length was listed as 35 feet. Upon arrival, we saw it was 25 feet. Since we have a 32 foot trailer, we backed over the stops and the rear of the trailer was against the fence. So that worked. Now in the evening, we were around the campfire, just  4 adults, and the ranger appears. He asks “ what do you hear?” We say nothing. He says, no just you guys talking. You need to go to bed. We were not load at all. Pretty bizarre. I’m not making this up. 

Nice, but go to bed early. 😂

Nice campground with flat back in sites. Bathrooms were very clean. Great beach access via a trail under the highway. A bit of noise from Highway 1 during the day. Can be windy. 

Great beach access

Overall this was a nice campground. It was very green from all the rain we had this winter. The campsites are close together without much privacy. Because of the time of year we went it was mostly RV and trailers. It’s only 2 miles to Cambria, which is why we stayed here. The showers were pretty cold but again that could just be the time of year. We bought firewood from the host and I do recommend buying a fire starter. We had our dogs with us so we didn’t make it to the beach. 

Nice

We got lucky and found a semi-private site in the lower campground. Lots of trees and shrubbery to provide cover.

  

The upper campground has views of the ocean but seemed windier. Campground was busy but people were cool. Bathrooms were squeaky clean. Once things got quiet late night we could hear the ocean from our site.

Hidden Gem 

This campground is just two miles south of the Hearst Castle Tour site. It's just off the 101 highway on the inland side of the highway. There's a great view from the upper loop where you can see down to the beach in the ocean. the lower loop is more secluded And covered with more trees and vegetation. We stayed in the upper loop. the campsites are close together without much privacy for isolation between. the entire campground is. somewhat run down. There's a lot of potholes in the roads And the vegetation has been beaten back by all the campers over the years. this campground could probably stand to close for a year or 2 and undergo thorough restoration. it is, however, still very convenient and wouldn't hesitate to use it again if we were coming to visit Cambria or Hearst Castle. also nearby, just to the north, there's some other cool sites like. the elephant Elephant seal viewing area. And there's a lighthouse that can be toured as well.

Conveniently, close to Hearst Castle, but rundown.

**General:** Two campgrounds: San Simeon Creek, close to Highway One and the beach and Washburn Primitive, located about a mile inland. We stayed in San Simeon Creek, so the bulk of this review focuses on that one. 

  

**Site Quality:** Sites are spaced a decent amount apart, some with foliage providing privacy. The camper pads are level, paved, and designated as either 25 - or 35-foot campsites. Site 102 was a 25-foot site but IMO that is a stretch as our 18-foot campervan fit but not with much extra room. Surprisingly enough, we saw some rather large rigs in some of the spaces. No hookups. Depending on where your site is located, you will hear road noise from the highway. The tent section is closest to the highway. 

  

**Bath/Shower House:** What we’ve come to expect from California state parks: single units, most with a toilet and sink but one with just a toilet. Although they had toilet seat covers, there was NO soap or trash receptables in any of the units. Two outside sinks. Token-operated showers that looked decent but did not use. In the Washburn Primitive campground, there are only vault toilets but the one I looked at appeared clean. 

  

**Activities:** There is a horseshoe pit, but it looks like it has not been used in a long time. Also an amphitheater but do not know if there are currently programs as we were there during the week in the “off-season”. There are two trails that lead to the beach: one from the campsites and the other via a wooden boardwalk, a short walk from the campground. There is zero cell service in the San Simeon Creek campground, but I got two bars of Verizon in the Washburn campground. 

  

I waffled back and forth between three and four stars; the sites were fairly well maintained, and the beach access (and proximity to Hearst Castle) is likely the reason most people stay, but it annoyed me that there was no soap or garbage receptacles in the bathrooms (in an eternal Covid world, there should be soap in all bathrooms!) but we had a quiet and pleasant stay during the week in early November.

Easy beach access

A GREAT find, can't say enough good things about this place.  We stayed in the Washburn campground (up the hill/less expensive/better views/less people, more space, less trees and a clear view of the sky in every campsite (visited in February, we have Starlink and solar). The stars here are incredible at night, all you hear are the waves crashing, and beautiful views in every direction.  The camp host, Shelby, was delightful and very accommodating when we wanted to switch sites.  Lots of bathrooms, very clean, lots of dumpsters and water spigots, all conveniently located.  Rangers regularly drive through and we felt safe and attended to; a sketchy situation had materialized in one of the sites and the Ranger stood in the pouring rain for two hours, ensuring these folks left.  A well run and maintained area. RV water and dump station at bottom of hill. automated, $10.

What a delight

This was a beautiful campground with level, paved sites, lots of trees, great showers, and access to the beach within walking distance. 

Beautiful quiet campground next to beach

Sites on the outsider best for big rigs. Sites that are inside loops are best for tents. Cell coverage is spotty. Watch out for ticks.

Typical California state campground

The park attendants were friendly and helpful. The site was clean and people were friendly!

Wonderful Stay

Great camping ground for families especially with small children 

Not too expensive and we took some great photos of the sunset. Quick stop, it was quiet in the morning and got a good sleep in. 

Beautiful sunset spot

Very nice staff, location next to the beach, coin showers available (1$ for 12minutes warm water 👍), our spot had sunshine till sunset 


Nice campground!

Great campground with plenty of space between sites! Sites have plenty of shade and facilities are clean and well kept! No more than two vehicles are allowed in a site, but there’s free parking on the road that runs next to the campground and it’s easy to walk up the embankment and get to your site from the road.

San Simeon Camping

the overall site was nice and everything went smoothly during the day. There are no bear boxes (big metal boxes at most campsites to store food so animals can’t get to it) so we put all our food in a big cooler that we thought nothing could get into. Wake up after 30 mins of sleeping to noises outside, a whole family of raccoons are eating our food. they destroyed a good amount of our food and our camping materials and the problem was they wouldn’t leave us alone. they were aggressive and would not leave, climbing the trees above us and popping left and right out of the bushes. we have no where to put our food (since raccoons can get into your car through the engine and cause major damage). They were surrounding us, we were yelling and jumping to try and scare them away but they were persistent. We thought they might even attack us as they did not seem very scared and were very aggressive. We had no choice but to quickly pack up all our stuff while someone was on raccoon guard and leave in the middle of the night. I was very disappointed.

Raccoon Attack

Beautiful location- close to Hearst Castle and close to the coast. Has RV sites and tent sites. Showers and vault toilets available. 

Photos of San Simeon Creek Campground — Hearst San Simeon State Park

Real photos from real campers