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

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

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 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 

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 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

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

[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  

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! 

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!

San Simeon Creek Campground is one of two campgrounds at Hearst San Simeon State Park, the other being the primitive Washburn Campground. The only difference between the two besides the $15 / night price difference is that San Simeon Creek has flush toilets and showers available, and Washburn has pit toilets.  Neither have hookups and both have access to the dump and water fill which is located between the two campgrounds near the host.

  

We stayed in site #9 for one night, which I would recommend you avoid. This spot is used as a cut through to the bathroom, not only by campground guests but by people parked on the road behind the campground who hop the fence to come into the campground and use the restroom.  We had people traipsing through all day and all night.

  

Showers are clean and reasonably priced, at $1 for 12 min. Pressure was decent and temperature was good (warm enough).  

  

Campground was busy with families and kids and large groups.  It was very active, but we stayed there on a Saturday night so that might be why.

  

Staff was really friendly.  When we arrived there was a sign indicating both campgrounds were full but we asked if there were any cancellations or anything available and they said one spot had just opened up which they allowed us to pay for and take without making the reservation online.

  

The campground is close to the cute town of Cambria, as well as some restaurants in San Simeon.

  

Firewood is sold by the host only during certain hours, currently 330-630pm only.

  

There was good ATT and ok TMobile service, but Verizon was very weak/unusable.

Nice campground but Washburn is better!

Washburn Campground is one of two campgrounds in Hearst San Simeon State Park, the other being San Simeon Creek Campground.  We stayed in both campgrounds. The two campgrounds have different amenities and features, with the Washburn one being more "primitive" even though neither have hookups.  

  

Coin operated showers are technically available to San Simeon Creek guests only, though I'm not sure how anyone would know or care if a Washburn camper went over to shower at San Simeon Creek. 

  

There are pit toilets available in Washburn, as well as trash and mixed recycling dumpsters.

  

Washburn is $20/night, with an $8 reservation fee when making reservations online.

  

There is practically zero verizon service, very weak AT&amp;T service, but decent T-Mobile service on our hotspot.

  

There is a path over to the beach, very convenient (goes under Hwy 1).

  

Elephant seal viewing is nearby, as well as being close to the cute town of Cambria and San Simeon.

  

Warning: the map is wrong!  We picked site #226 based on the map showing that it wasn't next to the toilet.  The toilets ended up being directly next to 226, which was fine but not our favorite thing.

  

There is a dump and water fill for RVs located in between the campgrounds, and they are available to guests of both (or $5 to use for people not staying at the campgrounds).  Firewood also available for sale from the host, but check out the hours before heading over to buy wood.

  

We stayed here in mid-March, and the campground was beautiful and green and peaceful.   The landscape may turn brown later in the year.  

  

The sites are nicely spaced out for the most part.  Each site has a picnic table and steel fire pit.  Some sites have some trees for shade, but most do not.

  

We really liked it here.  The $20/night compared to the $35 at the busier and more active San Simeon Creek makes it a no-brainer that Washburn is where we'd choose to come.

Low Key, and Low Cost

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

Quick overnight stop on our way south. Disappointed to see that dogs aren’t allowed in the beach. This coastline is an environment  sanctuary. Giving this four stars because spot was really nose down even with blocks on the front tires. Camp ranger was nice. Strict with the dog rules but nice… 

Nothing fancy, just right

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

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

Was a nice stay.  Clean bathrooms.  Campsites on top of the hill are very windy in the evening.  The lower sites are more protected.

Nice but windy in the high campsites

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 

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. 😂

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.