Stay here every year for dance competitions in Anaheim and Garden Grove. Very reasonable prices for the area. Anaheim transit makes on-demand stops her to Disneyland as well as Garden Walk. Very helpful, friendly staff. Many residents mixed with overnight era or vacationers. 

Pros:

• The price for the area is worth it!
• Amazing staff. 
• Free citrus picking!
• Pool, mini golf on site. 
• Incredibly creak restrooms and showers. 
• Camp store. 
• On-demand public transport for $6/person for all-day access. 
• Walking distance to Big Ed and Honda Center. 
• Along Santa Ana River Trail path that connects beach to San Bernardino Mts. 
• Security at night. 
• Dog runs (kinda stinky, though)
• Back-in and pull-thru sites (I’d try to stay closer to Struck and the western side)
• Rules are there to keep things nice and safe. 
• Good wifi

Cons:

• Stinky dog runs
• Street racing nearby at night. Every time.

Snagged a cancellation at Carp Santa Cruz site C233 to celebrate our new trailer and our Labrador’s first birthday!!! Doors opened to the west (that’s a good thing!), and it was easy to back into. Site was flat, but in the back. Heavy foot traffic on sidewalk that connects the different campgrounds gave us little privacy. Still, any time we get to spend in Carp is time well-spent!

Pros:

• Location—next to beach, great restaurants, excellent ice cream (Rori’s), solid beer scene, great bluffside running trails!
• Large site—not the parking lot like San Miguel and Santa Rosa tend to be. 
• Camp host was friendly. 
• Clean bathrooms and showers. 
• Easy to fill water tank at dump station before parking. 
• Easy to dump at dump station. 
• Close to town—easy bike/walk. 

Cons: 

• Tar on beach. 
• Next to railroad tracks. 
• Site backs up to sidewalk, offering little privacy. 
• Dogs not allowed on beach (I know… but my labs don’t get it!)
• Smoking neighbors. 
• Lots of fox tails on site.

Camp here as frequently as possible! Snagged a morning-of cancellation for two night at site 49. This is the furthest spot away from the ocean we’ve ever stayed, but the site was large and exposed, which meant our solar panels were able to get all the charge they needed each day to easily power everything. Be sure to fill up tanks at El Capitan before entering. Otherwise, bring lots of water or a 5-gallon refillable water tote. Nearest dump is Carpinteria (to the south) or Flying Flags (they charge—to the north).

Pros: 

• Large site
• Some sites offer more shade than others. 
• Camp host (Here’s looking at you, Goldie!!!)
• Clean bathrooms
• FINALLY put in a token machine next to the showers! Great water pressure and temp!
• Location!!!

Cons:

• Lots of tar (bring essential or baby oil OR WD-40 to remove)
• Next to train tracks (don’t run frequently at night, but could still wake tent campers and sensitive sleepers)
• Dogs not allowed on beach (I know… but my Labradors don’t understand!!! :)
• Lots of foxtails on our site

Was set to Harvest Host (dry camp) at a delicious brewery in Grants Pass, OR, for a one-night stopover, but area temps were a scorching 102 degrees. With only solar, it would have been uncomfortable for us and unsafe for our dogs, so we chanced it and scored a one-nighter in the F loop (electric and water only—AC was a necessity until the sun had long set!), thanks to the kind help of a camp host passing by on his quad! F-06 backed up to a field between the site and the Rogue River. We slept wonderfully! $39 for non-Oregon residents. It was a GIFT!!!

Pros: 

• Quiet
• Space between sites
• Clean site (host had just washed it down before our arrival)
• Flat sites (plenty of tent campers as well!)
• Shade from trees
• Camp hosts
• Clean bathrooms 
• Free showers
• Free, clean dump (donation box for non-campers)
• Located on Rogue River with the massive bike path that cruises through it that connects towns along the Rogue
• Price

Cons:

• Located off the I5. Traffic is like white noise for us, but for those seeking absolute silence, you won’t find it here.