Uncrowded Gem with great Ojai views
All in all we like this campsite and will return. Our experience was fantastic mostly because the campground was empty (only campers Friday night, 2 other sites filled Saturday). Views from upper campsites are beautiful (we stayed in site #14), and on a full moon the sound of coyotes cackling throughout the valley is a nice way to fall asleep.
For our purposes:
- Dog Friendly: ⭐️⭐️⭐️
- Toddler Friendly: ⭐️⭐️⭐️
- Overall: ⭐️⭐️⭐️
Pros:
- Beautiful views
- Not crowded
- Dog Friendly
- Play area for kids
- Clean bathrooms (portable bathrooms in some parts of campground)
- Friendly rangers
Cons:
- Water spigots are available but inconvenient for most sites.
- Terrain is uneven for tent pads in many sites
- No good dog friendly hikes directly accessible from camp ground (lots within a short drive)
- Our site was poorly maintained. Broken glass all over, broken fire pit, lots of scattered branches.
- Little bit of road noise, not too bad though.
Great for Camping with Kids
If you're looking for primitive dispersed camping, this is probably not your spot.
If you're camping with kids, it doesn't get much better than this! We stayed at campsite #58 which we felt was very large are private. Will definitely come back.
For our purposes:
- Dog Friendly: ⭐️⭐️⭐️
- Kid Friendly: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
- Overall: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Pros:
- Clean facilities, flushing toilets and hot showers, well maintained sites.
- Very affordable
- Friendly staff and atmosphere
- Recently paved streets (perfect for scootering, skating, biking)
- Great playground for children
- Easy and fun "Story Trail" hike for children. The hike features a new book every month, each page is mounted to a placard along the trail.
- Nice creek for kids to explore
- Close to town if you need a quick drink, lunch, or shopping.
Cons:
- Traffic noise from nearby roads (not terrible, but reminds you that you're not fully engulfed in nature.
- No alcohol (not an issue for us, but may be an issue for some).
- No hammocks or anything hanging from trees.
- Dogs 100% must be on leash at all times. If you're a dog owner, they do patrol the park frequently and your dog must be leashed.