Nice surprise

Nice spot right near downtown Monterey. I live in the area, but when friends or family come into town, we usually stay here. Sites are first come, first serve, so get there early if you want to camp on a weekend in the summer. Dog friendly, and there is a big lawn area they can run on off leash, as well as a small playground for kids. There is access to a few hiking trails as well.

One thing to note is that in the dry season they do not allow campfires. If that's a deal breaker for you, call ahead of time and double check whether or not they ate allowed when you want to camp.

Overall, it's a fun, cheap alternative to the overpriced hotels in Monterey and only about a 10 minute drive from downtown.

Raccoons!

This is such a beautiful campground, I can't believe how few people know about it! Was just there for a few nights earlier this week and loved all the wildlife (birds, owls, deer, rabbits, raccoons). Our site was perfect, lots of flat space for tents and still some distance from other aites, nut all the sites seem to be spaced out fairly well so you'll have some privacy. A few things to note:

1. You won't be able to drive up to your campsite. You have to carry your gear in a short distance from the parking lot. Not a big deal, but if you tend to overall, pick a spot closer to The parking lot. This is nice if you're not a fan of cars circling by your campsite constantly.

2. The campground and the beach are dog friendly, but the hiking trails are not.

3. The beach is not right next to the campground, it is a few miles away by car or there are hiking trails that lead to it.

4. Last but not least, the raccoons here are AGGRESSIVE! They won't attack you, but they will walk right up to your camp and try to steal your food. I stupidly left my tent unzipped for a few minutes to run up and use the bathroom at night and came back to find 2 rooting around my things.

Dog friendly, good hiking.

Decent campground with clean bathrooms. Easy access to hiking trails and it's dog friendly. Nothing special, but fun. Gets hot in the summer time.