Expert: Steve Summers - 4/19/2010

Question
Hello, My family is planning a camping trip to the Ventura area. We love the ocean and prefer to camp as close to the water as possible. Preferably with a nice surf break out front. We will be coming from Orange county. We will be in an rv. The problem we have is getting reservations at the state beaches. It's difficult to get reservations. Do you have any tips for securing spots? We will be traveling with children. Like to bike ride,surf. We have our favorite spots here but want to venture out and try something new. Found some first come first served campgrounds in Ventura county but I'm not sure how that works. Any Ideas?

Answer
Hi Renee,

If you like to ride bikes and surf, I have the perfect campground for you: Carpinteria State Beach. You can get some sites in the Santa Rosa and San Miguel sections that are literally just a few feet from the water at high tide. There are LOTS of families there, and the campground is often overrun with kids riding bikes in the morning and late afternoon. And you're close to a very nice surf break at Rincon. Carpinteria is about 2 miles past the Ventura County line in Santa Barbara County. It takes us about 2 hours to get there (111 miles from our house), unless we take the more scenic coastal route (highway 1).

The town next to the campground is a great little beach town, and you can discover the many shops and restaurants there. There is a candy store by Vons that the kids will love, and local places like The Spot, Cabo's, and The Palms will keep you coming back.

As for getting spots, you have to think 6 months in advance. For example, we will be online at reserveamerica.com May 1 at 7:50 to make our Thanksgiving weekend reservations. Yes, we cook our turkey in oil at the beach. You can't believe how fun it is to camp at the beach for Thanksgiving. If you don't have a site already, you're going to have to go online every day and look for cancellations. They do happen, and you can get some nice spots once in awhile.

You'll quickly see why Carp is our favorite camping spot.

Have fun!