Expert: Steve Summers - 7/1/2007

Question
Are there any campsites with bonfires for which more than 8 people are allowed in the California somewhat close to Los Angeles or Santa Barbara?

Answer
Hi Bridget,

My first answer to this would basically be, "Two out of three ain't bad". You can get campsites with fire pits up and down the coast. My favorite is Carpinteria, near Santa Barbara. I see you've found the 8 person per campsite rule, which is supposed to prevent overcrowding, like 25 people coming to squeeze in one site.

However, there is a way around this: group sites. In Carpinteria, there are a number of group sites, where you are essentially reserving multiple sites at once. You can find them online at reserveamerica.com with names like Bobcat, Plover, etc., instead of numbers. The number of people allowed in each site varies, so check carefully before booking. There are also group sites at El Capitan, Refugio, and San Clemente.