Expert: Steve Summers - 7/21/2006

Question
Hi! I wanted to start planning a camping trip for next year in southern california (from san diego up through san barbara), and I have been looking around lately to get a head start but I noticed that there is a lot of RV camping along the coast and I wanted to tent camp along the coast. Where are some good places to go (also websites)? There will be about 3-4 couples going, and we were looking for nothing fancy (no electr. or hook ups), but if possible a bathroom and a shower (no need to be a fancy shower, but we don't want to wash our hair in fauct) and if possible near the water. If you could help me out that would be wonderful! If this is not doable...then where is there tent camping along the coast in general? Or how about mountain camping with a stream? Thanks for your time!

Answer
Hi Melissa,

If you want to go camping along the coast from SD to SB, you only need to go to parks.ca.gov, or the reservation site, reserveamerica.com. I'm glad that you are planning ahead, because you will need to make your reservations well in advance. The good news is that the state campgrounds in California are generally very nice, especially the beach ones. Every site has a fire pit and picnic bench, and all campgrounds have bathrooms and showers.

In the south, San Elijo and South Carlsbad state beaches are on the bluffs overlooking the ocean. Try to get the "premium" sites, which are right on the bluffs. The view is worth the extra couple bucks. Beach access is via a nice wide staircase going down to the sand. In the olden days, you had to scramble up and down the cliffs (which, incidentally, led to the invention of the "short board" surfboard... one guy got tired of being the last guy up the cliffs, and being pelted by rocks from his buddies. So, he develops a short board instead of the 10 ft. longboards in use at the time.)

Anyway, you might also want to camp at Doheney State Beach or San Clemente in south Orange County. Of the two, I prefer Doheney because it is on the sand. San Clemente is on the bluffs. You also have Dana Point Harbor right there, which is fun to explore. Once again, the beachfront sites are the best ones.

From here, there is a pretty long gap between campsites. There is Crystal Cove, but that is either primitive camping or renting a cottage (which is INSANELY difficult, since they just came online... the day the cottages open, the reservation bureau set a record for number of attempts to reserve a spot). Bolsa Chica is strictly for RV's (essentially a parking lot). You can stay at Leo Carrillo State Park, which is across the highway from the beach (so it's not technically beach camping), but why not drive a little further and stay at one of my all-time favorites: Carpinteria? (BTW, Emma Wood SB is really just for RV's... just an asphalt strip beside the RR tracks and highway 101)

My favorite beach is Carpinteria, which is rated at "The World's Safest Beach". There is plenty of beach for swimming or body surfing. There are some excellent tidepools on the south end of the beach, and some large natural tar seeps nearby, which is how the beach got its name (The Spaniards noticed that the local natives used the tar to make their canoes... the word Carpinteria basically means "wood shop"). Also, there are plenty of places to explore in the nice little town. There are fun local restaurants like the Spot, the Palms (where you cook your own steak), or Giovanni's Pizza (where they have excellent antipasto salad). There is even an old-fashioned candy store called Robitaille's (RO-bah-ties). Kids will also probably like the surf shop (Matt Moore's Rincon Designs), and Foster's Freeze... nothing like a ice cream cone on a warm afternoon.

Camping on the beach doesn’t get any better than Carpinteria State Beach, which puts you steps away from the sand and surf. There is also grass and trees, since the park is in the Central coast climate zone, and has been around for awhile. Be sure to bring your bikes: It’s one of the favorite activities besides going to the beach. Just before dinnertime, the campground has more bikes moving than cars.  

In addition, there a couple other campgrounds just north of Santa Barbara: El Capitan and Refugio. The main difference between the two is that El Cap is on the bluffs above the beach, and Refugio is at beach level. They are about 2 miles apart.

Have fun!

Steve