Los Padres National Forest

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Reviews

Los Padres National Forest campgrounds are known for their beautiful, peaceful natural settings with scenic ocean, creek, and mountain views. They offer spacious, well-maintained campsites, friendly and helpful hosts, and good access to hiking trails and nearby beaches. Facilities vary widely, often lacking running potable water and flush toilets, with many sites relying on vault or porta-potties. Common issues include presence of poison oak, insects such as flies, mosquitoes, and raccoons, occasional noise disturbances, uneven or sloped campsites, and challenging narrow access roads. Cell service is frequently limited, and fire restrictions or reservation enforcement can be problematic for some visitors. Overall, the campgrounds provide a pleasant outdoor experience suited to those prepared for rustic conditions and natural nuisances.

Beautiful and scenic natural settings

Friendly and helpful camp hosts

Spacious, well-maintained campsites with privacy

Access to hiking trails and nearby beaches

Clean restrooms where available

Lack of running potable water and flush toilets at many sites

Presence of poison oak, ticks, raccoons, and various insects

Noise disturbances from other campers and generators

Uneven or sloped campsites and limited shade in some areas

Challenging access roads and limited cell service

4,324 reviews

5 stars

2,664

4 stars

857

3 stars

378

2 stars

234

1 stars

191

Rebecca B

Campground:Kirk Creek Campground

Loop:Kirk Creek Campground

Site:

Reviewed 8 days ago

Great spot in Big Sur! Lots of friendly people and great views.

Merle D

Campground:Plaskett Creek Campground

Loop:Plaskett Creek Campground

Site:

Reviewed 8 days ago

We love this campground. But definitely needs some updates. Picnic tables are falling apart. We recently stayed at campsite 41 and I leaned on the table, one of the boards fell off and I fell down too. Thankfully I wasn’t hurt. Also boards to sit are loose. Our biggest complaint were the porta potties. They smelled awful. Any campsite near them had to deal with the smell. We arrived on a Sunday and left on Wednesday and they were not cleaned during that time. By the time we left Wednesday they were also out of toilet paper. Please get the bathrooms working!

Varouj A

Campground:Paradise Campground

Loop:Area Paradise

Site:

Reviewed 8 days ago

This place is one of the campgrounds I really enjoy my time.

Sasha M

Campground:Kirk Creek Campground

Loop:Kirk Creek Campground

Site:

Reviewed 9 days ago

Incredible, well-taken-care-of site, with unbelievable views. If you have a chance to stay here, take it!

Bruce B C

Campground:Mt. Pinos Campground

Loop:Loop 1

Site:

Reviewed 9 days ago

Mt Pinos is beautiful. We go there year round. However the campground is literally crumbling. The pads are deteriorated to the point of being dangerous. Pit toilets have peeling paint on the walls and need service. We camp all over the country and love Mt Pinos, but the campground is an embarrassment.

Jason C

Campground:Plaskett Creek Campground

Loop:Plaskett Creek Campground

Site:

Reviewed 10 days ago

We stayed here at the end of October and the weather was absolutely perfect. The location and view from the campsite are both great, however, the overall cleanliness of the campground was horrendous. We stayed there for two nights and the total came to a little under $100. For that price, you should expect to have clean garbage cans and clean porta-potties. The garbages near our site (29) were overflowing and the porta-potties were so smelly that it was really unbearable to even use them. A few of them had little to no toilet paper and some even had moist toilet paper. Both of these issues caused flies to be constantly around the picnic table and surrounding areas. I've stayed here a couple times in the past and never had an issue. I do understand that staffing and funding for the NPS have been cut drastically so I do sympathize. Other than those two issues, the stay was relaxing and nothing beats the beauty of Big Sur. We were greeted by a darling black kitty who hung out and hunted in the grass next to us.

Keep your options open

Watch for a matching campsite across monitored campgrounds in Los Padres National Forest.

Popularity: Very quiet

Busiest in November, when about 12% of guest capacity is reserved. Based on 7 years of reservations.