While there seem to be over 2 dozen "Beach Campgrounds" in Southern California, most of the popular ones are such as Leo Carrillo and Moro are actually on a cliff overlooking the ocean with no direct access to the beach. Or like Carlsbad, San Elijo, and Refugio are either RV only, or there's a fence between your site and the beach. I could only find THREE where your tent is actually pitched on the sand within steps of the ocean. Book any of them on Reserve California.
Crystal Cove State Park
Doheny Campground
Point Magu State Park
Thornhill Broome Campground
Carpinteria State Park
Santa Cruz Campground
Next time I would try the first two but Doheny was fully booked and prices were higher. While Thornhill was completely flat ground, designed mostly for RVs, leaving my tent to a lot of wind overnight.
Carpinteria Beach Camping
Santa Cruz Campground has 14 beachfront campsites and all of them are tucked behind a small sandy hill to give you a break from the constant wind. These grove of trees provide ample shade and were definitely strong enough to hold hammocks! Walk 15 steps over the hill right past your tent and you're rewarded with ocean views.
This allowed me to spend the entire day on the beach within full view of my campsite. It was so convenient that I cooked a Japanese style hot pot dinner on the sand while watching the sun set. When it finally got too dark & windy to sit by the water, all I had to do was pop back over the hill to sleep in my tent out of the wind. Perfect. Day.
Comments