This was our first time camping, and overall it was a great experience. The campground entrance is small and narrow, only allowing one vehicle at a time to pass in either direction, but it was manageable. We reserved campsite #13, and the drive leading up to it was very pleasant. We checked in with the campground host at the end of the road, he was very friendly and gave us helpful tips about nearby trails. One thing we didn't realize beforehand is that you have to walk from the parking spot up to the campsite. It's not a long walk, and it wasn't difficult for us since we packed light, but it's something to keep in mind if you're bringing large or heavy gear. The area is well shaded and isn't connected with other campsites. The restroom was conveniently located near the parking area and was clean. There was also a food storage box nearby, which we used at night. We didn't notice other campers using it, but since it was our first time camping, we followed general safety advice we found online. The campsite itself was spacious enough for two tents, ours was about 11x7 feet, and still had plenty of room. Firewood bundles were available for purchase from the camp host for $10 each, or you can bring your own. This site is conveniently located near two of the three trailheads, which made exploring easy. We didn't see much wildlife during our stay, but we did spot some birds, a coyote, and a few lizards. Insects weren't much of an issue, though there were quite a few caterpillars dropping from the trees. We did not experience any bears or mountain lions at night. The campground is also a short drive from Morro Bay, where we went fishing and grabbed lunch. Overall, it was a wonderful campground and a perfect place for our first camping trip. read more

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Beautiful views. Morro rock in the background. Very challenging hike. Up to 1700 elevation. read more

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Freezing temperatures forced to come home after one night, we were not aware of the huge difference in temperature

We stayed here for 4 days in mid-December. It's location is great- just about 8 miles from Morro Bay. The price was right, but it's pretty bare bones; there are no utility hookups and the bathrooms are pit toilets. There is water available and each site has a fire pit. The trail was great. There were warnings about ticks and sure enough, my husband came back from our hike with a tick on his neck. The camp hosts were really friendly and helpful. Can't say I'd recommend the campground, though. Maybe it's better in the summer, but just seemed dark and dreary. read more

HIKER BEWARE! TWO BABY RATTLERS FOUND OUT ON THE TRAIL ON 8/29/2022! Beautiful experience! Honestly though, we were fortunate enough be on a cooler day where the baby rattlers were lethargic-as the trees seem to shadow a bit of the quest. Therefore, they were not in defense as we hiked upon them. But, they do exist up there and there's a warning for them. Two blended right into the grassy plains near the edge. Just remember- not all babies rattle before a strike and when they do, it's a bad bite! Waterfalls amongst rocks, golden grassy surroundings but above are trees that topple over the trails that shadow & shade the hiker from the sun. However, once you get in the Sun, it's a real uphill climb! A hot one! Mostly uphill to be exact. A fabulous workout. A little less than 2 mi in, there sits a nice bench that holds a chilly breeze through the shade with an outstanding view! We loved it! However, it is breeding season for the small, poisonous rattlers and so we might be watching where we walk...! read more

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Just ok. Decent campground but only a few trails so you'd have to drive to another location. Pros: -location -cheap -pit toilet, grip, fire pit, picnic table -close to town Cons: -ticks -limited hiking -poison oak read more

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Campsite 15 - plenty of shade from trees. Fire pit, picnic table, parking spot for two cars backed in. The one stall (all gender) pit toilet with lid is right across the road next to the outdoor faucet. Keep the door open & the seat lid down. It was super clean with no issues or flies. No bathroom sink or mirror. One trash can outside the outhouse, no recycling bin. Second vehicle paid $10 per night at the campsite to the camp host. Firewood bought from camp host delivered to site. The campsite area was a lot cooler & misty when Atascadero was hotter (July). Location was a short drive to Paso Robles, Morro Bay, Cayucos, SLO, Pismo Beach. Lots to do near this campsite. read more

Cerro Alto Campground - Campsite #15 - a 4 person tent & a solo tent - Campgrounds Near Me - Morro Bay, California

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I have never camped here, but the hike is stunning! It is quite a hike up a massive mountain (as expected as one of the highest peaks in SLO county). I did the 2.75 up-hill hike and the view from the top was absolutely breathtaking. Remember to pack plenty of water and a lunch so you can picnic on the summit! read more

This campground is gorgeous. The all around campground is nestled in the woods, and is very lovely. The site we stayed at was 17 from June 15-June 17 Negatives on site 17: *The site 17 was immediately downwind from two bathrooms. STINKY! * Bugs are very prominent during the season we went. Lots of aggressive flies that bite. Repellent is key. * Site 17 has this gorgeous yellow flower bushes that attract bees. Beee careful. *During the daylight, this site has little to no shade, so a gazebo would probably be best to bring for this specific site. Positives on site 17: * The camp site has one fire pit and one BBQ grill. A huge plus for us since we enjoy to cook on our camping trips. * Plenty of room for up to perhaps 3 medium sized tents with ample room. * The camp host was very close to this camp site, and very friendly. * Cerro Alto Trail is immediately across from this site. We love to hike, so having it close by was a huge plus. * Plenty of parking around this site since two trails are close by off the camp ground. Overall, we would definitely come back here. We wouldn't pick this site in particular, but other sites are very nice. Despite the stinky bathroom, we had a great time. Beautiful place. read more

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Dates: 4/17-4/21 Site: 17 People: 4 Dogs: 2 Cars: 2 This is a cozy site, it isn't very private like some of the other sites. And this site is right next to the ranger's cabin. He didn't bother us, but just wanted to mention it, :-) His name is Mike and he was very friendly with us, he does great upkeep on the whole campground. Keeping the bathrooms clean, and he bleaches them every day which blocks the septic tank smell that could be worse. It wasn't bad while we were there, just a wiff every once in awhile. This site is conveniently right next to a water spigot, bathroom, and a trash can is close by. The fire pits have a grill on them, and there is also a standing grill and a picnic bench. We came at a perfect time of year, all of the hills were green and beautiful. (I know that in the summer they can go brown) If you can make it up the hike to the summit, there are some breathtaking views. However, you don't have to go all the way up to get amazing sights. The hiking says moderate...but I think it is only moderate for those that hike often. We hike every once in awhile so this uphill hike was pretty vigorous for us, here's to the biggest people on the trail, W00T! But we were stubborn and forced ourselves to go all the way. Felt good once we did, :-) This place would be great for birdwatchers I think, there were so many varieties, and all so vocal. Blue Jays, hawks, hummingbirds, even some quail (I think) would peak out from the bushes from behind our tents. This site has a squirrel colony living under it, we filled some holes while we were there to prevent tripping in the middle of the night, and every day they would open the hole again, LOL Overall, we definitely want to return to this site. Very pretty area, well kept facilities, and great hiking oppurtunities, and dog friendly!! :-) read more

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Cerro Alto is a nice, quiet and private campground. We were in spot 8 which was totally isolated and shaded by a big oak tree. Beware there are no showers and they have outhouse style bathrooms. I never went in, since I had a toilet in my camper. My one complaint was the bugs. I know they can't control that but oh my goodness they were out in full force to annoy us! We never sat outside beside of that :-( We picked Cerro Alto because we wanted to go to Morro Bay and Paseo Robles. We were in the middle of both so the location was great. Would I go back to Cerro Alto, maybe. Pretty campground but not much to do. We wanted to hike the trail but it was 106 when we camped! Too hot. I would avoid campsites next to the bathrooms. When we went on a walk, you could smell them.. And it makes for an eye sore. Just my opinion :-) read more

Cerro Alto Campground - From the back of the campsite looking towards the road - Campgrounds Near Me - Morro Bay, California

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I don't know what they are called but whoever is in charge of the campground was super nice and helpful!!!!!

First time at this site and was excited to find a spot on a Friday night at the end of June. However, online reservations make you book 2 days if you want a weekend date. In other words, I only wanted to stay Friday but had to buy Saturday too. Ok, whatever, the sites are cheap. 2 days before we depart I read more reviews about site 17, which is our site. Sadly they ended up being true. No shade except early morning (before 8am), aggressive bugs (despite lots of spray) and poison oak very close by (and along the trails). The worst part was the toilet stench. It didn't take a break. High noon or midnight, the nostril invasion never ceased. My fiance has a more sensative sniffer than me, god knows how she did it (though as she found out the hard way, do not try applying a good smelling natural oil under your nose, the poop smell takes it as a challenge to its supremacy and it. Will. Win) Many of the south-side sites had nice shade and greenery while the northern ones bore the brunt of the sun. My brief encounter with the host was short and uneventful (tried to check in, said he didn't really care and if my name was on the spot then to get set up). If you have dogs, consider the plentiful poison oak for them to stick their faces in then try to lick you. Also sassy ground squirrels that taunt and chitter (though not nearly as bad as Morro Strand). And if you have a vigilant and protective dog, they will growl and/or bark at the many animal sounds near the site. We wouldn't mind going back, but during a cooler season and certainly not site 17, nor one right by a lavatory. read more

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Beautiful campground with great hosts! Great access to trail routes with fantastic views.

I felt fortunate to get a campsite in Oct, when all others where booked. I understand why. Campsite 17 is right next to two bathrooms and the smell is horrendous. The campsite also had it's own residence of bees in an in-ground hive. We got in late, so was happy I didn't set the tent on the hive. Also, not much shade in this site. It was all enough to make us pack up that morning, even tho we booked for two nights. P.s. Pismo Beach camping was available for only $10. read more

Cerro Alto Campground - Stinky bathrooms next to site... - Campgrounds Near Me - Morro Bay, California

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My boyfriend and I made our way to Cerro Alto Campground on a Friday morning. We wanted to camp out and had gotten a few no's already. We heard it was first come first serve. We found campsite #3. Unfortunately, it was right next to the bathroom. The smell was awful. The campground itself was nice, nothing too fancy, and hike was pretty nice. I think two days was enough especially being next to that bathroom. Don't expect showers and do expect lots of bugs. read more

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Great, easy to access campground that feels like you're a million miles away from the real world. We booked sites 9 and 10 as we had a small RV and some tent campers, and had no idea how big the sites would be. Turns out, these two sites are huge, and we could have easily all fit onto site 9, but it was great having the empty site right next to us. Plus, there is a bathroom right next to site 10 and it was a bit smelly. Most of the sites are very private with no neighboring sites in view, except when you get towards the end of the campground. The only reason I didn't give this campground 5 stars is because there is a TON of poison oak everywhere. It was all around our campsite and on both sides of the narrow Cerro Alto trail that we tried to hike. read more

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95% of these yelp complaints could be fixed with 5 minutes of education about how pit toilets works. Latrines are ventilated to release the smell out the top and keep flies away. Someone kept propping all the doors open and leaving the toilet lids up. That's the **worst** thing you can do! The flies have an all you can eat buffet of human feces. Rather than the smells getting properly extracted they linger in the area. I'm almost positive it was someone working here that kept propping them all wide open. (A quick google search will confirm what I'm saying!) The setting was beautiful. The hikes are steep--lots of locals used trekking poles and we quickly saw why. Area was very quiet - ie other than the large group of kids who wouldn't go to bed at a decent hour, there was no road noise. read more

First off, the campground was full and did not put a notice at the entrance that there wasn't any sites available. This place is NOT camper or RV friendly, the road through the site is only big enough for 1 car and some roads take you to campsites for just 1 person... so you have a tiny bit of room to back your camper out of there. I thought at first there was another road for cars going to leave the campground, but noticed all traffic for the campground is on just 1 road! God forbid your halfway down the road and someone else is driving up! Very dangerous, very confusing campground. DO NOT CAMP HERE! read more

Oct 19 Fri - Oct 21 Sun Sites 18 + 19 Both sites could have easily accommodate 20 people together. It was a huge, huge site for the 7 of us. There were 2 campfire rings, 2 picnic benches, 1 grill. However we brought our own butane stove and 16" weber charcoal grill because the one provided was in such disrepair. There was plenty shade and sunlight coming through our site. We had a lot of privacy, however we could still see the glowcoming from our neighbor's site. Our campfire chats were pretty loud and hilarious and went through til midnight, but we got no complaints. The campgrounds was about 10 minutes away from Morro Bay's town and it was so quiet and removed from civilization.. could see a bunch of stars at night.. so beautiful! Campsite didn't have that many pests, except moths that flew too close to the flame (or in our case, too close to our wine glasses and drowned!) We saw a few deer crossing the creek. About the ranky smell of the pit toilets.. our site only experienced it once in our 2 night there for like 2 minutes. then it went the other way. Would definitely recommend! read more

I visited Cerro Alto Campground today to hike Cerro Alto. It was truly a wonderful (and strenuous) hike. The trails are in far better shape than those at neighboring state parks. I did use one of the latrines before I began my journey. It was as odor-free and clean as any pit toilet I have ever encountered! If you want to experience disgusting pit toilets try neighboring Montana de Oro State Park. As I was sitting on a bench having a snack after my hike, the Ranger waved and smiled from a distance as he drove by. Overall a nice little campground without a lot of fat-assed Winnebagos cluttering things up. read more

Growing up locally and having the opportunity to camp at such a beautiful location is amazing. Life doesn't bring you gems like this everyday. I don't want to give out the local "spot," but if you're cruising through the area there is an outstanding little camp ground with a fantastic hike and even better views read more

I spend 3 nights at site 19 which is just at the trail head. It was a huge, flat site with shade all day. The nights were exceptionally quiet, perhaps because it was during the week. There was an amazing amount of poison oak along the edge of all the campsites and trails, but a week later, I have no signs of having touched it, thank God! The very friendly camp host recommended a loop hike that was great. One negative, the water coming from the faucets tasted just awful. The water tasted how the pit toilets smelled. The pit toilets were fine in the morning then fly filled and smelly by the afternoon. Take your own drinking water! I went in to town and bought some. read more

Cerro Alto Campground - Campgrounds Near Me - Morro Bay, California

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Camping dates: 3/18/2011 - 3/20/2011 It rained when my girlfriend and I went so I don't think i could have fully appreciated it. There was nice shade at our site but no showers and no flush toilets. read more

Super awesome people in charge of the campground. I can't remember their names but they were super friendly and helpful. Site was a bit spooky, deep in the woods but had a great experience here. read more

Love the hiking here, close to city and close to beaches... best of both worlds. And the camphost Deci and Charlie are a hoot. As for the toilets, they are pits so you get what you get... meaning they don't flush. But it is camping in the woods and that's what I go for. read more

We had spots 9 and 10. Let me say if you don't book 9. Don't book 10. 10 stinks literally- since its right next to the bathroom. The only reason the smell didn't bug us was because we set up meals and campfire at 9 and just used 10 as the back area for tents. The camp is clean. There is poison oak...all the reviews on that are true. If you cant get a spot at tbe beach this is a good alternative. read more

Great location. Campsite 11 was up higher. Pit toilets, but clean. We hiked the 5 miles roundtrip up Cerro Alto. Great hike with wonderful views of morrow rock and ocean. Good deal. Close to town. read more

Stayed one night here to break up the drive from NorCal. This is definitely not a destination campground, but it was quiet enough and had some nice features. I would avoid the campsite we stayed in, though (17) as it is right next to the bathrooms and had an abundance of poison oak, but at least the bathrooms (pit toilets) were fairly well maintained. Nice area of the Los Padres Forest, though, and there were some hiking trails accessible from the campground, as well. It's very convenient to Morro Bay and San Luis Obispo, but secluded enough to feel like you're getting away from hustle and bustle. Overall-not bad! read more

The campsite is descent, however, the camp manager is a drunken bully that demands payment and threatens to call police, even if you're only there for an hour. On one occasion, I witnessed him harass campers from another country that couldn't understand him because he was so drunk. He really needs to be fired. read more

Dates: 4/25-4/27 2 Adults and 2 Road Bikes ;) In an effort to curb costs, enjoy the great outdoors and ride the beautiful San Luis Obispo Bicycle Club Wildflower Century this past weekend, we decided to camp. I have to admit, I booked this location without first reading the Yelp reviews. After reading them I even contemplated canceling our reservation. Although I appreciate all the reviews, I can tell you that in all situations, it's really one's perception. My husband and I decided to take a chance. After all, life is all about an adventure and this is camping! We are SO thankful we did and are making plans to return. The campgrounds is located off HWY 41 and very secluded. In fact, the birds stopped chirping in the evenings and sung melodies in the mornings. I should add that because you're out in a remote area, cell service does not work. We arrived Friday afternoon to a rain storm. It was pretty funny watching my husband put a tent up in the rain. Although I tried my best to avoid selecting a spot next to the toilets, I sort of messed up in that respect because we were right next to the toilet (Spot# 10)! Oh well! Honestly, the smell was not that horrible and yes, you do get a whiff here and there. These are pit toilets. As a person who had to go in pots and pans when I was younger, this is luxury for sure!And, the Ranger, Mike, did a great job keeping it clean, bleached and well stocked (every morning the toilet papers were all filled up). I know some people complained about him, but he was the hardest worker we knew. He wanted to see our paperwork Friday evening, but we were arleady settled in our tent. He told us not to worry and he would find us tomorrow. He then told us to have a great evening and off he went. The next day, after our century, we saw Mike again. He was very pleasant and watched with a smile as we created a makeshift tent. He told us that if we wanted to, Morro Bay had showers that we could use. But we had already settled in and did not want to drive there and back. He said to go right ahead and set up our shower and even told us if we wanted to, we could use the bathroom and he would just come back and sweep the water. He really did go out of his way to ensure we were happy. He made his rounds often to ensure everything looked up to par. All in all, our experience was great and fun! We had our adventure and are really looking forward to coming back again. We also drove around the rest of the sites to scope out potential spots. Cerro Alto is gorgeous and beautiful. We only wish we had extra time to hike the trails. That's on our list next time we come back! Thank you again for a great site and huge Thank you to Mike for making us feel at home away from home! read more

We wanted to go to their hiking trail, and it was just an awful experience for four people trying to get there. First, there's a one way road that you have to share (worse with an RV). The other is a $10 parking fee per vehicle and $25 for camping per day. We asked several people how to pay for the parking, because there are instructions, but we didn't understand how the money would be collected (and we didn't see a drop off/deposit box for the envelopes). There was a park ranger vehicle but no where in sight. Signal and reception were dreadful. We got lost trying to get there. Also the "bathrooms" are pretty much outhouses, and the smell was horrid. We also had dogs with us and couldn't find trash cans to dispose our doggy poopie bags, so we had to drop them off at the "bathroom". Since we didn't make it to the hiking trail, just had issues starting out, we didn't even bother to experience the hike, which had good ratings on AllTrails app. read more

Loved my stay here. Sites 18 and 19 are pretty great. They dont have a camp store. But bathrooms are spread out throughout the camp. They are outhouse style so..yes they smell pretty bad. But where I stayed..wasnt am issue. Cerro Alto hike is a short kinda tough hike but very pretty. The location of the camp is only 10min away from downtown Morro Bay. read more

We had Site 11, which had no shade, poison oak on one end, and steps to the bathroom that were not usable (there was an orange fence along that entire edge of the site). The sites are very basic with only a fire pit and picnic table, and the campground has a few pit toilets scattered around (and running water outside the bathroom). Luckily we didn't stay at the campground during the day...we went to Paso Robles and Morro Bay, which are both pretty close! We did hike the trail one night, which is 2.5 miles one way (I'm only mentioning that because it wasn't posted anywhere so we had no idea what we were getting into when we started out). read more

This is a quiet, out-of-the-way campground. We were there in July and did not encounter any bugs. Pit toilets were a bit of a walk away from us, and could have been a little cleaner, but we didn't smell them from our site. We stayed in spot 19, which I would maybe not pick the next time as it was right next to spot 18 and in a circle of four sites. The other sites (8-16?) were singles. There is the RV factor. The loop we were in (again, the last few sites at the very end of the campground) was definitely for RVs. Nice, big sites, but we had to listen to a generator in the morning. The quiet of this place, and the fact that we were able to have a campfire, made it worth the stop. I would stay there again. read more

While the camphost was very nice and helpful and the trail we hiked was awesome I was extremely disappointed that someone stole my sleeping bag out of my car!! It may have been while I was walking to my campsite to get my money to pay for the parking fee! So frustrating and discouraging. I tried to find out how to get ahold of the camphost-maybe someone turned it in, and there is no way (I could find) to contact them once you leave the camp. read more

i would give it ZERO stars if i could. the bathrooms smell so ungodly horrible and it wafts to ALL the campsites. disgusting. there's no drinking water. the management is unaccomadating, rude, and unhelpful. it feels really unsafe here, i got my shoes stolen and my wallet. i will never be returning to this hell hole. read more

This was the worst camping experience I have ever had in my life. We had a 15ft trailer and they gave us spot #18 and we barely had room to park the trailer and the truck in our spot even though we had notified them we were bringing a trailer when I made the reservations. The stench from the nasty bathrooms was unreal. There was NO ventilation and they were porta-potty style. There were so many bugs because the bathrooms were so disgusting and were swarming around everywhere. There was no electric hook ups so we had a generator. We ran it to power up our trailer for about 45 min. The people on the campsite "near" us were complaining about the "noise" of it and came over and banged on our trailer door demanding we turn it off. And this was at 4 o'clock in the afternoon. Then around 8 pm another camper came up to us asking for help since we had a power source to use it to blow up his air mattresses. So it was only on for about 15 min. Then shortly after we helped the fellow camper the female camp host came over and verbally attacked my fiancé and I in front of our daughter yelling at us saying we were the loudest campers she has ever heard. Being very rude to us all while our daughter was listening and getting upset. We will never be camping here ever again. read more

We have been camping at this campground for the past 3 generations of our family. When the sites were managed by the forest service everything was great and we enjoyed our stays. Since the new private company took over the campground and starting running it like a business it is a JOKE! We didn't mind paying to stay even though the campsites are rarely maintained but now they have restricted the sites to one trailer or tent per site!! Instead of letting several trailers on one site and paying for each to be there they must have their own designated sites. I'm so sad that someone has come in and ruined what our family has been able to do traditionally! read more

There is poison oak everywhere, including the trails on the way to the campsights. At $30 a night, it seems a bit expensive considering that there's POISON OAK EVERYWHERE. Also parking is very limited. Camp hosts were chill and laid back. But there's poison oak everywhere, sooooo..... read more