First time camping here, very strict rules, music and socializing ends at 10:00 pm, ranger enforced. Showers are paid by quarters only, go prepared. We got on our friend's boat, was a nice experience. read more

I been going of lake piru for over for over 15+ year and I can't say enough how much this place still feels like home ! Love it here

I recently visited Lake Piru and had a fantastic time. The lake is absolutely stunning, surrounded by beautiful hills, and it's an ideal spot for swimming and hiking with breathtaking views. While the restrooms were not in perfect condition, they were functional and the staff seemed to be working hard to keep things tidy. This minor detail didn't detract from the overall enjoyment of the visit. Campsite was very well fitted and was on the drier side. Not much shade from the sun so bring some cover. Staff comes around selling wood and ice which can come in handy if you run out, but plenty areas to go find wood The picnic areas and the rest of the park were well-kept, making for a pleasant and relaxing day. I'm looking forward to returning and experiencing more of what Lake Piru has to offer! read more

Lake Piru Recreation Area - Lake Piru - Parks Near Me - Piru, California

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Great place to go camping, especially if you like to fish or have a boat. We camped in the RV area and had a really nice time. The campground is very well maintained, and the staff is very customer service oriented. Services are limited. There is a snack shack open during the day. No grill or restaurant services available. Restroom facilities are very clean and well maintained. Easy travel distance off I-5 or from the 101 Freeway. Come on out and pull up a chair around the camp fire. We'll get a s'more ready for you! read more

Campsite amazing,rangers are so nice,quiet,a lot of room for activity,bathrooms clean,good for fishing, clean restrooms. Written by Mason age 9 read more

It's cute and remote. A lot of people camp here. We came for the day. There's a swimmable area, good picnicking is possible too. Fishing off the shore as well. Boat ramp is small but manageable. The lake is stunning, and they don't currently require inspection because they are infested with the quagga mussel so that's a plus if you have been to other lakes you know what a nightmare the inspection process can be. Potential unfun detail--if it gets windy it's not fun but you can go in a cove and wait it out...but that's any lake really right? read more

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Very nice stay. The camp hosts are so nice and friendly. We enjoyed our stay. It was nice, quiet, and so nice to see all the deer out and about. We got in some running and biking in the area. read more

The Noise enforcement officers pick and choose who gets to skirt the rules here. We were asked to turn down our music. And when we did willingly. We noticed that other people noise levels could be heard from other campsites near us. Then as if to explain this, We were literally told that movie projectors and the noise coming off them were not a problem even though we could hear their noise across the street. Yet, we were singled out for our music which wasn't that loud. Double standards seem to exist in this place regardless that everyone paid the same amount of money to stay here. Yea, this isn't okay. Rules are rules and should apply to all parties. read more

Clean park, clean restrooms, and a cute little playground for kids. Recently had a family picnic here and no complaints!

We took a group of young Scouts and had a horrible experience. Extremely loud well past the quiet hours. Camp staff asked groups to quiet down but attempts were ineffective and not repeated. We witness drug use and people vomiting in empty campsites. Not a safe place for children or families. Disappointed to rule out this location for our group camping events. read more

I love this lake and but it always changes with the water levels. It's a different lake every time I go, which always throws a curve ball with the fishing. Other than that, great place to bring the kiddos. read more

Not a place to go paddle boarding! When you have Boats, jet skis and other watercraft on the lake it makes the water very choppy and hard to maneuver. A person got too close to me while on his jet ski and caused my paddle boat to flip over! Never going back here again. Also waving for help for a good five to ten minutes and no help whatsoever. Castaic lake has constant patrols. No wonder people always die here. Would've been another statistic if it wasn't for the people who helped me get back to shore. God bless them! read more

Good area to go and spend the day , far enough from la to feel the nature but not really far that it's a mission to do in a day

Had my first experience fishing this past Saturday and it was fun. Didn't catch anything, but practicing my casting was peaceful. We fished near the docks and there's a lot of ground around the lake to fish from. It looked clean so it's good to see visitors being responsible and picking up after themselves. The lake has three porta potty restrooms. Plenty of parking. We did see a deer on the hillside keep to itself. RECOMMENDATIONS: Bring your own food, drinks, seats, shade, and sun screen. Mosquitoes come out at sundown so a can of bug spray too if you plan to be there during the evening. read more

Lake Piru Recreation Area - Parks Near Me - Piru, California

Really nice campground with plenty of shade and near restrooms that were very clean that had showers and washers. Separate sink outside of bathrooms to wash any dishes and very few wildlife to worry about at night. Camp host were extremely friendly. Highly recommend camping here. Definitely camping here again!! read more

This campground was clean and fairly inexpensive but you are really close to your neighbors so not much privacy. Lots of sheriff and rangers driving by which for some reason did not make me feel safe. The main problem with this place is a horrible general store with basically nothing in it. NO FiSHING TACKLE OR BAIT at a lake that advertises fishing as one of its best features. Just an ok spot to camp but I recommend it for a one night pass through stop. read more

Fourth of July weekend , amazing! Only problem is they need to put lightbulbs in the bathroom it gets so dark in there ! read more

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Beautiful environment, electricity at some camp sites which is nice. Courteous and friendly staff. Highly recommend for people looking for a getaway from city noise. Saw a family of deer and heard cows during my stay. read more

Getting there: The rec area is located after you enter the regional park. The campsite is to the left and the lake is on the right side you can't miss it. Experience: I am not saying this lake sucks, but I am saying that there are better lakes out there. This lake is not very big, it was super crowded, the water is dirty and there is no real beach to hangout at. Unless you have a boat or some type of water vehicle then it's not really a fun lake to hangout at. There is also no type of shade so you have to bring your own EZ Up or whatever you have. read more

Beautiful scenery and extremely clean! The 100° August weather was bearable since our trailer has excellent air conditioning. The boat rental is around $600 for the day but well worth it because the lake is so clean! Matt is an awesome employee at the docks. Helped us load up the rental & gave us plenty of helpful hints w/safety instructions too When the boat trip was over, my family & I were greeted by 3 of the boat fellas to assisted in parking pontoon & unloading our fishing gear! In the Piru campgrounds, we were surrounded by cows roaming freely. Families of deer grazing all around the campsites. Great to have the electric hook ups but it will cost ya $9.99 for their Wi-Fi. YOU MUST BUY IT if you want to have any reception since there's absolutely NO service the moment you enter the canyon! If you want to camp off the grid this is the place for you! read more

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Not a bad camp site, I must say it was much cleaner than I anticipated, the lake was a very short drive from the camp site. read more

Lake Piru Recreation Area - Parks Near Me - Piru, California

Water level is finally back up. Full hook up sites but only about 10 of them most are electricity and tent dry camp. Super clean bathroom and showers Check site first of you have a rv most are alittle small. VERIZON CELL PHONES DO NOT WORK HERE AT ALL. Only at&t works here that's it no one else. No WiFI at camp ground Tons of snakes on the shore be careful when fishing the shore. Better to fish from boat. Little store doesn't have mich there. Who ever is running it doesn't put much effort into it. So don't count on them having any supplies or everything. Miss the old place there. Firewood sucks bring your own. Not a private camp at all but much better atmosphere than Lake Casitis.. Water is super infested if you put your boat in the water you can't put in any other lake but piru for 10 days! The deer are fun to watch. Kids love it Over all I would recommend to at least trying camping here once but best in summer to come during the week. read more

Lake Piru Recreation Area - Windy here every day by 1pm - Parks Near Me - Piru, California

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This campground is NOT DOG friendly even more it is especially NOT PEOPLE friendly. My small chihuahua dogs are used to running around in the backyard. They are well behaved dogs that love to run and play outside just like little kids do. This does NOT make them bad dogs. But to be kicked out of a campground seriously I am still in complete shock. There are 238 campsites but only a handful of full hook up sites at the entrance of the campground. These sites are directly next to the camp hosts that live here year round. All of the camp host live on site for free. The only criteria is that each of them must work 20 hours a week in order to live for free. From day one of us being here two of the hosts did not like us. They so much as verbally told us. One Particular host The larger older man in the picture on the golf cart came over and pounded on our door because my dog was outside running around without a leash. We did not let her out to go potty at 11pm rather we had just opened the door she darted out. She had gotten out a few other times, less than a handful but it was always during the day time not at night. So I got in my car and drove around the campground looking for her. The temperature was below freezing 30 degrees and I was on a mission to find her fast. After several minutes of me searching for my dog, the campground host saw me and got on his golf cart and drove to our space. By this time I was back at our trailer sitting in my car waiting for my dog to come back. I was sitting there very upset and when he pulled up I thought he had found her, and when I asked him if he saw her he only yelled loudly NO and asked if my husband was inside. I told him yes he was and he got up and walked to the door and pounded very loud and hard and when my husband answered he started yelling at him for my dog being off the leash. Robert apologized to him and said that we did not mean to cause him any disrespect. The camp host yelled and said we have been disrespectful since day one. Since we have had little to no contact with this particular host and or any others we were shocked that he said that. We apologized for a 2nd time he then told us he was in charge and he was going to make sure that we were kicked out of the campground. The following morning I spoke to the Ranger and explained to him what happened and re-assured him we would try to make sure it did not happen again but it was merely an accident. He told me to keep our distance from him and I said no problem at all. Saturday morning 12/11/21 the ranger camp to our door only to tell me we were being kicked out of and had to leave by Friday 12/17/21 leave. He called me Friday afternoon to ask me when we were leaving and i asked him if he could please allow us to stay until 1/01/22. I had tested POSITIVE for COVID and I was suppose to stay in quarantine for 14 days The following day 12/18/21 Saturday the ranger showed up with 3 county sheriff's. They told us we had until Tuesday 12/21/21 And if we weren't gone by then we would be arrested for trespassing. The entire campground is EMPTY and is the ideal place to quarantine The summer months are very busy here. Campers stay up all night, drinking and being loud and do not observe the quiet at 10 pm but they are never asked to leave. According to the head of the campground Clayton if you violate any ONE of their rules you will be kicked out immediately. But that is a LIE. I thought the idea was to bring in money to support the national forest and for families to have fun. We were the only family staying here this winter paying $900 a month steady income for them. Bottom line is one angry camphost has an attitude and doesn't like you then your gone Well Merry Christmas to me. read more

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One of the worst camping experiences I've had. It is one thing to be packed like sardines next to each other, but it is another when NO ONE cares to enforce quiet times. When it is time to sell mediocre wood or ice they are running around every 5 mins. When it is time to enforce quiet time, no one is seen. Even after many people complained, no one did anything about it. I have camped over 100 times in the last decade, this was easily the worst spot. Stay away. Also the boat rental company is a scam. read more

Omg is so beautiful clean am. Have tables to see a meat you can't take you barbecue. Is very nice place to go with young back read more

Lake Piru Recreation Area - Parks Near Me - Piru, California

Great location for camping. Very clean, scenic area. Lots of deers. Only reason I gave them a 4 out 5 is because of their wifi. You cannot use HOTSPOT here. You MUST purchase the $9 day wifi service which h was very slow. I left early bcuz I could not work online from here. read more

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If you're looking for a place to fish or ride your boat don't bother coming here, the drought has the water level of the lake really low. Looking at the mountain around the lake you can see where the level use to be, the staff told us they're down to about 15% of what it use to be. Besides the lake the camp site is actually pretty decent. The site is $22 or $24 a night & includes parking for one automobile, any additional vehicles parking at that site have to pay $14 for parking. The sites can hold about 3-5 tents depending on the size, & they are pretty close together which is good if you have a large group of people with you, on the flip side it could be a bad thing if you get stuck at a spot next to some annoying people. The sites up top seems to be really crowded while the sites on the lower level (219-237) were more private, the only downside to the lower site was that narrow one lane road to drive down there. One last thing, unless you have att or cricket wireless don't expect your cell phone to work here. As soon as I turned into central off the 126 & got near the mountain my reception was gone. My phone caught a slight signals when we walked over to the lake but that was it. read more

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This past weekend on April 2018 our family set out on what would come to be one of the best weekends of our camping history. If you are thinking about a great L.A. local camping site I would recommend Lake Piru. One amenity nobody tells you about is the fact that you get awaken by a heard of deer greasing beside your window tent. We took some great family pictures with them as they are super friendly and not get easily scared. Shout out to Vivi!!! (Park Staff) We ran into car problems (Dead battery) Vivi was out cleaning and when I asked her for help she ran to her truck and came back with cables to solve a problem that could have easily ruined the weekend. The staff is always driving around in golf carts cleaning but also offering anybody in need of sodas, gattorades, ice and firewood. One more thing also as important for me and my family was how clean the bathrooms were. Good Job Lake Piru Staff! read more

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One of the best camping places I've ever been, we keep on coming back and I have to say one of the biggest reasons why we keep on coming back is Josh and Andrea they are very nice and helpful to us no matter the time! They always helped us with an smile on their face! read more

We went there for 4th of July weekend. Knowing there was restrictions to Coronavirus. They had to accommodate every other site due to Social Distancing What a wonderful staff especially Miranda. They would make there rounds to see if we needed anything. We managed to rent a boat on a first come basis. The staff wore their face mask. It was a perfect getaway weekend to be off the grid and enjoy nature. Thank you Lake Piru staff read more

Lake Piru Recreation Area - Parks Near Me - Piru, California

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Maybe I'm spoiled from camping out in Yosemite and places that are somewhat secluded. Lake seemed nice but the campsites were ridiculous. No privacy what so ever. Sites were so close from all around. Neighbors behind your site, next to you, front of you. You can hear their conversations. Was confusing which site was which because they were that closely packed in. We didn't even unpack. We just parked our car and decided to go elsewhere. To be fair. Campsite seemed very popular. Lots of families and kids. If you love crowds and noise. This would be great. Campground seemed cleaned. Not sure about the bathrooms since didn't stay long enough. read more

We reserved a two-night stay across two campsites. However, the camp staff placed the second campsite two spaces away from the first one. This arrangement led to an awkward scenario where we needed to circumvent the second site just to reach and spend time at our main campsite. When I inquired whether the camp could possibly rearrange things by contacting the other campers, I was informed that this wouldn't be possible. While I understand that the camp has the right to make such decisions, it did complicate our vacation unnecessarily. Hotels, which have been efficiently managing bookings for years, could serve as a good example. Perhaps upgrading to a better hotel management software, or simply asking guests if they are open to a change of site, only if a larger group needs the 2 sites. I did attempt to speak with the management at Piru and even left messages. I did not receive a return call. All in all a great place to camp. It was an unnecessary glitch in an otherwise great camping experience. read more

Poorly managed facility. There is no information online stating when the facility opens each day. This Yelp page has listed the open time as 6:00 am, not everything at the Piru recreation area opens at 6:00 am. The Lake Piru Recreation web page has no information, they list a phone number you call, the recorded message ask you to leave a message and they will call you back but no one ever calls you back. We came to rent a boat and go fishing assuming they would be open at 6:00 am, WRONG, the facility opens at 6:00 am but only to launch private boats. You cannot rent boats until 8:00 am. It would have been good to know this beforehand. According to staff members, the boat rental opens at 8:00 am but may be open earlier, sometimes. The store to buy the bait opens at 9:00 am, but it may open earlier, sometimes. Chaotic way to run a business. They rent you a boat and then want you come back an hour later to buy the bait, ridiculous! Now for the boat rentals. Don't expect any deals, the pontoons cost waaayyyy to much to rent, $250 for three hour rental, $350 dollars for a five hour rental, don't even ask about the Premium pontoon rentals, those prices are insanely high! The boats are worn and torn; they should be ashamed to ask those prices, not worth it! The staff are very kind and professional; this is only good part of the entire operation. They would not launch boats until the fog had cleared; it was for safety reasons so we understood but it added to our 2 hour wait. The lake was great, we did not catch any fish but it could have been because we did not have any bait! Bring your own boat and bait or stay home! read more

Stayed there on a solo trip this past weekend. First time at this campground. Booked a couple weeks out and chose a site by using the map and photos at their site, and photos form the website campsitephotos. Glad I did the research as the campsite I stayed at is about the only one I think I would have liked. This campground is like the track home version of campsites. They are so close together you can stick your hand out of your tent window and pass your neighbor a cup of sugar for their coffee. The one benefit to that is if you have a large group and booked 2 or 3 or 4 sites in a row, you could have a nice sized setup for your friends and family. There was some fantastic sites down in the Group campsites that were closed, too bad they are only for groups. Not too many shaded sites tent campers, mine was pretty good though and had some trees for my hammock. Lots of deer roaming the campgrounds, a family of five deer spent a lot of time near my site and they are not afraid of people or cars! (see pics). Also saw a fox run through my campsite twice. They have wi-fi available for $9/day (20 minutes free trial each day too) and then there are also weekly rates. Signal is kinda weak at the outer campgrounds but the routers are at the bathroom so go near them for a strong signal. Bathroom and shower facilities are fantastic. Strong, warm showers, $1.50 in quarters for 8 minutes. Tiled walls and floors and clean. Many rangers and caretakers around, they will sell you ice and wood and bring it to you since the store by the lake is still closed. Ice is $3 a lb bag (they also have 20lb bag but I don't know the price on that one), VERY reasonable, they could easily gouge on the price. Thumbs up on that! Not sure price of wood, I brought a ton myself. I really wanted to take advantage of the lake and Kayak or rent a boat but they currently DO NOT have any rentals. Gate employee told me maybe by March. Lots of water stations, trash bins, clean campsites, attentive staff, patrolling campgrounds on golf carts every hour or so it seems. There's two hiking trails up the road from the campground (6mi or 12mi) and there's some geocaches coming up the road and within the park if that's your thing too. Lot's of RV lots here, about 50/50 tent and RV. Day use area up the road from the campground was very nice with lots of tables, shade structures, green grass and play equipment. Half court basketball court in the day use parking lot and volleyball course on the campgrounds. Dropped some stars for the lack of space in between campsites, lack of shade and lack of water activities and rentals. I would come back, but probably only to the site I stayed at, sorry not dropping that site # tip in case I want to come back! :) read more

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I have been camping at this lake for over 20 years. I cannot believe how this has changed. Very inconsiderate campers. Dogs barking non stop, campers partying till 2am,restrooms a mess, no regard for child safety while driving. Most people camped in my day for peace, nature, and a relaxing vacation. Quite time is totally ignored even with a big big sign QUIET TIME 10PM- 8AM. read more

We like coming here to do some local camping. It's not a bad place. Wonderful helpful staff that goes around to see if you need ice or anything. Do except that you will not have any phone signal at all unless you have AT&T. Lots of deers and the lake is a decent size. The only thing is there are a lot of kids that are riding sea-doo around that has no clue when the see a flag up on a boat means. My son was in the water and almost got hit by a sea-doo and had the nervous to come by us and splash us because we was scream at her letting her know there was a person in the water. Ughhhh!! Other than that deers are fearless. Got to hand feed them. read more

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For my Mother's Day weekend we stayed at site 113- the camp host Josh and his wife Andrea (hope I spelled that correctly) were SOOO AMAZING! they came and checked on us multiple times to check if we needed anything and even just to say hi! They were so sweet and brought us plenty of fire wood and ice. I would DEFINITELY Recommend coming here. If not for the lake -Then for Josh and his lovely wife Thank you again so much Guys!! You made my weekend worth it!!! read more

Lake Piru is a nice CLOSE place to get away from it all. The drive through Grimes Canyon is spectacular (if you just slow down and appreciate th scenery). CAMPING ( *** ): The campsites are nice and flat... but there is NO sense of privacy what-so-ever. You can be on one end of the campgrounds and see all the way across to the other side. Not a tree or bush in the way to offer ay privacy. Oh well. SCENERY ( ***** ): The place i downright beautiful. The surrounding mountains and the beautiful lake... all the ingredients for a good day. FISHING ( **** ): I only fished for about 2 hours... and didn't catch anything. However, we talked with people who left much earlier than us and they did fine. BOATING ( *** ): I don't have a boat... but know people who do. Apparently the boating is great here and it is one of the few lakes in th area tht allow drinking alcohol while on the water. Bonus! However, keep in mind DUI rules apply same as if you were in a car, so please be careful! FYI, there is absolutely NO cell phone service while at Piru. You're in a dead zone. However, they do offer lightning fast WiFi for a small $5 for a 24 hour period. All in all, this was a great trip. Definately recommend hitting up this place if you get the chance. read more

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Live in Ventura, Santa Barbara, or Los Angeles counties and want to get away for a couple days of camping & fishing without all the effort of a long distance camping trip? If so, this might be the place for you. A buddy & I decided to get out of town recently for some camping & fishing and had a good time to show for it. More than anything, we had a relaxing couple of days to sit around and talk, grill meat to our hearts' content, & nap whenever the urge hit. In a nutshell, to be as lazy as we damn well pleased...and we were. It's located an easy 6 miles or so into the mountains from Hwy. 126 (near Magic Mountain), so it's freeway close, but it still feels so very remote. So remote, in fact, that your cell phone will not work up there - yahoo! The campground offers good bathrooms & free showers, large sinks to wash pots & pans, horseshoe pits, and a volleyball court. Most importantly, the campground offers a wide variety of wildlife including intrepid squirrels, a lone oversized skunk, a sneaky coyote, birds of all sorts, and some 30 resident deer. It's all very relaxing & comforting.(1) The shore fishing was not great due to low water levels, but we noticed those fishermen that brought their boats along catching Bass with rubber worms.(2) Photos: http://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/sbezNy622dQyUlDwD7roBg Notes: (1) Ignore the child-like cries of a resident mountain lion, that nightmare will move along. (2) I heard M-80's work, too. Just kidding, do not blow up the fish! read more

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I recently stayed at Lake Piru during labor day weekend with my boyfriends family and we had a nice little adventure. It was about a 2hr drive from Orange county up near Castaic and Six Flags. It was extremely hot about 99 to 100 degrees mid day and cool at night. The camp sights were arranged within a close knit vicinity and not so spread out like at Joshua Tree. There were several other people camping and the spots for each party were quite spacious. There were bathrooms and showers conveniently located within the camp site but of course, they were always packed. Moreso because I went during a holiday weekend. The lake itself wasnt too far from the campsite which provided a really nice review. The water itself looked very muggy but its a lake and it aint Hawaii so dont expect anything clear. There were boats and jet skiis available for renting which is nice if you have a group of people you want to split the cost with. The prices are kinda high - $80 for the whole day which fits 4 people in an aluminum boat and $40 for 2 hours. They get booked fast so its recommended you reserve early in the morning. The camp site is constantly patrolled by park ranger personel amd security which I liked. Made me feel safe hehe :) And the view of the stars at night were an awesome treat! Im a big fan of that kind of view at night so I enjoyed the night sky here for sure. read more

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