Terrible experience going to this campground. I booked this site a month in advance. I ended up…read morechanging my camp site to a site deeper into the loop which I was charged additionally for. Upon arriving (after 5 hours and 300 miles of travel) I discover my campground is closed off. All surrounding campgrounds are either closed off due to "hazardous tree" or "reserved". So I was at a loss, no reception, no one there, no note left behind for my reservation that is unavailable. So I set up shop at site 14 and hope whoever shows up will share the campsite. Now I'm setting up my tent and I'm literally being swarmed by black gnats. Idk what they are because my citronella candle and dousing of mosquito spray is not working, not at all. After 3 hours of sitting like a duck and not seeing a single other person arrive to this campsite, I figured I couldn't stay alone in this abandoned campground. Over 22 sites here and only myself and a couple in site 1 which is upfront of the entrance were there. However their site shows most of the sites reserved. Unsure why people would choose to visit this campground besides its remoteness. Personally I can't say I recommend this place especially if you're traveling from some ways away. This is why I wrote Thai review. Unfortunately I couldn't in their website and I did not want someone else to have the experience I had.

I absolutely love Ponderosa Campground. There are no running water facilities, meaning no showers…read moreand just pit toilets. We got any water we needed that we did not carry with us from the spigots placed throughout the campground. One of my friends and I came here as part of a California Road Trip in mid-July 2018 (we were living in East Bay at the time - both of us in Albany) and this was our last campground before returning to the Bay Area. We had found most campgrounds were full up, but managed to find Ponderosa Campground with open spots online before making our way here by car. The drive in from the Southeast was through heathland with areas that had experienced burns/fires in the not too distant past. We also drove through Fort Hunter-Liggett, which we did not learn until driving through was in active use by the military. I even had to pull my tiny 2010 Toyota Corolla off to the side of the road to let the military vehicles, including tanks, drive past going the other direction. Careful to not pull off too far or get out of one's car and walk around if you need to pass through there, there were explosives in the ground... literally... We returned to the Fort area briefly after checking in to our campsite to contact our family/friends and let them know we were safe. At the campground itself we did not have cell phone reception and there were zero campground lights. Perfect for if you want to watch the stars at night. Just be careful and don't spook those mountain lions (also called cougars or pumas) into following you when you go to use the pit toilets at night. I found them to be quite friendly if treated kindly and not provoked. The campsite we used had a picnic table, parking space, and a fire pit which we couldn't use due to fire danger. Our site was flat, which was perfect for setting up the tent and playing a board game (Trivial Pursuit) by lantern light at night. The trees were tall and magical, as was the heathland outside of the campground on our drive in. Other campers were respectful and not too noisy, we tried to be quiet as well. All around a great stay I would say.

We enjoyed a relaxing day here with our dog. We were able to drive down to the lower beach and park…read morewith a great view of the old pier. There is lots of shade and space to relax and enjoy the sounds of the water. The beach and picnic area were pretty clean and although there were people fishing and BBQing, there was a nice quiet atmosphere. I don't know if it's typical but on our visit there were no screaming children or loud teens posing for the gram. It was a really calm vibe. The restrooms are near the entrance so it's a bit of a trek if you need to go and the portable restroom that was in the area was locked. Still this was better than the other beaches we visited in the area and I would definitely come back.

OK...this review is for the coast line area right under the William Randolph Hearst Memorial View…read morePoint. It's about 5 miles from the State Beach memorial state beach, which the rest of the reviews mention. But it is part of the Hearst State Beach. It has plenty of gravel parking, and good views of the coastline. You are able to slowly climb down the low embankment and get close to the water. I don't think it's safe for swimming, and with the ocean breezes making it quite chilly, so didn't stay too long. The sand is rough, with some large driftwood on the beach. But I was only one on the beach for a bit, and it was nice just staring out to the ocean while hearing the loud rumbling of the shallow waves.

Fantastic Experience - Highly Recommend!…read more We just had an amazing time on Lake Nacimiento thanks to SBR Rentals! From the rental process, making sure we had the boat that fit our needs, to the check in/check out, all the interactions were friendly, professional, and super helpful. The check-in process was quick and smooth, and they made sure we were fully comfortable with the boat before heading out. They were also very responsive when we had questions! The boat itself was in excellent condition--clean, well-maintained, and easy to operate. Definitely an added bonus that they had wakeboards and life vests for different sizes. The tube was a huge hit! What really stood out was the customer service. Mikey was amazing at the dock and even gave us tips on the best spots to wakeboard, tube, anchor and swim. We'll definitely be renting from them again and highly recommend them to anyone looking for a fun and stress-free day on the water! Thank you for an awesome experience!

We had the most amazing day on Lake Naci through SBR Marine rentals. WOW! From start to finish,…read moreKristin, Mikey and their family took such good care of us. They were so attentive, accommodating, and knowledgeable. Our boat very comfortably fit the 8 of us, and we added on the tube and wakeboard. I cannot recommend this business enough. Such a fun day!!

Final lovely beach before hitting scenic highway 1 cliffs and elephant seal beaches to the north,…read moreso if you want a beach walk, pier, or hike to a headland, stop here. Portable toilets replace the bathrooms, but there are signs about the area located off the large parking lot. You can see the historic Hearst buildings from halfway down the pier. We saw sea otter and comorants,and had a great view of Hearst Ranch.

I was a little confused why the rating is so high here having lived in California all my life and…read moreseen some amazing beaches. It appears that a lot of the reviews on this listing are actually for Hearst Memorial State Beach, which is, imo, much better but has a completely separate yelp page. I hope people aren't getting them confused because they will be disappointed if they are. San Simeon State beach is ok but the sand is a but rough and there are many spots that don't allow dogs. We have parked here a few times to enjoy the views and use the restroom. There are also some boardwalks/paths you can meander but the beach itself is just ok. I would head over to Hearst Beach since you're already in the area or really any of the other awesome beaches in the state for any genuine beach activities but that's just me.

Located at Ragged hotel on highway one. The beginning of the "nature trail" can be found behind the…read moregift shop. This trail may be a short hike but not a hike that should be taken lightly; tread carefully. You should only do this hike if wearing proper shoes and use to tough steep hikes. This hike has very loose footings and one can easily slip or fall. If you may it to the bottom you'll be treated with a deserted beach: black beach. Best to go during low tide. If the tide is not low, the beach may be non existent. After a storm, you may see a waterfall! Be careful: extremely dangerous hike

AWESOME VIEW!!! 360 great view…read more If you drive up to cone peak road, it's about 7-mile round trip. Half on the road, half on the trail. If you start at highway1, it's strenuous, it's 22-mile round trip in a day, or you can camp at Vincent Flat or other sites as a backpacking trip.

Absolutely beautiful once you make it to the top!! The entire hike was a bit confusing but with the…read morehelp of others we figured it out, would loved some signs. On the way up we didn't see much people at all but that probably had something to do with the time we started. Parked on the road across from Kirk campground- left car over night just fine- Hiked to Vicente flats- passed a small 2 tent location and than passed stream man, when it was it was HOT! No water source up at Vicente flats pack accordingly

Amazing view. Blue ocean, lush green. So pretty…read more Backpacking start: Salmon creek TH end: Backeye TH distance: 19 miles 1st night: Lion Den camp 2nd night: on the top of hill near Backeye camp

A short level trail. You enter through a gate into a field, and does not look like much until you…read morewalk towards the ocean. The bluffs drop about 75 ft. and give you sweeping views of the ocean. Such an easy trek right off Hwy 1 for nature's charm.