What a great campsite! I highly recommend anyone wanting to camp near Big Sur make a reservation here! We booked in advance for a drive-in campsite. After checking in we discovered a small snafu (not our fault), the owner (Joyce?) was so kind to us and wiggled a few things around to accommodate us, we were so grateful for her and truly had a wonderful stay. It was one of the nicest camp sites, clean bathrooms (they looked newly updated) plenty of showers throughout the grounds. My husband and I played cards once the sun set in the Gazebo near the pool. Plenty of track lighting and the pool stayed open until 10 pm. We didn't have the chance to check out the hiking trail, but we return next year and stay here again. read more

See all

We have camp at a wide range of places and I have to commend this management group for having beautiful landscaping, everything well-kept, very friendly staff who were warm and welcoming, (Lynn was great!) and just a great spot that is also conveniently located near Monterey and Carmel for sightseeing. As inn owners ourselves, we know how much work it is to keep both amenities and grounds in great condition and everything was really lovely here! My family had a combination of needing a trailer RV spot and a cabin for my sisters family and they worked to ensure we were located close to each other and had a lovely stay. I cannot recommend this campground highly enough. It is not inexpensive but well worth the price. The pool was great for the kids, they have a playground, badminton and horseshoe court. They were even dog friendly at the camp sites. On yelp, you also currently get a free dura flame log ( as the area heavily wooded does not allow for real campfires but there are grills for BBQ and fire pits you can rent for the duraflames. Finally, they have accessible hiking from the campground, but we did not have the opportunity to explore them on this trip. We will return for sure. read more

I love the rustic mountains and the views. Everything at saddle Mountain Ranch is an oasis. I return there as often as I can. Take a look into this you won't be sorry, peaceful setting the beauty are worth it. read more

I have mixed reviews about this place. Normally, we prefer to stay downtown so we're close to everything but this time we thought we'd try this and do something different. Pluses: The ladies that worked the office were extremely attentive and nice. We stayed in a cabin and it was beautiful. Very nicely kept with plenty of supplies. Location was fine. A bit further than what we're used to but conveniently located near the Barnyard which has many nice restaurants and stores. Minuses: Upon checking in, we noticed that the cable didn't work. One of the ladies came with me back to the cabin as she looked into it. She looked at something behind the cabin and then, she disappeared and never returned. I went back to the office later and reminded them about it but there never was any follow up. We could live without the cable, but the biggest minus was there was no heat. They did send a maintenance man to try to replace the propane tank but it didn't fix it. He said he would let the office know. It never did get fixed. Fortunately, it wasn't too cold and we adjusted. One last thing, the wifi is terrible. So, unless you have a very high quality device, don't expect to surf the net! read more

What an incredible park.. Lynn was extremely helpful and accommodating... I can't wait to return ;) ~Joey Z read more

Amazing location and extremely friendly staff. My son broke his arm while playing on the monkey bars and Lynn (part of the staff) was very nice and helpful with us. She even drove us back and forth to the hospital. For sure I would love to return in the future. read more

One of our all time favorite places to camp. Very clean, organized, & well run. Cute little hideaway tucked in the mountains with gorgeous views & a perfect trail. The staff was amazing. They sent us a detailed spreadsheet on all businesses that were open, who delivered, what delivery services delivered there, & who would deliver alcohol. Walked us through everything when we got there & drove us over to our campsite. The woman our first day was super helpful (didn't catch her name but she was a lovely brunette woman). The second day Rebecca was very friendly & helpful. Super sweet & wanted to make sure our stay was going well. Have their own personal trail that oversees Carmel with a lovely wedding venue on the way. Campsite were spacious & pristine. They provided bonfire pits & bbqs on each site. Bathrooms & showers were spotless with heavenly warm water. Provided lots of activities for guests like a swimming pool, horse shoes, ping pong, corn hole, board games, a basketball hoop & more. There's also a Safeway 8 minutes away which was super convenient. We will definitely be going back! read more

Saddle Mountain - Our campsite - Campgrounds Near Me - Carmel, California

See all

Only stayed here one night but really enjoyed it. Called super last minute hoping for a spot for the following night and they had one left so we took it! Pamela helped me on the phone and she was working when we were there. She was so helpful and friendly, and I was a big fan of her little dog, Olive. The full hookup was great. Their flyer said they have WiFi which didn't work for me, but I have AT&T and had fine service. The weather wasn't that warm but would have swam in their pool if it was. I would come back! read more

Love this place!! The tents are so cute and cozy. Close to a quick hike and plenty of places to sit and relax. Cant wait to go back

Saddle Mountain is the nicest RV park we've ever been to. Bathrooms are clean (no quarters needed :) (plenty of hot water), the pool's big, heated, Wifi's fast, and the staff are all really warm and friendly. If we hadn't brought an RV or a tent, there are cozy cabins. And the whole place just has a feeling of being very well looked-after. 360 view: http://360.io/kgS7br read more

See all

This was our first time camping at Saddle Mountain Ranch, we found it online while looking for a place to relax during 4th of July weekend. The drive to the site does get narrow and a little scary, but just take your time. We had a big group of people staying, with motor homes, travel and tent trailers of various sizes, and we were all able to get there and park with no problem. The pool was nice and the kids loved it, no bikes allowed is a bummer, but I can understand their reasons.. IT'S ON A HILL. Beautiful views and friendly hosts. read more

We just spent our babymoon here and had a blast! Clean bathrooms, safe environment and very friendly staff! It was small, unique, peaceful and we're so happy we stumbled upon this place! Parking your RV will test your parking skills. Nice hike nearby, large pool, fun games like corn hole and horse shoes. Special thanks to Sam and the staff! Definitely more of a mellow campsite, good for families and couples. read more

This place has a great customer service. We made reservation for 3 night stay and later on had to cancel due to a family emergency. Even though they have a restrict cancelation policy that we agreed on, they went out of their way and refunded us completely! That is rare customer service these days!! read more

A True hidden Gem! So peaceful and absolutely beautiful! From the moment we pulled up we were welcomed by the wonderful staff! Setting up our travel trailer was a breeze and our campsite was breathtaking! We spend 5 days here !from the playground to the firepits to to the trails this place is an absolute must to come here! We loved every minute thank you! We can't wait to come back! read more

It would be helpful if the reception folks actually cared about the people staying here. The summer months are very busy but that is no reason to treat guests as if they could "take it or leave it". read more

Excellent camping spot in the Carmel Valley. Friendly staff, clean facilites and the tent sites are excellent. Wi-fi near the gazebo, nice pool, and worth-while sights of the valley. read more

If it was possible I'd give a minus star! The customer service is absolutely horrible! We reserved a cabin. At the last minute my brother & sister in law wanted to join us. I figured we would work it out with management when we got there for the fee for extra people. My brother showed up first he had my niece and nephew with him who were not intending on staying with us in the cabin and the management on-site was extremely rude to him & told him that we had too many people and then when I called to try and explain and straighten things out she accused me of lying and told me that my under 12-year-old child must of magically turned into a 17-year-old (I'd reserved 3 adults 1 child ...I have a 9 year old who was with me & she assumed my 17 year old nephew was the child) she would not let me clarify at all and was extremely rude and offensive on the phone. We were so upset we did not feel comfortable staying there for the weekend at all so we told her we were not coming and to just keep our deposit & she said "that's fine!" After we got home a couple of days later we realized that they had charged an additional $700+ to our credit card without our permission. Not only is this poor customer service but it is a serious indicator of their integrity. My brother said the pics online are very deceiving it is not nearly as big as it looks & they park trailers no more than a foot from the cabin so you can't even look out the cabin window and see anything but a trailer with people inside parked next to you. This is been a great lesson to us about reserving online and giving out our credit card number. We are pursuing getting our money back because we never gave them permission to charge the $700 dollars... At this point it's more than just the money, it's the principle. read more

Like the other person said, horrible customer service. Lynn is a mean woman. Talks too much, acts selfish, does not listen to the customers, gives no sympathy if you have a problem, and makes ignorant comments (i.e, told me she could get 10 times more money for my site than I paid $82-really? I haven't heard of a $820 RV site for one night). My people with me thought I was overreacting but then they heard her on speakerphone shortly after. Many of the sites are too small and lack privacy. 6 sites face the parking lot/office. Quiet hours start at 10pm but there were many drunk people at 2am waking everyone up. Want a fire pit? That is $10 a day. Want to bring an extra car? That's $20. Want to show up after 10pm? That's $100. Want to smell the portapotty aroma around you? That's free. 12 channels of cable and non functioning internet is free also. Better off at a KOA (Costanoa, Avila Beach) or any other campground (Smithwoods, Pismo Sands, Laguna Seca). Thanks to Lynn's personality, we will never be back. I feel bad for the owner that employs this lady. read more

We reserved a spot for our VW popup van but when we arrived discovered it was a tiny pie wedge of a space with zero privacy. Dirt, no gravel. No trees or hedges to separate us from neighbors. Disliked it so much we left at dusk! knowing we'd likely be forfeiting our deposit. Good news was when we called after the fact, the host refunded us. Nice guy. But I would definitely not come here for reasons stated above. (Note: we ended up just down the hill at Carmel Valley RV Park- nicer for our needs.) read more

MTB, Rider, Surfer, Traveler ... checked out laguna seca camp first. Came here instead. Descent location in the foot hills. Safeway down the street. $50 on holiday weekend, $30 other day. Clean bathrooms and hot showers. Lots where ok size better ones in the back, up the hill. Lots 30-35 . Have little cabins too. Great staff. Riding in toro park about 10-15min down east and surf 10-15min west. Over all,pleased with this spot! read more

We checked in at 8pm and were greeted by a nice park host who told us where to camp and the park rues. We only stayed the night and left the next morning. The sites are VERY close together and are small. We were informed the next morning before we left that they should have charged us $5 for our dog and another $10 because we arrived after 5pm. We found that to be unacceptable. Had we been advised as such when we called before 5 we would have gone else where. As others have stated the road to the park is very poor and over some distance just one lane. If you meet any on coming traffic one of you will have to back up. Quite off the beaten path. read more

This place is filthy dirty and unreal cramped. The rv sites barely fit the rv and very tight together. Up the hill are tents. One shower in each bathroom. Way toooo expensive!!! read more

I came here tent camping here with my family of 5 for two nights this weekend. The view is amazing, they have horseshoe pits for every site as well as a hose and BBQ. They have a really nice pool with amazing views on both sides, and a very cool playground next to the main office and bathrooms. Hot showers, two sinks on the outside of the bathrooms for washing your dishes (how nice!), and they even sell some supplies there as well as having two vending machines. The trail is definitely worth checking out because it gives you the highest view of the valley. The camping was a lot of fun for us and we hope you enjoy your stay as well. Highly recommended and hope to see you there! Also bring a telescope with you, they are a lot of fun out there! read more

We stayed here just this last week. We wanted to stay in Big Sur but everything was booked up. Somehow we stumbled upon this place online. We looked at the reviews and the majority of them were good, so we booked it for the week. I am SO glad we did. We booked the cabin for 6 of us. My husband and I with 4 kids. I can not say enough go good things about this place. The managers were super friendly. The place was clean, the cabin was so darn cute, and the trails were great. There is a Loft upstairs that has two double beds, well mattresses on floor; however it's perfect for kids or adults. Just make sure you don't stand up, you will hit your head. Big Sur is roughly 26 miles from the cabin. Very convenient to all the hiking spots in Big Sur. I am totally in love with the cabin. Only complaint is the bathroom so small... Who cares. Do your business and hop out. The cabin was super clean and had everything we needed to do our cooking. You will not regret staying in one of the cabins. Can't wait to book it again!! read more

See all

I wanted to get out of Cupertino/San Francisco over the weekend and after extensive research, found Saddle Mountain Ranch. My 2 friends and I decided to drive to Big Sur for a 12 mile hike but half way through, I started to get cramps and had to descend down without them. As I returned back to Saddle Mountain Ranch, I realized that I did not have the key to our cabin and went to the front office for assistance. After waiting at the front desk for 7 minutes, Carrol came out to help. I explained the situation to her and how my friend that checked in was still on the hike. She looked me up and down and stated that the camping ground doesn't keep spare keys. I questioned her authority because most lodging places always have a spare key. Then she said, "We do have another key but not for you." I calmly explained to her that my spouse was still on the hike, I had his credit card, authorization email, and ID. My spouse was on FaceTime but Carrol was getting really impatient, after less than 3 minutes of communicating and she mocked my voice and bobbed her head saying, "Look, you're not getting in, okay"! I asked her for her name afterwards because I want to let upper management know that this kind of hospitality and customer service is not okay. I was completely shocked when she said, "It's Carrol and I'm not afraid of you." I am utterly upset and angry. The age discrimination and racism needs to stop. I understand that Carrol didn't have to give me the key to the cabin for liability reasons but in no way should she have treated any individual in or outside of Saddle Mountain Ranch like this. By looking people up and down, lying that the lodge didn't have a spare key, and mocking my accent and bobbing her head. We may be in rural Carmel but this is the twenty first century and times have changed. read more

My husband and I spent a month here this Fall. This RV park was very peaceful and quiet. Large swimming pool, kid playground, clean bathrooms, and friendly workers. The RV and camping sites are well landscaped and tidy. A great hiking trail to the top of the mountain with a view of the sea. Close to Carmel-by-the-Sea and Carmel Valley Village. The RV/Camping park is located halfway up the hill on a dead end street with views down the valley. We will be back! They also have 2 cabins for rent that were cute too. The road going to the RV park is skinny. This park was build in the 60's so it has a lot of old school charm. We have a 35ft RV that did fine. The sites are smaller because they didn't make big RVs in the 60's. It's a small park with a family feel and no reasons to have extra bathrooms and showers. I preferred this park over any large corporate establishment ran one. read more

We stay here every wedding we have in Carmel and this place is great. Clean bathrooms, warm showers they even have pool. Just follow Schulte Rd all the way to the end at one point you will see signs, and make sure you see the tent symbol and your set. Clean quite campground 5/5 I love it here- so nice. read more

Amazing place. Great amenities and staff. Great vibe. We felt like we were taken care of and the area was beautiful.

This was our first experience at a RV park and also with renting a RV. Our RV was 30' long and fit into the space provided. The space was clean with a BBQ pit and two plastic chairs. Other campers and long term residents were all very friendly as well as the staff. It looks like they are doing a lot of work to improve the property. The play ground for children was not amazing or anything, but my kids enjoyed it. It was very quiet and we would go back again. It's about a 7-10 minute drive into Carmel. The only real challenge was navigating the RV to the campground. They are undergoing major bridge repairs on the road leading to the campground and it's a bit narrow, but not a huge deal. read more

This is a quiet, low-key RV/campground. As others have said the drive can be a little hairy, but if you're experienced and confident you'll be just fine. The spaces are pretty close together, but it's very quiet. The swimming pool and deck area are beautiful with lovely views of the surrounding areas. read more

We had never been here before and are avid campers. We have a 34 ft travel trailer with a super slide pop out so we were a bit skeptical when driving down the one way, extremely narrow and steep road but it was worth the drive. There are only 2 or 3 sites that would have worked for us not only physically but also for us to be able actually back it in given the room allowed. Hands down the best pool are of any camp ground we've been too. Complete with umbrellas, ping pong tables, fire pits, high end outdoor patio furniture and more. They say the pool is heated but it's still quite chilly. We are from Fresno so our pools are 90 degrees in the summer. This campground is only a short 10 minute drive to Carmel By The Sea and there's a grocery store 5 minutes say too. There are like 5 gas fire pits for campers to share in and around the gorgeous multi deck pool area. The staff is very sweet and not overly strict about quiet time. Bathrooms including showers are clean and spacious. Parking is pretty limited and this really is a hilltop campground so be ready for walking up and down hills if you need to walk you dog. Only complaint is no spa and it would be nice if they had more sites for rigs our size. read more

Dropped off our trailer there for my daughter and friends to camp. I spoke to Heather few times regarding the accommodations, and she was great and understanding. My daughter and friends loved this campground. I am looking forward to go there with my husband for a relaxed weekend! read more

Didn't know we could pre pick our own spot in advance. If you like the outdoors camp ground spots, be sure to pick your ideal spot in advance. Very nice campground with many amenities: hot showers. My son enjoyed the swimming pool and the foosball and badminton. We took a 3.5 hour nearby hike thanks to the nice lady, Heather, who recommended it. Very quiet serene area with panoramic views. read more

Nice views of the valley, awesome facilities, pricey for tent camping though. 35 bucks a night for 2 people...

Medium rating for tent camping. On the plus side, hot showers, sinks for washing dishes, nice view, fairly flat tent site and no rocks. On the minus side, the tent sites were quite crowded, no campfires allowed, limited number of shower stalls. Expensive for tent camping, but understandable given its location. Note: NOT GOOD FOR DISABLE TENT CAMPERS. The tent sites were either on a steep slope or the walk to the bathrooms was steep and treacherous for people who are not sure-footed or need assisted walking. read more

Tried to tent camp... very remote area and difficult to find. Once we got there office stated there was construction near the campground and to watch out for mud. Our 4wd got stuck on the muddy mountain road and nearly rolled trying to get turned around...office said they would return our money since we decided to leave and not camp there, but instead accidentally charged us again instead of refunding our money back. Calling today to tell them of the error....very displeased! read more

We had such a nice time staying here. As someone who is new to camping, this spot was perfect for testing the waters. It has a "summer camp" type of feel and made for a great weekend. We enjoyed a great hike in the morning and spent the day in Carmel before heading home. What a great place, I can't believe I actually want to go camping again! read more

My husband and I along with our friends stayed here Christmas day and night and for a few days thereafter. The facilities were very nice the views were spectacular. We found it very convenient to be near Carmel by the sea as well as the Carmel Valley area where we visited several wine tasting rooms and checked in with local shops. It was a great visit overall. The road up to the campground is a bit steep winding and narrow but its well worth it. Large rigs will need to be extra careful. read more

Given the fact that it was my first camping experience, I had an awesome camping here last week along with my husband and a group of friends. We had booked one of tent sites and it was just perfect. It has clean bathrooms and hot shower and the lady working there is very nice. The only thing is that if you want to stay up at night, you have to keep quiet from 10 pm to 8 am since tent sites are close to each other and your noise may bother neighbors. read more

The most expensive camping site we ever paid!!! Four of us had two tents and one car. When we made the reservation about two weeks in advance, they told us $55, and charge it with our credit card. When we showed up there a little after 10am on that day, no body was there. There was a note on the window. It said that we could find our site number in a binders on the wall. There were a few binders. But all empty. We then called two phone numbers listed on the window. No body answered our calls We had to leave messages. 10 minutes later, a lady showed up. She signed us to the site #34. We went to see it and found the next site, the #35, was more secure. We came back and asked her if we could have the site #35. She said "yes, if no one take it before 1pm". She also told us, she could actually sign the site #34 to someone else before 1pm. We would not know which site we could actually get until 1pm. We went away and came back there at 5pm. She had a good news for us---we got site #35. But we need to pay $15 extra. We paid $70 for one night. The most expensive camping site we paid before then was $30. The site had a picnic table and a BBQ grill. We ask if we can have a fire pit. The answer was yes, $10 per night. Beware, you can not use fire wood. Only the fire logs are allowed there. read more