Absolute worse camping experience. Spot 44 is basically a dirt plot next to a parking lot. You have zero privacy and there were actually people camping in a spot they most likely didn't even pay for. They also had their tents spilling over into my area. Surfers will park in any campsite in the morning, including yours when your car is already parked there and the site is obviously occupied. What's the point of paying for a site with zero privacy and where other people just camp for free anyway? read more

San Onofre State Beach Campgrounds - Campgrounds Near Me

It was our first time camping here and we went right after the July 4th holiday. My husband always checks out camping spots on a map and he again picked a great spot. It was in a section with only 5 spots . There was a restroom close by and the trail to the beach was steps away from our site. I would always checked out other spots when I went for a walk in the morning. There are areas with more spots which can get crowded and are further away from the beach trails. The beach area is so nice and beautiful. We found a bench on the cliffs above the beach. It was nice to sit there and enjoy the view. read more

See all

the pics are deceiving and make it look like you have at least an ocean view. unless you have a high up roof top suv tent or and RV you more than likely will not see any views of the ocean. the bushes are out of control and too high and other plants that block any view not to mention the eye sore fence that was at our camp ground. not worth staying. we wanted ocean view even to see it in the distance. the ocean is at least 15 minutes away walking. the picnic table was chipped and wood chip cut me. the ground was uneven at our campsite my bf in a wheel chair fell backwards and could've seriously injured himself. We also had a sewer pipe in the middle of our campground that we could've easily tripped over. read more

San Onofre State Beach Campgrounds - This is camp spot 58 No view and a fence. Shrubbery is overgrown so you can't see anything. Sewer pipe in the middle of the ground. - Campgrounds Near Me

We choked on the smoke of campfires around us the whole time. It was very unpleasant and extremely unhealthy.

We brought our RV here for beach camping. It had electrical hookups. We used the nearby facilities for showering and freshening up. The handicap toilet was always clogged and by the second night 2 of 3 toilets were clogged. There was running hot water and the campgrounds were clean and the people were friendly. My daughters found shells and even a sand dollar. We visited between Christmas and NY 2019. read more

San Onofre State Beach Campgrounds - San Onofre State Beach - Campgrounds Near Me

See all

View- priceless we had a beachfront site #4 and paid $76 a night. The view is absolutely amazing sunset and sunrise view of the water literally the sand is across the street the beach is there. Our spot was sloped but he had a motor home and that was fine. It sounded like a previous guest cancelled with a travel trailer because of the incline was too steep for them to be level. Check in- booking online is super easy the down side is you don't know what site number you are booking thankfully when we got there we were able to see what was available for our size and choose from there but it would be nice to see the site number online unless I missed it when booking. Check in area has games to rent for $10 a day frisbee game corn hold connect 4 or Jenna they have snacks and small important items you may have forgot to pack hats sunscreen and boogie boards and surfboards for rent. Beach- so beautiful we loved the rocks and there is an area where it is rock free to get all the way in which we did the water was warm enough. It was probable in front of sites 25-40 where it's walk up and walk in beach no rocks. We saw dolphins and a lot of birds and crabs. On our first upper campsite it's in a second level there were a lot of bees but once we moved to site 4 by the water there were no bugs a few flys but no mosquitoes or anything biting or stinging early or late at night Showers/restrooms- super clean we loved that my husband always compliments the cleanliness of a base bathroom usually. This place was stocked with toilet paper and super clean bring shower sandals and enjoy hot showers. Playground/ work out area- we loved the playground my little guy sprained his ankle jumping from up high and landing wrong but I don't think it was the playgrounds fault my 6/3 year old loved it it was big enough for both to enjoy not too big not too small challenging for both of them.! We went to muscle beach workout area daily to get a quick workout in every single day and loved it! My kids loved it and it was fun. I would come back and high recommend this space to fellow Yelp family and friends. Noise level- we did not have any loud neighbors at all everyone was respectful and quiet. There is a train near by but it didn't wKe my kids or bug me. I'm an early riser and it wasn't that bad for us and worth the view but I could see how someone would be bothered or unable to sleep in late or if you're a light sleeper. It was amazing I recommend this location 5/5 stars family fun! read more

Glad to have had a chance to see San O before the crowds. Our yearly girls camping and surf trip was not the same. A campground normally filled with local surfers has become a California hotspot for crappy campers who don't show respect for the grounds or each other. Any regulars at San O know of another place we can go? Send a message please. Have never had anything stolen before but my daughters necklaces were taken out of our shade right on the beach as we surfed. Neighbors had no respect for camp boundaries (or the 6 ft rule) and used our camp as their walkway to theirs. Neighbors live "right down the street by San Diego" and have only been here once before. The stickers on their trailer are from far away places so obviously this was their only resort during covid since they can't travel. And the normal complaints from the new people "the traffic noise is so loud!" Hope San O returns to its former glory. read more

San Onofre State Beach Campgrounds - More - Campgrounds Near Me

See all

In the first place, carefully read the information the campground provides on their website (parks.ca.gov/?page_id=647) and study some of the recent review. All of it is true! The freeway, the train, tiny cramped spots and, for the most part, no ocean view. If you want to see a snap shot of your potential campground, this website has them all: http://www.campsitephotos.com/campground/San-Onofre-Bluffs. So... forewarned is forearmed! Take into account everyone else's experience and plan accordingly. We went camping on Labor Day weekend and stayed at campground #167, which was supposed to be for RV's only (somehow we missed this little piece during reservation). No one ever gave us grief about our lonely tent, pitched in the middle of the dirt patch, though I hear people get tickets for every little misdemeanor there. We had neighbors both on the right and on the left, but they were not rowdy at all and even helped us out with some campfire wood. Folks are close, but not really close enough that you hear their conversations, everyone pretty much minds their own business. The bathrooms were smelly, but stocked with tp; running water and showers also did help. Trail #6 was the one that took us down the beach (5 min tops), and the ocean was gorgeous. Too stormy and rocky to enjoy the swimming, but stunning none the less. Overall, we had a great time enjoying the beach and relaxing by the fire. I'd go again! read more

See all

Im sorry but I feel like people whine too much.. sure this place isn't AMAZING but come on it's still pretty great. I've been camping here for years as well as Carlsbad and Dana Point so I understand the nice differences. Sure this beach doesn't have inside showers and there have been bees but ill walk to the next bathroom over and there's maybe one bee. It's a long walk to the beach but I think it's great, you get a little hike to a secluded beach. The rocks are annoying but get over it, if you go in the water you hit sand. Camping is camping. Don't come if you can't handle it, it's not even close to camping in the bare wilderness. The only thing I really have a problem with is the train, it's loud and obnoxious so it does make it hard to sleep. Carlsbad and Dana point are hard to get reservations so it's nice to have something else to go to. read more

San Onofre State Beach Campgrounds - Campgrounds Near Me

Been coming here for 15 years. Rangers are extremely rude. Their goal is to get money out of you. I wrote a review about corruption I've witnessed in this state park, but someone requested to have it taken down. The beaches are fantastic because they are left alone and not "improved." The maintenance people are super cool and will chat with you about the interesting things they've seen while working there. The park closes at sunset in the non-camping season--it SHOULD close at least an hour after sunset so people can could watch the sunset without risk of a ticket. The speed limit is 15 mph. Realistically you can go about 22 mph before they consider ticketing. Even in the off season when there's no one in sight they'll write you a speeding ticket for safely driving at speeds slower than you can legally drive past an elementary school. Absurd. read more

We thought we were going to be close to the beach but it's quiet a walk if you have little ones. And steep. The spots have zero privacy. It's a parking lot and your right next to the another camper. The host doesn't enforce quiet hours so this can get pretty loud. It's also next to the train, a highway, and military base so quiet just really isn't possible here. read more

Get connected with nature in 20 minutes or so from Orange County. Great campground with all the amenities you'll need to relax and enjoy the great out doors with your family. read more

San Onofre State Beach Campgrounds - Going down to the beach at San Onofre. - Campgrounds Near Me

See all

***Reviewed During Covid*** Good location by the beach to walk down and spend a couple hours down by the water. The park rangers here are super nice and friendly but wish they could control the grounds better with loud people partying at 3am and then another loud RV at 11pm at night. The grounds are located right by the San Onofre Power Plant. Exit Basilone Rd and then cruise on down till you see the gate. They offer day passes for $15 for anyone who wants to go surfing or just hang out nearby on the beach. The campsites are right next to each other so if you're looking to social distance with your tents, this isn't the place for you. Also be aware that there will be a bunch of different people who come, but when the ground rules are quiet at like 8pm, that's something you gotta respect. There was a huge loud group of people that came in at 2:30/3am and we ripping wood, yelling and screaming and then left at 8am and the campgrounds folks did nothing about it. The last night my friends and I were there, there was a huge RV and they were blasting music from their car at 11pm. I just wish that the campgrounds host would maybe patrol a little better or maybe just do a courtesy drive by during quiet hours to just make sure everyone is having a good time. read more

See all

Three families spent the week of August 4-9th in RVs in spaces 28-30. We had a great time at the beach each day. We checked out many of the trails down to the beach but chose trail head 1, for our daily trek down to the beach because we brought our dog. Trail 1 and 6 allow for dogs. WARNING, it's not exactly true, dogs are actually only allowed on the beach at the end of the trail 1, to the right where the life guard tower is located. Unfortunately, I went left and the police gave me a ticket. This was a bit upsetting as there was only one other small group of people on the beach who also had a dog and also received a ticket. They could have just given us a warning but it's all about the money. A little secret about the rocks at the beach, they are everywhere and it makes boogie boarding uncomfortable. However, if you go down trail 1, (yes it's a little steep in one part but not terrible, our 2 year old walked it fine in flip flops). When you get down the trail, turn left, walk along the beach for about 100 to 150 yards, near the first cove area. If you walk straight out into the ocean from there, you will not encounter any rocks, it's all sand. Beautiful. We did this everyday once we figured it out. The kids never once complained of rocks. In any event, you should also know that you cannot walk from space 30 to trail 1. It's to far with kids and beach toys. (About 1.3 miles). You have to drive and park at the trail head. Now, just a word about RV sites 24-45, these are without a doubt, the worst sites in the entire campgrounds because: 1. They have no view of the ocean, 2. It's exactly half way between trails 1 and 6, the only two dog accessible paths. 3. It's right next to the truck inspection station which operates 24/7. The inspectors use a loud speaker to communicate with the trucks coming through the inspection point so you hear them all night long yelling at people to, put it in neutral, press on the breaks etc. thank god for ear plugs. This is not even taking into consideration the train noise but regardless of where you camp on the bluffs, you will have to deal with the train noise. Now, the best spaces for RV camping, with an ocean view, NO inspection station yelling commands over a speaker, and a walkable distance to trail head 1, are spaces 1-23. The spaces in the entire camp ground afford no privacy from other campers, the camping space is asphalt. The showers (out door cold water), bathrooms with RV style flush toilets (which have no lights at night) and the sinks are adequate. The grounds have dump stations and fresh water at every turn out section so it's very convenient to dump and fill up when needed. All of this being said, keep your eye on the prize, this is not Mammoth/high Sierra camping with tress etc. The prize here is the ocean waves that make it one of the best surfing and boogie boarding places in California. And the water temp while we're were there was 74 degrees, no wetsuit required. Happy Trails read more

San Onofre State Beach Campgrounds - As you can see, no ocean view and this is the same for spaces 24-45. See my complete review from 8-17-14. - Campgrounds Near Me

I didn't camp here. I only stopped by to look at the scenery and I was not disappointed. It was superbly beautiful. It was like something you see in a movie except it's real. I have never seen anything quite like it. The weather was also perfect! Just beautiful especially when you're looking down from high above. I wish I was able to have a photoshoot there. read more

San Onofre State Beach Campgrounds - Campgrounds Near Me

See all

We stayed 2 nights at site #114, great site with a big old tree and tons of shade in our area... probably one of the few sites with trees, shade, and ocean view!! (So considering we previously camped at San Elijo and Carlsbad, the bluffs campground was our "leftover choice" and had low expectations from reading such bad reviews.. however it turned out to be a very nice and relaxing weekend for our family with 3 young kids). We were closest to Trail 4, about a 10 min easy downward dirt hike, to a rocky shoreline with only a little bit of sand patches. Right away we saw 3 people pole fishing, and a bunch of surfers in the water. Definitely Not a swimming spot for young kids but they still enjoyed picking at the stones and sand. We also attempted to check out the next trail over, but it seems Trail 5 is unmarked, and ended up walking quite aways till we saw Trail 6. Its also an semi easy 10-15 hike down to the beach and the water there looked much more swimmable with lots of sand, and even a whole school of summer fun kids there that day. The bathrooms were okay, the toilets have a foot peddle for flushing, clean, no bad smells, and NO LIGHTS.. bring a light at all times. The showers and wash sinks are outdoors. The only downer is having the highway in clear view, and the train does pass through all day and night but its not too much of a bother. Not once did i see park rangers come through except to clean bathrooms. We didnt check out the main swimming area or Trail 1, as we preferred ocean beach for swimming. Overall, its a pleasant stay IF you can nab a nice site, but as for activities theres not much to do, so just drive out to ocean beach or such during the day, then have a relaxing night at the campsite. read more

See all

The infamous Trail 6 is one of our families favorite secluded beaches. What was once known as Orange County's only clothing optional beach was outlawed some decade or so ago. Now if you wander to the other side of the gate you may still see some nomads of skin. The walk down the fire road is fairly steep so be careful if you have a wagon or cart or any kind. You'll see many men fishing down here and some other families. They offer camping during the Summer season and most people don't rave about the restrooms but they work. read more

San Onofre State Beach Campgrounds - Trail 6 - Campgrounds Near Me

Wow, I can't believe I've lived within an hour drive from here for most of my 30 years of life and I've never camped here! San Onofre is especially known for Trestles Beach, a premiere surf break. Its located immediately north of the Nuclear Power Plant, aka "The Giant Boobies". However, the campground is about 3 miles south and reservations are available the first of each month for 7 months in advance! So you have to plan real early! I camped at Trail #6 at the Bluffs which is at the very south end of the beach. This is not the San Mateo campground which is closer to Trestles. Once you park, you have to take a little hike down the bluffs to the beach. Once you see the beach, its totally unreal! Its unbelievable that you can have 3 miles of secluded and unspoiled beach in Southern California! And the best thing is that the surf here is perfect for beginners! I just went a couple of weekends ago for my 30th birthday weekend and the water was so warm. The water is always 1-2 degrees warmer in San Onofre because of the Giant Boobies...I know, its a bit sketchy...but I don't care if I'm trunking it in the water. The only thing that sucks is that the actual campground is about 40 yards away from the Interstate 5 freeway so you can hear traffic all day and all night long. And at night, if you are suddenly awaken freaking out that some giant truck just crashed into your tent, don't worry, it's just the train passing by! But that doesn't bother me because I was at the beach all day long surfing and sunbathing. It was such a wonderful getaway from the Spring Break crowds at Huntington Beach. Oh, did I mention the nude beach right next to Trail #6? Wait, wait, wait! Don't jump in your car just yet! Nude beach fantasies are never what they seem to be! Its never the people you want to see naked! They are all middle-age hippie looking folk with body shapes you could never imagine! Wow, I've never seen so many flying balls in my life - you wouldn't believe it! Playing smashball, frisbee, and mountain biking! Yikes! (However, I do kind of admire them that they can be so free and not worry what others think - maybe I'll go for it in another 10 years) Also, if you didn't plan early enough to camp, you can always get a day pass for $10. So bring your board and binoculars! :) *************************************************************************** If you love San Onofre as much as I do, please go here http://www.savetrestles.com/ and read more to stop the toll road! *************************************************************************** read more

San Onofre State Beach Campgrounds - San Onofre Bluffs at Trail #6 - Campgrounds Near Me

See all

EAR PLUGS!!! If you don't bring them, you'll be awake for almost the whole night! Pros: Camp site was close to parking (kinda too close) Camp site was close to outdoor shower (no hot water), bathrooms with normally tons of toilet paper, and sinks There is a fire pit and benches Cons: Loud! Loud from traffic and trains. The huge trucks and trains still pass by at 3am! I walked down to a rocky beach, no sand in my area The spaces between guests are too close. I enjoyed myself. Every place has pros and cons! I can't be too judgmental cause it is just camping. read more

San Onofre State Beach Campgrounds - My camp site #004 - Campgrounds Near Me

See all

wow, why are there so many four and five star ratings for this BEACH ? This place is near a nuclear power plant. A few years ago there were several tons of rocks dumped at the water break for miles. Currently you need to pay $15.00 to park per day. Now, if you have a camper or Winnebago, there are designated areas that are separated by a three inch line. So, this is a good thing because you will meet whoever parks next to you. They do have public restrooms and the toilets are not bad. The public showers are outside in public view. Also, there are waste disposal stations for campers. The parking is far from the beach. You have to walk through designated paths to reach the beach.. Avoid leaving the path for warnings of rattlesnakes. Once you reach the beach, there are sandstone cliffs that are pretty unique to this area. After going down the cliff or walking down the vehicle ramp you will find dry grasses with plenty of grass thorns and sandspurs - wear shoes. The area between the sand and the parking lot has this fine reddish dirt that pulverizes and spreads through everything near it, including your car, body, clothes, hair and shoes. Now you are at the beach, you walk towards the water because there are some good waves and you can definitely surf. However, you have to walk through approximately 25 yards of stones dumped the entire length of the beach by the city to prevent erosion. Come on ! Seriously. If you decide to go on a long walk and walk south, you will find a no trespassing sign on a fence warning that you are about to enter the military base private area. Five years ago, before the stones were dumped on the beach, I went into this area and walked for miles and yes, I could put up with the sandspurs, dirt-path and nudity. However, upon my return, three marines in uniform were lining up everyone walking back to their car and giving citations one at a time. Just out of pure luck, I was walking on the water the whole way back. Later I found out that the oceans are not private property so you are not trespassing into private property as long as you are splashing as you walk. So be warned you can receive a citation. I was so disappointed driving from Hollywood to this place. The beach stones, distance from parking area, $15.00 day parking fee, no trespassing signs, sandspurs and the friendly no nudity signs (LOL) does not make this beach a four or five star. Sure, if you own a Winnebago, there is a place to park it with a $35.00 overnight additional fee. I suggest you drive another 45 minutes south and go to Blacks Beach in La Jolla. 1. parking is free 2. no sandspurs 3. beautiful cliffs 4. no stones on the beach 5. clear clean water 6. plenty of surfing 7. free Winnebago parking 8. no signs at all specially about trespassing 9. the sun rises and sets 10. bbq areas available 11. beach volleyball areas 12. amazing views The one obstacle is making it down the cliff at the very end. This is not a good place for someone with physical disabilities. There is an easier walkway by the Hang Gliding Company which is closer to the entrance of the beach. read more

Pretty decent campground. We camped at the Bluffs site 28. Make sure you read the fine print when you reserve, as some spots have more room for tents than others and you may end up pitching your tent on the pavement. Just bring a sleeping pad and you'll be fine. Oh, and some sites don't have a very good view (if any), so be sure to book early! You can always cancel for only a small penalty later. Dogs are only allowed on the beach at trails 1 and 6, so if you have a canine companion, be sure to get a spot closer to one of those trails. It can be pretty noisy, even while trying to sleep. Not because of the campers, but because of the highway. There's lots of road noise and the weigh station on the 5 can be heard telling trucks to slow down, stop, back it up, etc. Trail #3 down to the beach is quite treacherous, but most physically capable people shouldn't have a problem. I wouldn't bring my mom on that trail though. Surfing was great. Definitely beats the spots down near San Diego. The beach is a bit short at high tide though. Park Rangers were pretty cool. We saw another campsite get cleaned out for underage drinking, so kids, please don't come here. Try to carpool, as each additional car at your spot will be charged $15 per night. Fire ring was great to cook on, site was clean, drinking is allowed, as were dogs. I would recommend this campsite again. Next time, I'll be sure to bring earplugs though. :) read more

I wish there were a 3.5 star option, but overall we had a good time so I'll go with 4. Pros: -Beautiful views from the campsites, at least from ours! Go online and carefully select your site based on the map and pictures for the best results. -Bathrooms were clean, and plenty of them. Well-stocked with TP. -Each site includes a fire pit and picnic table. -Pods of dolphins swimming by are easily visible from the campsite and nearby overlook. -Pretty easy and well-maintained trail down to an incredible beach. Note that this is for trail 6. Yes, the beach has rocks. Wear shoes and swim, don't stand. -Fun and scenic bike path attached to the end of the campground -With so much fresh air and physical activity, I slept great the second night. Cons: -The noise from the freight trains is intense during the night. I'm a light sleeper, so I always sleep with heavy earplugs. Even with those, I woke up every time a train went through the first night. It sounds like an airplane landing! As noted above, though, by the second night I was so tired that I miraculously slept right through it all. Or maybe there just weren't any trains that night? -Yes, you can hear the freeway, too. That was not so bad, at least from our site. -Bees dive bombing you as you do the dishes. So many bees in the showers I wouldn't dare to use them. -Sites are very close together, with nothing to separate them. There were trees and shrubs between the cars, but they stopped before the tents. Maybe because of the fire pits? Anyway, with SoCal beach camping real estate in such high demand, I suppose I should be more understanding that they are allowing as many people as possible to take advantage of experiencing camping here. Just be prepared for lots of people close together, at least on a weekend in the summer. We had good neighbors on both sides both nights, so it was fun in a way. Just not very private. All in all, a good camping experience, and worth going here if you weren't able to get a spot at another beach. read more

San Onofre State Beach Campgrounds - Site 53 - Campgrounds Near Me

See all

Ashley M 2 reviews in the last week Don't come here it's a waste of money! They charge you $40 a night and $15 a day for parking and none of the lights in the bathroom work, the toilets are clogged and back up so there is shit and urine all over the ground. The bathrooms are supposed to be lit up by the solar panels by guess what?! They have stupid trees covering the solar panels so the lights don't work. There are NO indoor showers, there are only outdoor showers surrounded by bees. There are frogs that jump on you in the restrooms. If you tell a ranger that the toilets are backed up or the lights aren't working they tell you that they aren't in charge of it and to go to San Mateo campground. That is about a 15 minute drive. It takes about 20 minutes to walk to the beach and it is very steep, there is no beach view all you see when camping is bushes and dirt and snakes. It is hard to sleep because the train passes all day and all night and there is a truck weighing station where all the trucks stop at. Don't stay here it's worth 5 cents. It is next to the power plant that looks like breasts. read more

See all

This was our first beach camping experience, we stayed two nights in the tent primitive section. Restroom - Very clean and tp stocked. We stayed Tuesday - Thursday and they cleaned the bathrooms each morning. Too much toilet paper seems to clog the toilets though. Two sinks behind the bathroom. Used it to wash dishes and brush teeth/wash my face. Open showers typical at most beaches by the restroom but there's lots of bees, but if you go at the right time you may encounter less bees like in the morning or evening, also I think we got lucky that the restroom near us had overall less bees. Beach - take water shoes! Also, you may need to drive. We walked to trail 3 by our campsite but with three little kids the trail was too treacherous. First we drove to trail 6, but too many rocks for little ones to enjoy the water. Next day we drove to trail 1, sooo much nicer for kids. Mostly sandy beach with shorter, yet steeper, hike. Once down the trail we walked to the left, and we found a good spot with the fewest rocks. Going deeper into the water we felt a small section of rocks on the ocean floor so you may still want to take water shoes. Also, lots of surfers, some fisherman, and friendly family dogs. The beach is also open to day users. Campsite - tent campsites appear to have more space than the rv sites. We camped in the tent primitive section. Mostly surfers and families. By 10:30 most people were retreating to their tents. Train passes by right near the campsites all day and night, the Amtrak was no big deal but the freight train was a little intense. The freeway is behind the train tracks so regardless there's constant noise, but coming from LA the highway was more like a white noise that helped us sleep. There's shrubbery and trees between the cars but not between the actual camping space. The space was good enough for our 6 person tent, private shower tent, and 12 by 12 canopy. Some sites had two tents, I wouldn't recommend more than that as the spaces are not that large. Also we got lucky with a site with a ocean view, most sites don't have that and/or smaller space. Again this is the tent camp sites, the rv spaces basically looked like a parking lot. Also, upon entering we saw a sign $7 for firewood, we just brought our own. And each campsite fits two parked cars. Bugs/Animals - beware of bees and mice. Bees by the shower and lone bees at the beach, I stepped on one at the beach and got stung. It's not a huge problem but just be careful where you shower and step I guess. Small mice come out when everyone goes to sleep, I heard the critters come out while trying to fall asleep and saw one run away when I got up to go to the restroom. So don't keep any food or trash out! They got into our neighbors trash and even somehow chewed on our shower bag and now we have to buy a new one. So keep food and trash safely stored. Also there's dumpsters near every restroom, so we stored all food in our car and threw trash away every night. Other than that no other insects except for a black beetle, and a few rabbits and birds. Overall very fun family trip. I knocked off a star cause we had to drive then hike to the beach, and the campsites could be more spacious or private, but we had lots of fun and would come again. read more

See all

I'd like to start by thanking those who gave these campgrounds 1 and 2 star reviews. Your comments/critiques helped us to come prepared with both the right equipment and attitude:) Of course the bluffs are adjacent to the 5 freeway, one glance at the map will tell you that. And pictures posted at http://www.campsitephotos.com/campground/San-Onofre-Bluffs will show you exactly what to expect from your campsite. We chose campsite 5 because of the ocean view, close proximity to a bathroom and fairly close proximity to trail 1. (Trail 2 is closer but isn't dog friendly. ) If you are surfing you may need to drive to the trailhead and park in day parking as it's a bit of a walk with boards. (However, it's manageable without.) Bathrooms are very basic with surf showers (read: cold water and no privacy, bring a suit.) Fire pits include a grill that can be pulled over the top which is great for cooking. However, as they're filthy bring aluminum foil. Other things to bring (aside from basic camping gear): ear plugs, headlamp, firewood, lighter, drinking water, ice, sunscreen, shade (umbrella/canopy.) One more tip is to wear booties to surf, not for the water temperature but to keep from hurting your feet walking past the rocks. If you are there to surf and/or are expecting neither a complete escape from civilization nor hotel-like amenities you will have a great time. read more

San Onofre State Beach Campgrounds - Setting up campsite 5. Close to trails 2 and 1 (dog friendly.) - Campgrounds Near Me

I LOVE THIS PLACE! its MAGICAL. * private/intimate/quiet beaches * beautiful cliffs with magnificent views of the ocean. * nothing to glitzy or glamorous. this place is natural and surreal. it can make you forget that you're in southern california * plenty of rocks on the beach to collect, toss at friends, stare into deeply, throw into the ocean and watch it skip once, twice if youre lucky * very helpful camp rangers and travel brochures. make sure you pick one up cause they have this awesome map of all the campgrounds in california, for free. everyone loves free stuff. pick one up, seriously : | (thats my serious face) * far from city lights * beautiful starry skies at night. I EVEN WATCHED THE MOON SET ON THE OCEAN'S HORIZON. YES, A MUDDAFUCKIN MOON SETTING ON THE OCEANS HORIZON! FIRST TIME EVER, AT SAN ONOFRE * each campsite gets their own fire pit and picnic table * coming down trail 5 from the bluffs to the beach is so much fun and once you get down to the bottom you feel like you're isolated to a whole new place. * only $35 for a campsite. up to 8 people and 2 vehicles * great place to take psychedelics - campsites are too close to each other - far from any nearby stores so make sure to pick up those swisser sweets before you make the exit - not much shade. some spots have zero shade. no bueno, especially for all the very light skinned people who dont tan, but burn : \ - cant camp out at the beach after 10pm, nor sleep on the beach, or trip out on some magical mushrooms after 10pm. they got rangers patrolling the shores at around 11pm. if you do decide to try it just make sure you dont use any light source cause you will be spotted quickly and don't forget... the water level DOES come up so don't pass out too close to the water or you'll have an interesting wake up call read more

Never ever ever again. So we pulled into our spot and found ourselves assigned a minuscule patch of concrete and dirt. Looking around there were about 7,000 other people crammed in with us. We could literally touch our neighbors tent. In between your patch of concrete and a view of the water is a metal fence and giant bushes. Instead of being able to hear and see the waves at night you are greeted with the lovely sounds of traffic along the I-5 and the train tracks to boot. Everyone around us seemed to be there for a party. Our neighbors stayed up half the night partying. Which would not have been such a bad thing if we had a little space between us. The bathrooms were disgusting. The showers were outside. The area did have some great hiking. We also went on a few of the trails at night and had a nice adventure (anything to stay out of the camp for as long as possible). Maybe if you are single, in your 20's and ok with sharing your camping experience with everyone and their mother this would be the place for you. If you are pushing 40, have kids, and look at camping as a way to relax from the frantic world, this place should be avoided at all costs. read more

Camping here is like paying to be homeless for a night. You have the roaring I-5 about 30 feet to the east, while the beach is a good 1/2 mile to the west. Between you and the beach is a patch of land well-traversed by border crossers. Between you and the 1-5 is the Amtrak railway. Sleeping under a bridge could give you the same sense of calm and safety as this place does. If you've driven the stretch of I-5 just south of San Clemente where the border patrol is, just think, the poor little campers at the San O campgrounds are about 50 feet away. Although I tried to convert the roar of the freeway and the railway into white noise (using active imagination during my "sleep"), the noise was undoubtedly that of 18 wheeler trucks and freight trains (and not crashing waves of the sea, or any such camping-like experience). The "campsites" are simply a row of 7ft x 10ft plots of dust located about 20 feet from the 1-5/ Amtrak bluff. A long cement block (about 6" high) divides the parked cars from stated plots of dust. If your neighbors are more than a party of two, its very likely they will spill into your small square. Although San Onofre State Beach is one of my all-time favorite places, the campgrounds have no resemblance to the State Beach and should be avoided at all cost. read more

It's a campground near a nuclear reactor built on a fault line. Conversational value is high: You get to say you did it. So it has that going for it. But as a campground, it's not really all that. Spaces are small. The toilets (RV-style foot-flush) and water can be a hike from some spots. Keep in mind it's not really on the beach. It's on a bluff above the beach (thus, the name "Bluffs Campground"). Access to the beach is down dirt paths cut into that bluff -- ones that that have eroded and aren't really maintained. Once you get down to the beach, you'll probably find it too rocky to enjoy. Then, there's the climb back along those same poorly-maintained trails. The views from some spots can be pleasant, but there's a chain-link fence (a rusty one) that gets in the way. If you find you need supplies, it's 10 miles on I-5 to the nearest store. Oh, and there are rattlesnakes. And the sounds of I-5, and the Coaster railroad blasting past about 100 feet away. It happens a few times an hour through most of the night. Also, $35 is almost (but not quite) hotel money. Onofre stays busy with hardcore surfers and people like us who just want to stay at the beach -- any beach. But as a destination, there must be better choices. read more

If you enjoy camping in a crowded parking lot on a tiny dirt patch with no view of the beach, this place is for you. Honestly, I can't imagine a worse place to camp. Maybe... never mind, I can't think of anything worse. It literally had no redeeming qualities. read more

Like i said on San O's other page, i stayed here for four days and i think the worst problem i encountered was some back pain and the fear of the spiders in the bathroom. they do have flush toilets and cold outdoor showers. I stayed on site 18 and had an awesome view! we also had a lot of room! a 4 person tent for the boys, and an 8 person tent for four girls who wanted a lot of space haha. We werent back to back with our neighbors at all. yes, there was a lot of noise, but it didnt bother me! also, watch out for that skunk, thankfully we packed up our stuff but the group next to us wasnt as lucky! The trails are definitely a work out. trail one lead to a sandy empty beach but that hike killed me. all the other trails lead to beaches covered in rocks, we ended up going to the day beach instead :p definitely enjoyed our trip here though! Although next year i think we are going to aim for a cottage or the military side where they only have to hike five feet haha! and for anyone who has been anxious about the bathrooms/showers i was kind enough to upload photos of them for reference! read more

See all

We had a great time here because of the company, not because of the campgrounds. Horrible, small campsites right on the freeway, with little to no separation from your neighbors. Power-tripping rangers who basically jumped out of the shadows on either side of our campsite, flashlights pointed in our eyes, yelling at us about having our ipod on while the 5 of us were calmly sitting around the fire listening to some classic rock at an extremely reasonable level. The beach is nice, but this is a last resort if you can't get into San Elijo or South Carlsbad. Seriously, have your rangers take some customer service classes. Horrible. read more

I went to this campground two weeks ago and feel I need to write a review as I looked at its Yelp reviews after booking and then got a little bit scared about what I was in for. However, after going, it really was a fun and EASY place to go on a little camping trip. I think if you go with the anticipation of having a good time and not expecting to be out in the middle of no where, you'll do just fine! I had never been camping at/near a beach before but have gone to a number of other campgrounds back in upstate NY. While you're not exactly out in the wild, it is perfect for a little getaway and reminded me of other campgrounds except the sites are all in one long horizontal line. I'm not sure if some of the sites are smaller than others, but we had an 8 person campsite and it was quite spacious and much larger than I was expecting. Each site has a campfire pit and there are numerous trails to get to the beach. Our group went onto trail 1 as we brought our dog and it was just about a five minute walk to the bottom. There were only a couple negative parts to the stay, including the $15 per car fee to park at your site, which wasn't super clear for us originally. The trip was still a cheap getaway nonetheless.The bathrooms aren't wonderful either, but it's no worse than what you'd typically see at the beach or outdoor public restroom. Though it could change for any weekend, the neighbors and people we ran into at the campground all were really nice, even offering us extra food and firewood. Overall a nice place to go, and a good trip to take with a significant other, group of friends or your family! read more

We enjoyed this campsite very much. We had site #59 and our friends had site #60. It is conveniently located off the 5 - if you are going south toward San Diego, it is past the nuke plant - the boobs. You will get off the freeway before then but will pass on the road to get to the site. You can hear the freeway and the train went by about 3 times in the evening. Nothing insanely loud that bothered me. If you are a light sleeper or bothered by noise easily then it might not be the place for you though. The campsites are close together but you are not on top of each other too bad. The bathrooms were cleaner then a public beach bathroom and there was plenty of toilet paper stocked. It is $15 a day for a second car at your campsite. The fire pits had a little metal piece you can put on to put things on for cooking. They had fire wood for sale up front where you check in too, I think it was about $7 a bundle. I would recommend bringing something for shade or you will be chasing the shadow of the bushes by the parking spots. There are bees around, especially in the bushes next to the parking spots but they don't bother anyone. We sat right next to them when sitting in the shade and they did not bother us. The shower also had bees nearby just trying to drink water and again no bother to us. The showers are open beach like showers. Water was cool and nice during the hot day. There are sinks on the side of the bathroom to wash your hands (bring a bottle of soap because none is provided, we were lucky someone left soap behind to wash hands) and a lower one to wash pans. We did not go down to the beach because it was about a mile hike down the hill. There was a nice breeze at the campsite too. It was about a 15 minute drive to the nearest Ralph's to get ice and we also got pizza near the Ralph's. Cell phone reception was excellent. Park rangers seem to drive around toward check out time but we didn't see them much during our visit except when checking in. Fellow camping noise seemed to die down about 10:30pm with a few people going on past that (but no one was too loud after that, just up next to the fire talking). Overall we really enjoyed it, I will definitely go there again. read more

See all

PARK RANGERS CAN SUCK IT Besides the campgrounds being itty bitty tiny and being next to the noisy I-5 freeway/train track...the "rangers" here are massive a-holes. Two guys came with their flashlights acting like badasses. Told us that it's quiet time after 10pm but they were RUDE and obviously POWER TRIPPING over us threatening us that they will TAKE US TO JAIL for public drunkenness! Are you serious??? We had the ipod on and were drinking beers and being CHILL. The park rangers here need to take the stick out of their ass and realize people come to camp to relax and to have a good time. There are more professional ways to address things -instead these 2 guys straight killed our moods. NEVER GOING BACK HERE AGAIN. read more

Out of the big three campgrounds in the area (San Clemente, San Mateo and San Onofre), this is my last choice out of all of them. There's nothing necessarily wrong with this campground, but it is the most uncomfortable and inconvenient of all of them. Some of the pros and cons: Pros: -Usually has openings when the other campgrounds run out of space. -Great surfing spot, and convenient to Trestles. -Dogs are allowed on two of the trails and beaches (One and Six). Cons: -Lots of noise. Between the freeway, trains and nearby military base, you are in for a treat if you didn't bring ear plugs. -Beach is not good for swimming or anything other than surfing. Too many rocks and too many surfers. -Far from the city. You have to drive to get anywhere, while at San Clemente you are within walking distance of shopping and bars. As I mentioned earlier it does the job, but it's very spartan. read more

I have camped many times before but I will not be returning to this campsite. Pros: They allow dogs. They always have sites available. Cons: Tiny campsites. They are literally side-by-side and right off the parking lot. No shade. Gravel and dirt/ash/cigarette butts...I felt like I was setting my tent up on an ash tray. Never had to clean my tent off after a camping trip before. Outdoor showers like you find at the beach. I can do without showers but when you advertise showers you may want to mention they're outside! Half mile/mile walk to the beach. Could not see water from campsite. Closer to freeway than the water. Right next to the train tracks (which run hourly 24/7. I love camping, but if you want to escape to the outdoors you won't find it here. The beer was good though (not included). read more

For OC, excellent camp ground over anywhere nearby on the water (especially Doheney). That being said I wouldn't stay here over a holiday weekend. Tips: -Best surfing near trail 4 (but anywhere really)... nude beach down by trail 7ish? -Best car camping I'd say in anywhere between #40ish-60ish (little trees to block your view of the sites next to yours... and from here you can walk 1min north to a secret "closed' beach trail.. just on the other side of the bathrooms) -In case you come after hours - gates are always open and you can buy a campsite from the automated machine at the entrance read more

You know when you're little and you go camping in your backyard? Camping here is about a step up from that. Much like the old adventures in the back year, you can rest assured that there is a clean, well lit bathroom just a few yards away. In every direction you look there is development and you can hear the roar or the freeway as you toast s'mores. If you looking to do some legit camping - this is not the place for you. If you're looking for a place you can kick back a few beers next to a campfire and walk to the beach durign the day, come on down! read more

Spot 114. Ghetto is about right. How did I end up spending $40+ dollars for a place to set up my tent that is about 10 X 10 with people parked just as close next to you. I was thinking I would rent a surfboard and get a morning surf session in.....That did not happen but in the future I would stay in San Clemente either camping or hotel and just pay the $15 daily access fee. I forgot to affirm what other reviewers said.....you are basically 200 yards for the I-5 freeway. The noise is ridiculous. They should charge no more than $2.50 to camp there. read more