Fun, family friendly space in the heart of Monterey. So many great memories here as a junior camper then camp counselor at El Estero Day Camp. We'd sing sings around the campfire, host skits and enjoy hot dogs and hamburgers. This was before kids were G-Free, Low Carb, Vegetarian and Vegan. read more

Is this the best campgound ever...no. is it the only campground in Monterey proper ....yes. It is nice clean, hot shower and 5 minutes to town. Cheaper than a hotel . Pretty and quiet. Nice playground for kids or dogs. During certain season you maybe limited to charcoal fire but they do the trick on a cool night. Don't complain if you are hoping to skirt the rules then the give angry reviews because you didn't read the sign. There is parking right up the street if your too frugal to pay the extra fee. read more

Homeless people walking around everywhere. Walked through camp startling me saying she was "looking for someone" Bathrooms are trashed and filthy. Have stayed here many times in the past and it was not like this. Will not be coming again unless things change. We are also not able to start a fire as no fires are allowed. It's freezing. read more

Just writing a review here to counter "Liz S" who had a dumb reason for rating it 1 star. She admitted to not reading the sign, which was pretty darn clear: $27 for the first vehicle, $5 for the second, limit 2 vehicles per site. Just put the cash in the envelope, sign the envelope with your vehicle license plates and such, and keep the stub to clip onto your campsite pole. This park wasn't our first choice, but we were desperate since it was too late in the day to make the cutoff for Big Sur or Pinnacles. It turns out that this park resembles any ordinary campground at a state park. It also has no cutoff for reservation though realistically you need to get here a little before 10 pm (curfew). The noise isn't bad, though you can hear faint marching and roll call from the nearby military base, and what sounds like sea otters or something in the morning. You probably wouldn't hear them if you were already asleep, though. There are two restrooms, showers, and a field for Frisbee and such. read more

I've camped here twice, and both times were an awesome experience. Even though it rained on my most recent trip and the edges of my tent were soaking wet and I was freezing, it was a great time altogether. What makes this campsite awesome are the showers, they're clean, the water is warm, and there usually isn't a wait to use them. (Except maybe in the mornings when a lot of people are getting ready for the day's activities). The bathrooms are really clean as a whole and the campgrounds are very well maintained. The ranger who lives on site is really welcoming and ready to help you with whatever you may need. I've seen a lot of people complain about him online but he's never been rude or hostile towards me. During certain times of the year fires are prohibited, but I was able to have a fire this last time and it was great. All the neighboring campers keep to themselves and no one bothers you or goes anywhere near you or your stuff. There are some really nice sites here so get here early to pick a good one! I will always camp at this spot! It's a hidden gem, and really close to town. You can easily go down the road to Safeway, or hit the beach nearby. It's perfect. read more

Location is great, Get there early for the weekend as it does fill up. Mid week camping is normally not full. My big gripe about the place, is the Ranger. He is strict with the rules and over the years has chased off allot of good responsible people I know that use to enjoy camping up there. The place is run buy a very text book case of a "passive aggressive personality", who always enforces the rules with the the nice folks but doesn't seem to have the follow thru with the loud and obnoxious campers. I think the city is running a homeless shelter up there for meth heads and people in AA All night long car drive up to the camp sight to use the bathrooms and showers and this starts at 11pm- and continues till mid day. In the morning you will have to wait to get into the bathroom because there is a line of homeless people with their cars parked outside the bathrooms waiting to use them, and they are all non campers. Not good for families or those with pets wanting to relax. Take your trips south to Carmel or Big Sur. The camp sights are safer and more relaxed IF YOUR HOMELESS THIS IS YOUR PLACE!! ENJOY read more

Definitely city camping. It is in an actual park so that's kinda cool if you have kids. There is only one site that is "private". Probably won't be returning the fee was $30. read more

Great place to stay, the ranger (didn't catch his name) was incredibly nice and helpful. The camp was close to full when we stayed, but was quiet throughout the night. At a reasonable $30/night, camping here was well worth it if you're on a road trip as we were. read more

Hadn't been her in a while...my last visit was very disappointing! It was partiallly my fault for not reading the fine print "$5 per extra vehicle two car limit" But you can imagine how suprised I was when they charged us for an entire extra campsite for having 3 cars. Thats an extra $27!!! So $27 + $27 + the $5 for the extra car= I should of just stayed at a hotel! I will never come back here again! read more

Checked in late. John was super friendly on the phone. Campsites are clean and organized however they are very close together and do not offer much privacy. Campground doesn't take credit or debit. Only cheque and cash. read more

For $30 you should get more. No power or hook ups and very unleveled parking. Dirty bathrooms but there is a large children's playground and you are close to downtown Monterey. read more

This is a beautiful park, with hiking paths into downtown Monterey! There's a big playground and even a bocci court, on the grounds. You can hear sea lions barking from here. There's a 3 day limit for Camping, and it costs $30 a site, but $5.00 off for seniors. The bathrooms are well stocked and pretty clean considering the fairly high usage by people other than campers. Most sites are wooded, and if you have a trailer or RV over24 feet, usable sites are pretty limited.it's first come first serve only, a feature I love. We stay here often, and have been very happy with it. read more

This was much better than we expected. Arriving by 3 p.m. on Saturday, we found few spots still free. We choose number 21, which was a nice place among trees and close to bathroom. Bathroom were quite old but ok, hot shower available with no problems. The camp itself was very peaceful place with its own atmosphere. Speaking about meeting ranger John, who was in charge, must say he was nice, helpful and ok. Recomend to eaveryone. read more

Went there this morning to get a site. Family rolled in and sent people running out who bought up every available spot. They got more than the number of people in that group. Some kind of scam is going on. Badly needs an office where you pay to stop whatever is going on here. read more

With a family of four, two being teens, we've always enjoyed camping at this park. It is a city park and all need to be aware of that, you will hear dogs barking and car traffic. There is a neighborhood located very close, but for a city park, it's still a pleasure to use. We live in Central California and Monterey is about a 3 hour drive for us. Normally we just make the trip to and from, but sometimes we throw the tent and sleeping bags in and make a weekend of it. We enjoy the sounds of Taps at 10pm and Reveille at sunrise from the nearby Presidio, the early morning fog and the Sea Lions barking, all add to the "specialness" of this park. Set on top of a hill, the ocean far below and if lucky, a gorgeous blue sky in late morning after the fog burns off. The pay showers are great to wash off any residual saltwater from the days play. There's usually a few semi-secluded spots available back in the trees and we've never had a bad night there due to other noisy campers. So although the camp host is seldom seen, he does do a great job at enforcing quiet time. Being a city park, you're close to Cannery Row and all the shops. A lazy day can be spent shopping at the local used bookstores. If you have small children, be sure to check out Dennis the Menace Park just off Del Monte Ave. It used to be the favorite spot to go when our kids were young. If you like to hike, check out Point Lobos State Reserve just a short drive down the road to Carmel. It's another favorite place of ours, with miles of hiking along the ocean. Overall, the price is a bit high, but it's always been a secluded gem of a campground that not too many people have found and will probably remain a favorite destination, well after our kids are grown and gone. read more

Just spent an awesome 3 days camping at this wonderful campground. The campsites are well maintained, set amongst Monterey Pines and Coast Live Oak. Showers are free. Cost is $27, unless you have a Golden Access Pass, then you get a $5 discount. Though it is in the midst of Monterey, near beaches and fast food, you still felt that you were wilderness camping. It was nice to see the numberless stars and to hear the seals (or sea lions) barking at night. Watch out for raccoons, though; they scavage for anything they can find. One morning we woke to chocolate paw prints on our picnic table from our hot chocolate cups from the night before. The plastic bags from the trash cans show evidence of raccoons trying to open them. LOL It is located near the Presidio so we were pleasantly serenaded with Reveille in the morning and Taps at night. Check before you go to see if campfires are allowed due to fire restrictions. We had to use charcoal, but it really was almost as nice as a wood fire. read more

The positive is that you can stay here for much cheaper than a hotel and still enjoy the Monterey area. Also, the showers are free which is nice. Unfortunately, this leads to homeless to come up and is the showers. Which is a good move for them, my only issue is when they're super cracky and using the hand dryer to dry their genitals yea, that happened. Also the bathrooms are dirty unless you catch it right after they're cleaned (once a day). While I stayed here the camp was full, so that probably contributed to the constant lines for showers and the dirty conditions. I also had a suspicious woman wander into my camp and try to steal stuff. I happened to walk back from the bathroom as she was entering my camp with a bag. I asked her if I could help her and she just walked off. I was watching her as I walked up and she was definitely casing the campground. So keep your stuff locked up and bring some flip flops and disinfectant spray for the bathroom! read more

There was a homeless person shuffling around at night with a flashlight. I was there by myself passing through Monterey on my bike, and was worried to leave my stuff alone while going to the restroom, so I held it until morning light. I guess this is the problem with campsites located in urban settings. read more

We stayed here a week ago, it wasn't our planned campground but found Big Sur was completely booked and had to find something quickly. We had two families and this is what we found. It's situated in a strange area, residential above and below. That turned out to be fine however we didn't feel like we were camping. The facilities are kept in good condition and the showers offer very hot water, almost too hot, no extra charge by the way. Since it is also a day use park and open to the public, there did seem to be at least one or two drifters we saw that used the facilities. There are deer but minimal, however the raccoons are plentiful and will (did) get into your food if not secured. The park attendant is very helpful but be aware there is a 3 day maximum. The spaces accommodate up to 8 people and 2 cars, which can be great if you are stuck without a campsite. Conversely, it can be bad because of noise and too many people. Most sites are pretty small in size and very close to other sites. In a bind, I would recommend. If you want to feel like you are camping, probably not. read more

I stayed at this campground with my girlfriend on 6/19 and was lucky enough to grab the last campsite available. After setting up and making dinner we noticed a police officer speeding through the campground. He finally made his way to the bathroom, located right next to our campsite along with the majority of the other campers. After violating the speed limit with children playing at the park he made his way to a white car parked illegally next to the bathroom. He shined his colors, high beams, AND spotlights on the obviously empty car... for 2 full hours before getting a tow truck to show up. ( we saw multiple tow trucks driving around town 2 minutes down the road) The whole time unnecessarily keeping his car running with bright lights blaring on the car facing myself and many other campers ruining any attempt to sleep. Eventually, the camp host showed up and didn't once ask them to turn their lights off or drive appropriately to help make the camping experience comfortable....We decided to try to watch a movie on our phone in the car we were camping in, and as soon as we did, of course the tow truck shows up. Again, he puts on his lights and backup alarms when he can just drive up to the vehicle needing to be towed. The tow truck finally got the car away, dragging the metal bumper as they left, the cop sped out of the campground going at least double the posted speed limit...By this time it is 11pm and all 3 of these city employees are violating the campgrounds posted noise/ lights out policy AND the speed limit as they all left. Ive never been so annoyed at how terribly inconsiderate city employees could be. clearly they DGAF about you enjoying this campground or about following their own posted rules. The ranger was rude when we asked him why that process was no lengthy, noisy and irritating and he basically told us we didnt have to camp their...so NEVER AGAIN will we stay here. Staff is terrible and they dont even follow their own rules..I wish i got the officers car number...i may have been able to if he was actually driving the speed limit... read more

Clean-ish bathrooms with plugs for hairdryers. And the showers are free, no need for quarters or shower tokens. Neat site overall, up on a hill over the city, thought not much of a view due to all the trees. Playground for kids and horseshoes for adults. Great low price of $30 with no online booking feeds b/c it is first come first serve basis. This can be frustrating for trip planning but we got there around 3:30 pm on a Monday (Labor Day actually) and it was almost empty (all the holiday campers had gone home that day to go back to work the next morning). You pay a board/lockbox when you pick a site, so bring a check! Would definitely stay here again! read more

Good place to camp with company if you have a very small apartment. Places for you to spread out and enjoy yourselves. Love it.

If you would like an upfront and personal experience at camping out in a homeless encampment- this place is for you! No check-in times make it likely to expect joe blow to pull in at 6am to set up a tent, possibly In your site. Don't mind the 90 pound pit bull, spray painted vans, drunks or the occasional stragglers walking through your site. Kids are sure to learn a lot! No kidding aside. read more

My family of 5 comes every year. We love this spot. Its so close to everything on the Monterey Peninsula. The showers are free. There is a great playground and lawn for the kids. The park is very clean and well kept. The attendant is very friendly and informative. We love watching the deer roam through the park at dusk. Then the army base plays taps at night. The sea lions bark at night and the fog horns can be heard in the distance. Watch out for the raccoons at night though. read more

We had checked out the park on an earlier visit and were excited to camp and pitch our tent on the "first come" basis and arrived at noon to get a campsite. Lovely setting and a great reasonable price with nice clean bathrooms and hot showers as opposed to paying a high priced motel bill. That was the good part...........Unfortunately, the noisy and very inconsiderate campers ruined the experience. Someone was playing their tacky music for all to hear and some IDIOT came driving through the campground (at least twice) in a big Dodge Diesel truck at about 11 pm. A silly taps song was played at 10 pm or so, waking us up. Really? Are we in the military? It would seem the park ranger should or could take some initiative and place a sign that check-in ends at 9 pm so as not to disturb all the other campers and quiet time begins at 9 pm as well. There were a lot of dogs present and amazingly, they had more manners and were better trained than the inconsiderate hooligans who stayed that night. Yelling and screaming should be reserved for the WAY OUT DOORS, not in a camping community. We may try again or just go the opposite direction from where we live to a wonderfully quiet campsite next to the river below Yosemite at Briceberg for only $10.00/night. Behind the ranger station there are wonderfully scenic and QUIET campsites and the rangers are wonderful! read more