Where is there beach camping near LA?

Question

I mean REAL beach camping, on the beach in the sand, not a campground 5 miles from the beach. Thanks!

Answer 1

There are a few campgrounds on the beach at the north part of Malibu but if you really want to have a good beach to go to, check out Carpinteria...it's between Ventura and Santa Barbara and it's fantastic! Great beaches, fantastic snorkeling and some very cool tide pools! If you want to go the other way, there is a campground in San Clemente as well as a very very nice one down in San Onofre

Answer 2

It's a bit of a drive, they don't take reservations, the water's kind of cold and it's often windy....but...the flat-out most beautiful beach camping in southern CA is Jalama Beach in the Santa Barbara County region. My secret is to get there mid week and ask the campers on the beach when they're leaving, then scoot into their space while they're leaving. They plant bushes for windbreaks between campsites and the scenery is pretty spectacular. This is a big windsurfing spot if you like or would like to learn to do this. (Just don't go there when I'm planning to go there.) I would have never heard of the place but my neighbor told me about it...what a treasure. http://www.sbparks.org/DOCS/jalama.html

Another spectacular scenery for oceanside camping in the Morro Bay area is at Montana de Oro State Beach. There are 2 environmental camp sites at the southern end of the park that are hike-in. You are on a mesa above the shore line; at night you can hike around beachside paths next to chapparel; catch the moonlight on waves crashing into the cliffs, and roving coyotes yelp and howl. And no one around for a mile or so. Again, water isn't warm but nature at the seashore is spectacular. Lots of stars; you can see the Milky Way and often shooting stars. Lots of night light if you go near full moon.

Answer 3

Depends on what you mean by LA area. If you mean the immediate LA area, there aren't many.
Going south:

Doheney State Beach: Located in south Orange County, this is the closest beach camping to LA. Premium campsites are right on the beach. Plan your life 6-7 months in advance, because this is popular.

San Clemente State Beach: On the bluffs above the beach.

San Onofre State Beach: Unless you are a HARD CORE surfer, this is not a good place to camp. Camped here once, never again. You are 10 feet from the RR tracks, 20 feet from I-5. If you're lucky, you get to be right next to the border checkpoint, with flashing lights all night. And it's 1/4 mile walk to the beach. Loud teens and twenty-somethings up late, and no ranger enforcement of quiet time. Great if you're a college-aged person and want to surf and party, but rotten for families.

South Carlsbad SB: Not a bad campground. On the bluffs above the beach. Great for whale watching during migration season.

San Elijo SB: Same as South Carlsbad, only more popular. Once again, you need to be on reserveamerica.com on the first of the month, six months in advance.

Campland on the Bay: Private campground on the north end of Mission Bay. Close to Sea World. Excellent location, lots of organized activities, but you pay for it. Full amenities here, like Newport Dunes: Water, electric, sewer, cable, good camp store. It has everything, and is close to Sea World.

Now, let's travel northward from LA County to Santa Barbara:

Leo Carillo State Park: The campground it across PCH from the beach. Some people really like it, but the beach is much too rocky for me, and it’s across PCH, which technically means it’s not a state beach.

Point Mugu State Park, which consists of Broome State Beach and Sycamore Canyon. Thornhill Broome campground is on the beach. This is a lonely bit of windswept beach, near a naval base. The nice part is that it's less crowded. However, that's because of the wind.

Mc Grath SB: Nice enough campground, no hookups. However, about 1/4 mile walk to beach across dunes.

Carpinteria: Now we're talking. This has sites with hookups, as well as non-hookup sites. The best area is Santa Rosa, which has full hookups. San Miguel has water and electric, but no sewer. If you have a rig about 24' or less, then try to get beach row in Santa Rosa. If you have a longer rig, up to 30', you will need to camp in Long Row. This is one of the most popular campgrounds in the State (along with San Elijo)

El Capitan and Refugio State Beach: Neither has hookups, but they are very nice campgrounds about 2 miles apart. Refugio is on the beach level, and El Cap is on the bluffs above the beach.

Jalama Beach: One of the best kept secrets anywhere. Located on an isolated stretch of beach between Santa Barbara and Lompoc, it’s not easy to get to. It’s first-come, first-served, which means you may not get a site. That’s a VERY long way to go to get skunked, which is one big reason we rarely try. www.jalamabeach.com

All of the State Beaches can be reserved at www.reserveamerica.com, 6 months in advance. Which means if you want Memorial day reservations, you will need to reserve Nov. 1.

That's about it, have fun!

Answer 4

Gavoita, Leo Carrillo, Doheny, Dockweiler, San Onofre, Newport Dunes

Answer 5

I know!!!!! not really just wanted points hehehe

Answer 6

probably but "i wouldn't trust it"