Best Campgrounds Near San Luis Obispo
20 hand-picked camping destinations curated for families visiting REI San Luis Obispo. Each campground selected for quality, scenery diversity, and memorable experiences.
Showing 20 campgrounds
Featured Picks
Morro Bay State Park Campground
Outstanding close-to-town option with strong reviews, shady eucalyptus groves, and easy access to Morro Bay and the estuary, giving families mellow hiking, birding, paddling, and bike paths without a long drive.
North Beach Campground
Picked as the go-to classic beach-and-dunes campground near SLO, where kids can walk to the ocean, play in the sand, and explore Carpenter Creek, backed by solid ratings and lots of family use.
Selby Campground
Highlights a very different big-sky Carrizo Plain experience within a day-trip drive, offering quiet, dark skies, and wide-open hiking for families ready for more primitive, scenic camping.
Limekiln State Park Campground
Combines Big Sur redwoods, Limekiln Creek, and a small cove beach in one compact park, giving families a high-rated weekend-style escape with short but spectacular hikes and easy access to both forest and ocean.
Santa Cruz Scorpion
Consistently top-rated and heavily reviewed, this Channel Islands basecamp delivers an unforgettable island adventure with coastal hikes, snorkeling and swimming coves, and abundant wildlife viewing.
Dorabelle Campground
Chosen as the signature mountain-lake trip: excellent reviews, a short walk to Shaver Lake for swimming, fishing, and boating, plus shady pine forest campsites that work well for multi-night family stays.
More to Explore
Oceano Campground
Great alternate close-to-home pick featuring a calm lagoon, dunes, and an easy beach walk, with all four core activities available for very active families.
Islay Creek Campground
Showcases the rugged beauty of Montana de Oro, with coastal cliffs, hidden coves, and canyon trails, appealing to families who want more hiking and biking and a slightly wilder feel near town.
Plaskett Creek Campground
High-use Big Sur campground set in Monterey pines just across from Sand Dollar Beach, ideal when Limekiln is full and for families wanting forested sites with easy access to a wide, kid-friendly surf beach.
Pfeiffer Big Sur Campground
Iconic Big Sur redwood campground along the Big Sur River, offering classic family hikes, river access, and a central location for exploring the whole Big Sur coastline.
Paradise Campground
Provides an inland river-and-oak-forest option near the Santa Ynez River, with good review volume and family-friendly access to hiking, biking, fishing, and seasonal swimming holes.
Carpinteria State Beach Campground
Top-rated beachfront park with tide pools, a nearby seal rookery, and bikeable access to the town of Carpinteria, making it one of the best all-around ocean campgrounds for families on the south coast.
Sycamore Campground
Popular canyon campground with beach access via underpass, shady sycamores, and strong reviews, giving families a blend of hiking, biking, and ocean swimming just off Highway 1.
Santa Rosa Island
Offers a more remote Channel Islands experience than Scorpion, with long coastal and canyon hikes, white-sand beaches, and good fishing and swimming opportunities for experienced families.
Belknap
A giant-sequoia standout with excellent ratings and creekside camping right in the groves, ideal for families wanting big trees, cool summer temps, and short kid-friendly hikes.
Upper Stony Creek Campground
Well-reviewed Sequoia National Forest campground with a swimmable creek, nearby waterfalls, and access to Hume Lake, providing a classic Sierra family base for hiking and water play.
Sandy Flat
Popular Kern River campground where families can combine riverside camping, fishing, and swimming at a day-use beach, plus nearby trails and boulder exploring along the canyon.
Codorniz Campground
Represents warm-weather reservoir camping on Eastman Lake, with solid reviews and lake access for boating, fishing, and swimming amid rolling oak-dotted hills, contrasting nicely with the high Sierra lakes.
Henry Cowell Redwoods State Park Campground
High-rated redwood destination with diverse trail systems and river swimming spots, giving families a full-featured redwood experience in a park that also offers nearby rail and town attractions.
Smith Forks Campground
Adds a high-rated montane-desert and chaparral option with good trail and road access for hiking and biking, perfect for families seeking quieter, off-the-beaten-path camping away from coastal crowds and fog.
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