Best Campgrounds Near Santa Cruz
20 hand-picked camping destinations curated for families visiting REI Santa Cruz. Each campground selected for quality, scenery diversity, and memorable experiences.
Showing 20 campgrounds
Featured Picks
Henry Cowell Redwoods State Park Campground
Signature close-to-town redwoods campground with river access and a full mix of hiking, biking, swimming, and easy nature loops, making it an ideal first or go-to family camping spot for Santa Cruz locals.
Manresa State Beach Campground
Closest true beach campground to REI Santa Cruz, with walk-in access to a wide sandy shoreline and great sunset views, perfect for families who want simple car camping centered around sand play and surf watching.
Main Campground
Short hop into the Santa Cruz Mountains for dramatic sandstone formations, ridge views, and excellent family day hikes, giving kids a mountain-adventure feel without a long drive.
Pfeiffer Big Sur Campground
Highly sought-after Big Sur campground where redwoods meet the Big Sur River, offering classic family hikes, creekside play, and easy access to nearby beaches—great as a first Big Sur overnight from Santa Cruz.
Dorabelle Campground
One of the best-reviewed Sierra lake campgrounds, set in shady pines just above Shaver Lake with swimming, fishing, and boating access, giving families a classic high-country lake weekend.
Summerdale Campground
Creekside forest camping just outside Yosemite’s south entrance, combining meadows, wading-friendly Big Creek, and access to national park sights, ideal for families ready for a longer, reward-filled road trip.
More to Explore
New Brighton State Beach Campground
Blufftop campground overlooking Monterey Bay with direct trail access to the beach and paved paths to Capitola, offering a slightly more sheltered, family-friendly alternative when Manresa is booked.
Portola Campground
Quieter redwood basin with lush creekside trails and cooler summer temps, great for families who want a deeper-in-the-woods redwoods experience and don’t mind a curvy drive.
Blooms Creek Campground
Intimate redwood sites in Big Basin’s heart, surrounded by towering trees and classic family hiking loops, offering a more immersive old-growth feel than the in-town redwoods near Santa Cruz.
Francis Beach Campground
Popular Half Moon Bay blufftop campground with easy beach access and the paved Coastal Trail right from camp, perfect for families who want to mix biking, walking, and tidepooling.
Los Banos Creek Campground
Warmer inland reservoir option where most sites sit near the waterline, giving families easy access to shoreline fishing, paddling, and summertime swimming within a manageable drive.
Kirby Cove Campground
Small hike-in campground beneath cypress trees with a sandy cove and front-row views of the Golden Gate Bridge, offering older kids a memorable wow experience that still feels manageable and safe.
Limekiln State Park Campground
Compact Big Sur campground where redwoods, a lively creek, historic lime kilns, and a small cove-style beach all sit a short walk apart, giving families a lot of scenery variety without big hikes.
Plaskett Creek Campground
Family favorite across the road from Sand Dollar Beach, Big Sur’s largest sandy beach, ideal for groups who want a relaxed, beach-focused camping weekend with surf views and easy walks.
Samuel P. Taylor State Park Campground
North Bay redwoods campground with a gentle creek, paved bike path, and easy access to Point Reyes and the Marin coast, great for combining camping with coastal day trips and short rides.
Bodega Dunes Campground
Large, dune-backed campground a short walk or drive from wide Sonoma Coast beaches, providing a classic wild-coast feel with space for kids to roam and explore.
Morro Bay State Park Campground
Campground near the bay and estuary with nearby trails, birdwatching, and easy access to kayak rentals and Morro Rock, giving families a mellow central-coast alternative to Big Sur’s steeper terrain.
North Grove Campground
Calaveras Big Trees’ main family campground, set among giant sequoias with well-marked interpretive trails, offering an impressive big-tree experience that’s still kid-friendly and easy to navigate.
Meadowview Campground
Shady forest sites within walking distance of Pinecrest Lake, where families can swim, rent boats, fish, and stroll the lakeshore loop, making it an easy all-in-one mountain lake basecamp.
Liberty Glen (Lake Sonoma)
Ridgetop campground above Lake Sonoma with good privacy and sunset views, suited to families who like hiking and lake access but don’t mind a short hike or drive down to the shoreline.
Ready to Start Camping?
Set up free campsite alerts to get notified when sites open up at your favorite campgrounds.