There are spots that are worth coming here for. There are a lot that aren’t. There is huge view blocking green netting and fence blocking off a middle area that hits a few spots. This isn’t advertised or even told to you when booking. I added photos of it. The people next to us were trashed and smoked non stop. We didn’t even stay. Left after only one night. It is a beautiful view, nice beach and very walkable. The place where we were just wasn’t for us at this time.
Camped at site 219. Private beach access from our site which was nice. One of the beach accesses for camp grounds is to the left of 219, so other campers pass by through that, but its a nice site because no other cars are right next to you. Small tree on the site, so bring a pop up or something for shade. The bathrooms are individual stalls and well-kept. The showers are individual and can be used with tokens. Bring cash to exchange for the tokens. Great campground for kids. Waves are usually mellow and the sand is perfect for digging holes, building sand castles, etc. Highly recommend and we will return.
This is definitely one of our favorite spots to RV at, but be aware of how each camping loop can affect your experience. We have a 30’ Class A rig. San Miguel and Santa Rosa loops are VERY tight and the back rows in each resemble an upgraded homeless encampment. Best for smaller trailers and vans. Both basically parking lots. Some hookups.Santa Cruz loop is more ample and where the bigger Class As and 5th wheels are stacked up. Not bad if you can get in, but the RV sites looked pretty close to one another. This loop is fairly busy.Anacapa loop is about 75 yards from the beach separated by a day use and overflow parking lot, but an easy walk from the campground. This, I believe, is the best and most ample area for campers if you can support dry camp ops and not be right on the beach. We were fine in early June ‘21 with solar & a 30 gal tote to ferry our waste water to the nearby dump station. There are “non-threaded” potable water spigots within this loop. Have a plan to fill your rig if needed without breaking camp. I.E., Water Bandit attachment with cinching clamps (for spigots) & 75’ of hose to reach a nearby spigot location or drill pump setup with 5 gal jugs...we used both.Just be aware that during our stay, the Anacapa shower & restroom facility building had construction going on so only porta-potties available. So you’ll be going to the Santa Cruz loop to use showers unless you have one on board. Believe they’ll be done Fall ‘21. Anacapa is also bordered by a huge recreation field and the closest loop to Linden Ave which has all the DT eateries within walking distance.The cons are as follows: (1) ground squirrels galore and most areas look like dirt Swiss cheese. Lock your stuff up & check your engine compartments. (2) the upkeep has deteriorated over the years. 15-20 yrs ago this campground was pristine, now it’s starting to look a bit like a dirt swap meet in places. (3) Park rangers mostly cool, but one possessed Hispanic guy making sure all 4 tires of tow on site pavement & not on any dry grassed/dirt areas. Really? It’s barren dirt, not manicured lawn. He should be lecturing the ground squirrels & landscapers for abuse & neglect, not campers. (4) next to active train tracks so be prepared for that (5) no dogs on the beach (6) little or no park ranger activity after dark. Never saw one after dark (guess Gavin cut that out of the budget) (7) early morning construction at a few places so bring earplugs - yes, they were jack hammering at 0700 hrs until the Ranger was called...but it continued later in the AM.Overall, a good campsite depending on your expectations. Be aware that it’s not in the best shape like in years past, but the weather, beach, and nearby town will be hard to match.
Growing up, my family camped at Carpinteria State Beach once a year and I have been so anxious to go back. We finally made that happen last weekend! It was even more beautiful than I remembered! The views on the beach are so pretty with Catalina Island on one side and the mountains in the background on the other side. I love camping here because the beach is just steps away from the campsites and you fall asleep to the sound of the ocean waves. We have only camped in the Santa Cruz campground but there are others to choose from.📍205 Palm Ave, Carpinteria, CA 93013🚙2 vehicles can park at your campsite as long as they fit on your paved parking spot. Max of 35 ft camper.💰Price varies based on the day of the week and the campsite chosen but average about $45/night.🗓Reservations open 6 months in advance you you MUST book early or you won’t get a site! The minute those reservations open, you need to be online booking! They go fast!🎠There is an adorable playground nearby. See next post for more info.🚽2 buildings with 4 restrooms each. They provide toilet paper and are cleaned once daily.🚿2 buildings with 4 indoor hot showers each. You must use California State Park tokens for these showers. 1 token costs 50 cents and gets you 2 minutes of hot water. Tokens can be retrieved at the campground host station. There are also outdoor cold showers for a quick rinse after playing at the beach.🧺At least 1 wooden picnic table at each camp site. There are also picnic tables on the beach🔥1 fire pit at each campsite🐿Be aware there is a bit of a gofer problem at the campgrounds and they WILL steal your food if you leave it unattended! We had sealed bags that they ripped open and got into 🤦🏻♀️🥾Dirt hiking trails nearby including a hike to see the seals🚲So many people bring scooters and bikes to ride around the campgrounds and on the trails.🚂Train nearby and it is loud. The last train usually goes by around 10pmThe Tomol Interpretive Play Area nearby is so cute and was the perfect place to take kids while camping at Carpinteria. It’s only a short distance from the Santa Cruz campground so we walked over here one morning before spending the rest of the day on the sand at the beach. The roller slide reminded me of my Discovery Zone days when I was a kid 😆📍Linden Ave, Carpinteria, CA 93013🚙Free parking on street or pay for parking in the lot💰This park is free🎠The play structure has a rubber ground surface, no swings🚽Restrooms on the other side of the lawn closer to the beach and the pay lot.🪑Park benches at playground🏖Playground is near the beach🌅Scenic ocean views🖼Lawn🌟Clean grounds🥾Short dirt walking trail. You can continue through the Carpinteria campgrounds on the paved paths via 4th street and the dirt trail will continue to the Tar Pits and the Seal Sanctuary and beyond. If you only want to do the trail to see the seals and the tar pits, park at the Carpinteria Bluffs Trailhead and head NW.🚲Some kids were riding their bikes along the dirt trail and on the sidewalks nearby🚂Perfect views of the train
Great place for our daily morning walk along with other beautiful places in Carpinteria
We love Carpinteria and camping at the beach. We have stayed in several sites over the years. Our most recent trip we booked Egret group site. When we booked it had trees, but they had to cut them down a few days before we arrived.A few important details:1. They allow pets in the campground on leash. Dogs not allowed on beach.2. They have a dump and fill station in the campground.3. Due to erosion, they have less beach side camping for tents.4. They have flush toilets and showers.5. It is right next to the train.6. There are a lot of gophers and raccoons. Keep your food locked up at night.
We wanted to visit the tarpits, but couldnt find parking, so we ended up here... This was an excellent beach however... It was clean and nearly empty... And it was even on a Friday!
Beautiful space and super clean restrooms.
We were able to make a reservation for our 30’ trailer but arrived and discovered our space was only for 24’. They asked us to move and arranged a campsite swap even though the place was fully booked! Really nice!
Could have been a five-star ratingStayed one night incredibleSecond dayThey
What a great place to stay. RV parking and tent sites. Right next to the beach. If your in a wheel chair it is the most accessible beach I have been to. Little secret if your like is we like to travel and stay a night here and a night there. Ask about over flow you can pay your $10 day pass come back at 6pm and pay $35 you San stay in over flow. Only down side is you have to leave at 9am. But its a nice clean fun place in the beach
Great camping site with clean restrooms that are nearby, and a hosebib right at our particular spot (C 220). They provided soap at all the faucets. They had warm water. Private showers are available (bring coins), but outside showers are free. This was our first camping experience ever. They allow 3 vehicles and up to 8 people per site. There is a picnic table and fire pit. Its a good site for novice campers like us. I would definitely go back. Raccoons are not shy there, so store food accordingly.
Now this campground knows diversity. So many need showers and live in there cars n trucks that a shower is essential. ZZZ and available here with a 10 dollar day pass and a few coins
I cant in right mind give a campground that charges over $60 per night five stars. That being said, I joined my friends at their smaller camp site, and since we were both sleeping in our vehicles could both fit in one space. If youre using tents, that may not be possible. The fee for an additional vehicle in the area we chose was $10. Plus we woke up with a view of the waves splashing on the beach... glorious!The bathroom facilities are pretty nice, and include showers as well as decent sized sinks (sometimes a camping rarity). Deep sinks are available as well.When I arrived at ~10p, a Ranger showed up to see what I was up to and ended up leading me to the site where I could meet my friends.
One of the better popular beaches. Very clean
Year round weather is often great. Spring, summer and fall.. winter are more than brisk.
Great camping site; about as crowded as anywhere else on the CA Coast. Bathrooms and showers great as well!
The woman at the front gate greeting was very pleasant and helpful. All guests respected quiet hours. The sound of the waves is nice. My neighbors were very friendly. Everything else was extremely frustrating and disappointing. The online rate was $53 for a basic campsite and it was awful (the website showed it as the last one available). Absolutely nowhere even remotely ideal to put my tent (in the dirt no grass no shade) because it was so bumpy with large holes everywhere. The safe area to put my tent on the pavement (which we are not allowed to do but it was my only other possible option at that space) had leakage from an RV toilet and a white powdery chemical substance. The front desk ranger ignored me and was silent when I communicated these significant issues. I was offered another site by a woman ranger checking people in for an additional $15 but I did not want to pay almost $70 to tent camp for 1 night at such a dumpy campground (santa cruz section). I was offered another site which was great (beach side with a very small patch of sand large enough for my 2 person tent) - I was so relieved thinking now I could hopefully enjoy this stay - to get back in line for a third time to let her know I would switch and was told it was $15 additional - (she had made a mistake even though I had asked twice if it was the same price and stated I did not want to pay extra with such a poor experience). No apology, no accountability, no taking responsibility on her part, not even a “I am sorry I made a mistake” in a genuine tone, etc. Her tone/demeanor towards me was as if being treated like I was doing something wrong when I was doing all the work. So I had to go back a third time to look at another site so that I wouldn’t be spending almost $70 for a campsite at this seriously mediocre campground at best of mostly dirt and almost no shade to absolutely no shade. Finally I got a campsite that was OK. I spent a significant amount of time in line 4 times - I asked if I had to stand in line again (each time - per the campgrounds poor customer service, errors and disgusting campsite) and the front desk ranger was snarky when I asked about this, saying in a passive aggressive tone “Yep! I have to check you in!” This whole process took almost 2 hours out of my day. The shower I used had no hot water and there were issues with two of the toilets. I asked the two women at the front check in if the water was potable and they were guessing if it was or not - one did not even know what potable meant. I was told to “google it” to find the answer which I could not find. Finally a volunteer at 8:30pm let me know it was potable water - A VOLUNTEER. I will never stay here again and I will let anyone know who inquires about it how awful my experience has been.
I cant wait to camp here. We went for the day and had a lovely picnic. There are a bunch of nice picnic benches on the cliff to look out over the ocean. Lots of tidepools to explore. Clean bath rooms with hot and cold water and showers. Bring soap and towels. $10 to park in lot or park on nearby streets for free. Watch out for all the tar.
Its true it is the safest Beach.Theyve recently added a new wooden boardwalk I cant tell you how much I appreciate a good boardwalk being from Jersey 🤩Seriously though its very well constructed theres a campsite right off of Linden and you access this beach off of Linden again,Currently talking to reinforce his mask wearing and thats great I mean why not keep your germs to yourself,Restroom alert super clean lots of them open to the public restaurants and smart & final right on Linden gas stations too this area is a good stop over if youre doing big drives up the coast or down the coast.The beach is quiet extremely beautiful extremely clean ☀️☀️💪💪💪
Good but night security guard just got out of the army an was power nutsten inches in sand parked an I got ticket without warning.because I had to go to the ER
The beach is beautiful and there are spots that are worth coming here for, but there are a lot that are not. Most campsites are very small and completely unmaintained. The bathrooms are old unmaintained. Generally the layout is more like a parking lot than a campground.It doesnt make for a very relaxing experience. Not to mention two prime beach spots were designated host parking. The place where we were just wasn’t for us at this time.
This campground is right off the beach. There are plenty of bathrooms. Showers are quarter operated. No soap in the bathroom, but there are hand dryers. The tent camping is basically a big parking lot with some dirt for a tent site, a picnic table, and a fire pit. Ants crawled all over our tent. There is no privacy and the tent area we were in backs up to a road and biking path. The train comes by as well and we heard that during the night. Basically the beach location makes up for the negatives. We spent a lot of time away from the campground and camp site.
Carpinteria st beach is definitely in the top 5 places to camp in CA. Make reservations 6 months in advance if ya dont want to move to diff sites. Spaces 360 to 380 are the best. Weather is always awesome. Halloween is a blast everyone decorates their RV and kids trick or treat at sundown. Lots of fun. Full hookups. Spendy but worth it as your in front row. Litterally less than 50 uards from the ocean.Take everything you need cause in town is not cheap. Saturday is farmers market with fresh produce and crafts. Lock up your stuff, our last visit some homeless peraon stole my mt boke. Been there 20 times in 5 urs and that was the only bad episode weve had. Despite that GREAT CAMPING in our class c motorhome
Beautiful place for a peaceful walk. Great trails up from the beach for bikes and dog walking.
Its a lovely place to stay, make sure you reserve a spot with a beach view! Having quarters are very important since the showers run on quarters.I believe it was a quarter per minute $1.25 so bring plenty; especially if you have children with you.Last but not least, there are literally packs of raccoons so put EVERYTHING up and dont forget ear plugs because they can get loud!
Great for camping. Family had lots of fun! Saw dolphins and seals. Clean, quiet and friendly!!! We will go back and already have another reservation..
One of our favorite annual vacation spots! Very tight RV parking, and difficult to get a reservation, but once your in, it is worth it. Beach front, sand in your toes, clean bathrooms, and traditionally very friendly camp hosts. But be sure your RV fits in the designated site, they will not let you hang out in the roadway at all.
This is a great place to camp on the south end beach parking but if you dont have reservations and want to stay more than one day forget about it. The reason I say forget about it is because you will have to move to another space if somebody already has a reservation for the next day that you want to stay in that space. We were in a perfectly great spot and had to move because someone had a reservation just so he could park his van and didnt even get out other than to go to the bathroom. To bad they could have gotten another $120 from us had it not been for that. They really need to know in real time who has reservations for all the spaces there, the front gate is totally in the dark on reservations.
Small spaces in the hook up area but it’s a great location
Excellent. I camped at Emma woods and Carpenteria camping allowed me to do my dumping there for free
We go here every year. Great place to camp. And a great beach.
Beautiful place and they also have a camping area...
Greatest beach to go to besides Malibu! Long stretches of sand make you lose track of time and so worth it when you pay the $10 entrance fee
Carpinteria is a charming lite town, with nice shops and restaurants, the beach area was also lovely.
Gorgeous. It was a wonderful camping trip. if youre going there to surf, you might be disappointed, but if you drive a little north or south theres some good point breaks that you should love.
Beautiful views, clean restrooms,
Very nice RV park need to make reservation
Beautiful day in Carpinteria today🧡
Nice beach camping.
First come first served entry basis, got a non UV hook-up site for 3 days ($90 total), courteous rangers, basic asphalt pad areas, sparse coastal grasses inbetween, small foredunes to patrolled beach (in season), enjoyed our stay in Carpintaria, very quiet, easy walk to downtown, clean restrooms (metered showers though), separate water and dump site available.
Beautiful beach and campground. Visited from Michigan with local friends.
The weather was very good and warm. The company was very good.
Great sunsets and sea life.
We love carpinteria. So happy with our camp experience! Clean restrooms and hot showers for a buck. Walk to park and down town. Wonderful families camping!Couldnt be better! Thank you!
Carpinteria is truly gorgeous beautiful and wonderful!
My family and I have used Carpinteria State Beach for car-free camping trips and all in all, they have gone pretty smoothly. For those who might be interested in trying the same thing....We camped at Carpinteria State Beach. We chose this location because it is located literally within a block or two of the small Amtrak station at Carpinteria, a single-seat ride from Union Station in DTLA on the Pacific Surfliner ... but just as easy of a ride from any of the other train stations along the route. (Of note, the long-haul Coast Starlight does not stop at Carpinteria.)We were a party of two adults and one child and were able to make the trip with two military-surplus MOLLE backpacks, a large tent backpack (we opted to bring our large six-person REI tent to see whether it was doable), and a small kids backpack.We avoided bringing lots of heavy fresh foods that typically require a cooler and ice and instead focused on freeze-dried items that could easily be prepared on a campstove or firepit with water. Because the campground is close to the city, we even had a couple meals at local restaurants instead of cooking at our site.The campsites were not heavily wooded but do offer some tree cover though not much shrubbery. Tent and RV camping both seem popular here. Note that you will hear the passing Amtrak trains on the adjacent tracks.Anyway, it was probably one of most hassle-free camping trips weve taken and Id recommend it for car-free SoCal folks whod like to get out of town for the weekend without going backcountry. Keep an eye out for Amtrak sale prices and/or use Amtraks discounts for Rail Passengers Association (formerly National Association of Railroad Passengers) members. I believe the discount will require a few days advance purchase. Kids also travel for half price. (If youre planning on travelling on a busy weekend, you might want to consider buying a business-class ticket as the Pacific Surfliner is an unreserved train meaning if its really busy you may have to stand for part of the way. Business class is always reserved and youre guaranteed to get a seat on the train you book.)
Great time fishingParking payment a luttle confusing but very nice place to enjoy a day near the water
Nice camp ground, fire pit, and shower. Safe and family oriented. Great place for casual bike riding.
Always a great time here.
One of our favorite places to camp!!!
Great camping, loved the town. Bunch of restaurants that looked really good.
It was ok. Super crowded. Parking was a nightmare. You’re better off to park a good distance away. It’s paid parking. Super busy town. The town was cute, but so crowded we didn’t take the time to spend there too long. I’m not sure I’d go back.
Stunning!
Booked 2 months out on the weekends. 😭
Everything is nice and clean! Everyone was very nice! Theyre working on some of the camp grounds, so it was nice to pull up & get first come first serve, like we use to!!! Showers could use some updating, some better that others & the generator hours could Go a little later & start a little earlier (so we can make coffee!😊) because there are no hook~ups in this part.Over All it was a Great time !!!😊
Carpinteria state beach is our favorite beach in Carpinteria. It has bathrooms at the campgrounds to be able to change and use the restroom. It has a nice boardwalk with grills along the way. There is generally enough parking outside of the campground parking lot to accommodate us. (Word to the wise, save $10 by parking on the street.) There is a dog park and a small children’s playground. Finally, it is part of Santa Barbara County, which saves a lot of LA County hassle.
My family camps here every summer, and we love it! The campground is kept very clean, including the bathrooms. All the campgrounds are close to the beach. My only complaint is the lady who checked us in at the front gate the past two years isn’t very friendly, but that’s pretty minor.
Good beach campsite. Bathrooms and showers. Could be better maintained. The sand dunes are right there and its a beautiful beach. Carpenteria is just a walk away and nice places to eat. Beware though the train passes during the night.I also wish to address the 1 star review. So what if the grill is rusty. Who cooks on it directly? Bad facilities? They seemed fine. Not super maintained but fine. Was she saying host there or not? Ive seen worse either way. When prepping its easy to see the train tracks. Also there IS A BEACH WITH constant noise waves. Also camp alotment is not a big deal. ALSO maybe its for troops. Our boy scout troop got pre alotment on slots and parking. This place is camping. Not glamping.I understand not everyones experience is the same but a 1 star seems disengeniois of the whole experience.
Beautiful campground and very friendly staff. We came here without a reservation and got several options to camp. Would definitely stay here again.
Best Camping spot ever!!
Cool campground and close to great little town
Nice place for family time
Great weather
Very nice people calm quiet and super clean restrooms
Favorite place to visit
The location is utterly beautiful and desirable. One would only dream to stay at such a beautiful place... the service was however equally terrible.The man at the gate (I should’ve gotten his name, gray haired, 50s, skinny), was playing music and showed an extremely obvious annoyance at us trying to talk to him (I love that my tax $ are being spent properly).We simply asked him if there was any room for us, to which he responded with a simple no. We then asked a few questions to figure out what nearby campsites we could stay at, to which he replied with “yes” and “no.” Absolutely no help.I think we asked about 20 questions that could have been skimmed down to three if his answers were a bit more thought through.Maybe he too, was a bit simple, but I suspect he just wanted to go back to his music.
Surfs up! A great parking lot with a trail to a beautiful beach such an hidden treasure. Lots of surfers enjoying the waves.
Fun swim, great walk!
I have camped here for 25 years straight and my kids have all been here every year of their lives. It is an excellent family campground. Not a lot of loud music and partying. Everyone is respectful and have also been using the campgrounds for years. This is essentially a parking lot that was converted into campgrounds. A white painted line separates you from your neighbors so if privacy or really close sites are an issue for you, probably not the best choice. People use tents, Vans, travel trailers, 5th wheels, RVs and anything else they can camp in. If you have a big trailer youll need to book in the long row across from the beach. Those are the only sites that can accommodate anything over 26. Restaurants and grocery stores are all a short walk away. Its a fantastic spot to camp. Like all California Beach campsites, there are train tracks all the way down the coast. You will get at least one train through the area every night. They are loud but you get used to it.
Cant miss sunsets, super clean, and just downright beautiful!
Cool town, great beach, decent camp ground.
Not doing a lot to help cintinavirus spread. We are sandwiches in our mootorhome between 2 car tent sites.. literally 5 feet from our front door.. awning cant even go up because wed hit their vehicle.
We love that place, but every year we have to do magic to get a place because we are from Las Vegas Nevada and online is always full, impossible .... not good, unacceptableWe need to move every day if we are lucky and get a place after a lottery We wasted half the day moving to the other place very sad ...I dream of a day when we can get 3 days somewhere as a California family.homeless people run out of trouble without control, we follow the rules, but some people stay on the lines, which is supposed to be only until 8pm, disrespectful, unorganized and completely dishonest in the end, they push you to do bad things like others is the only way in this place
Have always had an amazing time at this beach . Lottery is a bummer but the access to beach and showers as well as city is unique .
Nice campground but the restrooms could be cleaner.
The campground is starting to look like a dump. Grass dead, construction everywhere. No social distancing, every spot in use. Check in people extremely rude.
Im giving this place 3 stars, only because it was my fault for not knowing more about the type of camping happening here. The grounds were pretty clean- flush toilets, coin showers... But definitely nothing more than that. Bring your own hand soap (and every other toiletry.) That said, the camping spot was more like a parking lot with a small patch of DIRT behind your car. We managed to squeeze 3 tents on our spot, but it was tight. We had a great time, eventually- but our arrival was very stressful. Please note- you are sleeping less than 10 feet away from your closest neighbor (stranger danger). This was weird with talking and snoring and laughing and rolling around and farting. A little too close for comfort. Also- raccoons. Keep your site tight. (They had quite the picnic, thanks to us. 🙄😂)
$45 a night up to 8 people two cars one RV one car you cannot beat the price we had tense we had family we went to the Palms its the old Stagecoach motel from 1905 and you get to cook your steaks on an open fire its really cool I shared some pictures really consider taking your family on these Great Vacations the state parks in California awesome you sure and buy yourself the Explorer pass so you can use the day use it all of the state beaches in California see how many that you can see this summer youll be surprised Google estate beaches of California and enjoy your summer
Beautiful beach and near good restaurants with walking distance .
This park is great for tent campers, those with trailers & no hook ups & trailers/rvs with hook ups.No too many places you can stay in Carpinteria/Santa Barbara for under $90 a night, let alone right on the beach. (Price depends on your camping options).People are kind and keep to themselves. Lots of dogs 😀.Lots of places to exercise. Those working the front entrance are informative.
We are camping and the beach is right there.
- Address:205 Palm Ave, Carpinteria, CA 93013, United States
- Site:http://www.parks.ca.gov/?page_id=599
- Phone:+1 805-684-2811
- Campground
- Park
- Wheelchair-accessible entrance:Yes
- Good for kids:Yes