SP Campground Review – North Beach Campground, Pismo Beach, CA
A fabulous beach-side State Park with very reasonable off-season rates in Pismo Beach, Central CA coast. Officially 36-foot max, but *some* sites will accept bigger rigs.
Link to campground here: Pismo Beach State Park, CA (also click HERE for park brochure)
Link to map location here: Pismo Beach State Park, CA
- Site Quality = 4/5
Very nice campsites here, with just a few minor dings. The campground contains 102 sites arranged around a circular loop as a mix of paved back-ins & pull-thoughs. The back-ins are very short and can only accommodate ~21-25-foot max length. The pull-throughs are long and curved, and officially rated to accept 31-feet (trailer) or 36-feet (RV). However depending on how curved they are and how many trees/rocks they have in the way of the curve, *some* can comfortably accommodate bigger rigs. We estimated we could fit our 40-foot “beast” into around half of the pull-throughs whereas the other half were too tight/crowded/tree’d and did not allow enough swing room to get our rig in/out. Otherwise separation is excellent (lots of space between sites!), sites are perfectly flat and vegetation is a pleasant mix of green grass and trees (some sites are wide open for solar, some have partial shade). All sites also offer spacious “sitting areas” containing picnic table and firepit. Sites #7-31 are nearest beach access (slightly quieter), while sites #57-76 are closest to Hwy 1 (slightly noisier). NO hookups (dry camping only), but generators permitted between 8AM and 8PM.
Note #1/ Official check-in time is 2PM and if the front booth is open they are VERY strict about enforcing it (you can check-in and pay for your site before 2PM, but you can’t physically get in until after 2PM). If the booth isn’t open (off-season) you can self-check-in and park anytime.
Note #2/ Extra vehicles cost $5/day each unless they are physically towed in. So, if you tow make sure you don’t disconnect until after you’re through the payment booth. - Facilities = 3/5
Decent facilities. Several buildings around camp with flush toilets and individual, spacious shower stalls (with bench and clothes pegs) all kept nicely clean. Only dings are that showers are paid ($1 for two 2-min tokens) and water pressure was low (temps were nicely warm, but you could tell everytime someone flushed the toilet next door). On-site dump station & potable water (one threaded spigot at the dump station) plus lots of non-threaded water spigots around the camp loops. - Location = 5/5
This is an absolutely top-notch location. The campground is directly next to lovely Pismo Beach (just a small dune to cross) which offers miles of sandy hiking/surfing/play and also right next to the famous Monarch Butterfly Grove which is an amazing thing to see when they’re here (between late Oct and Feb). Also you’re walking distance to downtown Pismo (accessible by pavement along Hwy 1 or via the beach) which has tons of cute little beach shops & food. Plus you’re only a few minutes biking/drive to Grover Beach and Arroyo Grande (Figueroa Mountain Brewing…yummy!). A last bonus is that you’re completely separated from the ATV/OHV area of Pismo which is several miles further south, so it’s nicely quiet here and you don’t have to worry about traffic on the beach. - Pet Friendliness = 5/5
Fabulous spot for pooch. Lots of grassy space to hang out in camp (with lots of & birds, ducks and squirrels in camp to keep paws visually entertained) and direct access to miles of 100% dog-friendly beach next door. Plus you can walk into town & find several pooch-friendly spots to eat/relax there too (highly recommend Orange Cat Cafe and Mon Ami!). Just be aware that the beach here is leash-only and rangers do patrol it regularly to enforce the rules. So, no off-leash doggie play here. Poo bags provided on site.
Overall Rating = 4.25
BONUS ALERT = Camp next to a dog-friendly beach and a super cute beach town!
Summary: It honestly doesn’t get much better than this. A lovely, spacious, quiet campground with plenty of green grass next to a 100% dog-friendly beach and walking distance from a super cute beach town? Sign me up!! We had this campground on our “list” for many years and although it’s technically got a 36-foot limit we heard rumors from other RVers that we could possibly get in, so we decided to give it a go and we are SO glad we did! There are no hookups here (dry camping only), but sites are just lovely. Beautiful flat, paved sites with excellent separation, spacious “sitting areas” and a mix of trees and wide-open views. Back-ins are VERY short (21-25-foot max only), but some of the pull-throughs can accomodate larger rigs depending on how curved they are and how many trees/rocks are in the way of rig swing as you pull in (we estimated we could fit into around 1/2 of the pull-throughs). Beach access is right next door and 100% dog-friendly plus you can walk to downtown (either along the pavement by Hwy 1 or along the beach) and bike/drive to nearby Grover Beach and Arroyo Grande. Another huge bonus is that North Beach Campground does not offer any day-use area and is physically separated (by several miles) from the official OHV area of Pismo (Oceano Dunes SVRA), so it’s nicely quiet and you don’t have to worry about sand traffic when you’re out walking on the sand. You do (occasionally) hear the trains going by a few miles away thro’ Pismo, but it’s not loud by camp and mostly the sound of birds & nearby ocean wash everything out. We came here in the off-season which means we had a pick of campsites upon arrival (first-come-first-serve) and we only paid $25/night. In high season the campground goes on the Reserve America reservation system (it’s typically very heavily booked), plus rates rise to $35/night. We felt incredibly relaxed in camp, had a ton of fun on the beach with doggie, sampled lots of good food & beer, and thoroughly enjoyed our daily walk into town. Overall we LOVED our stay and will definitely be back in the future!!
Extra Info: Solid cell signal ( 3 bars ATT LTE, 3 bars Verizon LTE.). 102 total sites. Sites cost $25/night in off-season (~mid-Sept through mid-May, first-come-first-serve only), $35/night in high season (~mid-May through mid-Sept). Senior discount $2/night. In high season the campground is on the reservation system and reservations are highly recommended! Tow cars do NOT cost extra if towed in. NO hookups (dry camping only). 14-day stay limit. On site garbage, recycling, dump station and potable water.
Extra, Extra Info – OTHER CAMPING:
Lots of other camping options around Pismo Beach, depending on what you’re looking for.
- Beach Boondocking & OHV (Oceano SVRA) – A few miles south of North Beach you can physically drive your rig onto the sand at Oceano Beach SVRA and go crazy off-roading on the dunes. This is the only State Park in CA you can do this and it is very popular & crowded on weekends and in summer. You have to drive one mile on sand from the entrance booth to the camping area and it’s easy to get stuck so watch the tides, air down your tire before you drive in and be sure to park above the water line. Costs are $10/night (14 day stay limit).
- Private Parks – Several private parks in the area, the nicest of which is undoubtedly Pismo Coast Village which is literally right next to North Beach SP. Full hookups, big enough for any-sized rig, food, pool for $49-$66/night. Pricey, but very nice. Other private parks are around the same price, but not quite as nice IMHO.
- County Parks – SLO County manages two county parks in the Pismo Beach area, Coastal Dunes and Oceano. They have hookups and will accept bigger rigs (listed as to 40′), but at $46/night they are rather pricey. Coastal Dunes has Hwy 1 and the railroad tracks on either side so it tends to be noisy. Oceano is closer to the dunes and is definitely the nicer location of the two.
- Elks (Members Only) – The Elks operate a very nice lodge (#2504) by Oceano Dunes offering full hookups for $25/night. Reservations taken. Elks MEMBERS only.
Video Overview: Want to see & hear it on film? Check out our ~8 minute video overview here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CKI-kqGBJpM
Looks fabulous! I’m adding it to my list of places that I can’t wait to get to.
When we were there late last year, we saw two large fifth-wheel trailers on one site! Where there is a will, there is a way! 🙂
That’s pretty hard core, but if they got in, they’re golden. I think the campground officially allows a max. of 3 licensed vehicles per site (including trailers, RVs and motorbikes).
Nina
Thanks a bunch for the review. We’ve always driven straight through Pismo because we thought the only camping spots were on the barren beach and that we’d be continually bombarded by motorcycle and ATV riders.
Maybe we’ll try to get up there next week, if it’s not overrun by kids on spring break.
Koert
There’s a surprising number of camping options around Pismo, especially if you include the Private Parks. Hope you get out here!
Nina
Great pictures and video! Thank you. I have a friend that lives in Pasadena full time. She and her husband have been going camping in Pismo Beach for the past 25 years with a pop up trailer. They just bought a mobile home in Pismo Beach for their retirement home when ever that day arrives. They love it there.
I never realized how beautiful it really is.
This would be a beautiful area to have a retirement home…plus you get that great central Californian weather.
Nina
Hi Nina…we checked out Sam’s Family Spa, and it is very nice. Spring break time it is real crowded with families. Desert Hot Springs is kinda scary. Lots of homeless and druggies, so we did shopping in Palm Springs or Palm Desert.
All I can say is “Nina and Paul” you rock……. Love the video feature….
You do rock! What great info and I love how you present it! Thanks so much! And, your write up on RV’ing with cats helped us decide to adopt a cat, and he is the BEST “camping cat”! He is leash trained for walks and loves our tiny teardrop that we full-time in! So thank you for your encouragement about traveling with cats! Happy trails!
AWESOME!!! Love to hear that! Good travels to you and the kitty!
Nina
This is so encouraging!! There are many Cali State parks with limits of 35 ft….nice to know that the Beast can fit! Do you suggest taking a chance, make a reservation & hope you find a site you can fit? What if they ask for your length?
They won’t ask for your length. If you’re coming in the off-season everything is first come first serve, so no need to worry about reservations. If you’re coming during the high season (reservation season) then I’d recommend cross-checking with campsitephoto.com and picking a wide open site (minimal trees/bushes). That’ll give you the best chance of fitting. Here’s the link. They have a pic of every site here:
http://www.campsitephotos.com/campground/North-Beach/photos/Pismo-Beach
Nina
Really nice job on these campground reviews. Like your format, just enough info and all the important stuff. Also liked the surrounding campground links and the site map! Checked out your video too. Liked that it was short, to the point with important tips for big riggers like us and a nice drive-through at the end. It’s important to see ease of access because we’re sometimes leery of getting around in places we aren’t familiar with. Thanks for including the Elks Lodge too. We might try that one out on our way north later this month!
High marks from David & Michele
Glad you like it all! Enjoy your trip here!
Nina
Howdy Nina and Paul,
If you still around Pismo, this might interest you:
http://www.backroadswest.com/blog/oso-flaco-lake/
Cheers,
—
Vall and Mo.
LOVELY! We’re already gone now, but I’m adding this hike to my list for next time we return to the area.
Nina
A group of us get together for a week at the campground a couple of times every year and we make our reservations during the first few days reservations become available. To get a spot you usually have to reserve far in advance of the time you want to camp. you can also cancel if necessary and there’s only a small penalty.
The drought has had and continues to have an effect on water use, Nina. We usually go to showers as late as possible, less demand.
Indeed, the water situation in CA is still very bad. Going later to the shower is a good tip for avoiding the pressure drops that happen whenever anyone flushes the toilet next door. Also we found the $1 of shower tokens (you get 2 tokens of 2 mins each for that price) were enough for us BOTH to shower. We don’t need more than 2 mins to “do our thing” 🙂
Nina
We stayed El Chorro Regional Park in Nov 2014 and like it. Halfway between SLO and Morro Bay. Very nice campground The loop we were in had screening vegetation between each site so it felt very private.
No beach but there is a small botanical garden onsite.
Thanks for the awesome review of this campground. My family and I are actually heading out to this exact campground this weekend and have a few concerns. Due to the off season first come, first serve rule, we are afraid it may be full and we may not be guranteed a spot. It would be a 3-hour drive for us. We plan on getting there at about 8 or 9 Saturday morning. Can we secure a spot then? Or do we have to return for the 2pm check in? How full was it when you were there? Any other suggestions or advice would be appreciated.
Yes, you can come early and secure a spot, but if the front booth is manned they won’t let you physically get into the site until 2PM. So, you end up having to wait around to get in after you’ve paid. Also IF the campground is full the night before, they may not release any sites until folks check out. Again, this means waiting around until that happens. Either way, it’s not a bad idea to come early so you can (at least) secure a site, even if it means waiting around before you can drive in and set-up camp.
The campground was very full when we were there, but it was also right before Spring Break. There were only 2-3 sites open when we arrived mid-week.
Nina
Thank you so much for the information. Securing a spot and waiting around is no problem. I figure there would be plenty to do around the pier before the 2pm check-in. Crossing my fingers that we’ll get a spot tomorrow.
Totally. Worst case you can just park the RV near the campground (there’s space outside along Hwy 1) and walk into town to hang until 2PM. It’s an easy 15-min walk to town and there is TONS to do. Good luck! I hope you get in!
Nina
What a very informative review, thank you!!!
But I have some questions just in case you have an idea on this…
We have 3 campsites reservation this coming August, as I know 8persons allowed on each campsite so all in all 24persons in 3 campsites but my problem is we have 27people… is that ok we’re excess of 3 people. Are they strict on how many people in 1campsite?
Do you have an idea if they allowed a day-use only… because other friends are planning to join us on our 2nd day (Saturday).
Thank you so much.
God bless
There’s no day use at this campground, so your friends can’t use that option. And you’ll definitely be in excess of the max allowed usage at each site. I can’t say if the rangers will be checking up on exact numbers, but (because of over-use) they DO tend to be pretty strict here and make a point of checking passes whenever anyone goes into or out of the campground. That’s all I can tell you, I’m afraid. Hope it all works out for you.
Nina