Top 15 Scenic Spots for Camping in California

Getting a Yosemite campsite is close to winning the state lottery, as Yosemite National Park camping in California is the best. But plan and you'll end up with the greatest camping in the state. First-timers will love the year-round Upper Pines campsite, which trades privacy for a prime location on the valley floor, within walking or shuttle distance of major attractions.

Outside of the valley, the 304-site Tuolumne Meadows campsite is located at 8,619 feet elevation and has vistas from The Sound of Music as well as hikes to Elizabeth Lake and Cathedral Lakes. Wawona, located at the park's southern edge, offers spacious sites along the Merced River, as well as convenient access to Mariposa Grove's huge sequoias.

Any of the five High Sierra Camps, which are spaced around 5–10 miles apart and provide hikers with tent cabins and family-style meals, can be reserved by those who are interested in backpacking. At 10,000 feet, Saddlebag Lake campsite in Inyo National Forest, east of the national park, is California's highest drive-to campground.

Among the good places to camp in California, Ventana Campground is a spectacular 40-acre redwood canyon in Big Sur, about 65 miles north of San Simeon and 30 miles south of Carmel. All of the traditional locations preserve the canyon's and Post Creek's natural beauty by sticking to their current contours.

A picnic table and fire ring are available at every campground, and there are two contemporary bathhouses just a short stroll away. In the Big Sur neighborhood, they are conveniently situated close to delis, pubs, restaurants, cafes, gift shops, general stores, and the post office.

RVs, motor homes, travel trailers, pop-up tent trailers, and any kind of camper van or vehicle with a roof tent or small camper on top are not permitted at Ventana campsite, which is a tent-only campsite. The check-in time is 2 pm for camping and for glamping, it's 4 pm, and for check-out for all the guests, the time is 11 am.

In the Channel Islands National Park, campsites run by the National Park Service offer year-round camping on all five islands. Each island now has one constructed campground: above Cuyler Harbor on San Miguel, above the Landing Cove on Santa Barbara, on the east islet of Anacapa, at Scorpion Canyon on Santa Cruz, and Water Canyon on Santa Rosa.

Off-limits to camping on the Nature Conservancy's western 76% of Santa Cruz Island. The Santa Cruz and Santa Rosa Islands provide limited backcountry camping.

All of the campgrounds require bookings for camping in advance. The park does not charge an entry fee. However, camping on the islands requires a reservation fee. Both the reservation cost levied by the contractor in charge of managing the National Reservation Service and the National Park Service fee, which funds the management and upkeep of the campsites, are included in the $15 per night per site price.

Walk through an ancient, lush, and untamed forest that served as the setting for the film Jurassic Park. A herd of Roosevelt Elk, who often graze or rest at the neighboring Gold Bluffs Beach, and a significant portion of northern California's old-growth Redwoods are protected by Prairie Creek Redwoods State Park.

The park is only an hour north of Eureka, directly on the coast. It is recommended that the Elk Prairie Campground, where you may sleep among towering fir and pine trees. The park is most crowded in the summer, but it is open all year round.

Since the seaside area is rainy, don't forget to carry your waterproof jacket. Families, lone campers, and explorers will all love this campsite and the range of trails it offers, and camping is only $35 per night. Prairie Creek Redwoods State Park is certainly the best camping for families in California.

The 800,000 acres of Joshua Tree National Park provide an astonishingly wide variety of campsites and vistas. With campsites scattered with enormous boulders, Jumbo Rocks is the park's largest campground. It's a rock climber's dream come true and a great place to explore the park's surreal desert environment with breathtaking rock formations, such as the adjacent Skull Rock.

The White Tank campsite, which has 15 sites and is located at the northern end of the park, is the smallest in the area but provides the most solitude and the darkest sky. If you want to camp on a weekend, holiday, or any other day of the week in the spring, it is strongly advised that you reserve a site. October through May is the hectic spring season.

Most of the park's 500 campsites are up for reservation and reservations may be made on the recreation.gov site the same day or up to six months in advance. Make your reservation before you approach the park. There is practically very low phone coverage in Joshua Tree National Park.

Located in southern and central California, Los Padres National Forest is a national forest in the United States that is the most beautiful camping in California. The majority of the hilly inland California coast from Ventura to Monterey is part of Los Padres, which is managed by the US Forest Service.

About 1,762,400 acres, or roughly 88%, of the forest's 1,950,000 acres are public lands; the remaining portion is made up of privately held inholdings. With 323 miles (520 km) of hiking trails and 11 campsites, varying from extremely difficult to appropriate for recreational vehicles, this is a highly popular place to go hiking.

If you missed Ventana, Kirk Creek Campground is located on a hill with a view of the Pacific. Set up a tent on a grassy lawn across the ocean and sleep to the sound of breaking waves. This area, which is open to the sea and stars, offers the kind of rustic beauty that only Big Sur can provide.

El Capitan is a well-liked location for a variety of outdoor purposes, including picnics, animal viewing, and camping, due to its serene surroundings, sandy beach, and proximity to Santa Barbara. There are plenty of shaded areas in the park due to stands of sycamore, oak, and eucalyptus trees, and the well-kept hiking routes offer stunning views of the sea and mountains.

Watch for animals and marine life as you go down the slope from the cliffs to the beach. Whales travel to and from Mexico between November and April, so keep an eye out for them in the distance.

Bring a surfboard and swimwear; as the rippling tide makes it the ideal time to play in the surf or catch a few waves. Also, there is a camp store with beach necessities and hot showers for freshening up before a fire pit BBQ, as it is one of the best places for camping in California.

Another best camping in California is Big Basin Redwoods, as it is the oldest state park in California, having been created in 1902. Its old coast redwoods are the main draw in the center of the Santa Cruz Mountains. Moreover, the park has a rich natural and cultural past, several bubbling brooks, and breathtaking vistas of the Pacific Ocean.

While vacationing at Big Basin Redwoods in the Santa Cruz mountains, you may choose from four waterfalls and follow winding trails among old-growth, ancient redwoods. There are 142 distinct campsites, some of which are seasonal and some of which are available all year round.

Some locations can even adjust big groups of 40 to 50, which also provide tent cabins and a horse camp where you can sleep with your horses but, no dogs are allowed. Hence, Little Basin has a pavilion, activity hall, and kitchen for rent if creature comforts are what you're after.

In the southern Sierra Nevada mountains of California, Sequoia National Park borders Kings Canyon National Park. The General Sherman Tree, which dominates the Giant Forest, is one of the enormous sequoia trees that make it prominent.

There are at least 40 different redwood groves in this national park, but the most well-known is the huge Forest, which is home to General Sherman, the tallest tree in the world, a huge sequoia that is 36 feet wide and 275 feet high.

The seasonal riverside Lodgepole Campground is only 3 miles away, provides free shuttle service to the visitor center, and provides convenient access to park attractions such as the Wuksachi Lodge and restaurant and the Giant Forest.

Van Damme State Park's year-round campsite in California, which is situated along the Little River's fern-covered banks, transports guests to the verdant, untamed coast of Northern California.

The Fern Canyon Trail, so named because it follows the flowing river, leads from the campgrounds back into a jungle-like forest of sword ferns and Douglas fir pines, which leads to an odd pygmy forest of bonsai-like trees. A few eco campgrounds nestled in a redwood grove along the route provide even more peace.

The park stretches to a charming beach cove with pebbles near the mouth of the Little River on the other side of Highway 1. Join Kayak Mendocino in the summer, when they set up on the coast, and provide guided tours of the many sea caves and offshore kelp forests.

Crystal Cove State Park is one of Orange County's greatest enduring areas of open space and natural shoreline. It includes an offshore undersea region, 2,400 acres of backcountry wilderness, and 3.2 miles of shoreline.

Nestled near the mouth of Los Trancos Creek, the park also has the federally classified Historic District, a collection of forty-six vintage rustic coastal cottages that were first constructed as a beach colony in the 1930s and 1940s. They are situated between Corona del Mar and Laguna Beach, off the Pacific Coast Highway.

Moro Campground's 57 family tent and RV-friendly sites, located on a coastal terrace overlooking the Pacific, are not as appealing as the scenery, but they provide easy access to a world of water fun. Whether you bring kayaks or surfboards, you'll have plenty of opportunities to ride the waves on the park's golden sand beaches.

Just north of Mendocino, in Russian Gulch, you may enjoy some of the most picturesque, rocky coasts in northern California. The state park boasts breathtaking scenery, including windswept headlands, a three-mile lush canyon, a shimmering beach, and a 36-foot waterfall that plunges into a redwood bower.

On the park's northeast border, campers can choose from 26 conventional sites, one group site, and four horse sites. Note that camping is only permitted during the summer. There are four horse campsites with corrals, 26 regular campsites, and one group site in Russian Gulch.

Reservations can be made from May through Labor Day, and they are highly encouraged during the summer.

Beyond its volcanic landscape, Lassen's 160,452 acres are home to breathtaking alpine lakes and meadows with cascading waterfalls. Choose from seven seasonal campgrounds, such as Butte Lake, which gives the greatest privacy, or the well-liked Manzanita Lake, which has tent sites and fancy camping cottages.

Located near the southern side of Summit Lake in the center of the park, Summit Lake South Campground offers access to the lake and beautiful views. Unmissable is the 2.3-mile round-trip hike to Kings Creek Falls, which leads to breathtaking 30-foot falls after passing through a verdant meadow.

Three of the park's seven campsites remained closed in 2024 in order to recover from the 2021 Dixie Fire. From around May/June to September/October, campgrounds are open. The level of the snow and other factors determine the opening and closing dates. It is one of the best places to camp in California with lake.

There are several excellent wooded campsites at the Inn Town Campground. These tent sites offer all the conveniences of city camping with the atmosphere of a State Park or National Forest.

Located in the evocative Gold Country of California, this carefully designed campsite offers both conventional tent and RV spaces. The stylish campsite has eighteen canvas glamping tents with hardwood floors, electricity, and actual beds.

Roughing is made less painful by a number of cozy facilities, such as a swimming pool, outdoor movies, a community kitchen, and a camp store with wine and s'mores. Even better, the magnificent South Yuba River's pristine swimming places are only fifteen minutes away.

You may switch between paths and tasting rooms at this Napa Valley campsite, which is located in a gorgeous redwood and tanoak forest with a rippling creek between St. Helena and Calistoga.

The Park features hiking, camping, picnicking, and swimming paths that wind through Douglas-fir, tanoak, and madrone forests and coastal redwood stands.

The 1.1-mile History Trail leads to a pioneer cemetery and a running, antique grist mill (where you may be able to take home a sack of freshly ground flour), or the 1.5-mile Coyote Mountain Trail, which rises to a 1,170-foot-high mountain with expansive views of the valley.