The 10 Best California Campgrounds for Surfers

Aidan Sautner
Oct 9
6 min read

You are lying back in the dirt, eyes gazing into the dark, star-filled night. Your hair is matted after a day of epic surf, and you can barely lift your arms past your waist due to fatigue from paddling all day. There is truly no better place to be.

Camping and surfing go hand in hand. It’s a perfect display of mutualism. Cozy, fireside chats fuel your anticipation of the coming dawn, and dreams of epic waves fill the night as you lie curled up in your padded Patagonia sleeping bag.

And, best of all, the trip won't cost you much at all. Minus purchasing a site to lie your head, the budget of your trip is up to your own discretion.

Below I’ll dive into some of the best campsites California has to offer, taking into account incredible surf and breathtaking views.

10) Morro Strand

The Morro Strand Campground is home to over seventy campsites all within walking distance of Morro Bay State Beach.

The central coast offers some serene natural beauty. Just check out the twenty-three million year old Morro Rock perched in the ocean a short walk from this campground. While dense fog can overtake this stretch during summer months, the fall is full of sun, wildlife, and empty sand beaches. A big bonus is the waves can be quite fun.

Beachbreak peaks ranging from two to twenty feet can be found just out front, while short drives both north and south provide solid, and often unoccupied, reef break tubes. (Local tip: for the more adventurous who seek seclusion and some heavier surf, Montana de Oro State Park just south is another fine place to set up a tent).

9) San Elijo State Beach

Bordering the Pacific Coast Highway and Cardiff-by-the-sea is the San Elijo State Beach Campgrounds.

The sites are placed on a bluff that overlooks some of the best waves Encinitas has to offer. There’s a vast selection of reef breaks within this stretch—the most notable being Cardiff.

The area also provides some notable snorkeling and diving if one wants to drive south to La Jolla. To cap things off, if the “rugged” camping lifestyle begins to take too much of a toll, the affluent Encinitas community provides fine-dinning and posh shopping year-round.

8) Carpinteria State Beach

Just over ten miles south of Santa Barbara you’ll find Carpinteria State Beach. As any surfer should know, this region is a bounty of world-class right hand point breaks.

This site in particular offers a more fickle, but still fun, selection of reef and beach break waves.

That being said, it’s hard to imagine surfing anywhere but the “Queen of the Coast,” Rincon—which is just around the corner. Aside from surfing, Carpinteria offers beauty and life in its green, rolling hills, tarpits, and tidepools.

7) Doheny State Beach

Located in Dana Point, Doheny offers beachside camping, fun waves, and a bustling night-life all within a mile radius. Bordering the Dana Point Harbor, Doheny is in no way a secluded campground. It does, however, offer breathtaking sunsets, plenty of golden sand, and consistent longboard waves, alluring nearly one-million visitors on a yearly basis.

There is also a plethora of non-surfing activities to take part in, such as volleyball, the beachside bike path, and bluff hikes just up the road. The Doho Cafe is just a short walk up the beach, providing food, drinks and often live music during summer nights for those who might be tired of eating hot dogs and smores… again.

And, as an added bonus, if you time it right, you can schedule your camping trip to align with the always epic Ohana Music Festival (which takes place right in the park) so you can listen to world famous musicians mere footsteps from your tent.

6) San Onofre State Beach

Technically located at Trails (a short drive from the San Onofre surf spot), this campground is close proximity to the many elite surf spots San Clemente has to offer. Just out front you'll find a plethora of reef and beach breaks.

A quick, three-minute drive down the road and you’ll find San Onofre State Beach. Drive just a little further and you’ll stumble upon the crown jewel of San Clemente surfing,

Lower Trestles. Ultimately, it’s an area that every avid surfer needs to check off their bucket list. Be sure to bring some earplugs, however, as this spot snuggles up to the busy 5 Freeway and train tracks linking Los Angeles with San Diego. (Local tip: those with sensitive ears may want to turn their attention to the nearby, oak tree lined campgrounds of San Mateo Campground or San Clemente State Beach.)

5) Manresa State Beach

Manresa State Beach Campground offers charming, grassy sites within walking distance of the beach.

The bluff overlooks the picturesque coastlines of Monterey and Santa Cruz. The area is teeming with life, presenting a healthy abundance of both plant and marine life. Just down the bluffs you’ll stumble upon miles of beachbreak that can offer up some of the best sand bars on the California coast with the right tide.

Meanwhile, Santa Cruz offers year-round, consistent surf if you’re willing to make the short drive up the coast. Remember to bring some warm clothes and a warm wetsuit though. Both the land and the ocean get pretty chilly in these northern parts.

4) Jalama

An hour north of Santa Barbara you’ll stumble upon this secluded park by the sea. The campgrounds ocean-proximity allows visitors to snuggle up in their tents less than fifty yards from the waterline and listen to waves crash throughout the night.

Jalama maintains over one-hundred sites year-round, and boasts hot showers (after a cold session) and its own restaurant at the Jalama Beach Store serving delicious grilled burgers. Located at the tip of Point Conception, it’s almost a guarantee that there will be some sort of swell in the water along this stretch of beach.

Tarantulas, located to the south of the campground, is a solid left reef-break that even barrels with the right swell.

Additionally, Jalama has limited cell service, providing visitors with a much needed break from the increasingly digital world we now live in. One negative, however: this place can get really, really windy. The onshore kind. So, surf early and bring a puffy jacket and a beanie.

3) El Capitan

While almost every campground on this list is within walking distance to the beach, none come as close as El Capitan.

A strong gust of wind during the night, and your tent may very well be blown into the ocean. Roll out of your sleeping bag and on to the sand at this cozy campground nestled up against El Capitan point.

The only downside is the inconsistency of the waves out front. Only on the right angled west swell does this rare bird come alive.

That being said, when it’s on, it’s on, and you may very well score the barrel of your life. Additionally, if all else fails, Santa Barbara is just a short drive down highway one to the south and Jalama around the corner (and a bit farther) to the north.

2) Plaskett Creek

Big Sur. There isn’t a California resident who isn’t privy to this stunning stretch of rugged coastline. Few places in the world maintain such sheer wilderness beauty amidst miniscule human development.

Plotted in the center of all the luscious greenery is Plaskett Creek Campground. The natural enchantment alone does a lot of heavy lifting in earning Plaskett Creek a spot in the top five.

There’s also a handful of fun—often empty—waves in the area, including but not limited to Sand Dollar beach (just out front), Big Sur Rivermouth, and Willow Creek.

1) Leo Carillo State Beach

What if I told you that there’s a Los Angeles campsite that appears untouched by any sort of civilization. You’d probably think I was crazy.

Well, I’m not, and this improbable state park does indeed exist. Just a twenty-five mile drive from Santa Monica, you'll encounter Leo Carrillo and all of its beauty. The surf spot is a cobblestone right point that, on its best days, can rival Malibu first point in terms of perfection (albeit a bit shorter). Also, just over the hill you’ll come across County Line, a solid beachbreak that can provide fun peaks on the right swell angle.

The campsite itself is just a short walk away from the beach, tucked within a canyon abounding with trees, shrubbery, and wildlife.