Camping at Doheney State Beach

The trickiest thing about camping at Doheney is getting a reservation for your campsite.We logged onto Reserve California six months in advance, promptly at 8am, to secure our spot. Setting calendar reminders for six months in advance of when you’d like to camp is your best bet for trying to get a site. We spoke to the ranger, and he informed us that they also do a lottery for no-shows/cancellations everyday around noon. So, if you are a local, this might be another option for you to get a spot.

Each site comes with a fire pit, and they vary in location from right on the sand, to a few hundred yards from the beach. There are clean bathrooms and showers, and very friendly camp hosts. Any site here will put you in very close proximity to the shore. We scored an ocean front site and were blessed by the sounds of the waves crashing all night – it was awesome! Being so close to the beach means that real estate is a hot commodity, as a result the sites are very close together and can feel a bit crowded. We made friends with our camp neighbors which was a lot of fun for the kids, and made for some great summertime memories.

Doheney State Beach itself is a great place to spend the day. Their snack back was recently transformed into a full-service cafe, The Boneyard. It is a popular spot, serving up burgers, sandwiches, craft beer, and wine.They also have a walk-up snack bar and coffee shop with delicious coffee.

If you are looking for a relaxing camp experience, Doheney is definitely the place to be. It is a great spot to build sand castles, chill at the beach, surf, or ride your beach cruiser all afternoon; and spend the evening hanging out by the fire.