Best Camping in Santa Barbara County
Looking for the best camping in Santa Barbara County? We've got you covered with the top trails, trips, hiking, backpacking, camping and more around Santa Barbara County. The detailed guides, photos, and reviews are all submitted by the incredible Outbound community.
Camp at Carpinteria State Beach
There are 2 campgrounds close to Rincón, but Carpinteria State Beach is a little bigger and easier to find a spot. There are 4 campgrounds: Santa Cruz, Anacapa, San Miguel and Santa Rosa. Most of them are RV sites, but if you stay at Santa Cruz Ca...
Camp and Explore in Santa Cruz Campground
Santa Cruz Campground is nestled in Carpinteria State Beach, an easy drive from Santa Barbara, Ventura, or the greater LA area. Over a mile of beach front access allows for swimming, surfing, fishing, tide pool exploration, and picnicking.
There ...
4 ft gain
Camp at Lake Cachuma
The campground here is extremely well developed and tightly run (for better or worse). The sites afford very little privacy: I recommend looking for the "Prime" campsites along the bluff, or choosing a weekday. If you can afford to spend a little ...
Camp at El Capitan State Beach
This popular campground of 142 sites is equipped with fire rings and a picnic area, in addition to restrooms and showers. There are group campsites available, as well.
Click here for more info/ reservations.
Camp at El Capitan Canyon
El Capitan Canyon is a gorgeous collection of permanent tents, yurts and cabins located across the highway from El Capitan State Beach and its campground. It's also the perfect place to ease your friends or loved ones into the world of camping. W...
Camp at Rose Valley
Close to Ventura and Ojai, California, this spot is an easy weekend getaway from the hectic coast of Ventura. Follow Highway 33 east toward Ojai. This road will lead into the Los Padres National Forest and become very curved and sleep as it gets c...
Hike to Matilija Falls
...If you've read most of my blogs, you'll probably notice I have a fascination for waterfalls! I've done this hike multiple times, but it wasn't until this day where I saw these falls truly in action and what they're meant to look like. Getting h...
9 miles
950 ft gain
Camp at Refugio Campground
Refugio State Beach is a great location for fishing, hiking, and picnicking. Lucky beach-goers will spot sea otters, dolphins, seals, and whales. Both sides of the lagoon are perfect for exploring. Heading north will take you to a nice viewpoint w...
3 ft gain
Camp and Boulder at Pine Mountain
Pine Mountain is closed intermittently for the winter season due to snowfall, usually from November through February. Outside of those months, take the Highway 33 north out of Ojai, heading north for about an hour and a half. You’ll see a large tu...
Hike the Potato Harbor Trail on Santa Cruz Island
As California’s largest island, Santa Cruz Island of the Channel Islands is the perfect little getaway from Los Angeles. Getting to the island is possible only by a one hour boat ride through Island Packers, click here to find out more about them....
Beach Camp on Santa Rosa Island
This adventure is not for the inexperienced. There is a campground on each of the Channel Islands and even camping at Water Canyon on Santa Rosa Island is moderately difficult, especially in the summer. The payoff is one unlike any other on the We...
16 miles
50 ft gain
Camp at the Water Canyon Campground in the Channel Islands NP
You can get a wonderfully detailed description of what to expect from the Channel Islands/Santa Rosa Island and how to get there from fellow Explorer Michael Wigle's "Beach camp on Santa Rosa Island" adventure (which I highly recommend you check o...
1.5 miles
