Taking an RV out to a campground in California is something you can easily do. However, if you truly want to enjoy your experience out in nature, you will want to pull into a campsite that offers gorgeous views, and sounds, from the nearby ocean. While many campgrounds in this state are close to the ocean, not all of them offer spectacular ocean views. Therefore, you should choose your campground wisely if you want the best ocean views.
Top 7 California RV Campgrounds with Ocean Views
San Elijo State Beach Campground – Cardiff, CA
Many of the RV campsites at this California RV campground can be found on a bluff that overlooks the ocean and there are one hundred fifty-six sites in all. You will find this campground over on Highway 101, which is near Cardiff-by-the-Sea. Once you pull your RV in and get things hooked up, you can easily wander down to the shoreline for some surfing, swimming, relaxation on the sand. There is a convenient store, as well as fast food restaurant on-site, so there are no worries if you ever forget something or do not feel like cooking one night. Your time at this RV campground can be spent exploring areas like the San Elijo Lagoon Ecological Reserve, San Diego Botanical Garden, and Cardiff State Beach.
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Moro Campground – Laguna Beach, CA
While Moro Campground is not directly on the beach, you will still have beautiful views of the ocean from its location on a hill at Crystal Cove State Park. Only twenty-seven of the fifty-seven campsites are for RVs, so you will want to make your reservations early. You can easily reach the beach in ten minutes from your campsite. This is good news, because it means you can spend more of your day surfing and swimming. However, you will also want to do a little diving during your stay, so you can see the wreckage of the Corsair F4U that is located under the water. Other than the water, there are not a ton of things to do at this campground. You can walk along the hiking trails whenever you want to though. Early in the morning or after a long day in the water seem to be the best times for a hike according to past visitors.
Crystal Cove State Park – Moro Campground
8471 N. Coast Highway
Laguna Beach, California 92651
Phone :949-494-3539
Wright’s Beach Campground, Bodega Bay, CA
The Wright’s Beach Campground is amazing, but you will want to make your reservation for sites one through ten if you want views of the ocean. It is also recommended that you avoid booking one of the overflow campground sites, because those are located in a parking lot. The water at this beach is too rough for any type of water activities, but you are close enough to a few other beaches and you can easily walk to them all. When you are not in your RV, or at a local beach, you can hike Kortum Trail, play a round of golf at the Links at Bodega Harbor, and kayak along the Russian River.
Contact info: 7095 Highway 1, Bodega Bay CA, 94923 Phone : 707-875-3483
Kirk Creek Campground, Big Sur, CA
You will find Kirk Creek Campground down in the southern section of Big Sur, within the limits of Los Padres National Forest. All the thirty-two campsites can be found on a grassy bluff and each one has wonderful views of the ocean. These campsites are always in high demand, thanks to the million-dollar views, so plan ahead if you want to experience it personally.
But be forwarned, these ocean view campsites have no RV hookups.
Your days can begin with a hike along the Willet Trail, before you picnic at Jade Cove or Sand Dollar Beach. You can even hike into the Ventana Wilderness, as you watch professional hang gliders soar overhead.
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Big Lagoon County Park Campground, Trinidad, CA
All twenty-five of the campsites at this campground along Highway 101 are available on a first-come, first-served basis. Therefore, you must arrive early if you want one of them. The Big Lagoon County Park Campground can be found only seven miles to the north of Trinidad and some of the sites have views of the ocean. Those that don’t, overlook the massive lagoon. You can spend days enjoying the ambiance of this campground and the nearby surroundings. Your days can be spent out on the lagoon, at Patrick’s Point State Park, and Agate Beach. Nights can include walks around Trinidad, or you can simply sit outside your RV and look up at the stars.
Contact info: A St, Trinidad, CA 95570
South Carlsbad State Beach Campground
You will want to reserve a premium campsite at the South Carlsbad State Beach Campground if you want to have the best views of the ocean. While most of the other sites offer ocean views as well, those sites are a little further inland and the views are often disrupted. You must walk down a ramp or stairs to reach the beach from this campground, but that shouldn’t take you more than a couple of minutes before you are in an ocean paradise. The Carlsbad Seawall Promenade is one of the best places to spend your downtime, but you can also relax down by the Carlsbad Lagoon. If you want a little more excitement out of the water, Legoland is not too far away from where your RV is parked.
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Seacliff State Beach Campground
All sixty-three campsites within this campground can be found on the sand, so you will have a view of the ocean from any of them. You can reserve most of these campsites in advance, however, some of them are always held for day-of lotteries. The pier near this campground used to connect to an old concrete ship, but a storm came through back in 2017 and both the pier and ship were damaged. Therefore, it is not as amazing as it once was. Thankfully, you can still do some fishing in the area or wander through the Forest of Nisene Marks over in Aptos.
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We hope you get to enjoy some of these top California RV campgrounds that have ocean views with your Airstream or other RV.
You will want to check out each one of these campgrounds carefully because some have ocean views that are better than the others and you will want the views that you love the most. If you have never camped along the ocean in California before, you are in for a delightful treat, because there is nothing better than listening to the sound of the ocean waves as you doze off at night.
