No accommodations for pop-ups in RV parks?

RicoV

RicoV

Senior Member
Joined
Apr 13, 2012
Messages
292
Location
Vail, AZ
I'm hoping some of you good folks could help me get a plan together for our upcoming trip in the Grandby along the California coast in early Sept. We'll be passing through some coastal cities in central CA (Santa Barbara/SLO, etc.) that don't offer anything in the way of remote/dispersed camping opportunities like we find on Forest Service and BLM public lands in the interior West. So we're looking at state/county parks and private RV parks, but it seems there are only two extreme-range options for us at these kinds of places: 1) tent camping for low bucks with no allowance for sleeping in a vehicle, or 2) full RV hookups for big bucks. What we'd like to find is something in-between: just a surface to park on and the ability to pop-up our FWC and sleep in the camper; more or less a modification of the tent camping option.

My question is, does anyone have any experience doing this style of overnighting 'on the road' with their FWC truck camper? Have you always had to pay the full RV hookup rate and pull in among the motorhomes and coaches? Will the operators of these parks make allowances for a popup that will allow us to sleep in the camper, but pay something more in line with the tent camping rate? Any and all thoughts would be appreciated, thanks!
 
Just West of Santa Barbara (where I pick up my mail) are the following state parks that are plenty fine for our popup truck campers. Get a tent site and use the parking pad, I've never had any problems doing that at a state or county campground.

El Capitan

Refugio

Both of the above are on the semi-untouched California coastline. However, the RR tracks are very close to the camping, so be prepared for rumbling at any time of day or night.

And East of Santa Barbara...

Carpinteria State Beach
At the beach in the community of Carpinteria, easy walk into town for restuarants, etc.
Great burgers and shakes at "The Spot" near the RR tracks on the walk into town.

Check and make reservations for all of the above.

- - - - - - - - - - - - -

Then for Santa Barbara county campgrounds, one at the beach and one inland.

Jalama Beach

Cachuma Lake

Both are first come, first served. Jalama can get either windy or foggy (its pretty exposed), while Cachuma can sometimes be crowded with lots of SoCal'ers.

- - - - - - - - - -

And, you're correct we don't have a lot of dispersed camping, however, heading for the back country you can find some secluded spots on various dirt roads. Somebody probably has published a book on it, I've never needed it, I just go.

The local Los Padres Forest Service office does have two maps that show designating camping spots. The north division Visitor Map consists of the Monterey Ranger District and the Santa Lucia Ranger District. The main division Visitor Map covers Mount Pinos, Ojai, Santa Barbara and a portion of the Santa Lucia District. Visitor maps can be ordered from the Forest Supervisor's Office, $10.78 for each map. Send a check or money order made out the Los Padres Forest Association (LPFA) to: Los Padres National Forest
6755 Hollister Ave., Suite 150
Goleta, CA 93117
Attn: Jennifer Gray

If it's too close in time to get them mailed, you can just stop by the office and pick them up there. Their office is in the back of a technology business park, a little confusing to find sometimes.

I saw a family tent camping on East Camino Cielo, last weekend, and I'm not sure that is allowed, maybe it was just a daytime thing.

East Camino Cielo, i.e., road in the sky, is just that, when you are on Hwy 101 and look up at our coastal mountains, it's a paved ridgeline road with spectacular views of the city, the beach, and the islands, with a high elevation of right about 4,000, 8 miles from the beach, as the crow flys.

- - - - - - - -

If you have any specific questions about the area I live in, I'll try to help.
 
At least in Colorado, I have had no problem using the tent sites in RV parks. I have not had to use them very frequently but when I have, the operators would let me park in a tent spot and pop the camper, since I was self contained. I can't help you with California though.

Good Camping,

Paul
 
Sometimes traveling on the fly with no reservations, we have stayed at RV parks in the tent camping area without any problems.

Went to Monterey 6 or 7 years ago and the normal campground was full.

We drove down the road to the RV Park on Hwy 1 / HWY 101?

It was storming outside and we didn't really want to truck camp on the city streets.

(our kids were 2 and 4 years old at the time)

We parked in the tent camping area and backed up against a fence line for the night to block the wind.

Had fun, cheap, safe, and we took hot showers in the AM before heading back towards home.

Not overland traveles, but not the hotel experience either.

A little in-between the two. Good times.

:)
 
This is far from camping and not cheap...$50/night but we have been using this RV Park to go to concerts and events in SB when we don't want to drive home. It's a bargain compared to hotels in SB! We call it urban camping...if you are traveling with bikes it's a great way to go and the people that run the place a GREAT!

http://www.yelp.com/...k-santa-barbara

If you are thinking of camping at any of the state parks on a weekend i would advise a reservation with reserveamerica.com
 
I'm hoping some of you good folks could help me get a plan together for our upcoming trip in the Grandby along the California coast in early Sept. We'll be passing through some coastal cities in central CA (Santa Barbara/SLO, etc.) that don't offer anything in the way of remote/dispersed camping opportunities like we find on Forest Service and BLM public lands in the interior West. So we're looking at state/county parks and private RV parks, but it seems there are only two extreme-range options for us at these kinds of places: 1) tent camping for low bucks with no allowance for sleeping in a vehicle, or 2) full RV hookups for big bucks. What we'd like to find is something in-between: just a surface to park on and the ability to pop-up our FWC and sleep in the camper; more or less a modification of the tent camping option.

My question is, does anyone have any experience doing this style of overnighting 'on the road' with their FWC truck camper? Have you always had to pay the full RV hookup rate and pull in among the motorhomes and coaches? Will the operators of these parks make allowances for a popup that will allow us to sleep in the camper, but pay something more in line with the tent camping rate? Any and all thoughts would be appreciated, thanks!


In the SLO area,actually Morro Bay there is Montana del Oro SP/beach nice sites,good ocean bluff walks.In Morro Bay there is the State Park it has RV/tent sites showers nice place,not out in the woods but close enough to town.You can park for the night around Morro Rock,in the parking lot next to the beach.There is a NF camp off ST HWY 41 in the Los Padres NF it's small typical NF camp,trees,water,vault toilet.If you look on a good map you will find it half way between the HWY1 and Atascadero on 101.Further up the coast in the Cambria area is San Simeon SP close to coast,use the Blackburn camp it's up the hill.Nice views,walks and open and quiet. Next up the coast 30/40 miles in the Gorda area,Plasket Ridge NF camp,on the coast,used by other members.I think there are two camps there one on each side of HWY 1.There is camping at Big Sur crowded though.If you get to the Monterey bay area there is one called Veterans Park camp right above Colton Hall,nice place oaks I think showers,walk down into Monterey.In the Santa Cruz area there is Sea Cliff SB/camp and New Brighton SB. North of Frisco there are some county beach camps.
Don't know how far you are going,but a campingusa.com,Dritydogs other site has a lot of info.
Frank
 
In the SLO area,actually Morro Bay there is Montana del Oro SP/beach nice sites,good ocean bluff walks.In Morro Bay there is the State Park it has RV/tent sites showers nice place,not out in the woods but close enough to town.You can park for the night around Morro Rock,in the parking lot next to the beach.There is a NF camp off ST HWY 41 in the Los Padres NF it's small typical NF camp,trees,water,vault toilet.If you look on a good map you will find it half way between the HWY1 and Atascadero on 101.Further up the coast in the Cambria area is San Simeon SP close to coast,use the Blackburn camp it's up the hill.Nice views,walks and open and quiet. Next up the coast 30/40 miles in the Gorda area,Plasket Ridge NF camp,on the coast,used by other members.I think there are two camps there one on each side of HWY 1.There is camping at Big Sur crowded though.If you get to the Monterey bay area there is one called Veterans Park camp right above Colton Hall,nice place oaks I think showers,walk down into Monterey.In the Santa Cruz area there is Sea Cliff SB/camp and New Brighton SB. North of Frisco there are some county beach camps.
Don't know how far you are going,but a campingusa.com,Dritydogs other site has a lot of info.
Frank

Frank,
I think you mean Plaskett Creek NF Campground. I will be camping there with my Hawk the 2nd week of Sept and camped there last year as well. Nice campground and the majority of sites are 1st come. I make reserevations on reserveamerica.com for the reserveable sites there. You can go to campsitephotos.com and see photos of each campsite of Plaskett Creek Campground. Very Nice trails on the bluffs across Hwy1 from the campground.Further North on Hwy1 is Kirk Creek Campground, usually very crowded due to being directly on the bluff above the ocean but very beautiful views. Kirk Creek has 1st come campsites also, worth a try and you could always double back to Plaskett which is not that far of a distance if you can't find a site.
Pat
 
West Camino Cielo isn't much pavement.

Plaskett used to have, but may not still if I did indeed manage to get him fired, a very passive-aggressive A-H attendant employee of the concessionaire.
 
Figueroa Mtn, Davey Brown and Nira are good USFS campsites above Los Olivos. The Los Padres ranger station in Goleta will have maps.
 
West Camino Cielo isn't much pavement.

Plaskett used to have, but may not still if I did indeed manage to get him fired, a very passive-aggressive A-H attendant employee of the concessionaire.

He was'nt there last year. I think he moved down to Kirk Creek, camp host there fits that description.
 
A bit off topic, but has anyone camped in a Walmart with a pop up?


I can't imagine doing that. That would have to be one huge emergency to use the camper in a Wal-Mart parking lot.
 
I'm generally not a big fan of "privately owned" campgrounds, but the KOA at Santa Margarita Lake (20 minutes north of San Luis Obispo (hwy 101)) is actually quite nice. Lots of oak trees, swimming pool, store, etc.
http://koa.com/campgrounds/santa-margarita/


If you make it to Paso Robles, there are several RV parks, but they're fairly expensive. If you're in a pinch, you can camp in my yard overnight. I've got a couple acres.

Have fun on your trip!
 
A bit off topic, but has anyone camped in a Walmart with a pop up?


Yep, do it all the time. it takes 12+ hours to get out of Tejas to anywhere we want to camp. So we use Walmart & truck stops on the way.
 
Yep, do it all the time. it takes 12+ hours to get out of Tejas to anywhere we want to camp. So we use Walmart & truck stops on the way.


X2
 
A bit off topic, but has anyone camped in a Walmart with a pop up?




X3 works great if you need just a place to park for the night. Does not work in CA :mad:



Hum, why not?

Or, is "CA" = Canada, instead of California?


I've done it once in Roseville (east of Sacramento) and once in Ridgrcrest, back in the Winter of 2011.

Both times were about 1am, I was just plain too tired go any farther and didn't know the area that well for boondocking (which I do now).

Went in and talked with the overnight store manager, he pointed me away from parking lot cleaning operation, he introduced me to the overnight security manager, and then I went to sleep. I was up and rested by 6am, having a little breakfast the inside McD's and they both stopped by and asked how it was. I said great, thanked them again, and was back on the road.


Maybe their policy has changed?
 
A bit off topic, but has anyone camped in a Walmart with a pop up?

Camping at Walmart is up to the store and city that store is located at. In general Walmart is ok with it.

Back to the RV park question, one time I stopped at a KOA and they asked me if I need a hook up or not. I said no and they reduced the rate. When I got to the site we had running water and power, went to the shower and when I got back everything was turned off.

The only time I had a problem with tent/RV is when I go to Bryce canyon NP. On one trip, I was in one camp ground for 2 days then the host came by and said I needed to move only RV are allowed in this camp ground. On another trip I was staying in a different camp ground and was told I can't stay here because this section is only for tents. I guess I should carry a small tent and set it up so I can stay in at tent site.
 
s. I guess I should carry a small tent and set it up so I can stay in at tent site.
[/quote]




I have thought about,after all if it's a drive up tent site,not a walk in,with a spot for the auto/truck and a tent spot area why not.But you know as soon as you do that someone will come along and bitch.Oh well such is the life of the our"cult"campers. It seems like some campgrounds just don't know what to do with us.
Frank
 
I've never had an issue staying in a tent or rv site, though I can't see paying for hookups I won't be using. Makes boondocking all the more fun.
 
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