Carpinteria State Beach, Carpenteria, California

Carpinteria is a very popular beach and campground. Beachcombing, surfing, fishing, and playing in the waves is popular here. Many campsites are beachfront, and those are the spots to get. All sites lack privacy and are limited on space. From the Anacapa and Santa Cruz loops, you will have to hike around some sand dunes to see or play at the beach. These dunes do provide a break from onshore coastal breezes in the evening. There is also a dune boardwalk adjacent to these sites. Sites in these two loops are also slightly more traditional in terms of a campground, however most site pads are double or triple sites, so your neighbor's rig will be right up against yours unless your are lucky enough to snag one of the few sites that are a single pad. There are no hookups in the Anacapa and Santa Cruz Loops. The Santa Rosa and San Miguel loops are more like parking lot camping and do offer partial to full
hookups at almost all sites. Beach front sites are coveted, but only available to small rigs. If you don't snag a beachfront, or can't due to length restrictions, sites in the second row do offer peek-a-book views of the ocean. There are fire pits and picnic tables at all sites at this state beach, but our campfire ring was so close to our rig, it was unsafe to use. Site pads here are close together and length restrictions should be adhered to, as manuevering in and out of sites in anything longer than maximum rig lengths can pose problems. Unfortunately, a train runs adjacent to this campground, so the closer to the beach, the better. Just a short walk or bike ride away is downtown Carpinteria, which hosts a variety of restaurants, breweries, a municipal pool and public tennis courts. The area is very popular in the summer, so reservations are a must. A day use parking lot is available.

Good Spots: 115, 121-126, 210, 219, 220, 230, 237, 339, 358-380, 447-456
Poor Spots: 106, 107, 110-112, 118-120, all 200 sites except those listed above, 301-338, 401-433
Dump within Facility: Yes
Potable Water: Yes