“17 miles long of gorgeous beach”
The beach offers many attractions such as camping, hiking, swimming, surfing, fishing, and is home to the famous Pismo clam. It is a popular place to bird watch and is the largest over-wintering colony of monarch butterflies in the U.S.
Reviews of Oceano Campground
22 people have reviewed this location
Ratings Summary
Cell Coverage
Verizon 4G/5G
Confirmed by 8 users | Last reported on March 13, 2024AT&T 4G
Confirmed by 4 users | Last reported on August 27, 2022T-Mobile 4G/5G
Confirmed by 7 users | Last reported on December 28, 2023Love this campground. The Park Rangers are so nice and helpful.The Camp Host was super nice and very accessible. The dunes hike to the beach is very easy and the beach is huge. I love staying here when I travel up and down the coast. This is a good halfway point between SF and LA. Clean, quiet and close to the beach and 101 Freeway.
This beach gets its name from the original access which has since been “disconnected”. It is located below the Ventana Grill in Pismo Beach. There is an old spiral staircase that used to provide access from the restaurant to the beach, but it has been condemned and is no longer connected to the bluff above. Without the ramp to the old stairs there is no way to get down to the beach. The beach is small anyway and gone at high tide, but it used to provide access to sea caves in the area that were reachable at low tides. This is still a great place to stop and look over the edge. The dilapidated staircase and the shoreline here are quite photogenic
Found our share of Sand Dollars for the kids, hard to find collectors pins
HIGHLIGHTS:
--Nice alternative if the dunes beach RV campsite is full
--Close to the Dunes beach (about 1/2 a mile) from the RV sites
--Two sites available: $35 no hookup includes water, $50 with electricity and water, no sewage though
PROS
--Recently remolded
--Handicap RV parking now available
--Good space between your neighbor (not too cramp and not too close together) which was fantastic
--Great for tent/car/cycling camping
--Nice and quiet at night (a great alternative from RV camping at the Dunes)
--Fire Pit, a Table and two benches provided at every site
--Running water available at non hookup site so bring a hose for your RV
--Very clean, single private restrooms and showers (four different buildings)
--Token showers @ $1 = 2 tokens (4 minutes) available at all restroom buildings
--Hot water available at all bathrooms
--Visitor Center opens at noon daily
--Walking distance to places to eat and shop
--ATV Rentals across the street from the entrance
CONS
No sewage dump on site
Need more trees at the sites for shade (very minor) -- but bring a tent shade as it gets hot during the day
TIPS:
--Late arrival - check the board for available spots
--Pay the ranger in the morning (opens @ 8:30 AM)
--They take check/cash/credit card
--Take a photo of the map at the ranger station (helps to find your way around if you arrive after hours)
NOTES:
We have a Class B RV/Van with full solar and shower/toilet so we really didn't need electricity so we parked at the $35 site which was closer to the beach, and has a nice view of the lagoon. If you're an early riser like me, around 6am, the lagoon view was beautiful. Had the fog. Also, walk the trail early in the morning if you can, it's so peaceful. Lastly, shout out to Ranger Devan for her tips about Avila Off Leash Dog Beach. We had a fantastic time and would come back here again.
Cheers!
Nightly Rate: $35.00
Days Stayed: -
Site Number: 57
Cell Coverage Rating
Verizon 4G
Pismo State Beach basically has three campgrounds. The North Beach Campground was closed for construction during our visit. The Oceano Campground has two parts -- one area with long pull-throughs for large rigs and a separate section for tents and small rigs. The dump station for all three campground areas is located about a mile north of Oceano, west of Highway 1 on Le Sage, which was OK both when we arrived and departed. We were camped in the big rig area, and despite the relative lack of privacy we ended up finding the campground experience to be quite pleasant.
The big rig sites are long, level, pull-throughs, equipped with water and electric. The bathhouses have the perfect configuration (unisex individual rooms for toilets / sinks, and unisex individual rooms for showers) and the two bathhouses in our section were more than adequate for the number of sites. The bathhouses were cleaned every single day during our visit and were always clean. The shower tokens worked out OK (1 token = 50 cents = 2 minutes) but since it took a while for hot water to run it was difficult to use less than 2 tokens per shower. Although sites are relatively close together, with no foliage in between, the angle of the sites gave a greater sense of space -- we mainly looked at the loop road instead of our immediate neighbors. Where this campground stands out is in comparison to the alternatives. At the private RV parks in Pismo (and there are many) the sites were packed in even more tightly, and the county park between Highway 1 and the railroad tracks is similarly tight with a large number of permanent residents. Oceano is one of the best of the bunch, especially since there is direct beach access via a 5 minute trail over the dunes, and there is little noticeable train noise.
Our price reflects the off-season price of $40, which was a great value in comparison to the alternatives in the area. There were only two things we didn't like about the campground. One is that the ranger made us wait until 2 pm to check in to our site when we arrived at 1 pm and the site was already empty. The other is the confusing set up of the loops -- there was no signage to indicate which direction to travel, so when there was a lot of traffic it was a mess.
Internet service on AT&T was great - with our MyFi we had download of 7 Mbps and upload of 13.5 Mbps.
If we were to visit again, I'd prefer the North Beach Campground because it has direct water views in some places, is within easy walking distance of downtown Pismo Beach, and the sites are more spaced out with better privacy. But I wouldn't hesitate to stay at Oceano again if that was my only option.
Nightly Rate: $40.00
Days Stayed: 10
Site Number: 3, 19
Cell Coverage Rating
AT&T 4G
When we first pulled in, we were leary about the campground set up; it seemed like an extension of the parking lot in front of the Nature Center. But luckily we stayed and over the days learned to love this place and look forward to going back often. You're only a matter of blocks away from the beach. Driving is allowed on this beach, so be on the look out for (slow moving) vehicles and motorcycles. (A passing taxicab was quite the sight!) There are 3 walking routes between the campground and the beach, one is Pier Ave, the second is opposite the stop sign between the 'front' and 'back' sections of the campground (which has a very steep sand dune or two to tackle), and the third begins at the crest of drive into 'back' section of campground (this one was my favorite and not difficult). Tip: In windy weather, try to avoid campsites under the eucalyptus trees to prevent the sound of falling debris bouncing off the roof all night, unless you like that kind of thing. Try to make time to walk around the lagoon bordering the campground for prime bird watching.
Nightly Rate: $40.00
Days Stayed: 14
Site Number: 2
Cell Coverage Rating
T-Mobile 4G
Could hear the ocean, the dunes just 5 minutw walk down the street, with a great little park to take dogs or kids just down the other way. A convenient liquor store and place to purchase firewood nearby as well. Spot was a nice pull through with a short trail that circles the lagoon. Spot was nice, with a picnic table and large firpit with a cooking great. Showers available for purchase, $1/six minutes. Clean restrooms and sinks. Pet friendly.
Nightly Rate: $40.00
Days Stayed: 1
Site Number: 15
Cell Coverage Rating
T-Mobile 4G
If you can't actually stay out on the sand, then Oceano Campground probably provides the best access. The southern portion of the campground for RVs and trailers is flat and largely soulless, but has a nice new bathroom facility. The northern portion for tens and small trailers has some much nicer sites -- but also some in the middle which are tightly packed and completely exposed to the sun. Facilities are very nice. It's an easy hike to the dunes or walk to the ATV rental places on Pier Avenue. It was surprisingly quiet at night given my overnight experiences out on the dunes, which are anything but quiet.
Nightly Rate: $33.00
Days Stayed: 1
Site Number: 79
Cell Coverage Rating
Verizon 4G
Very clean facility. Only a lot of mosquitoes at night, but they were gone in the morning. Very close to the beach!
Nightly Rate: $25.00
Days Stayed: 1
Site Number: 58
Cell Coverage Rating
T-Mobile 4G
Campground was clean and quiet. Bathrooms were great nice and clean and sanitized every morning. Had to stay in the back section with no hookups. Couple of days very windy. Was able to drive on the beach every day. Camping on beach is closed.
Nightly Rate: $17.00
Days Stayed: 5
Site Number: 54
Cell Coverage Rating
T-Mobile 4G
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Oceano Campground
Hours
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Parking
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Pets Allowed
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Restrooms
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Wifi
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Wheelchair Accessible
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Credit Cards Accepted
- Affiliation
- State park or forest
- Last Nightly Rate
- 35.0
- Longest Vehicle Length Reported
- 30.0
- Lowest Nightly Rate
- 17.0
- Max Length
- 36 ft
- Sites Count
- 82
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Paved Sites
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Fifty Amp
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Full Hookup
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Pull Through
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Tent Sites
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Dump Station
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Big Rigs
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Open Seasonally
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Age Restricted
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Boondock
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Cabin Sites
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Dispersed Sites
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Firewood
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Fulltime Residents
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Group Tent Sites
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Laundry
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Mobile Homes
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Permit Required
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Propane
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Public Water
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Pull Through RV Sites
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Reservations
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Sewer Hookup
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Showers
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Sites
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Standard Tent Sites
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Water Hookup
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