Discover the Adventure
Big Sur Camping

Big Sur Camping Comes in all Sizes

Ever thought about camping in Big Sur, California?  You're not alone - Big Sur camping offers some of the most spectacular scenery on the California coastline!

Visit Monterey County, traveling scenic Highway 1 South from Monterey along the Northern California coastline past the turn off for Carmel Highlands, and you'll get your first glimpse of the great Big Sur!

Here you'll find enchanting Redwood forests...

Dramatic rocky coastal cliffs on one side of the road and looming mountains on the other...

Long sandy beaches and sheltered coves;

Mountain hiking trails, canyons, and gurgling streams;

Meadows and oak tree forests...One of the most varied landscapes in the world.

You'll also discover a camper's Paradise. Whether you enjoy camping along the ocean, under the Redwoods, in an established campground or in the wilds of the Ventana Wilderness - you'll find it all in Big Sur.

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Camping Along the Big Sur Coast

Rugged Big Sur Coastline © WiebeRugged Big Sur Coastline © Wiebe


What could be more characteristic of our species than to yearn to camp in all that natural beauty?

Well, lucky for us, there are many opportunities for camping in Big Sur!

And while you're camping in the area, you'll find plenty to keep you entertained!

There are many great hikes you'll want to explore - along the coastal trails, the beaches, and into the forests.

Explore the many State Parks, beaches, and wilderness areas for such activities as river tubing, jade hunting, and wildlife viewing - especially coastal birds, sea otters, and whales.

Go horseback riding, skinny dip at the Esalen Institute, visit the
Spirit Garden, have drinks on the Nepenthe deck overlooking the Pacific Ocean, visit Big Sur's historic lighthouse.

Big Sur offers all of that and more, but we're here to camp, so let's get on to the good stuff!


From Campgrounds to Backpacking Wilderness

Big Sur campgrounds are as varied along the California coast as their surroundings are breathtakingly beautiful!

Discover campgrounds in State Parks, and private campgrounds. Camp alongside a stream, or atop an ocean bluff overlooking the Pacific, in a meadow, or amid the redwoods.

You can even hike-in and camp the backcountry.

There's tent and RV camping - plus cabins, and tent cabins, and A-frames - you can even camp in a yurt!

Sorting Through Your Camping Opportunities:

There are fourteen major campground areas in Big Sur, and they can be sorted in several different ways. I've tried, here, to group them in ways that will make it easy for you to find what you're looking for.



All you have to do is pick a campground grouping that appeals to you and discover the Big Sur campground of your dreams!

  • Big Sur Backcountry Camping
    There are approximately 237 miles of hiking trails in the Santa Lucia Mountains. That equates to LOTS of opportunity for backcountry primitive camping!


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