Los Prietos Campground

Vault toilet / water available / no bathroom sink / no shower / table / fire pit / easy access / high shade.

We were on the way back to LA and costal campgrounds were so expansive that we decided to drive in the countryside to find an affordable campground. All campgrounds - there 3 or 4 follow each other on this road - were really busy (it was friday). This one was ok, but not really quiet and sites lack a little bit of privacy. For 30$, I expected to have more that vault toilet. Trees are nice and finally we spend a good night, expect dogs were barking from an other site… But it's happen. We stayed there at the end of May.

I stayed here for about a week or more. They offer Senior pass 1/2 price with the Access card. It was in April and it got pretty warm. It's up in the hills above Santa Barbara, CA. Takes about 20 minutes up and down a winding road to get there from the campground. It is dry and I wondered about the ease of retreat if there was a fire and a week later there was one where the Los Padres forest campgrounds were evacuated. I found it quiet except for the weekends when lots of families showed up. No showers. I would stay again as it is inexpensive and close to Santa Barbara. No hookups or dump. No water connections to fill you tanks. There are spigots for water but not at each site and you can't connect a hose to the spigots.

I liked it because it was quiet with birds, lovely Oaks and it felt a bit like a retreat. I used my solar panels and there were only a few sites with enough sun. Also some of the sites were not level and more suited to tents due to short lengths. It's also a bit hilly.

I stayed there in April 2013 so I am not sure of the current cell coverage but I did have internet. No over the air TV.