Saddle Mountain Ranch

Just do not stay here. I wish we had read more reviews before our trip. This is NOT an RV friendly location. The road to the site and down from is VERY narrow and steep. We have a 26 foot trailer towed by a full-size pickup.

Then we find the RV spots are basically a glorified parking lot and honestly I think we have more room at our storage spot at home. Other negatives points which many other reviews noted - very limited parking, limited shower facilities, self-service check-in mid-afternoon, rude staff, etc.

If you are a tent camper, the spots are equally as small and crowded. I can't speak to the cabins although they too are very closely situated. My husband described it as a hobbit village.

I was really looking forward to the hike they tout on the website with "360 degree views of the mountains of Big Sur, Carmel Valley and the Pacific Ocean" which turns out is not accessible near the end due to downed trees. Another group warned me on my way up the trail and I went to check it out. These were not recently fallen so I question how often any staff member checks it out.

The final straw - we were in town for a wedding and en route heard my husband's aunt had a stroke so obviously we needed to change plans and wanted to leave one night early. I inquired about a refund from the office staff and was told flatly "no". In fact the woman practically gloated about how Paul, who I assume is the owner, refused a refund to a guest whose father had a heart attack. My comment to her was that was not good business practice and her reply was "actually it is". Well - I will be sharing our experience on every social media site I can to ensure others do not have the same as we did.

We booked Saddle Mountain Ranch for our trip down the coast after realizing rain was in the forecast and wanting to escape the dirt ground campsite we were at ... The paved (though narrow and winding) road up to the park and the gravel spots were appealing considering the forecast.

The RV spots are all lovely and separated by bushes and flowers (a very nice touch). Each site has full hookups (including basic cable) - some have wonderful views of the valley and a couple include nice touches like the Japanese maple tree in the corner of our spot. Each site has a picnic table, bbq for cooking and some have larger plots of "yard" (fake grass) to hang out on, which we loved. They were also very happy to welcome our little dog and seemed very pet-friendly in general with several waste bag stations on the property.

The wifi was strong even inside our trailer and cell reception was solid. The bathrooms and showers were clean. There is a large pool (though it was too cold for swimming while we were there) and there are lovely spots to sit all over the property, including one with a fire pit.

The staff was friendly and helpful and genuinely seem to care about the place.

There is a medium-difficulty hiking trail that leads through the woods and up the hill to some amazing views of the Carmel Valley and the ocean. But at the same time, you're only a few minutes away from grocery stores (including a Whole Foods) and all of the amazing retail and restaurants in Carmel (including the amazingly dog-friendly Porta Bella).

It ain't cheap, but we loved our stay at Saddle Mountain Ranch and look forward to returning!

This place is both adorable and serene, rustic and luxurious. You are perched on top of hill with gorgeous views of the Carmel valley. There is a beautiful pool deck to take it all in from or you can hike up the trail from the property to see it from an even higher vantage point.

Most of the RV spots are arranged in kind of a square instead of a row- we feel this set up made people friendlier neighbors or maybe our neighbors just happen to be friendlier than normal. Spots 14 and 24 must be the deluxe spots as they have nice sized lawns to hang out in. Spot 14 the lawn is on the door side- spot 24 it’s on the opposite side.

Cell service was great here with AT&T- some of the best we’ve had on the whole California coast.

The road up was not all that bad- but Be mindful that they do have a 30 foot length limit

This place is pricey but so is all of California.

This is an older campground on the side of a hill overlooking the Carmel Valley. The staff are great, very helpful. It is an easy drive into Carmel-By-The-Sea and to Carmel River State Beach which is dog on a leash friendly, chiefly used by the locals.

The website says 28' RVs, but when we called, we were told they can handle at least 30', but that we needed to be confident with our maneuvering of the trailer to get around a tree at the top of the loop where RVs may go. We are newbies to the RV world, but I have done a fair amount of backing of trailers, so we went for it. We managed, but exited via the road in because of the way I was pointing once I got the trailer positioned.

The takeaway here is go for it. Call and talk to them if you are unsure. They are very nice and helpful. When you are heading in on Schulte road, the road will get narrower and narrower, but you will get there.

Wifi signal was good, but internet did get bogged down in the evening. Using my phone as a hotspot filled in just fine.

It all depends what you are looking for, I guess, but I loved this campground! The sites are small, but I had no problem getting backed in. The friendly camp host helped guide me in. My beautifully landscaped full hookup site had a picnic table and a grill. They do not allow burning wood, although you can use a DuraFlame log in an approved fire pit, which they will rent to you. They will also sell the DuraFlame logs. You can use charcoal and propane grills. They have a beautiful pool, but it wasn't open for the season yet. They have a bathhouse, with one toilet and one shower each for men and women. The bathhouse facilities are clean and in good condition.

The campground is compact. There is a one-way road for the RVs. They have tent sites further up the hill, and they also have cabins, which I could see from my site. They had a sign that directed people to yurts. Parking is tight. You can't park at your site, but the campground is so small that you are not far from your vehicle.

You might think that you have gone to the wrong place, but it is literally at the end of the road. Just keep going. It is quiet and relaxing.

They have wifi, and the signal at my site was strong. I also picked up many local broadcast TV channels.

This is more than I like to pay for a campground, but sometimes you have to pay if you want to stay.