San Mateo Campground
San Onofre State Beach
Write a Review 830 Cristianitos Rd. San Clemente, CA 92672 949-361-2531 Official WebsiteGPS: 33.4083, -117.5853
Overview of San Mateo Campground
Last Price Paid: $53
Reported by camper-677080 on 4/6/2023
Longest RV Reported: 36 feet (Class A)
Reported by Ray & Terri on 3/1/2020
Number of Sites 150
Pad Type asphalt
Reservations yes
Elevation 98 ft / 29 m
Max Length 36 ft
Tent Camping Yes







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To ask questions of the owner or manager please contact the campground directly. 949-361-2531
Reviews of San Mateo Campground 22 people have reviewed this location.
“Beautiful campground ”
Reviewed 5/30/2023
Days stayed: | 2 |
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Site Number: | 63 |
RV Length: | 19' (Travel Trailer) |
There are RV sites and tent sites in this beautiful campground. However, for some reason there are a ton of tent people staying in the RV sites. Lots of people with barking dogs and music playing outside all day Saturday and Saturday night. It was nice and quiet Sunday and Monday. As Sunday turned back into just RV owners at the RV si... more
There are RV sites and tent sites in this beautiful campground. However, for some reason there are a ton of tent people staying in the RV sites.
Lots of people with barking dogs and music playing outside all day Saturday and Saturday night. It was nice and quiet Sunday and Monday. As Sunday turned back into just RV owners at the RV sites and the noise level was gone and the barking dogs.
If you’re using the public restroom, check the floor before you drop your drawers. People can’t seem to get it into the toilet.
There are lots of squirrels and hawks, swallows, little knat bugs, and rabbits.
You are allowed to burn wood in their designated fire pits.
We have Verizon and T-Mobile cell phones. Neither had any cell coverage in any location of the campground, whether the RV sites or the tent area or day use area. I repeat we had NO cell coverage with our Verizon or T-Mobile cell phones in any location of this campground. Our cell phone booster could not find a signal either. We were surprised to find we had no coverage as all reviews we read on campground said Verizon was fine there.
Sites are clean and fairly level. RV sites are paved. They have parking stops at the back, but that was not an issue with our rear entry Travel trailer. Lots of vegetation around rv sites so you have some privacy.
No sites have sewer, but they do have a dump station that you can go to on your way out of the park. It’s a Double dump station that charges you $10 to dump even though you’ve just spent $70 a night to camp here. (Just a heads up). We rated this campground a 4 due to also having to pay for dump station.
Time4Dirt would stay here again
This review is the opinion of a Campendium member and not of Campendium.com
“Nice Campground Close to the Beach”
Reviewed 5/1/2023
Days stayed: | 1 |
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Site Number: | 57 |
RV Length: | 23' (Class B) |
We were lucky to get in here for a Friday night stay. The campground was booked for Saturday and Sunday. Our paved spot was fairly level. Bushes and shrubs gave us good privacy from the adjacent campers. Fairly quiet. Good facilities.
Topidoc would stay here again
This review is the opinion of a Campendium member and not of Campendium.com
“Great Location, Reasonable Relative To Where It Is”
Reviewed 4/6/2023
Nightly rate: | $53 |
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Most of Southern California is difficult for Boondocking, San Mateo Campground is very nice, and not too far off I-5, and very close to the beaches. I didn’t use the shower, facilities, or bathrooms, so I can’t speak for them, but the campground is nice and well-maintained. I recommend booking as early as possible, these campgrounds fi... more
Most of Southern California is difficult for Boondocking, San Mateo Campground is very nice, and not too far off I-5, and very close to the beaches. I didn’t use the shower, facilities, or bathrooms, so I can’t speak for them, but the campground is nice and well-maintained. I recommend booking as early as possible, these campgrounds fill up fast.
This review is the opinion of a Campendium member and not of Campendium.com
“Clean And Well Maintained Sites - Highway Noise ”
Reviewed 1/29/2023
Site Number: | 13 |
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RV Length: | 20' (Travel Trailer) |
We enjoyed our stay here. The sites were easy to get in to and really well maintained. The only drawbacks for us were the noise from the tent campers at night and the highway noise. We were in site 13 and in the future I think we will stay in the higher site numbers as they are further back into the park.
This review is the opinion of a Campendium member and not of Campendium.com
“We Had A Great 3 Night Stay”
Reviewed 10/19/2022
Nightly rate: | $70 |
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Days stayed: | 3 |
Site Number: | 35 |
A nice campground on the northerly edge of Camp Pendleton. Sites were spacious and separated by trees and bushes. Very quiet. Restrooms were spotless, staff very friendly. We made the 1.8 mile hike (one way) to Trestles beach. Not an easy walk but we’ll worth it. Back at our campsite We saw coyotes, a great horned owl and even a bobca... more
A nice campground on the northerly edge of Camp Pendleton. Sites were spacious and separated by trees and bushes. Very quiet. Restrooms were spotless, staff very friendly. We made the 1.8 mile hike (one way) to Trestles beach. Not an easy walk but we’ll worth it.
Back at our campsite We saw coyotes, a great horned owl and even a bobcat with a ground squirrel in her mouth.
Two ports at the dump station. $10 fee. Diatomaceous earth works well against the local ants. Don’t forget to bring it.
Steve would stay here again
This review is the opinion of a Campendium member and not of Campendium.com
“Squirrel infestation”
Reviewed 9/10/2022
Nightly rate: | $71 |
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Days stayed: | 4 |
Site Number: | 34 |
I actually wanted to stay three nights, however I got stuck with two extra nights. On night number one squirrels ate through my wiring and I was unable to retract my slides. After watching YouTube's and creating jumpers for my slides I was able to leave. Squirrels eat through my wiring the very first night we stayed. We will never st... more
I actually wanted to stay three nights, however I got stuck with two extra nights. On night number one squirrels ate through my wiring and I was unable to retract my slides. After watching YouTube's and creating jumpers for my slides I was able to leave. Squirrels eat through my wiring the very first night we stayed. We will never stay there again. Mike Thompson RV charge me 200 to diagnose the problem. And they were going to charge me thousands to repair it. However I went underneath the RV myself and found the damage and I'm going to fix it myself. I didn't know squirrels attacked your wiring but upon research they actually are very damaging. Beware of this campground.
This review is the opinion of a Campendium member and not of Campendium.com
“Over priced ”
Reviewed 8/29/2022
Days stayed: | 6 |
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Site Number: | SM 63 |
RV Length: | 28' (Travel Trailer) |
San Clemente is a very nice beach town with a pier and sand beaches. About an hour’s drive to Anaheim and Disney. The campground is about 3.5 miles from the ocean, there is a trail from the park to the beach, but we do not suggest riding it on your bike it is gravel with very steep hills. Suggest taking the road and picking up the t... more
San Clemente is a very nice beach town with a pier and sand beaches. About an hour’s drive to Anaheim and Disney. The campground is about 3.5 miles from the ocean, there is a trail from the park to the beach, but we do not suggest riding it on your bike it is gravel with very steep hills. Suggest taking the road and picking up the trail after crossing the interstate. The campground is water and electric only and does not offer any extras. There is a dump station that cost an extra $10 to use.
This review is the opinion of a Campendium member and not of Campendium.com
“NO Verizon”
Reviewed 4/24/2022
Days stayed: | 3 |
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Site Number: | 28 |
This campground was nice! I had no idea there would not be cell service. If you hike uphill about 1 mile, you'll get Verizon reception. Dogs are not allowed on the beach. It was quiet and the staff were friendly. Bathrooms are individual rooms, which is pleasant. Showers and dump station cost campers. They sell diatomaceous earth, but ... more
This campground was nice! I had no idea there would not be cell service. If you hike uphill about 1 mile, you'll get Verizon reception. Dogs are not allowed on the beach. It was quiet and the staff were friendly. Bathrooms are individual rooms, which is pleasant. Showers and dump station cost campers. They sell diatomaceous earth, but I had no trouble with ants. I will be back for brief trips.
This review is the opinion of a Campendium member and not of Campendium.com
“Nice and quiet campground”
Reviewed 3/25/2022
Nightly rate: | $65 |
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Days stayed: | 2 |
Site Number: | 51 |
We stayed in a site with hook-ups. It was very quiet and relaxing. Sites were easy to back-in. Easy access to the electrical and water. Bathrooms were clean. Not much in the way of cell service on Verizon if you're looking for connectivity. Hard to send/receive texts from the entire campground. There are two dump stations in the... more
We stayed in a site with hook-ups. It was very quiet and relaxing. Sites were easy to back-in. Easy access to the electrical and water. Bathrooms were clean. Not much in the way of cell service on Verizon if you're looking for connectivity. Hard to send/receive texts from the entire campground. There are two dump stations in the campground. They are charging $10 which I thought should be free for campers.
AZMike89 would stay here again
This review is the opinion of a Campendium member and not of Campendium.com
“Last minute stay, pleasantly surprised”
Reviewed 11/20/2021
Nightly rate: | $73 |
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Days stayed: | 1 |
Site Number: | 27 |
RV Length: | 15' (Travel Trailer) |
I goofed up the dates of our trip so had to find a place at the last minute for our first night. We booked this campground on the phone while sitting at the kiosk, as they are not able to rent sites on site. This campground sits on the northern edge of Camp Pendleton and we were on the edge of the wash, overlooking it. There was a ... more
I goofed up the dates of our trip so had to find a place at the last minute for our first night. We booked this campground on the phone while sitting at the kiosk, as they are not able to rent sites on site.
This campground sits on the northern edge of Camp Pendleton and we were on the edge of the wash, overlooking it. There was a low rumble of artillery fire and a few helicopters flying by but the noise was surprisingly muted.
Our site was very roomy and private with shrubbery on two sides and the wash on the third. We were able to back in and not unhook. There would not have been room to park our truck next to our trailer.
This campground is about a mile and a half inland and would be a good base for exploring the local state beaches whose campgrounds tend to fill up. There were lots of open spaces here on a weeknight.
The fee includes the $7.99 ReserveCA charge. The fee for the dump station is $10. Currently, the dump station at San Clemente, which is in the day use area, is free. Your tag from San Mateo will get you in there.
Friendly staff at the gate, we never met the host so can't say.
Dan and Jocelyn would stay here again
This review is the opinion of a Campendium member and not of Campendium.com
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Amenities
Hookups
- 30 Amp
- 20 Amp
- water
- Partial Hookups
Recreation
- picnic area
- recreation trail
Site Amenities
- fire ring
- picnic table
Facilities
- dump station
- restrooms: flush
- showers
- trash
Pets
- pets
Nearby
Doheny State Beach
Campground will be closed Nov 1, 2020 to May 30, 2021 for water and sewer line replacement
- Deb Spencer
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