TV Tower Road

The road off the 101 is about 2 miles with one very sharp hairpin turn, and one super bumpy part that our side rails scraped a bit on. More than half the way up is paved. I’ve been on 10 mile + roads that are more gnarly so this was pretty easy. 22 ft sprinter and I agree not for big rigs or longer trailers.

This was insane. What a show for sunset.. the clouds in the morning are just as impressive. The wind was strong well after dark, so tents may have a harder time.

TP and broken glass in some spots but not in others. Lots of people hiking and biking so you’re not alone.

Perfect for an overnight.

I'm a little troubled by the negative comments. I mean, when you're looking for free camping and don't want to be on BLM or Army Corp sites 100 miles from anywhere, you have to be objective about such things. In this case, you are litteraly 20 minutes from downtown San Luis Obispo, where camping routinely runs $50-100 a night and rooms well over that; so you're getting way more than you paid for.

The road is mostly dirt, but given that there are three critical communications compounds...we're talking big ones that require cranes and heavy equipment to service...the road is kept in very good condition.

So, there are places you can camp that are more in the open and have views, but you'll also give up privacy. Can you pull a trailer up here? Sure, I suppose if you're brave, patient, and have an AWD or FWD tow vehicle, but if you go this route, forget about any private spots.

There aren't any organized services...no picnic benches, no formal fire rings or facilities, so be prepared to use a small camp stove and bring a shovel. On a related note, at the time of this review, CA is in the throes of a multiyear draught, so you'd be crazy to want to light a fire anyhow. The major item to come prepared for is it's all dry camping, so bring your own water. Again, none of this should surprise the enterprising boondocker.

The main camping IMO is a little beyond the SLO Botanical Reserve sign, and what it amounts to are a series of cutouts that branch off the single lane dirt road. Some are pretty shallow and some can be fairly deep and sheltered. They're spaced out at about 50 yard intervals. I rather like them because the pigmy Pinion Pines and coastal cypress are rather pretty, and provide nice privacy. There were even a few locations suitable for setting up multiple tents.

I've known about this site for 35 years, and at times it seems to me that it has been more formal, when the County had more jurisdiction up there. Now it's pretty much NFS so they keep it pretty minimal.

We did not stay on this road because many of the sites were uneven. In some locations, yes, there are excellent views. But most other sites had tall brush around them so no views at all. You are essentially parking off of a dirt road so, when somebody goes by, dust is kicked up all over the place. Not very pleasant. Also as a solo female traveler I would not feel too safe here. The road is rough and remote. There was cell service but I still would not have been comfortable staying there no matter how good the views.

Amazing views over the ocean and valleys of California. Very limited spaces, packed on a weekday from what we experienced.

Trailer warning. If you have any kind of off road trailer you will have limited access here.

We have a Jeep and 19ft Geo Pro, so we can do a good amount of car camping spots, but this place only had 3 spots that we could fit into.

I towed my 20' trailer a couple miles past the towers. Road is very decent shape...couple very very steep but short hills.
To windy to bother with a tent....the winds will destroy it and you won't be able to anchor it into what is mostly rock covered in an inch of dirt.
Trailers are simply out of the question. Sites are not long enough....you'll be blocking half the road. And worse...any spot I explored that could handle a trailer were hills...there are no level spots...HORRIBLY UNLEVEL
The views....OUT OF THIS WORLD! I would have loved staying here...sucked to turn around (also....virtually IMPOSSIBLE) after dragging my trailer all that way just to realize it wasn't going to happen.

Great place!!!
Wide spots in road and pull outs for camping. We stayed in a pull out in a small grove of pines and manzanita about 5 miles in from 101 on Jan 2, 2022. We had a wide open view of the sunset over the ocean directly above Moro Bay.
The road is paved for 1/2 mile and then it is dirt. It is not a gravel road it is dirt and evidence indicates it will be muddy when it rains.
Not for trailers or RVs. It would be very difficult if not impossible to turn around.

Breathtaking views but I opted to stay up further where there is tree cover because it was so hot. At midnight I was wishing for the wind everyone complains about. The campsite would’ve been perfect except for one thing: the trash. Toilet paper, food wrappers, cigarette butts, beer cans, and a bag of human excrement were strewn all around the site. I wish people would be more respectful. Sigh....

I’m a little torn with this place. I absolutely love the views, the cell service and the proximity (15 min) to town. However, I can see why people would be intimidated by this site due to the 1.5 mile narrow road up, wind, fog and scarcity of actual ‘camp sites’.

I came on a Monday around noon time, so I didn’t experience the traffic from the locals (nearby college campus) going up. The exit is easily missed so if your gps says it’s coming and your totally confused as to how that’s even possible, just trust it and slow down. It’s coming up quick. Once you start going up, you MUST continue to go up. There is absolutely no where to turn around If you are towing until you get to the site. I too am blown away by the person who got the 32’ airstream up there due to one specific hair pin steep turn and a second short steep incline once you get to the split in the road. I pull a 20’ Winnebago and I thought I was pushing it.

I was lucky enough to snag the first level area at the split in the road, which was blocked by a few bushes to help with the wind, and a few other camper vans were scattered about. You can definitely fit a few trailers on the open spots, just plan to become buddies with the person staying next to you. After spending a few nights I learned that most people just come to watch the sunset then leave, or a few people come and park to hike for a few hours.

Going up and down in a regular car/suv is fine. There is a small college town nearby which has literally one of every store you may need. Once your up, it’s amazing, but the anxiety of going back down with a trailer is daunting.

I do love a free campsite and they are hard to come by in this part of California so this is a real jewel. TV Tower road while rutted can be traversed by any vehicle as we saw lots of low lying sedans going up and down the road on most days. It is a well-traveled narrow dirt road and I would only feel comfortable in a high clearance vehicle but it is obvious that others don’t feel the same.

As others have said this place gets a lot of wind so come prepared for that no matter what the forecast says. However, there is an opportunity for shelter from the winds but you must keep going past the obvious campsite by a few miles.

The obvious campsite is a large open area where the road appears to split to the left and right. We camped here for a few nights but because of the relentless winds decided to explore further. We ventured all the way to the towers and just beyond where we found the Cuesta Ridge Botanical Area (there is a sign, see image). Here the trees get taller and you can find ample tree cover to knock down some of that wind. There are also a lot of pullouts over the next mile. This is secluded but the entire area has ample cell coverage (read screaming fast) making it feel very safe. The road actually gets less rutted after the TV Tower, at least for the two or so miles we explored.

Just to clarify this road isn't for large RVs but we saw lots of campervans and truck campers as well as sedans making the journey. There is no better free spot to spend a few days watching the gorgeous sunsets over Morro Bay.

Please use no trace practices and leave this place better than you found it so it remains open to the public.