Williams Hill Recreation Area
BLM
Write a Review Lockwood San Ardo Rd. Bradley, CA 93426 831-582-2200 Official WebsiteGPS: 35.9783, -121.0094
Overview of Williams Hill Recreation Area
Accessibility is not guaranteed, always scout ahead before driving down dirt roads.
Learn more: Boondocking 101
Last Price Paid: $0
Reported by Shannon on 12/18/2020
Longest RV Reported: 35 feet
Reported by PublinOnTour on 7/9/2017
Number of Sites 7
Pad Type gravel
Elevation 2,263 ft / 689 m
Max Stay 14
Tent Camping Yes
Supporter Subscription
Become a Campendium Supporter and enjoy ad-free browsing plus bonus features!
- Cell Coverage Maps
- Public Land Overlays
- Trail Map Layers
- Ad Free
Unlock Features
$20 Billed Annually
Q&A - Ask the Community about Williams Hill Recreation Area
Adventurable Joneses asked on 4/1/2020
Is this reasonably accessible with a 25 foot travel trailer behind a pickup, or is the road too bumpy, steep, or windy?
Reviews of Williams Hill Recreation Area 22 people have reviewed this location.
“Beautiful spot, but hard to get there. ”
Reviewed 12/18/2020
Nightly rate: | FREE! |
---|---|
Days stayed: | 1 |
Site Number: | N/A |
We spent one night here. The location is beautiful, though there are only about 7 sites. We arrived at 4:30 PM and for the last one. We have a 22’ Class B and the 7-mile road up to the site was brutal. Uneven, winding roads and mostly uphill. You’ll be fine in a car, but if you have a larger rig or are towing anything you might wan... more
We spent one night here. The location is beautiful, though there are only about 7 sites. We arrived at 4:30 PM and for the last one.
We have a 22’ Class B and the 7-mile road up to the site was brutal. Uneven, winding roads and mostly uphill. You’ll be fine in a car, but if you have a larger rig or are towing anything you might want to think twice.
Shannon would stay here again
This review is the opinion of a Campendium member and not of Campendium.com
“Nice stop off the 101 ”
Reviewed 12/7/2020
Nightly rate: | FREE! |
---|---|
Days stayed: | 5 |
Site Number: | 4 |
Free camping is rare to find and this one is a gem. Clean and quiet at night other than some gunshots down the hill.
Carzilla would stay here again
This review is the opinion of a Campendium member and not of Campendium.com
“Open as of Sept. 15 during fires”
Reviewed 9/16/2020
Nightly rate: | FREE! |
---|---|
Days stayed: | 2 |
Site Number: | 1 |
We tried to camp at the site just South of here that’s in Padres National Forest, but it was closed due to fires. This place was still open and they had just plastic wrapped the fire pits. We camped here before. It’s a great spot, 7 sites, clean and good views.
Grace_Around_the_World would stay here again
This review is the opinion of a Campendium member and not of Campendium.com
“Nice spot, very windy in Spring”
Reviewed 7/6/2020
Nightly rate: | FREE! |
---|---|
Days stayed: | 7 |
Site Number: | At the loop turn |
We camped here for about a week in June. The wind really ripped through at night but it wasn’t so bad to make us want to leave. The campsite is nice and nicely maintained (minus the bugs in the pit toilet). Every site has pavilions and picnics tables. Nice views and walks all around. Despite the no target practice signs people were... more
We camped here for about a week in June. The wind really ripped through at night but it wasn’t so bad to make us want to leave.
The campsite is nice and nicely maintained (minus the bugs in the pit toilet). Every site has pavilions and picnics tables. Nice views and walks all around. Despite the no target practice signs people were out shooting. On the weekends it happens all nice. There is some noise from dirt bikes and the like and you have mindful when walking the roads around.
Some trash and a shot up abandoned cars but it mostly feels safe.
Great access to Los Padres National Forest and Big Sur.
The road in is long and a bit twisty but not as steep as some mountain roads leading to dispersed camping. We saw pretty large motor homes up there (a short bus and a 30 footer).
The Wanderlings would stay here again
This review is the opinion of a Campendium member and not of Campendium.com
“Remote great view free”
Reviewed 6/22/2020
Nightly rate: | FREE! |
---|---|
Days stayed: | 1 |
Great place with just a few sites. We nabbed the last spot. Had an amazing view of the valley below. Fire restrictions were in place so we didn’t have a camp fire. There were also firearms restrictions so no one shooting but one guy ran his generator the entire time. The road in was washboard and gravel and very dusty. We ended up with... more
Great place with just a few sites. We nabbed the last spot. Had an amazing view of the valley below. Fire restrictions were in place so we didn’t have a camp fire. There were also firearms restrictions so no one shooting but one guy ran his generator the entire time. The road in was washboard and gravel and very dusty. We ended up with a thick layer of dirt on our RV. But fantastic place for a free overnight stay. Not much more unless you are into OHV.
Jay5729 would stay here again
This review is the opinion of a Campendium member and not of Campendium.com
“Beware of inexperienced gun owners who don’t know how to set their scopes. ”
Reviewed 5/25/2020
Nightly rate: | FREE! |
---|---|
Days stayed: | 2 |
Site Number: | Dispersed |
This is BLM land so shooting is allowed, however there were some people shooting directly into my campsite while I was there and I could hear bullets flying all around me. It felt like I was in a war zone. I just about lost it when one hit the ground about five feet away from where I was sitting. I sprinted in the direction of the shoo... more
This is BLM land so shooting is allowed, however there were some people shooting directly into my campsite while I was there and I could hear bullets flying all around me. It felt like I was in a war zone. I just about lost it when one hit the ground about five feet away from where I was sitting. I sprinted in the direction of the shooting because I had an idea who it was from the people that had been driving by, and there were some people camping near us as well and they also joined in to go give these people a piece of our minds and once we got to the top of the hill we was basically putting our lives in danger to notify these people stupidity and make them stop. I screamed for them to stop shooting and when I could hear cease fire, I ran at them, notifying them of the severity of their actions AND the danger they were putting us in, they tried to make excuses of course but I shut that down and let them know if they continued shooting we would have a problem and then we left. They got the idea and headed home after that talk. After that we somehow got a flat tire on a brand new set of Nitto Grabber tires, luckily we had service and AAA was able to help us change the tire since we forgot our tools. Aside from the hiccups the rest of the trip was absolutely lovely and I would probably come here again but I would make sure to go to a different site I think. Maybe higher on the ridge.
Sarinaspicyy would stay here again
This review is the opinion of a Campendium member and not of Campendium.com
“By far my favorite ”
Reviewed 3/13/2020
Nightly rate: | FREE! |
---|---|
Days stayed: | 3 |
Site Number: | N/A |
This place is amazing. Let me break it down for you a bit. The dirt road up to the campground is 7 miles long, but it’s not horrible. Very well maintained, some parts narrower than others. HOWEVER, the Higher you get, the bit more uncomfortable it gets because your literally driving on the edge of a mountain. It’s amazingly beautiful, ... more
This place is amazing. Let me break it down for you a bit. The dirt road up to the campground is 7 miles long, but it’s not horrible. Very well maintained, some parts narrower than others. HOWEVER, the Higher you get, the bit more uncomfortable it gets because your literally driving on the edge of a mountain. It’s amazingly beautiful, but just keep that in mind. There is no service going up the 7 miles but when you get to the top it comes out of nowhere and I had good date with my cell booster.
I stayed right outside the entrance to the actual campground because it was less shaded (for my solar panels). It wasn’t very windy however the fog at night was very thick, almost like being in the clouds. I loved it. The campground has a very clean out house stocked with toilet paper. each site had a picnic table with quite a few trees and fire pits.
The hiking trails are amazing but keep in mind this is also open to free range shooting and you will see a lot of bullet holes in random old objects and empty casings around the campsite. I stayed tues-fri and seen about 5 people in and out. Will def be back.
Jay Swant would stay here again
This review is the opinion of a Campendium member and not of Campendium.com
“Nice ridgetop campground with views”
Reviewed 10/1/2019
Nightly rate: | FREE! |
---|---|
Days stayed: | 2 |
Site Number: | 6 |
Nice clean campground with a clean pit toilet. The usual scattering of human and dog waste and TP. Looks like a lot of racoon? scat. Saw a tarantula. Sites are clean and nicely spaced and some will accommodate a large RV if you dare drive it up the dusty washboard road. It was only about 2-1/2 miles of gravel the way I came up from the... more
Nice clean campground with a clean pit toilet. The usual scattering of human and dog waste and TP. Looks like a lot of racoon? scat. Saw a tarantula. Sites are clean and nicely spaced and some will accommodate a large RV if you dare drive it up the dusty washboard road. It was only about 2-1/2 miles of gravel the way I came up from the West. It can be windy at times, but my tent site was sheltered pretty well. Mostly had the CG to myself. Two campervans came in late and left early. The BLM guy came in the morning and cleaned everything up and restocked the TP. Verizon 4G is 4-bars of good service, T-Mobile shows 2-bars 4G.
Constant Critic would stay here again
This review is the opinion of a Campendium member and not of Campendium.com
“Amazing campsite but road was scary ”
Reviewed 7/25/2019
Nightly rate: | FREE! |
---|---|
Days stayed: | 1 |
The campsite itself was awesome. Peaceful, quiet, has a bathroom, and gets 4g (verizon). The problem is the road up was pretty bad. Incredibly dusty and the dust was slippery and causing spinouts in a few places. There's one particular sharp turn near the top where I wasn't sure I'd make it. Then I couldn't relax and enjoy being on top... more
The campsite itself was awesome. Peaceful, quiet, has a bathroom, and gets 4g (verizon). The problem is the road up was pretty bad. Incredibly dusty and the dust was slippery and causing spinouts in a few places. There's one particular sharp turn near the top where I wasn't sure I'd make it. Then I couldn't relax and enjoy being on top because I was nervous about making it back down. The positives are it's a lovely area with lots of wildlife. If I had 4wd I'd come here regularly but I don't want to risk getting stuck.
This review is the opinion of a Campendium member and not of Campendium.com
“Amazing view!!”
Reviewed 5/30/2019
Nightly rate: | FREE! |
---|---|
Days stayed: | 7 |
Loved this location. Only a few sites could accommodate our 32' travel trailer.
Bathroom was clean, as were the sites.
One caution- coming up from Paris Valley Rd, WATCH YOUR JACKS at the hairpin at 6.2 miles up.
scl38 would stay here again
This review is the opinion of a Campendium member and not of Campendium.com
Be the first to add a note for Williams Hill Recreation Area!
Be the first to add a video for Williams Hill Recreation Area!
Williams Hill Recreation Area – Aluminarium
We love our current location a little extra because our last spot was such a bust. The drive in was on 5 miles of dirt road after the rain, so we got a little muddy....
Contact us to update this listing.
Amenities
Hookups
- dry camping
Recreation
- OHV
- recreation trail
Site Amenities
- fire ring
- picnic table
- pull thru
Facilities
- restrooms: vault
Pets
- pets
Please select a reason for flagging this item: