Williams Hill Recreation Area

Finding serenity amidst the rugged beauty of William Hill Recreation Area was nothing short of a revelation. Here's a firsthand account of my experience in helping fellow travelers plan their adventure:

Arriving at William Hill was a breeze, with only a few spots occupied upon my arrival in late February (only 7 spots). The journey along the dirt road, though a bit lengthy at around 30 minutes, was a bit bumpy with a trailer (NOBO 20.4; 2023).

To fully enjoy your time here, make sure to come prepared. Bring along sufficient water, power, and warmth, especially for the chilly nights. Bug repellent is nice but not necessary, as a few persistent insects were buzzing around. If you enjoy campfires, pack some firewood—the nights can get cool, and there's nothing like gathering around a crackling fire under the stars. For light sleepers, consider packing earplugs to block out any morning disturbances, such as distant gunshots (in the distance) or the hum of passing ATVs/UTVs.

One unexpected delight was the excellent cellular service. With full bars on my Verizon network, staying connected was effortless. It was a pleasant surprise to have such reliable connectivity amidst the wilderness, allowing me to share my experiences and stay connected with loved ones.

It's my favorite BLM site along the Central Coast, it exceeded all expectations. From its serene atmosphere to its natural beauty, there's little to complain about here. William Hill Recreation Area is a hidden gem waiting to be discovered. Its tranquil surroundings and breathtaking vistas make it the perfect escape for nature lovers.

I got in after a fairly easy, 4-5 mile drive up a dirt road cut into the side of this mountain-like hill on a Friday night, in the middle of summer, around 7:30. During my whole stay the temperature stayed at a warm, but comfortable, 65-70 degrees F during sun up, and a cool 50-60 degrees F during sun down.

The site itself is great, there’s a few different spots to choose from, and one is up on top of the peak of the hill, very secluded. I stayed my second night there. If you can’t get there, or it’s occupied, the campground itself is also a great choice. There’s a small, one room, very clean and well maintained bathroom in the campground and probably around 5-6 sites. Each of the sites contain a fire pit, and a metal awning with a picnic table. They are all also level enough to where you can comfortably sleep in/on anything without leveling jacks and remain comfortable. The sites are quiet and even if you are next to a particularly loud group, it’s hard to hear them even though they seem to be right next you. I should mention, that it didn’t seem to be well known, and such remains less busy then a few other sites. Like I said, I arrived at around 7:30 PM on a gorgeous summer night, and found only one other camper there. Over the next few hours only one other camper showed up.

The views are unbeatable, the sunsets and sunrises are fantastic, especially contrasted against the often temperamental and partially cloudy California sky.

I would recommend a 4-wheel drive vehicle, or at most an all wheel drive, but I couldn’t see a problem with a 2 wheel drive sedan, as long as the driver takes their time and doesn’t drive too fast.

The cell service is great (I have Verizon) which is both a good, and bad thing. I am currently writing this from atop the hill by my fire pit watching the sunset.

Overall, this is a fantastic site with amazing views and I’m sure to return in the near future.

Arrived around 6:30 pm on a Wednesday in late June and had the entire place to myself. One or two other campers showed up later but I only heard them upon their arrival and departure, otherwise it was totally silent out here. GORGEOUS views! I picked one of the first campsites and it had stunning views and was perfectly level!

I had an ok cell signal with AT&T and a decent wifi signal (3 bars) with Verizon

I stayed here for a week. All seven campsites were full at first so I found an unofficial spot just outside the camp area. This worked out OK except for the times I was inundated by the sound of ATVs and motorbikes. Eventually I moved to the actual campground. Luckily I got spot number seven, as otherwise there's really very little space between the campsites.

This spot is a good 20 minutes from hwy 101. It’s a dirt road with lots of bumps and some deep ruts. Easy in a 4x4 and there are some small two wheel drive cars at the campground.

Very well maintained - thanks BLM!! Pit toilet, fire ring, picnic table and awning. Nice and level site.

I arrived at 5:30pm on an April Saturday and secured the last site. Only about ten in total.

Most sites look west so you get a terrific sunset view over Big Sur.

I arrived on a Saturday at approx 5p In October and there were 5 open spots. Beautiful views. I’m only giving 4 stars because the spaces didn’t give much privacy.
The road up in my Rav4 was super easy but I wouldn’t bring a trailer up here without excellent maneuverability skills.
I was able to stream live videos with Verizon.
I’ll be back!

The 6 or 8 mile gravel dirt dusty road leading up here is nothing to joke about. I see sharp rocks on the narrow road. Some potholes n uneven dips but we needed a place to sleep. Not bad when u get to CG. 1 vault toilet clean n not stinky yet. Windy n blowing dust. Semi shaded. Nice views of valley below. Saw a prius make it up here.

Positives -
One of a kind sunset views
Quiet - not eerily kind
Near the highway connecting SF
Doable drive up the hill
Fenced designated spots
Cellphone reception
New picnic tables under a canopy/shed

Negatives—
7 miles up a Dirt road is not comforting
Super fine dust. Persistent to get into your lungs. Even if you keep your windows and door sealed somehow it leaks in . If you have a rental RV I would double check if they allow this road.

No water or garbage receptacle . You need to be fully stocked and resourceful if you want to come up here.

Poorly maintained porta toilet. Granted it had 3 rolls of toilet paper but man it was repulsive stench and no water to wash hands

Garbage and plastic thrown around.

Camped here the first weekend in November. After reading the other reviews on this site I thought I'd offer some clarifications.

The road in is dirt, and parts of it are heavily washboarded. However, it is clearly maintained, it's level, and it has no significant ruts or dropoffs to negotiate. Parts of it are exposed rock and could be slippery in the rain. There are two relatively tight turns but both have pulloff areas you could swing into if required. There are a couple of graded areas but not super steep. Mid-size commercial trucks use the road regularly without difficulty. I scouted ahead in my Jeep and then went back and fetched my 20' trailer without any issues. I assume the folks who had concerns about towing something up this road were towing something much larger, or operating much closer to their weight capacity. I feel like even a 2-wheel-drive sedan can probably negotiate the path if you take it slow.

Found the campground nigh-empty on Friday afternoon, but it filled up by Sunday.

In terms of sites -- site #1 is the most private and has the best views and I would _not_ want to attempt to back a trailer in or out of it. It's at the end of a ~30 foot driveway with fences on both sides. If you're camping in a tent or van, it might be your new favorite. Other than that, you'll be choosing between views and solar -- sites on the west side have better views and are shaded most of the day, sites on the east have more trees blocking the view but get full sun. I camped in site #7, which is weirdly large -- large enough that I woke up my last day to find that a camper van had crammed its way into my spot during the night. Hm. #7 is on the far side of the bathrooms from other campsites, so you rarely get foot traffic. Felt very private until someone joined my spot.

Cell service is great, other campers were courteous, there's some noise from dirtbikes and distant target shooting during the day but it's silent (and windy) at night.

Anything exposed on the road in will get covered in fine and sticky dust; the other reviewer who described it as playa-level dust is not kidding. I had to squeegee my windows to be able to see the sunset.

Final note for trailer owners - there isn't a great place to drop your trailer to scout this site, in my opinion. I dropped the trailer on the shoulder off 101 on the road to San Ardo, and it seemed perfectly safe (and a nice guy from the neighboring farm came to see if I needed help) but may be private property, so, be respectful and look for signs.

We were here last year with a Campervan for a few days in October, this year we came back with a tent!

This time we made sure to bring a large rug to tamp down the amount of dust from just getting in and out of the vehicle or tent! It helped prevent dust kick up as well as the following sneezing tremendously.

Site 1 has a private overlook, looks like a lot of clay pigeon shooting shards around. We got to see a beautiful tarantula and respected its space when it’s rear raised up in warning. We had nightly visits from a raccoon who did the rounds of all the campsites (can see the scat at every campsite and around.)

Sunsets and sunrises are spectacular everyday we were here. Temperatures mid to late September was 95F - 75F and late September dropped down to 80F - 55F. We were grateful to have brought both warm weather and chillier weather clothing as well as extra blankets.

Sometimes we were the only campers, and other times it was full. We were very pleased and lucky to have had very friendly interactions and met lovely people.

We went down the mountain every few days to throw our garbage, replenish our water canisters and go food shopping and the road was very manageable in our station wagon.

P.S. one car wash wasn’t enough to remove all the dust. Lol.