Kirk Creek Campground (Big Sur)
Big Sur coast (USFS) · near Big Sur / Lucia · Central Coast
Camping
At a glance
- Difficulty
- beginner
- Elevation
- 100
- Campsites
- 33 sites
- Season
- Year-round
- Fee
- ~$45/night
Permits and booking
- Reservation required
- Yes
- How to reserve
- Reserve on Recreation.gov (up to 6 months ahead) — one of the most sought-after campgrounds in California; books out instantly. Every site sits on an ocean bluff. No hookups; RVs/tents OK. Vault toilets, no showers.
What is here
- Setting
- beach
- Amenities
- Ocean-bluff sites · Vault toilets · Fire rings & tables · Trail to the beach
- Best for
- Big Sur bucket-list oceanfront camping
- Features
- Every site on an ocean bluff · Sunset straight into the Pacific · Steps from Highway 1's best stretch · Legendary — books out in seconds
Worth knowing
- Dogs
- Allowed
- Good for a first timer
- Yes
Camping detail
- Camp type
- developed · rv
- Intl tip
- Reserve on Recreation.gov exactly 6 months ahead, at the release time, and be fast — it's the hardest-to-get campground in the state. All sites are oceanfront. No showers/hookups; bring water. Combine with the Big Sur coast (Kirk Creek is on the quieter southern stretch). Nearby Plaskett Creek is a slightly easier booking.
- Nickname
- The most coveted campground on the coast
The guide
Kirk Creek is the most coveted campground on the California coast — a grassy bluff perched directly above the Pacific on Big Su…
In the Guidebook
Everything above is yours for free. The written guide to Kirk Creek Campground (Big Sur) — what it is actually like, and what we would tell a friend before they went — comes with the Guidebook.
Getting there
- Coordinates
- 35.988, -121.493