Montaña de Oro State Park
Los Osos · near Los Osos / Morro Bay · Central Coast
Camping
At a glance
- Difficulty
- beginner
- Elevation
- 100
- Campsites
- ~50 sites
- Season
- Year-round
- Fee
- ~$25/night
Permits and booking
- Reservation required
- Yes
- How to reserve
- Reserve on ReserveCalifornia (6 months ahead). Islay Creek Campground sits in a wooded canyon near the bluffs; environmental walk-in sites too. Vault toilets, no showers/hookups. Uncrowded Central Coast gem.
What is here
- Setting
- beach
- Amenities
- Wooded canyon sites · Near dramatic sea bluffs · Vault toilets · Miles of coastal trails
- Best for
- Uncrowded, wild Central Coast camping
- Features
- Wild, uncrowded coastal park · Dramatic Bluff Trail steps away · Spring 'mountain of gold' wildflowers · Quiet wooded canyon sites
Worth knowing
- Dogs
- Allowed
- Good for a first timer
- Yes
Camping detail
- Camp type
- developed · walk-in
- Intl tip
- Reserve on ReserveCalifornia 6 months ahead (easier than Big Sur). Simple camping — no showers, bring water. The Bluff Trail and Valencia Peak are right there (trail running guide). Spring wildflowers (Feb–May) are the highlight. Combine with Morro Bay and the Central Coast. Wonderfully uncrowded.
The guide
Montaña de Oro — 'mountain of gold' — offers some of the most beautiful and least-crowded coastal camping on the Central Coast.…
In the Guidebook
Everything above is yours for free. The written guide to Montaña de Oro State Park — what it is actually like, and what we would tell a friend before they went — comes with the Guidebook.
Getting there
- Coordinates
- 35.276, -120.887