South Carlsbad & San Elijo State Beaches
North San Diego County · near Carlsbad / Encinitas · San Diego
Camping
At a glance
- Difficulty
- beginner
- Elevation
- 40
- Campsites
- ~220 / ~170 sites
- Season
- Year-round
- Fee
- ~$45–75/night
Permits and booking
- Reservation required
- Yes
- How to reserve
- Reserve on ReserveCalifornia (6 months ahead). Two clifftop state-beach campgrounds on the North County coast (Carlsbad/Encinitas) — bluff-top sites with stairs to the beach. Showers, RV sites (some hookups at San Elijo). Extremely popular.
What is here
- Setting
- beach
- Amenities
- Clifftop ocean-view sites · Stairs to the beach · Showers · Some hookups (San Elijo)
- Best for
- North County SD bluff-top beach camping
- Features
- Camp on the ocean bluff · Stairs down to surf beaches · Warm SoCal water · Encinitas/Carlsbad charm nearby
Worth knowing
- Dogs
- Allowed
- Good for a first timer
- Yes
Camping detail
- Camp type
- developed · rv
- Intl tip
- Reserve on ReserveCalifornia 6 months ahead — extremely competitive. Bluff-top sites with beach stairs; San Elijo has some hookups and is walkable to Encinitas/Cardiff. Warm water, friendly surf. Combine with the North County beach towns and La Jolla. Showers. Books out instantly in summer.
The guide
South Carlsbad and San Elijo state beaches string clifftop campsites along the bluffs of San Diego's North County coast, delive…
In the Guidebook
Everything above is yours for free. The written guide to South Carlsbad & San Elijo State Beaches — what it is actually like, and what we would tell a friend before they went — comes with the Guidebook.
Getting there
- Coordinates
- 33.023, -117.29