Travel

Best Campgrounds in Big Sur

March 31, 2024 /
Ventana Campground -Campsite 1

I have visited Big Sur many times and stayed at various campgrounds in the Big Sur area. There are many campgrounds in Big Sur ranging from State Park campgrounds to private ones, but these are some of my favorites that I have camped at recently. The price varies for each campground, but the state park campgrounds are around half the price per night of the private ones. Continue reading to find out my top 3 favorite campgrounds in Big Sur! 

Ventana Campground 

This was such a beautiful campground where you would sleep under the towering redwoods above you. Ventana is a luxury resort and a private campground which includes glamping along with tent camping. This is a tent only campground, so keep that in mind if you are planning to travel to Big Sur in a trailer. 

I stayed in campsite 1. Usually I would not pick the first campsite because it is right next to the entrance, but when choosing online and looking at reviews it seemed like a good pick. While you are in front and close to the entrance, it is a little bit of a walk up to this campsite which made it pretty secluded. There are a few campsites below you, but since you are up high it feels pretty private. 

Pros: 

  • Gated entry for extra safety while camping 
  • Surrounded by redwoods and ferns
  • Not super close to other campers (depending on what site you are staying in) 
  • Airstream serving drinks and food (depending what time of year you stay) 
  • Pretty clean bathrooms with showers 
  • Little walks/hikes in campground area

Cons:

  • Some campsites are pretty close together
  • Only two showers in the area, so there can be a wait 

Fernwood Campground 

I have stayed in Fernwood campground multiple times, and it is a gorgeous area with a river right in the middle of the campground. When it is warm enough, you can swim or float down the river! Some of these campsites are super nice because you can be right on the river, but a lot of them are very close together. Fernwood also offers glamping and a small motel if you would rather not camp on your trip up to Big Sur.

Pros:

  • Flowing river that you can swim/tube in if the water is flowing enough 
  • Volleyball court (I think this is a plus because I play volleyball, and it was something super fun to do while camping) 
  • Showers 
  • Short walk up to Fernwood cafe and store 
  • Campsites along the river 

Cons:

  • Most sites are very close to each other
  • Very small showers with little to no privacy (shower curtain, no door) 

Pfeiffer Big Sur Campground 

This campground is listed third because there is probably an equal number of pros and cons of staying at this campground. This campground was nice because I think we got a pretty good spot (campsite 9888) which was pretty secluded compared to the other sites. It also had some redwoods surrounding it which I think is a huge plus when staying in Big Sur. One of the main problems I had with this campsite was how noisy it was, even after quite hours. I feel like this is the case at most state campgrounds if they are at capacity, but it is pretty hard to sleep when people are playing music and talking super loud for the majority of the night. We did spot a lot of deer at this campsite which was exciting to see!

Pros:

  • Cost, around half the price of the two other campgrounds listed 
  • Free parking and entry into other state park areas
  • Fantastic hiking trails around the area
  • Spacious site (depending on which one you stay in) 

Cons: 

  • Close campsites 
  • Very noisy guests and larger groups (2 cars are permitted) 
  • Not as many redwoods as the other campgrounds
  • Showers not working at the time I stayed