The 5 Most Beautiful Places to Camp in California

Skip to main contentSpanning redwood forests and star-strewn deserts, these campgrounds make the case for trading your bed for a sleeping bagWant to see the sights from your campsite? Read on for the best places to camp in California.Photo: Robert Holmes/Getty ImagesWhat’s truly magical about the most beautiful places to camp in California isn’t necessarily their proximity to cascading sheets of water, breathtaking rock formations, and the world’s tallest trees; it’s their likelihood to turn a reluctant camper into a bona fide outdoorsperson. Give even the most hardcore homebody a glimpse of what’s in store when you spend a night under the stars in the Golden State, and they’ll be driving tent stakes into the ground faster than you can ask, “Did you pack the s’mores supplies?” California, after all, is home to nine national parks—more than any other state (in addition to those mentioned below, Sequoia National Park, Lassen Volcanic National Park, and Pinnacles National Park are all worth checking out). It’s also home to 280 state parks. All that protected land provides some truly awe-inspiring accommodations.From north to south, here are the five most beautiful places to camp in California.Photo: Rebecca L. Latson/Getty ImagesElk Prairie Campground, Prairie Creek Redwoods State ParkJourney back millennia—or at least feel like you have—by unfurling your sleeping bag at Elk Prairie Campground in Northern California’s Prairie Creek Redwoods State Park. Old-growth redwood forests surround the campground, and a prehistoric-looking gorge with 50-foot walls covered in ferns is just 10 miles away. (In fact, the gorge served as a filming location for The Lost World: Jurassic Park.) Elk Prairie has 75 sites, including spots for tents, RVs, and trailers, as well as four cabins. Plus, if you camp here, you have the unique experience of staying in both a state and national park; Prairie Creek Redwoods State Park is part of Redwood National Park, along with Jedediah Smith Redwoods State Park and Del Norte Coast Redwoods State Park.Photo: Amit Basu Photography/Getty ImagesPfeiffer Big Sur State Park Campground, Pfeiffer Big Sur State ParkThe rugged coastline of Big Sur, one of our picks for the 11 Most Beautiful Places in America, is truly stunning, but it only scratches the surface of the area’s allure. Just inland, where the Big Sur River carves its path through redwood forests, sits Pfeiffer Big Sur State Park and its campground, with premium sites that sit directly along the river. Spend your morning hiking to Pfeiffer Falls, a 60-foot waterfall, or to Buzzard’s Roost, where you’ll get views of the Pacific Ocean and the Santa Lucia Mountains. Then cool off by meandering along the River Gorge Trail to one of the area’s most picturesque swimming holes.Photo: Eric Thayer / Los Angeles Times via Getty ImagesNorth Pines Campground, Yosemite National ParkWith views of Half Dome and Yosemite Falls (two of the most popular sights in California’s most popular national park) right from the campground, it’s clear that North Pines belongs on this list. The campground is located on the eastern end of Yosemite Valley, right where Tenaya Creek flows into the Merced River, providing spectacular waterfront tent sites. Fall asleep to the soothing sounds of the creek, then wake up to a canopy of ponderosa pines and the dramatic granite cliffs of the Sierra Nevada Mountains overhead.Photo: Ricardo DeAratanha/Los Angeles Times via Getty ImagesMoro Campground, Crystal Cove State ParkFor beach bums, it doesn’t get any better than Moro Campground in Laguna Beach’s Crystal Cove State Park. Here, 57 bluff-top campsites offer Pacific Ocean views and easy access to water sports like surfing as well as coastal pursuits such as tidepool exploration and cycling. The area is also a dream for serious hikers, as the inland portion of the state park is home to 2,400 undeveloped acres of land and more than 15 miles of trails. Even architecture fans get a treat by staying here—the park’s Crystal Cove Historic District is a coastal stretch with 46 ridiculously charming vintage cottages that were built as a colony in the 1930s and ’40s. Stroll the beach, take in the quaint cottage vibes, and grab salmon eggs Benedict at the district’s Beachcomber Café.Photo: Education Images/Universal Images Group via Getty ImagesJumbo Rocks, Joshua Tree National ParkAs the name suggests, this campground is blessed with magnificently massive boulders that’ll make it feel like you’ve blasted off to another planet rather than settled into the desert of Joshua Tree National Park. Naturally, scrambling among the stones at Jumbo Rocks Campground is a top activity, as is stargazing and hitting the park’s hiking trails. The popular Skull Rock Trail, a 1.8-mile loop, begins right inside the campground. And because Jumbo Rocks is Joshua Tree’s largest campground—with 124 sites for tents and RVs—it’s easier to snag a spot here than at some of the park’s smaller camping outposts.Amelia Mularz is a freelance journalist specializing in interior design, garden, and travel stories. She has previously contributed to Real Simple, HGTV Magazine, New York magazine's The Strategist, and Travel + Leisure, among other titles. She has also held long-term roles at Vogue and The Knot. In 2018, she received ... 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