Forum Discussion

Two_Hands's avatar
Two_Hands
Explorer
Jan 21, 2016

El Capitan State Beach, California

This afternoon we were driving by El Capitan State Beach which is just west of Santa Barbara and decided to drive through the campground to see if any sites were available. Only loops B and D were open, but there were plenty of empty sites. The campground looked to be in great condition in spite of the rains. There are no reservations at this time of year so it is first come first serve only. It will probably fill up starting tomorrow, but who knows.

6 Replies

  • Tiger4x4RV's avatar
    Tiger4x4RV
    Nomad
    Jan 22, 2016
    The Reserve America site for ECSB lists equiment length for each space:
    link

    That site says, for family camping (not group camps): "Campers may stay in the same park up to 30 nights in a calendar year. " This does not make it clear whether or not the 30 days can be continuous. Sometimes parks will say X day max stay, and Y amount total per year.

    Official CA State Park website has a max length list for all parks:
    http://www.parks.ca.gov/rvlength
  • Two_Hands's avatar
    Two_Hands
    Explorer
    Jan 22, 2016
    The young man at the gate was brand new. He told me that 34' was the max length for the only two loops that are open right now. We drove through those loops and looked at every site. We counted about 20 sites that our coach could get into and ours is 34'. The rest were too short. I think his information was accurate. I don't know about the max length of stay, but I bet their web site does.
  • leesan's avatar
    leesan
    Explorer
    Jan 22, 2016
    El Capitan State Beach does not offer beach front sites.You have to walk to the beach and if you are way on the top loop is quite a walk,better to take your car. No hookups at this campground and no Dump Station.You can go dump at Carpinteria State Beach.
  • eDUBz's avatar
    eDUBz
    Explorer
    Jan 22, 2016
    Does El cap offer beach row sites? We have never stayed there, as we prefer Refugio SB.
  • Gonzo42's avatar
    Gonzo42
    Explorer
    Jan 22, 2016
    Stayed there just before the oil spill last year. The farthest north area is no more than a parking lot which could accomadate the longest built, I believe. In the loops there are various size spaces, but some research could probably get you a long one.
  • MarkTwain's avatar
    MarkTwain
    Explorer
    Jan 21, 2016
    Two Hands wrote:
    This afternoon we were driving by El Capitan State Beach which is just west of Santa Barbara and decided to drive through the campground to see if any sites were available. Only loops B and D were open, but there were plenty of empty sites. The campground looked to be in great condition in spite of the rains. There are no reservations at this time of year so it is first come first serve only. It will probably fill up starting tomorrow, but who knows.


    What is the maximum length of an RV they can accommodate ? What is the maximum length of stay?

About Campground 101

Recommendations, reviews, and the inside scoop from fellow travelers.14,730 PostsLatest Activity: Jul 03, 2025