San Lorenzo County Park

I live in King City but love an excuse to take our travel trailer to San Lorenzo Park’s RV camping area. The trees in this park are lovely. It’s next to the river (but, sorry, no water right now) and there are nice walking trails. Plenty to see at the Agriculture Museum and lots of old farm equipment. It’s a good place for trailer clubs or camping groups. If you are traveling down Highway 101 and need a break, swing in and enjoy an overnight stay. There are two hotels near the entrance.

Such a pretty place for events and play dates! The grass is always so pretty, there is shade in the summer, trails to the river, 2 playgrounds, ample parking, museums to explore, and plenty of restrooms (not always found at other local parks and an asset for the kids for sure). I’m only giving it a 4 star rating instead of 5 because you have to pay to go in (it’s not much) and the gazebo is looking very tired these days.

The campground err RV park is located in a well wooded county park right off U.S. 101 at the eastern end of the Pinnacle mountains. There is plenty to see and do without leaving the vast park next to the campground including a few period museums (call-​ahead they open by appointment) and outside displays of a bunch of historical irrigation equipment, tractors and machinery used in early farming in the region.
I can imagine coming during peak times might be a different experience with the RV spots nearly next to each other in a concentric circle. Except for a mysterious exploding gunfire sound all night (yes all night) it was quiet, the restrooms clean albeit a bit cold. $ 33.00 is a bit high for no services outside electric and water (no wi-​fi) but for the region it is similarly priced.
Walking to services, grocery or restaurants might be okay if you ‘really’ like to walk but driving might be better suited if you plan on buying anything you would have to carry back.

This place is a wonderful respite for the road weary as well as a great place to recharge, refill and do laundry… yes they have laundry facilities, Awesome!
Oh and did I mention there’s a fabulous museum on site… agriculture, but hey it’s the Salinas valley… its perfect.
Grocery, propane and other services were a short drive away and the Pinnacles National Monument is a great day trip.

A big rip of. We stopped to change baby diapers and get them out of the car for 5 min and got charged $ 8 Never again

This is a wonderful campground. If you are traveling on 101 and want a clean quiet (no freeway noise) place to stay this is it. It has everything from tent sites to full hookups and a dump station. The state parks would do well to visit this campground to see how campgrounds should be built. There is also a farming museum at the entrance to the park. It was very interesting.

Clean, grass well kept, quiet. Great outing for families that have little to no experience camping. They have a communal bathroom that’s spacey and free showers. They have power and water running thru each campsite. They have bbq pits but be prepared to clean them! If not bring lots of foil! They even have a laundromat! Entrance fees can be paid with cash or credit but you must fill out an envelope and toss the fees down a receptacle. Be prepared to have a pen handy for that moment. Other than camping it has an awesome old town museum a few ancient (circa earlier 1900’s) tractors and an old town train station for your picture taking pleasure. It’s truly a gem away from the big cities. Great for even small children! And say, if yuo’re lazy or grow tired of outdoors food, have no fear, there is a Denny’s, Safeway, and even an Auto Zone within a mile from the campgrounds. It’s not the most ideal for real adventurers. No trails, no waterfalls. Scene is still beautiful. Summer temperatures reach above 90s so be prepared to bring hydration. Reservations are optional.

This was another cool find as part of another road trip stop. Quite a surprise to find this park, actually, because King City, itself doesn’t look like a place one would want to stop very long.
We ordered some fast food and stopped at this playground/​park to give my son some time to explore and play once again. First note… we got there after 6 pm, so there was no one taking money. It’s supposedly $ 6 for day use. Since we knew we would only be there for about an hour — we went forward and parked by the playground and bathrooms.
We were surprised to see a lot of trees, greenery and a Rural Life Museum there. It had displays of its interpretation of what rural life was like at the beginning of the century. It looks like you can also camp here.
There were a lot of old tractors and farm equipment to look at. There was also a schoolhouse, a house built in Spreckels, a large barn. It was fairly empty, but there were some kids playing and some walkers with their dogs on a trail.
The playground is in a large sunken area filled with wood chips. It’s a tall playground structure meant for 5 – 12 year olds, but my son was still able to climb through some tunnels and go down the slides. There are lots of picnic tables under a canopy of trees and there are some benches around the playground. That worked out great.
You would never know that you’re in King City right off of the 101 in what appears to be the middle of nowhere, when you’re in this park.
We would probably stop here again to let our son play — once we’ve been in the car for a few hours.
Bathrooms were very clean.

I come here once a year while participating in the AIDS Life Cycle. We, and by we I mean 3000+ people, come and camp here for one night. This park is HUGE! If you’re looking to accommodate a large group then this is it. There is a play ground, lots of grass, even a concrete covered area that we use for dining.
Even though it’s close to the freeway you would never know. It’s quiet and peaceful. Another nice detail is the antique tractor things they have there. Just something cool to look at.
My two favs of this park: the large willow trees you can relax under and the night sky. For some reason the stars seem to go on forever!

This is a nice quiet place considering it’s close proximity to town and the freeway. We come here every two years for a family reunion and the staff is very accomodating of our large group. Ammenities include full hook up camping, nice bathrooms with showers and even a laundry facility. There is a nice meeting room with a kitchen and room for our group activities including several decent horseshoe pits and a putting green. There is a koi pond and the extensive vintage tractor display. Multiple play grounds and BBQs and a historical area with a train depot (complete with a caboose on a set of tracks) schoolhouse building, museum, blacksmith shop etc. Lot’s of great Steinbeck era history displayed very well. The adjacent area is a wooded river bottom and the Salinas River flows through it. Nice place to take a walk or a bike ride. We actually floated a rubber raft down the Salinas from the 101 bridge down to the campground but that’s because I can’t leave a good body of water alone. If you are just passing through or are relatively local and looking for a nice shady quiet place to camp this place is great.

This is probably the most scenic place in South Monterey County. Its good for camping, bbqs, running, and just plain relaxing.

Perfect place for getting away with beautiful scenery. It’s easy to get to the park, spacious and it even has public bathrooms. There’s picnic areas, huge fields, historic features as Willis W. stated, playgrounds, BBQ grills & even a lake.
I was recently here for the International Scout Jamboree which consisted of over 2,500 people– with room to spare I might add!
It’s really a lovely place!

If you happen to be planning a trip up or down 101, and it passes through King City, consider stopping here for a night to camp. This regional park is easy to find (right off the freeway) and has a lot to offer. The campsite for RV’s is big, and well designed, with public bathrooms. There are lots of historic features stored here, like a huge collection of tractors, old buildings, like a train station. There are picnic areas, playgrounds, and volleyball court and softball field. The place looks well maintained, and under-​used (quiet). Check it out!