Morro Bay State Park

Trailer Camping= Perfection!
Honestly, this was my families first trip using our new 24ft. trailer and it was a breeze! The sites are not HUGE but are definitely big enough to still feel some privacy. I would not say there is any seclusion though. Regardless, the location of this campground and the beauty around it makes it a perfect place to camp! (And with 2 kids under 4!)
I am not a huge beach camper because I have grown up in the mountains, but this place really did it for me. When you pull into the campground, you have a decently sized area that is fairly flat but like all the other reviews say, beautiful sycamore trees throughout the campground. The marshes/​marina water is only a short 5 min walk away, just directly across the street. There is an awesome trail that my wife and I were able to push our double stroller through. Go at sunset and be ready to be amazed! It was awesome!
Restrooms were okay as any campground restrooms are. Luckily, we had our trailer. But I did use the restrooms there towards the end of our trip and they really weren’t bad.
During the summer months, there is an old-​school trolley that picks up and drops off at the Embarcadero. I believe it runs Fri-​Sun but finished off pretty early, so check the schedule as soon as you check-​in to the campground. This is a bonus if you plan to have early days.
One thing we did NOT do, is checkout the café across the street. We heard while we were there how great it was, but unfortunately just didn’t make it over. They weren’t open until 11am and by that time, we were already on our way to the beach.
Closest Beach– was Morro Bay. Lots of sand for kids.
Food– Embarcadero. Seriously the best fish tacos. Just walk through the docks. This was also a huge bonus, my kids loved seeing the seals that hung out throughout the docks.
Overall, we loved this place. We loved it so much we are already planning our next trip this March 2016. I want to say we’ve decided to make it here at least once a year. Honestly, don’t over think it and go for it.
TIP– If you’ve got young kids, remember to bring their bikes! And yours too! Perfect campground for easy biking through all the loops.

Stayed in a motorhome for 3 nights back in December 2015. Wonderful park! Easy check in, quiet, clean, and a great location! Walking distance to the bay and the main part of town (shops, etc.). I’ll be back!

Great campsite! We stayed here back in late July; last minute trip to the coast. We brought our 2 Lab’s and the tent. There was a sign before driving in saying Campsite Full. We thought we’d give it a shot to see if they had any vacancy. Which they did! Our site seemed sorta small; use to camping in the Sierra Mountains with bigger sites. We brought our Easy-​Up and thank goodness we did. We camped in the middle of the park and there are no trees and the high for the weekend was low 80’s. Pretty warm when the ground is dry and the sun is baking you. Beware, you are close to neighbors.
The bathrooms were a little dirty in the evenings. Seemed like once everyone returned to camp after a long day exploring, they’d mess them up. The showers seem to be pretty busy in the evenings as well.
The restaurant across the street from the park is GREAT. A bit pricey but dog friendly. We walked over with our dogs and had a great meal. The drive into the city is close. We didn’t cook all weekend (as it was a last minute trip), running into town for meals was convenient. The beach access across the street was nice as well but remember the high and low tides.
We’re planning another trip again soon. This time with friends who like to Kayak!

I’ve stayed at MBSP a couple times now and I’m definitely a fan. The park is South of town and remote enough to avoid the feeling that you’re camping in a neighborhood somewhere. But it’s close enough to town so a quick trip for food and supplies is easy. With a little imagination, you can picture the Native Americans who used to inhabit this beautiful spot along the Central Coast.
MBSP is situated next to a golf course, which kinda sucks — unless you enjoy golf, but getting in the nature groove with golf carts, locals in pastel polo shirts and little white balls flying around is awkward. However it’s also on the edge of a fantastic marine estuary, where you can see a large variety of birds. The park is surrounded by enormous eucalyptus trees, many of which provide shade and a windbreak for the park. Although they’re not native, they add a lot of character to this beautiful camp. Look up at the crowns of the trees and you’ll find everything from hummingbirds to turkey vultures, many sunning themselves in the morning. I only wish there were some large shade trees throughout the center of the park. Some trees in the middle would help with the privacy.
Speaking of the center of the park, don’t expect any ground cover. There is none. Many camps offer some grass, pea gravel, leaf litter or wood chips but here at MBSP, it’s just dirt. And not just any dirt, but the kind that’s been trodden so heavily month after month that it’s now a fine powdery dust which clings to your gear, clothes, shoes, skin, food and everything else. Another reason to get an early reservation for one of the more enclosed areas around the perimeter of the camp.
The park is divided into several loops, which are easy to access and reasonably easy to navigate. If you have friends staying in adjacent loops in the camp, walking between them often means having to cross through someone’s campsite as the designers neglected to put paths across them.
Another asset to MBSP is Morro Bay itself, which is right across the street. You can walk along the pier, rent kayaks, dine at the marina or walk along an unimproved path by the water’s edge. All this for the meager price of $ 35 without hookups or $ 50 with hookups. There’s even a nice natural history museum within walking distance. Some may consider the prices high, but considering what you get, it’s reasonable…
Once in the park, the sites vary quite a bit. The sites close to the golf course are enclosed by a cathedral of eucalyptus trees providing an incredible shade canopy and a woodsy eucalyptus smell. Many of these sites are reserved for bike/​hike campers, but there are sites in there for smaller vehicles. The sites closest to the road also have a fair amount of shade and are ideal for tent campers. The rest of the sites near the center of the park have lots of open space and large back-​in spots for trailers, 5^th wheels and larger motor coaches, however these also have less privacy. A little something for everyone.
Many of the sites have both a stone grille in addition to a fire pit. And all have a picnic table and storage locker for food items, to keep critters out of your belongings. These can even be locked, for those worrying about nosy neighbors.
There are numerous full-​service, lighted bathrooms and showers throughout the park, along with fresh water and trash dumpsters. The showers here are excellent, taking 25 cents for 3.5 minutes. The showers are open 24 hours too, which is nice. Unfortunately the bathrooms aren’t always kept clean, but are functional. And of course I loved the staff, who were all extremely friendly and helpful. They will drive around the park and sell you a bundle of firewood for $ 7, or you can buy some in town at the Ace Hardware.
Being coastal, the weather here is pretty mild, however fog and even drizzle and rain can occur at any time, so make sure you’re prepared for that.
A few negatives here is a surprising amount of traffic noise from nearby South Bay Blvd., a highway which connects Highway 1 and Los Osos. Several of us heard it all night and wondered where it was coming from. Another recent negative is the water quality. The potable water looks clear and is fine for showering, but tastes pretty foul, almost like it contains algae, moss or mold. The locals have told us this happened recently with the drought. For drinking, cooking and making coffee, I would recommend bringing bottled water or water from another source. If you must drink this water, use a good filter. If you are here for the weekend and need to go into town, the City has a farmer’s market which unfortunately spills onto Main St., causing you to take a ridiculous detour to access local businesses. You can always take the trolley to avoid any driving frustrations. Finally, with this park being so incredibly popular, you really have to make reservations months in advance for the weekends. It will completely fill up.

Ok the toilets need to be clean. I got lucky that we ended up in the area where there was only 1 other camping group and they were polite and nice enough to keep the toilets decent.
It was still dirty but manageable.
Showers are a problem. There are 3 in my area. 2 of them are broken (one only shoots really low and the other seems to spray only very hot water, no controls)
Good location but really clean up guys.

I love the area and will definitely be back. The campgrounds were nice, but I had issues with the cleanliness and seemingly permanent stench of the restrooms. they were clean — as clean as can be expected of a campground full of dirt — and they had no major bug action but they were smelly.
That said, the location is great. There’s a marina and boat launch just across the road from the entrance to the campgrounds. We spent time at the marina watching the crabs moving among the rocks. Also within walking distance are a Natural History Museum for kids (free entrance) and a small beach. The beach wasn’t my girls favorite so we drove to Morro Rock and enjoyed both the ocean-​side and bay-​side bea

I’ve been coming to this campground for many years now. The only reason why I couldn’t give it 5 stars is because of the dirty bathroom situation. Other than that, let me tell you all the good things about this place. I don’t know about you, but I book my camping spot way in advance. You can make a reservation through Reserve America online for about $ 45/​night in a tent & $ 7 service fee. I try to pick a spot away from the RV’s and it’s pretty shady with trees. It’s such a safe place and it’s family oriented. I once went camping here with my daughter and was having a hard time putting up a tent. A nice gentleman who was a camp host came over and helped us out. They have a wooden picnic bench, fire rings and a wooden locker to keep your belongings away from the raccoons that sneak around at night. Speaking of night… it gets quiet at night as campers are responsible and respectful of others after 10pm. There’s also a trolley you can ride into the town of Morro Bay from the entrance camp post. Golf course is next door as well as kayaking in the bay. You can take a short walk to the nature museum too. This place makes me a Happy Camper!!!

Beautiful on a summer day. Jump in the waves or surf next to the rock. Love coming here with the family and having a picnic. A lot of families hang out on the beach. I took off one star due to the bathrooms.
They need to remove paper towels from the bathrooms and put in hand blowers because people throw their paper towels in the toilet and urinals and create a mess.
Other than that the beach is great with room to spread out. On the weekends there is usually lifeguards in the summer.

Location is superb. Summer trolley that goes to downtown every 30 minutes ($ 1) but didn’t use it. Kayak rentals (and a lunch/​dinner café) across the street from park entrance — pay attention to the tides as it’s easy to get stuck in the shallow areas of bay.
The only bummer was how dense the campsites are packed together, if you or your neighbor has more than 4 people you’ll be introducing yourselves. The shower wasn’t hot but my wife had better luck, 3 minutes per quarter. Camp hosts sell wood, $ 7 for a dry package. They drive through the campground selling wood in the evening and again in the morning, convenient but kind of hokey. Gophers may ask you for a little snack as they did us

We explored a number of excellent trails here — the Elfin Forest, the boardwalk trail at the estuary, and the Live Oak Trail off of Quarry, from which we were able to get a birds-​eye view of the estuary. All were well-​marked, especially the Elfin Forest, which had an amazing written trail guide which had detailed descriptions of many plants and features of interest. The Elfin Forest and boardwalk trail were both flat and easily navigated (also short: less than a mile each), but the Live Oak Trail was a bit more strenuous, had little shade, and was not as easily navigated.
We did not go into the museum, but we did climb to the rock at the top of the hill nearby and were able to observe pelicans dive-​bombing the bay for their lunch near the rookery.
The park itself is fairly easy to navigate, with well-​marked and well-​paved roads. Parking was free. The campground looked very crowded (we didn’t stay), but the golf course looked lovely (we didn’t golf).
Highly recommended, especially for families with children and elderly folks, who may need a little lighter of a hike (Elfin and boardwalk trails), and who want to see the estuary and its environs up close.

The place to see Morro Rock up close!
We wanted to stay at a campground on the beach that welcomed dogs. We ended up choosing a private rv park north of here. However, the Rock and its environs were still close enough to walk to. Climbing is not allowed but there is a paved parking lot with easy access to walk around to the south and north parts. The ocean wraps around the western section and free parking lot on the east. Looks like you can launch a paddle boat from a sheltered beach area on the southeast section by the Rock. A strip of a park, Coleman, stretches from the parking area to the Rock. There were fishermen packing up gear in the parking lot.
We did not explore the state park but took many walks on the wide, sandy beach just outside the park to the north, where we were able to walk our dogs. The sand dunes presented a bit of a challenge but became a natural partition, blocking the view of the rv park fence. See other reviewers mention of activities available in the state park. There is much to see and do and it’s up to you to choose. Stop by, if even just a few hours. Have lunch on the waterfront, then a walk by the Rock, or on the beach.
One piece of history I wished I had known about while there was a historical marker commemorating the landing of the first Filipinos in the continental United States in 1587. Fascinating little known history. (Reminds me of G. Mensies book, 1421: The Year China Discovered America
that I still need to read but I’m digressing…)
Thank you for reading.

Location is great. You can step back into time and see how fishing towns used to be — only these days only a handful of fishers were given commercial licenses. The campground was good considering it was built in the 30’s — plumbing should be updated. Unfortunately I picked a place close to the restroom and the light was on all night. We brought our kayaks and enjoyed the only warm day out on the bay. Lovely. I felt like I was ten again! Be prepared for coastal weather.
Pros:
— Clean Restrooms and Showers; functional
— Picnic Table on site
— Nice trails for all levels; particularly enjoyed the boardwalk
— Close to launchpad for kayaks
— Clean water (We didn’t experience problems as others reported)
— Place to rinse dishes
— Love Morro Bay! It’s serenity is awesome.
— Treated ourselves to a very nice dinner at Windows on the Water and enjoyed the sunset.
— Right next to golf course.
— n the city but without the city feel
Cons:
— Camp Hosts: REALLY? 6:45 a.m. running around in their NOISY vehicles — I thought it was a Harley — have some respect for campers in tents — we hear everything! I always wake up at 5am and was hoping to sleep till 7:30!
— Dusty due to lack of rain. We should have gotten camp sites in the 100s and parked under eucalyptus trees.
— Remember low tide when taking out kayaks! We were in mud in the afternoon.
— Plumbing needs to be updated. Rangers working hard to make system work, but California syphons funds to other areas.
— Nearby road is noisy.
We will return.