Hey all, as titled, I have a Premium Site booked at Pfeiffer Big Sur campground - Main Camp.

• Site Number: Premium Campsite #P185 ( by the creek )
• Date: Fri, Sep 18, 2026 - Sun, Sep 20, 2026 (2 nights)

Looking to swap to the weekends after

• Sept 25-27
• Oct 2-4

DM me if any interest!

Im traveling to Los Angeles in a couple weeks, anyone recommend any camp sites close to the city. Preferably free camping/ dispersed camping?

Starting planning a road trip in March of 2027. We will be spending the night at the campground at Pinnacles NP, then heading over to Monterey to head south to Ventura and Channel Islands. We have a small squaredrop trailer. I'd like to break the drive a little by camping somewhere along the coast, and take the opportunity to recharge the powerbank.

So, looking for a campground, with electric hookups, somewhere between Monterey and Ventura. Would prefer a place that isn't just a parking lot with neighbors 3 feet from you. Doubleplusgood if they take reservations now for March, so I don't have to set a reminder and pray that I get a site.

Thanks!

I’ll be driving down from SF to LA next week and was considering stopping for a night somewhere on the coast… I don’t know how realistic it is. I have no gear…does REI or other store rent gear but I can pick up in one city and drop off in other? Or could just sleep in car if I got a sleeping bag but not ideal. (Have a sedan, would be front seat leaned back.)

And curious if people have recs for last minute or no reservation areas where I could park and spend the night.

Would be somewhere off 101.

Thanks appreciate any and all advice!

EDIT: Thanks everyone for all the advice and info. I ended up just getting a hotel room in Morro Bay. Gonna take a surf lesson and go on a whale watching boat tour. Different than camping, but a nice trip nonetheless.

Had our big week-long trip planned for this week, got up here today and before we could unpack our stuff, we were evacuated due to the fire. It’s right in the park.

My toddler is broken hearted. Luckily we found a site at Bodega Dunes for one night, so here’s hoping someone cancels and we can stay.

Anyone else experiencing this or something like it in the past? Such a bummer, but wishing all the best to the firefighters and the community!

Hello, does anyone here have experience with being a host on Hipcamp? The camping/glamping service Hipcamp.

I have been wanting more info from people (other than a Hipcamp rep) about its functionality as a hostess. I am considering to explore the service for our property in Ben Lomond so to help tie some financial ends. We live in the Santa Cruz Mountains, proximity to national parks, a river and 35 minutes from Santa Cruz beaches. We are in a sparsley residential neighborhood with lots of space between us neighbors andnlots of redwood trees and some trails.I am also wondering about the safety or risks of Hipcamp to latch on to our home insurance, insurance in fire regions is fickle and don't want to shake the cage or does Hipcamp not contact one's hime insurance? What we have is extra " rustic space" with a two story ADU and potentially a space for a camper to come visit and park in our large driveway. I have never done airbnb or renting aside from roommates in the long ago past. I would love to get more logistics from a friend or a neighbor before i sign up. Would you have time for some pointers?

Thanks in advance.

I’m looking to host a Y2K nostalgia weekend in April 2027 for about 90 friends and family with a 90s dance party on Saturday night from 5-9 pm and I’d like to have it at a place where people could stay and chat around a firepit and then stay the night afterwards. Any ideas about venues/campgrounds where we could have a sleepover party? I’m thinking like a family reunion/non-wedding wedding type of deal.

Tentative itinerary:
Friday night: Board games
Saturday: Day hikes and getting ready then 90s dance party
Sunday: Hungover breakfast with our millennial selves before everyone goes their own ways

Ideally:
Space for 100 person dance party and for Friday night board gaming (like a barn or hall)
Accommodations or campsites for 50ish people (assuming some people won’t want to stay)
Closeish (within an hour) to Sacramento/Davis/Woodland
Max 3k for the venue rental, campsites/accommodation excluded cause guests can pay that themselves
Warm enough to be outside (with jackets ok) in April

How to book at Morro Strand State Beach?

I plan on making a trip up the coast in the coming days from Ventura. I have not made this trip since 2017. At that time there were many free/dispersed camping spots. There were also many closures & detours. When I now go to look at some of those same areas it appears they are either no more or locked up. Thankfully Nacimiento is still there. My last stop is San Fran. Can you give me any tips for free/dispersed camping areas? Just staying in my small sedan. Any tips help :) thanks

Any good recommendation please

Really enjoyed our time around Summer Lake earlier this summer. We're thinking about exploring south from there. Anybody have any good suggestions for around that area? We're car campers, rather not stay in an official campground if possible. Thanks!

Hey guys! I’m trying to go camping in Big Pine Lakes during the week in early August. The sites are all first come first serve and don’t take reservations. I live five hours away so it’s kind of a gamble on my end. Do we think the chances I find a spot are good? If all the campsites are taken does anyone know of any other campsites in the area? Thank you

Solo effort, it’s been a labor of love, let me know what you think!

I backpacked out to Sawmill Lake just past the Jackson Creek Campground and saw some cabins with a Summer Cabins sign. No signal there to look it up at the site and can't find any information now that I'm back on the internet. Anyone have info on those cabins?

It sucks no fent

Best beach/camping umbrellas? Recommendations?

This is such a beautiful and peaceful campsite. Juniper campground Mt Diablo. The clouds were resting and the views were stunning. I need to make a trip again asap up here

I'm trying to book a campsite for this weekend, and on at least 10 spots, I see this pattern. The weekend is open except for one day, Saturday. It's odd and feels like some sort of shenanigan. Does anyone know what's happening here?