Driving Up CA-101/CA-1

Ventura | Rincon Parkway Campground

We were in site #15 and loved it! Sites #5-18 have lots of extra space before the wall. From now on, these will be our preferred sites as there is enough room for our Jeep. For all other sites, we know it is going to be a very tight fit. Sites are 15’ x 46’, so we are going to have to very carefully squeeze our 37’ Class A Motorhome and Jeep into the other sites. In November, we will be staying in site #106 so we can report back how that goes.

We did check out the other sites, and the sites in the 60s have a little extra room due to the sand before the very short rock wall. This makes these sites a lot easier to access the beach. For most sites, the rock wall is a little bit of a climb, so it wouldn’t be great for all people. The sites in the 90s also had more sand in front of the rocks, so a larger space for chairs.

No matter what site you get, listening to the waves crash at night was something else. Yes, these are just dry camping sites, yes, you are parked right next to CA-1, Amtrak tracks, and US-101. Check out the last picture in the Rincon section below to see.

Route Tip: Take exit 78 north of Rincon Parkway so you can head south down CA-1, making it easier to park. We left, we headed to Ventura to turn around and head north on US-101.

Pismo | North Beach Campground & Holiday RV Park

At North Beach Campground, we were in site #47. We wanted to sleep with our little bedroom windows open to get a nice breeze, but unfortunately, we were right next to the restrooms, and they have bright lights all night, so I wouldn’t recommend camping near the restrooms if you are bothered by light while sleeping. Did you know Pismo State Beach has the largest over-wintering colony of monarch butterflies in the U.S.? We were a little too early this trip, as their migration season is November to February, but we still checked out the Monarch Butterfly Grove. We recommend you take the Creek Trail, which is on the boardwalk. Piso State Beach is also the only beach in California where you can drive a standard highway vehicle on the beach.

Route Tip: Check-in is 2 pm, and they do not allow early check-in. There is some dirt parking on the side of the road before the park, and we arrived 15 minutes early, so we were able to wait there.

Holiday RV Park is definitely location, location, location! It met our needs of full hookups (30 amp), but other than that, we were all packed in so tightly it looked like an RV storage lot. We weren’t planning on being in the RV much, so it didn’t matter to us. Would we stay here again? Yes, if nothing else is available, but dang is it pricey for such a small site. The one nice thing about Holiday RV Park is that I called a few minutes before we had to check out of North Beach Campground at noon, and they had a space ready for us, so they let us check in early.

Morro Bay | Morro Bay State Park & Morro Strand RV Park

Route Tip: Don’t follow Google or Apple maps up the hill; continue straight towards Bayside Cafe, and the park entrance is across from this restaurant. We had to check out at noon, and Morro Strand RV Park has a strict 1 pm check-in, so we hung out at the pull-out not far from the Morro Bay State Park entrance, kind of diagonal from the Museum of Natural History.

Things to do, hikes near Morro Bay State Park. That is coming in our next article.

Morro Strand RV Park, site #7. Things To Do: Walk to Morro Rock and the Embarcadero.

Cayucos | Bella Vista By The Sea

Ocean view site #43. We walked 0.3 miles to Cayucos Candy Counter for ice cream. I got the affogato and OMG! The affogato is whatever flavor gelato you want with a shot of espresso, topped with whipped cream. I went with the gelato that was a mix of chocolate, vanilla, and pecan.

Cambria | Hearst San Simeon State Park

We stayed in the San Simeon Creek Campground site #79. It was definitely a tight fit, and we had to park the Jeep with the front under the motorhome’s front passenger slide, but it worked! We walked up to the Washburn Primitive Campground to check out the fire and the sites. There were definitely some longer sites and fewer trees that would fit our motorhome, so we would stay at this campground next time, especially in the fall\winter when we don’t need shade. This campground is one mile inland, and from the website description, I was worried about getting to the campground, but there is no issue. Part of the road is dirt, but well taken care of. Some of the sites in the upper loop of San Simeon Creek Campground, sites #1-35, were very unlevel, so we would skip this section.

Rincon Parkway Campground Pictures

Pismo Beach Pictures

Cayucos Pictures

Cambria & San Simeon Pictures