Are you the owner for this park? Make it a featured listing and be seen in the top search results!
Los Padres/Campo Alto
Overview
Campo Alto Campground, situated within the majestic Los Padres National Forest, offers a high-altitude escape for travelers seeking a deep, rustic connection with the natural world. Perched at an elevation of 8,200 feet atop Cerro Noroeste, this destination provides a serene environment characterized by towering Jeffrey pines and crisp mountain air. Unlike developed commercial resorts, this location focuses on providing a peaceful sanctuary where the gentle sounds of the wind through the trees replace the noise of the city, making it a premier choice for mountain solitude.
Location & Surroundings
Located near the small community of Maricopa, CA, the journey to the campground involves a scenic, winding drive up Cerro Noroeste Road. This route offers sweeping views of the surrounding valleys and the San Emigdio Mountains. The park is nestled in a high-country forest setting that feels worlds away from the arid desert landscapes found at lower elevations. Its unique position on the ridge provides visitors with a rare vantage point to witness both sunrise and sunset over the rugged Southern California terrain.
Amenities & Park Features
This is a primitive camping area specifically designed for those who enjoy the simplicity of dry camping. Amenities are basic but functional, emphasizing an authentic outdoor experience. It is crucial for RVers to arrive fully prepared, as there is no potable water or electricity available on-site. The campground features several essential items for visitors:
- Large picnic tables at each individual site.
- Sturdy fire rings for regulated campfires.
- Centrally located vault toilets for convenience.
The park is strictly seasonal, generally opening in late spring and closing when the first winter snows make the steep access road impassable for vehicles.
Nearby Attractions & Things to Do
Nature enthusiasts will find plenty of opportunities for exploration, starting with the Cerro Noroeste Trail, which winds through the high-country landscape and connects to other regional paths. The area is a premier destination for stargazing due to its extreme elevation and distance from urban light pollution. Wildlife viewing is also a popular pastime, as the forest is home to various bird species, including woodpeckers and nuthatches, which thrive in the ancient pine-covered slopes.
Who This Park Is Best For
Campo Alto is ideal for off-grid adventurers and owners of smaller RVs or van conversions who prioritize quietude over luxury amenities. It is a perfect match for nature photographers and hikers who want immediate access to alpine forest trails. If you are looking to escape the summer heat in a quiet, primitive setting where you can be entirely self-contained, this high-mountain retreat offers the perfect environment for a traditional camping experience.
Amenities
- Policies
- Other Amenities & Services
- Recreation Nearby (within 10 miles)
- Facility
- On-Site Rentals
- Sites
User Reviews
Mike W
Very nice spacious camp, lot's of room between spaces but unfortunately I didn't see a lot of level ground for Large and tents. Spaces have a table and fire ring and share a large bear box with adjacent space. Well treed with lots of shade, you you are on top of a mountain so a lot of the trees have the tops that have been hit by lightning keep that in mind if you're there during thunderstorm activity. Unfortunately while I was there it was cloudy with snow on the ground already by the second week of October it is at a high elevation of over 8,000 ft probably closer to 9,000 so keep that in mind that it can get very cold even if it's a warm day night times can be cold and windy. Campground has two vault toilets one at the very end and one about in the middle of the camp. Nightly camping fee is now $30 15 with the federal pass. Road to access the camp is paved pretty good condition pavement ends at the campground but there should be no trouble getting any type of vehicle up into the camp even with trailers or longer motorhomes. Also keep in mind for your safety that this is bear territory there are bears they are seen in the camp use the bear boxes and while I was there there had been a recent mountain lion sighting in the camp,so keep your kids and dogs close by or under watch
Richard Quintana
Beautiful campground with amazing views of the night sky! Campsites didn’t have any really flat areas, but we figured it out. My only reason for 4 stars is they hadn’t cleaned the bathrooms (glorified outhouses) before we got there nor did they while we were there.
Sony S
Wow that was a gem to find for me personally. Beautiful forest. There are a lot of other campgrounds nearby as well that you can visit. The only thing I really did not like is that you have to book it for 2 days minimum, always! Even when booking a group camp for 50-70 people. Which is kind of weird. Also it's weird as 1 camping spot has a limit of 6 people and 1 car, but group camp is allowed up to 10 cars and 70 people, however it is not that much bigger. It is only like 3 times bigger and has more tables. And 2 group camps are right next to each other.
Taylor Harrison
Cool campground with some great views. When we went 7/7-7/10 many of the sites were closed due to hazardous trees (which is why the closures seem a little random). When we saw the camp hosts a couple days in they mentioned they had just been notified the Friday of 4th of July weekend that the sites would have to be closed. Sites are very big a spread out. Our last night we were the only people in our part of the campground. There’s only two bathrooms and they are spread far from each other but pretty clean. No water, no bear boxes, so be prepared for that—though we didn’t see any bears and the general store is about a 15 minute drive away. For whatever reason google maps makes it seem like it will take 50 minutes to get there, but it’s much shorter. Some of the road is pretty rough as you get deeper into the campground. Best views are if you walk through the group sites—really spectacular sunset watching there. Weather really varied for us. First night was very cold and quite windy and I wish I had thought ahead to bring a heavier jacket. Wind calmed the next day and the rest of our time there it wasn’t really present in the evening. Day time temps were nice—sweatshirts in the morning, but then easily could be in tanks and shorts during the day—never too warm. We stayed at site 16.
Aileen Torres
Spacious campground with nice scenery. There aren’t really any hikes nearby so you kind of just have to hang at your campsite. Not rating it any higher because there was a noose hanging from one of the trees at our campsite (#3) which was super creepy. We told the park ranger about it and he said he “didn’t think it was dangerous” but let us change campsites because we were uncomfortable to one that was supposedly closed due to “hazardous trees”. There was also this weird doll wrapped in rope by the noose so not sure what kind of creepy things are happening up here.