Reviews
South Carlsbad State Beach
Wednesday Chronicles
We had a great time! Was thankful to have a cat to keep the rodents at Bay. They were even jumping on the tent in the morning and would go after anything left out or open. We also learned that you're not allowed to hang anything on the trees like birthday decorations. There was a line to check-in at 3 o'clock, but it went pretty fast and we were impressed. The hosts were very nice! The only place to get Shower tokens is at the front and it only takes cash and gives back no change. Just something to keep in mind. High tide is also no joke on the beach leaving nowhere to walk so best to check before making the trek.
Annabelle O
This is our 3rd time camping here. It's a wonderful place to camp! There's different sites to stay, beach side, RV, etc. We've always stayed on the non beach side, but it's still great. Bathrooms and showers are close by, access to the beach is close depending where your site is, but it's a little walk and not bad at all, the stairs can get you a hit tired and there's no bathrooms on the beach at least that I never knew of. There's a nice camp store and place to order food during certain hours and days. There's hookups if you request it during booking. It's near the street so you get streetlights so it's not fully dark at night which is nice depending on your sleeping arrangements. I knows some tents take in light so just beware. Showers are coins which aren't bad price unless you take or need long showers, they also have different size showers, small ones for singles or I guess couples lol. Large ones that are perfect for families which I brought my 2 of my girls with me and it was great! We took 8-10 minutes all together as I had a plan before going in. Some don't follow the quiet hours but when we went to sleep it was never an issue. Only warning which is the same for any area near the beach, remember that everything outside can get moist from the area you're in, so don't keep anything that needs to stay dry or can get bad being wet outside especially over night but even after an hour or more it can get wet. I will edit this as I'm doing this randomly late at night but we love this place and plan to make it a biannual camping trip if we can get it booked. Oh also we have gone there as a large group with multiple of us booking different sites and also this recent one where we just had 2 sites next to another but just 6 of us. People are friendly, and stay to themselves unless you wish to talk and what not.
flat track
This is a wonderful place to relax and enjoy the beauty of our southern coast. The staff are welcoming and very nice ! The facilities are well kept, clean and stationed appropriately. They have two stairways and one dirt/rock ramp down to the Pacific Ocean. While we were there, a band would play in the evening. Oh, what fun !
OC Photography
Camping sites were spacious. Views are magnificent. This place has one of the best sunset viewing; on the beach or sitting in the comfort of your campground. There are plenty of spots but its difficult to book a site if you dont plan accordingly. The restrooms đźš» were nicer than many others campsites that I've gone too.
Yvette Skalka
Nice campground. BUT my biggest aggravation is the State of CA running the park system. You have to PAY $10 to use the RV dump station. Really? We are paying for the camping site…. No hookups…. Just dirt….Nothing extra. That’s like booking a hotel & having to pay for the bathroom. Just another ploy from the useless Governor.
Tomek
Awesome, well maintained state park camp grounds. Clean bathrooms with flush toliets. Hot showers for nominal fee. Over looking carlsbad beach.
caprice gonzales
Loved it there. My cousin has a timeshare across from beach. So we parked and walked across down those 100 stairs and plopped 40 yards from stairs. Omg it was peaceful and weather was beautiful. Miss it already.
Gloria Lim
You really can't beat the views here. Was fully booked during peak season but was able to pick up someone's cancelation last minute. There are bushes to separate each site but you are shoulder to shoulder with your neighbor especially if your neighbor has an rv/trailer. Looks more like an rv park with everyone crammed in together. I had site 73 which is right at the intersection of Carlsbad blvd and Island way. Once night fall hits, your camp site is flooded with the lights from the street lamps. Kind of takes away from the experience, but that's what you get for camping in the city. All the sites 68-76 were exposed to street light. I'm more of a heavy sleeper so the light seeping through my tent and the traffic noise didn't bother me. They are very strict on times and all their rules so make sure you read the signs. Stunning beach during the day. North side of the camp ground has access to the sandier beach. Mostly retired or young families. ZERO shade so bring what you need. Something crucial I didn't see in other reviews: the ground is so hard the tent stakes wouldn't go in and had to weigh down the tent from the inside. Bathrooms were decent and had plenty of toilet paper but no soap dispenser. Only stayed one night but the Camp store looked like a fun hang out spot. I'm used to camping in the mountains so this was a new experience and would consider this campground experience like playing "camp" like you're playing "house". I would come back here if I'm looking for this specific experience, not necessarily for the remote experience i typically associate with camping. Hoping to find my favorite beach camp ground so this will be the first of many.
Brenda Friesen
This is a great beach! Perfect for families. We have gone here every year for the past 7 years and it’s our favorite of all the beaches in CA. There are restaurants close by to walk to, shopping, a restroom on the beach, and lifeguards.
Dave Corrigan
No restroom has soap - important. Some have no sink! The showers take tokens, 2 for a dollar, 2min per token. Plan accordingly. There's a RALPH'S nearby, and a Vons up the freeway; also the Carlsbad Outlets. A new In-N-Out was just built up the freeway. Miguels mexican restaurant is worth a visit. Legoland is close.
Christopher Hazlett
Pretty cool campground. I got a site closer to the road. The road noise didn't bother me. The sound of the waves seemed to balance it out. I managed to get a site like 2 or 3 months out. People I told seemed a bit surprised that I got it so soon. I'm thinking because I booked my site for late May, it wasn't quite peak season. They do have showers, laundry, a camp store and a restaurant. Look at the hours for the store and restaurant as they vary throughout the week.
Diana Green - Realty One Group West
Lots of rocks along the waterline. Volleyball nets. Porta potties. Free parking. Park closes 11pm.
LeeAnne
We love camping here. Its always a fun time. Clean good sized camp sites. Stair access to the beach.
Ed Mossuto
Beautiful views of the ocean. Sunset is amazing. Weather perfect. The beach was walkable and the water was refreshing
Allisen Fernandez
We went trailer camping for 3 days and 2 nights, and we ABSOLUTELY loved it!! So much so that we did not want to leave. Waking up and falling asleep to the sound of the waves was beyond amazing, and the view from our camp space was beautiful!! We want to go back, but it is soooo hard to get a reservation... but I will continue to keep trying!!