CARPINTERIA STATE BEACH
Campground Information - Campsite Photos– Carpinteria is located just in-between Ventura and Santa Barbara. It is a small town with a lot of charm and good places to eat and shop. The Carpinteria City Beach is just north of the State Beach and Campground.
We made it to Carpinteria October of 2021. Finally! We must have booked this State Park multiple times but something always came up and we had to cancel. We camped in the Anacapa Loop (see my notes below on each loop). We were celebrating our Halloween granddaughter’s 3rd Birthday and boy did she have fun trick or treating the campground. The Santa Rosa and San Miguel Loops decorate to the max and it was so much fun seeing everyone dressed up and all of the decorations!
So, you’ve decided to camp at Carpinteria. If you’ve camped here before, you’ll know the layout and probably have your favorite “loop” or sites. But you might just get what’s available, as this is one of those beach camping destinations that gets booked up quickly. So, it will pay off to do a little bit of homework and view the photos I’ve taken of each loop.
Check out the campsite photos and information below. If you’ve camped here and would like to share some photos and your rating of this park, please send to – TheCampsiteCompany@gmail.com
CAMPSITE PHOTOS
Click the above Park Map to view entire brochure.
ANACAPA LOOP
Anacapa Loop
Bike-in spots in the Anacapa Loop
Bobcat Group Area
Site 101
Site 102
Site 103
Site 104
Site 115
Site 121
Site 122
Sites 110 to 112
Sites 118 to 120
Sites 124 and 125
Fox Group Area
Raccoon Group Area
Walkway to the visitor center
The Anacapa Loop has nice grassy areas. No Hookups. Bathrooms are nice and in the middle of the loop. There are some sites that are right next to each other parking-wise. See photo of 110-112 and 118-120. There is a visitor center located at the entrance of this loop.
SANTA CRUZ LOOP
Santa Cruz Circle
Site 230
Site 231
Sites 201 and 202
Sites 203 to 205
Sites 206 to 209
Sites 212 to 215
Sites 219 and 220
Sites 226 and 227
Sites 232 and 233
Egret Group Site
Plover and Gull Group Sites
Plover Group Area
The Santa Cruz Loop has some nice grassy areas and some beach front sites. No Hookups. Like the Anacapa Loop there are some adjoining sites – see photos. These would be great for camping with friends and family. Bathrooms are centrally located.
SANTA ROSA LOOP
Santa Rosa Loop
Site 306
Site 308
Site 312
Site 312b
Site 321
Site 324
Site 328
Site 330
Site 337
Site 340
Site 341
Site 342
Site 343
Site 349
Site 350
Site 358
Site 368
Site 371
Site 380
Sites 369 to 374
Sites 371 to 373
Sites 358 to 368
Santa Rosa Loop street view
The Santa Rosa Loop – This is more like parking lot camping. The sites are right next to each other. All of the sites have full hook-ups – water, sewer and electric. If you look at my photos you will see that your neighbors sewer is in your “front yard”. If I camped in one of these sites I would bring something to hide that. Look at site 328 in my photos below. You will see how much room you have or don’t have. The sites that “connect” in the middle have a chain link fence dividing them and you will be cozy with your neighbors. Bathrooms at each end of loop.
SAN MIGUEL LOOP
San Miguel Loop
Row starting with 415
Row starting with 426
Site 409 down to 401
424
424 row
427
Site 433
Site 436
Site 442
Site 443
Site 450
Site 451
Site 453
Site 454
Sites 403 to 401
Sites 427 and 428
Sites 454 and 455
The San Miguel Loop. Some sites have water and electric. You are right next to each other parking lot style. There are beach front spots but you must be 18ft max in length, no tents and back-in only. See photos as you will get an idea of how cozy you will be with your neighbors. A corner spot would be ideal. Bathrooms at each end of the loop.
CLICKING ON THE LINKS ABOVE AND SHOPPING ON AMAZON HELPS KEEP THIS SITE UP AND RUNNING. THANK YOU!
ABOUT THE TAR …
If you’ve been to the beaches in Carpinteria, you will leave with some tar on your feet. I wore water shoes one day and that was a mistake as the bottoms were covered with tar. Hard to clean! At least with bare feet you can use pretty much any type of oil to remove the tar. When I was a kid, we used Turpentine but oil is easier and less stinky.
From Wikipedia – “The Carpinteria Tar Pits were known to the Chumash people, who mined the asphalt and used it as a sealant for waterproofing their tomols (plank-built boats) and other purposes.
The area was named “La Carpinteria” (the carpentry) by a Spanish expedition under explorer Gaspar de Portolá, which arrived in the area on August 17, 1769.[2] Starting around 1915, the tar pits were mined and the asphalt was used for building a coastal highway. In 1933, the area was designated a state beach and in 1941 it was formally opened to the public
The tar pits have trapped and preserved hundreds of Pleistocene Age birds and animals. Some findings are on display at the Carpinteria Valley Museum of History, but no paleontological studies have been conducted because the tar pits were used as a local rubbish dump.”
Right behind … (and across the railroad tracks) is Island Brewing Company. Head on over to hang out and enjoy the local brew! They don’t serve food, but you can bring in your own while you enjoy a cold beer.
On the map above, you will see Little Free Library. If you need a book to read this is located just by the entrance to the park.
Right next to the Free Library you will find “Carpinteria’s Lima Bean History”.
There is a building at that locaton that has the Henry Fish Seed Company logo on the side of it. I don’t know if this is the original building, but the company was very well known in Carpinteria and if you’d like to read more about it, follow this LINK
Another good place we rode our bikes to was Rincon Brewery. They had good food and a large beer selection.
HALLOWEEN AT CARPINTERIA STATE PARK
We went all out with the Spider theme this year! It was a lot of fun. We gave out candy and spider rings.
The Saturday night before or on Halloween the campers decorate and pass out candy. The Santa Rosa loop is the best decorated! We were in the Santa Miguel and about 1/3 of the campers decorated. We didn’t get as many trick-or-treaters as I thought we’d get but that’s because we were in the 4th loop. I hope to get a spot in the 3rd loop,, Santa Rosa, one year. They go all out!
HOW DO I MAKE RESERVATIONS?
Make Reservations on Reserve California
We hope you like camping at Carpinteria State Beach!
AMTRAK – The train station is a short walk away … just in case you wanted to jump on the train.
CARPINTERIA VISITOR INFORMATION
SANTA BARBARA CALENDAR OF EVENTS