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

Morro Dunes RV Park

​CAMPSITE PHOTOS

Click the above Park Map to view entire brochure.




Carpinteria State Beach

ANACAPA LOOP

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

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

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

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.


SHOPPING FOR A TENT?

CLICK HERE


HOW ABOUT A CHAIR?

CLICK HERE

COZY SLEEPING BAGS?

CLICK HERE

GOTTA HAVE A BBQ!

CLICK HERE

LOOK COOL! GET SOME NEW SHADES!

CLICK HERE

NEED A NEW PAN?

CLICK HERE

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

VENTURA CALENDAR OF EVENTS

VENTURA BOTANICAL GARDENS

 



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