PISMO STATE BEACH - OCEANO CAMPGROUND
Campground Information - Campsite Photos– Pismo State Beach has two campgrounds. The Oceano Campground is south of Pismo and is actually in Oceano California. This campground provides sites with water and electric as well as an area with no hook-ups. The second Pismo State Beach Campground is North Beach Campground located in Pismo Beach. That campground has no hook-up sites available.
This page is going to show you the camping locations, informaton on day trips to Avila Beach and Shell Beach. Fun places to eat. Where to shop, where to find the SpaceX launch schedule and more!
We just camped at Pismo State Beach – September 2023. As hard core Morro Bay Camping fans, we decided to change things up and camp in Pismo. I love having hook-ups so we booked the Oceano Campground. We were in site 30 which is next to the state park road that goes back to the second camping area. You are under Eucalyptus Trees which is nice, a little messy and the acorns falling on top of our RV let out a big noise, startling me at first. The leaves can also damage your vehicle(s). We had no problem but the guy next to us covered his truck each night. There are two bathroom / shower facilities for this front campground area. There is no dump station. I will give more information on that below. You are close by to a Deli and Mexican Restaurant as well as two small liquor / convenience stores.
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
CAMPGROUND INFORMATION
Click the above Park Map to view entire brochure.
FRONT AREA CAMPING
– ALL HOOK UP SITES
BACK AREA CAMPING
In the photo to the right ou will see a wooden pathway. I was walking around the Oceano Lagoon. You will see the path in the Campground Brochure above. I walked around about half of the lagoon. Here are some photos –
Photo to the right –
Looking down the street towards the beach there is a small store that sells fire wood. There is also a the Pier Street Deli which has good breakfast burritos. We didn’t try other food they sell, but heard it is really good.
DRIVING ON THE BEACH –
You are able to drive your car down onto the beach. There is an entrance straight down from the Oceano Campground and also on Grand Ave. It costs $5 to access the beach. There is a small parking lot with free parking at the Pier Ave. entrance as shown in my images. There is a much larger parking lot at the Grand Ave. entrance. The camping area is down a ways from the Pier Ave. entrance and I took some photos to show you what it looks like. It was windy the day we were on the beach and sand was EVERYWHERE … and I mean, in my hair, on my clothes, everywhere in our jeep (the top is off). You will see from the photos that people put boards up along the bottom of their RV’s and vehicles to block the wind.
You can have bon fires on the beach in specific locations. Ask the Park employees when you arrive to find out more information.
Here is the Oceano Dunes Map and Information. Click on image to view larger.
If you venture too high in the soft sand you can get stuck. We saw a truck with trailer being pulled out. We stopped and so I could go beachcombing and I found a sand dollar.
To ride on the dunes you’ll need a whip flag. Here are a couple I found on Amazon –
Day Trip to Avila Beach
Not too far from Pismo is Avila Beach. At the Port San Luis Pier there is a restaurant called Mersea’s. Try it, you won’t regret it. We had Oysters, Bloody Mary’s, Chowder and all were very good.
Image above is from Mersea’s website
These seals are so funny. They are laying on part of the pier about 8 feet above the water line. I guess they got up there when the tide was higher …
AVILA VALLEY BARN
Another fun place to stop on a day trip to Avila is the Avila Valley Barn. They have goats you can feed, a small zoo. Farmer’s Market and Gift Shop. Ice Cream Store. Fun Holiday Events. Worth the time to stop!!
Breakfast in Pismo
One morning we ate at Beachin’ Biscuits. It was very good. Limited seating, outdoor only.
image above from Beachin’ Biscuits website
WALKING AROUND PISMO
Pismo Beach has many restaurant and gift shops. The pier is a unique shape and fun to walk out on to enjoy the view.
Resources –
SHELL BEACH
One of my favorite beaches is Shell Beach. It is just north of Pismo Beach. Here you can find the tiny shells. They just added new stairs from the bluff to the beach, so that is really nice. Look for the high tide line where little shells will be hanging out. I’ve found many over the years. Of course, it changes with tides, weather, etc… so don’t be disappointed if you don’t find some the first time you go. Just check the tides and look for a good time to go at low tide.
SHELL BEACH BREWHOUSE
We stopped in and had a beer and fries at the Shell Beach Brewhouse. It’s a nice place to hang out and have a meal and try some good beer.
HOW DO I MAKE RESERVATIONS?
Make Reservations on Reserve California
Pismo State Beach – Parks and Recreaton Website. This site includes Brochures for both the North Beach Campground as well as the Oceano Campground.
DUMP STATION LOCATIONS
This dump station is just off of Grand Ave and Hwy 1
This dump station is in the North Beach Campground
We hope you found this page helpful when camping at Pismo State Beach – Oceano or the North Campground. Please email me with any feedback or photos you’d like to share!
Totally burnt the Jiffy Pop .. but it was still good.
VANDENBERG LAUNCH SCHEDULE INFORMATON
You might be able to see SpaceX launch from Vandenberg if it is a clear night. We stayed up until midnight to view a launch. We drove down the street to that little parking lot I mentioned by the entrance to the dunes and driving on the beach. It was overcast but we still saw the orange glow. You can track the launch dates on Twitter for Space X or I check this website.
RESOURCES AND FUN THINGS TO BUY
