We stayed on the Washburn loop which was well and truly primitive: pit toilets and no shower facilities or hook ups, and we loved it!! Beautiful scenery, rangers came round and told off eager campers who had turned their generaters on before the alloted time. Sites were a bit uneven and slightly narrow but we knew that as we had squeezed in our 33ft two slide outs in to a site too small!! Highly recommend this place for great back-to-basic camping. We camped here in a Motorhome.

This is a pretty popular spot reservations are a good idea it’s right off of the pacific coast highway. Ranger patrol on the weekends gave each of my 3 kids a ranger sticker. We saw a couple bats, wild horses; skunk approached our camp site at night while we were at the camp fire. We heard the coyotes at night and saw a shooting star. A few hiking trails and beach access at the lower end of the camp ground (walk the trail under the bridge). That’s what I would consider the good. The bad: hose bibs are sparsely located and don’t expect to fill from one its against the rules and they aren’t threaded. Although the ranger on patrol was nice the young kids at the gate didn’t know about a camp fire program seemed annoyed that I even asked about it. Dry camping with a family of 5 for 4 days for me meant only enough water for one set of showers luckily we have family in the area so we were able to use their shower. Don’t plan on having a water supply without driving down to the dump station if your staying on the upper loop. If you try to conserve water by using the camp ground toilets be warned the upper loop has pit toilets. We camped here in a Travel Trailer.

We stayed in the upper loop, pit toilets and no showers. The toilets were clean, but they are what they are. Very pretty area, had a view of the ocean if we walked up the embankment. No wind, sites well spaced, but open. We camped here in a Travel Trailer.

This park is close to the beach with lots of trees and grass. It's very popular with tent campers. It's a short walk to the beach. There are plenty of rest rooms--individual, gender neutral--and coin-op showers, which we didn't use. There are also water spigots around, sinks to watch dishes, fire pits. It was pretty clean and quiet for a state park. The $7.50 per reservation online charge is a ripoff (the price listed here is without this fee included). It's only a few miles up to Hearst Castle. The park only allows generators between 10 a.m. and 8 p.m., which makes preparing breakfast difficult; we ended up driving to a nearby parking lot to plug in the coffee maker. We camped here in a Motorhome.

Hope I am giving reviews on the correct campground: San Simeon Creek Campground. We stayed here in March, 2009 so not in the season. The campground was pretty empty and quiet. We liked that. Beautiful park, huge trees, nice and clean sites with a lot of wildlife (squirrels, rabbits, scrub jays, ducks etc.). What I did not like: although they allow dogs on a 6ft long leash, you can not take them to trails or to the beach or leave them in the car. Now my husband, me and the dog obviously could not take a walk together to the beach or on the trails , which is not ideal on a vacation. The beach is OK because of the nesting birds but they should allow dogs on the trails. And another problem is that the highway is right next to the camping so there is some car noise. There are sinks to wash the dishes but awfully bad design (you can not fit anything into the sink) and there were no place to throw the leftovers so I had to run back and forth to the trash with leftover pieces that would have clogged the drain. They sell firewood for a pretty good price ($10 for a full wheelbarrow). We camped here in a Truck Camper.

Very nice park. Close walk to the beach. Will stay here again. We camped here in a Motorhome.

Nice open space, not crowded, good walking trails to beach, no hook ups. Did have water and dump station. Did have clean restrooms and pay showers. No cell coverage in the drop down area, picnic table and fire pit. We camped here in a Fifth Wheel.

This was our second visit to San Simeon State Park. We stayed in the lower campground area known as San Simeon Creek. Parts of the campground can be windy, depending on the orientation of your campsite and the number of trees and shrubs around your site. This is a very family-friendly campground and relatively quiet. We felt very safe here and the State Park Service regularly patrolled the grounds. There are no hookups but the dump station has easy access and there is a potable water fill station near the entrance. Each campsite has a paved parking spur, picnic table and fire ring. Most of the campsites are level and well-spaced with native shrubs and trees providing privacy between sites. There is also a large grassy area in the center of the lower campground area where children are often seen playing. Tip: Campsites with a blue marker plate on the sign post accommodate the larger coaches up to 35' in length. In addition, many of the parking spurs are wide enough for two vehicles to be parked side-by-side. This is a plus for motor homes with a dingy. San Simeon State Park is a great place to stay with Hearst Castle and Cambria nearby. We camped here in a Motorhome.

We originally had a site in the lower campground. If you want to use the restrooms and showers, this is where you will want to stay. This area has hedges between the campsites and trees for shade. The roads are all paved, as are sites. It also rests on a low point, so the sunset isn't visible from this campground. To us it felt like we were in a hole. Fees here are $20 per night. We chose to move up to Washburn Point, the primitive area. Fees here are $11 per night. Restrooms up here are pit toilets. We like sites 242-238. The ocean is visible from some of these sites. There are great trails to access from Washburn Point. It can be dusty in the summer as the roads in the primitive area are all gravel. Springtime views from Washburn Point would be absolutely magnificent. We camped here in a Motorhome.

Pros: plenty of grass and trees, breathtaking sunsets, large sites, nice walk to the beach, plenty of shells for kids, near Hearst Castle Cons: WINDY, WINDY, WINDY I have camped here twice and both times I had to spend several hours in my trailer because it was so windy We camped here in a Tent Trailer.

Nice location with access to the beach. Lots of space at some sites. Pay phone at gate house did not work. I would stay here again just for the scenery and the sunsets. We camped here in a Motorhome.

A gorgeous area near Hearst Castle and the sea lions. Friendly folk. Nice hiking trail up over a wooden footbridge into the Monterey Pine forest. A generally pleasant experience. Right next to the beach! We camped here in a Tent.

I really did like this spot but rate it a 7 because there were no hook-ups and it was fairly primitive. Sites weren't very level and you had to improvise a bit. However, in some of the upper spots there were great views of either the ocean or the hills. The lower sites had more bushes and trees between the sites. The individual rest rooms were spacious and spotless. Access was very good (I don't think there were any showers). Camp staff allowed you to cruise through and pick a site before registering. Primitive sites were only $11. Beach was a short walk or bike ride away. And Hearst Castle was about 5 minutes away. We stayed there during some pretty rough weather and still enjoyed it. If you don't mind dry camping and being a little creative, this one is for you. We camped here in a Motorhome.

A very nice campground 5 miles south of Hearst Castle. If you don't mind dry camping, it's the place to stay to visit the castle. You can walk to the beach under the highway bridge. Sites are spread out, you don't feel crowded. There are fire "barrels" at each site, and water is available throughout the park, but not for permanent hooking up. There is a dump station and water fill-up station and the host sells firewood. Some sites on the hill have a view of the ocean. We camped here in a Travel Trailer.

I agree with previous (2002) reviewer. This state park is on a spectacular stretch of coast between Cambria & San Simeon. The lower sites (36-134) are nicer than the upper sites. Stay in San Simeon Creek campground, as Washburn has no trees or showers. You can access the beach via a short trail under highway 1, but there are no beachfront sites. Also, due to budget cuts, sites are now $20. However, it is worth it due to proximity to Hearst Castle and Central Coast. There is an elephant seal sanctuary up the coast a few mies past Hearst Castle, as well. You can actually see the campground from the air if you go to the website listed above, and click on a photo link. Nice, quiet campground. You can even hear the waves. Couldn't give it a 10 because there are no hookups. We camped here in a Motorhome.

Right across street from beach. CLEAN restrooms. Clean park. No hookups but dump station and water is onsite. Now charge 7.50 to make a reservation, needed March thru Sept. We planned a 2 day stop, stayed 2 weeks. Has a river to the sea, hiking trails. This place is NICE! We camped here in a Motorhome.