Camping near Lake of the Woods

Get easy access to Los Padres National Forest from this little mountain town.

89% (4747 reviews)
89% (4747 reviews)

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12 top campgrounds near Lake of the Woods

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Cuyama Badlands

32 sites · Lodging, RVs, Tents164 acres · Cuyama, CA
If you've ever wondered what it might be like to camp on the moon, this is it. Completely removed from civilization and surrounded by a barren nature that is alive with the subtle presence of the universe. Seasonally, Spring wildflowers burst across the landscape. Cave paintings of Chumash Indians at Painted Rock remind us of those who lived before us. **Read on for more details.** Our Carrizo Camp is surrounded by the Carrizo Plains National Monument. This is truly a get away from it all camping. That's it. You, the coyotes and your own private moon. Our Songdog Camps are sparsely scattered atop a 200 foot mesa that looks west over a valley offering stunning desert sunsets and amazing stargazing. These UPPER SITES are NOT OHV friendly, but any of our canyon bottom sites are a great base for your riding adventures up in Ballinger Canyon OHV. We'll be happy to recommend a site for you. Our Ranch House and Glamp sites are available on occasion. This is our home but we love to share our life in the outback. We believe it will give you a better appreciation of life's simpler side. Our offerings include fresh air and sunshine, amazing night sky, endless views, and plenty of space and privacy to enjoy your moments in nature. You'll find our amenities and activities puposefully sparse here. Upon booking, there are about 5 miles of dirt road on the property that you are welcome to explore on foot or by bicycle. Rustic is the theme here. There is no shower, no wifi, and no electricity available, but you will enjoy your own private spigot and the cellular service is acceptable. Within a short drive, you'll find plenty of hiking/biking and adventuring, and if you enjoy exploring by car, definitely take a loop drive through Carizzo Plains National Monument, or Mount Pinos and Lockwood Valley. Enjoy a beautiful dinner at the Cuyama Buckhorn and take in the view of the Caliente mountain range. For any sites located south of Ballinger Wash, your vehicle length is limited to 22' and no more than 4' overhang from the rear axle, so you don't get stuck in the crossing and block access for others. Towing services are 1-3 hours away. The AllTrails app will give a pretty good birds eye view of hiking in the area. Our friendly cancellation policies vary between 24 hours for simple campsites and 72 hours for our Glamp sites and Group sites. We do offer a buyout opportunity for the mesa, however the cancellation policy for that much stricter at 50% refund up until 1 week before check-in time. Be sure to check the Google for distance to Cuyama Valley, and your dates for availability and site descriptions. Upon booking, you can look forward to an information packed email to help you make the very best of your trip! We look forward to seeing you! *This land was sparsely populated by the Chumash Indian and is evident by the numerous cave painting that remain here near the Caliente mountain. In the era of the California Missions, this land was a part of the Spanish land grants. Currently the property is privately owned and is adjacent to large sections of publicly held lands.
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$40
 / night
94%
(695)

Blue Sky Center

31 sites · Lodging, RVs, Tents267 acres · New Cuyama, CA
1948- On January 1, 1948 a wildcatter named George Hadley, who had been oil prospecting in the valley for 10 years, made the first oil strike in the Cuyama Valley. Richfield Oil Company soon moved in and extracted nearly 300 million barrels of oil in just a few short years. To accommodate an exploding workforce in the early 1950s, the company built the town of New Cuyama, its infrastructure, public buildings, the Cuyama airstrip (L88) and all the industrial structures that are now home to Blue Sky. Richfield Oil Company, later merging with Atlantic Oil Company forming the Atlantic Richfield Oil Company (ARCO), created high-paying jobs, a safe and prosperous community, and developed schools, churches, and recreational areas for the employee-residents.1973- With dwindling production in the area and new discoveries in Alaska, Atlantic-Richfield Oil Company put the town of New Cuyama and its associated infrastructure up for sale. Word of an entire town for sale made its way to entrepreneur, Russell O’Quinn of the Foundation for Airborne Relief (FAR) and Mildred Dotson, a wealthy widow from Tulsa, Oklahoma. The two worked together to acquire the townsite and adjacent land. O’Quinn, an aviator, inventor, and test pilot, aspired to use the New Cuyama airstrip and facilities as a base for humanitarian relief and a non-profit trade school. Though not fully realized, FAR’s primary vision included utilizing converted military aircraft to airlift food and medical supplies to developing countries and global disaster areas. Dotson had loftier goals. Her plans included an 18-hole fly-in golf course, expansion of the Buckhorn Restaurant and Motel, and a 40- to 50-acre lake for amphibious landing and water sports. 1986- Another visionary, Harry Kislevitz, inventor of the popular design tool Colorforms® and founder of Future City/Villages International, sought to develop the site as a “City of Friendship,” an all-electric village of 5,000 earthen homes. The dwellings were to be designed by Nader Khalili, an Iranian-born architect who specialized in earthen structures, worked with NASA on prototypes for lunar homes and received an award from the United Nations for his work towards the development of low cost, sustainable structures for human shelter in impoverished and disaster prone environments. One 628-sq-ft Khalili prototype remains on the property today ("the Cantina"). Khalili went on to form the California Institute for Earth Art and Architecture, Cal-Earth, in Hesperia, CA.1993- Recognizing the transformative potential of clean, solar power and the attractiveness of a rural destination, entrepreneur Mike Nolan worked to develop the Solar Skypark and Big Sky Guest Ranch with Santa Barbara Architect, Barry Berkus. The Sky Park included plans for sixty-five fly-in residences on one-acre lots powered completely from clean, solar energy. The Big Sky Guest Ranch was intended to function as a clubhouse for Skypark residents complete with an equestrian center, a small subsistence farm, pool and plenty of enriching recreational activities. 2012- At the end of 2011, the Zannon Family Foundation made a long-term investment in acquiring the New Cuyama Airport property with the vision of rehabilitating the site to be a low-cost resource for programs and organizations working to advance sustainable living practices and technologies. Plans began soon after towards developing a framework and organization to develop the space and coordinate with prospective programs and institutions. In 2014 Blue Sky Sustainable Living Center ("Blue Sky Center") received 501(c)(3) not-for-profit status, endeavoring to reclaim this property for the public good. Today, Blue Sky Center provides unduplicated services and technical assistance to support small businesses and entrepreneurs as well as the local food system, with core work focused on community research and advocacy led by Cuyamans. Learn more on our website and consider supporting our community work with your donation or by hosting your next special event here!
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$39
 / night
95%
(212)

20 Acres Outside of Bakersfield

13 sites · Tents20 acres · CA
LOCATION INFORMATION Our farm experience offers a no-fuss, rustic stay on a real working 20 acre farm approximately 15 miles south Bakersfield with easy freeway access. Sites are perched on the edge of the pond – enjoy catch and release fishing or spend some time on the provided paddle boards or kayaks. Most of our campers are road tripping, getting away from LA, or are looking for a stopover on their way to/from Yosemite, Sequoia, Joshua Tree, etc. We are in a desert climate – cold in the winter and hot in the summer. Each site has a small table, water spigot with potable (aka drinkable) water, picnic table and fire pit ring (you provide your own wood). All sites are BYO (bring your own) tent or you can sleep in your car. Certain sites have height limitations and cannot accommodate pop up tents or trucks with campers – you’ll see these limitations in the campsite names. There is one shared indoor toilet and one outdoor shower that has hot and cold water. You may be greeted by our 3 working dogs - they're big, but friendly and love visitors. We offer a self check-in. Guests can begin checking in anytime after 1pm and checkout is at 11am. If you are going to arrive after quiet hours (10pm), we request that you respect the other guests who may be sleeping and do not disturb them. RULES 1. Pets are not permitted. You will be asked to leave (with no refund) if you bring a pet. We have working dogs who protect the farm from predators. They will view your pet as a predator making it is an unsafe environment for your pet. 2. Quiet hours are 10pm-7am. We have ZERO TOLERANCE for noise after hours. If you are playing music, singing, being generally obnoxious or annoying to other campers and we receive complaints, you will be asked to pack up and leave. Please be respectful. 3. 1 Tent and 1 Car are permitted per site (with the exception of site 4, which fits 2 tents and 2 cars) 4. No tents, tarps, or canopies may be set up on our grass/lawn area. 5. No fireworks or anything else that involves fire outside of the firepit 6. Absolutely no feeding the farm dogs any food or treats. 7. At checkout, we ask guests to dispose of all trash in the dumpster located near campsite 5, wet down any hot coals, wipe down your tables and if you’ve moved any tables/chairs or used the paddle boards/kayaks to put them back. 8. We provide shampoo/body soap for the shower and do not allow outside bath products in the shower. 9. No moving or relocating the firepit SPECIAL HELPFUL NOTES 1. You may wander the property, but campers are not allowed in the pasture, barn, or on farm equipment and vehicles. We do not offer farm tours at this time. 2. There is no electricity or wifi at the campsites. Cell phone service for all providers is great. 3. You're welcome to hang your hammock if you have tree straps - no nailing or screwing anything to the trees. 4. Paddleboarding, kayaking and fishing (catch and release) are permitted however campers do so at their own risk. 5. We have working dogs who bark if predators are near, bullfrogs who croak at night and roosters that crow in the morning. Earplugs are recommended if you're a light sleeper. 6. There is a Walmart, Lowes, Albertsons and Vallarta market all located within 20 minutes of the farm for any firewood, ice or other items you need. 7. Do not leave your shoes or trash on the ground and accessible to animals. Between the dogs, wild cats, coyotes, foxes, skunks, racoons, squirrels, etc. they will go missing or you'll find a big mess in the morning. 8. We are a true working farm and we operate 7 days a week. This means any day of the week, we may be doing tractor work, fixing irrigation, mowing the lawn, weed eating, chain sawing, or any number of other activities that it takes to keep a farm operating and the camping area looking clean and nice. We also have staff coming and going in the early hours for farmers markets. 9. The campsites are cleaned every Monday and Thursday. We love our trees for the shade they provide and so do the birds – which means there’s bird poop (part of nature). If this is going to bother you, bring a tablecloth or towel. 10. We are on well water, during the summer months, let the water in the faucets run for a couple seconds to release the sulfur smell. 11. We do not provide electricity to charge electric vehicles. 12. We have security cameras throughout the property and placement is in accordance with California laws.
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$38
 / night
93%
(440)

Arber-Moore's Ranch

6 sites · RVs, Tents22 acres · Oak View, CA
Beautiful natural campsites in the Valley of the Moon (Ojai Valley). Our sites are within an eighth of a mile of walking, running, biking, and riding trails from Ojai to the beaches of Ventura. On many days you can experience Ojai’s famous pink moments. You can hike the trails above Ojai, boat, eat, or picnic at Lake Casitas. Travel to nearby Ventura to shop, fish the pier, or take a deep sea fishing charter or Island charter to Whale watch or fish around the Channel Islands. Please note the aerial view of the camping area recently placed by Hipcamp is NOT AT ALL REPRESENTATIVE of the current camping sites and shows a photo that is many years old when the site was merely land. That photo is without any of the existing amenities or improvements. The actual sites are all Larger than Federal Park and Statepark guidelines, with averages of 20'x30' for campsites and 20'x40' for a long RVCampsite. We have planted many young trees and continue to plant trees and native shrubs around and near the sites. We have picnic tables, table coverings, fire pits, and camping rugs/footprints. There is also an outdoor shower, a shower tent with hot water, and an upgraded porta-potty with a sink. Note: During times when high heat is predicted, we strongly recommend that our Hipcampers bring pop-up shade tents or canopies for their sites. The Hipcamp is adjacent to our working ranch, and any photos of old sheds, trucks, a wood lot, or other equipment are NOT on the Hipcamp, but you will drive past that property to get to the separate Hipcamp area. Wineries, Farmer's Markets, Craft Breweries, dispensaries, and more are within 10 to 15 minutes of our site. Our location allows moments when you may see Hawks, Owls, Geese, Swallows, Robins, Bluebirds, and more. We offer both tent and RV camping. The Majority of our Guests love it here: "Vivian and Dave were exceptional hosts! Easy to contact and find our way to their property. Also gave us a plethora of places to go and things to do in the Ojai area. The area was open and spacious, and many trees and upgrades were in the works to make future stays more user-friendly. Big pluses were the shower and toilet facilities—much appreciated !!"
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$69
 / night
96%
(115)

Camping @ Quail Run Ostrich Ranch

8 sites · RVs, Tents62 acres · Lake Hughes, CA
Run by three generations, our ranch has been in our family for more than 70 years. We opened our doors to the public in 2014 to help support feeding our animals, bred and rescued, after the Powerhouse Fire almost burned us out. We’ve survived a county quarantine(2018-2019), the COVID Lockdowns (2021-2022), the Lake Fire (2020), and the Hurricane Kay burn scar debris flow and flood (9/11/22), depending on hard work and strong family and community bonds. In addition to camping and educational tours, we host private and community events, grow & sell produce and eggs, hatch and sell chicks, rescue ratites, and support the local bee population (which gives us RAW honey to sell), and are working to open a private U-pick-by-appointment orchard. We are all animal lovers, and conservationists, and try to do our part to ensure our children inherit a healthy and viable world. This is our home where we live, work, love, and play. We enjoy sharing our space with visitors who we hope learn about ostrich and make some great memories.
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$20
 / night
96%
(109)

Old West Mountain Camping Near LA!

2 sites · RVs, Tents100 acres · Acton, CA
Learn more about this land:A vast expanse of oak trees, California Junipers and rugged, mountainous land running with jackrabbits, quail, and owls that is just 3 miles from Vazquez Rocks and the PCT, our ranch transports you. From the tent campsite, you look out for 20 miles and see nothing but nature across small mountains and canyons all the way to the peaks of Angeles National Forest in the distance. The campsite is a large flat area. For a trailer or RV it's a great place to park and the view is towards wide open spaces. With a tent or if you want more pure nature, you can drive out onto the property further towards the small ruin of the old homesteader's cabin or beyond. The property has a long-abandoned gold mine and circular arrastres where miners used mules to break up rocks. Nearby Acton has pick-your-own apples/pears/peaches at Bloom farms. We are at 3000 feet with strong sun during the day and cool mountains air at night. The camping is set away from structures, but if you want to stroll, closer to the ranch buildings, we have friendly small goats you can visit if interested and horses and a donkey to say hello to across the corral fence. 
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$42.75
 / night
99%
(729)

Cuyama Oaks Ranch

8 sites · Lodging, RVs, Tents82 acres · CA
Hello! Our names are Ricky and Nathan. We own and operate an 80 acre ranch that is great for family's, kids, romantic getaways, and LGBTQIA+ safe. We cannot wait to host you and your group! We're excited to share our property with those who appreciate nature and what seclusion in the mountains has to offer. Located deep in the Cuyama Valley, close to wine country, and booming local vineyards (1.25 hrs past Ojai and 45 minutes past Santa Maria) our ranch promises the getaway experience you've been looking for. The Ranch is 80 acres with majestic mountain views and vast canyons for hiking and trail access. During the spring and summer months imagine sitting in your own personal cowboy pooltub looking up at the stars. Smell the sage and wildflowers in the air while you sip wine. Surrounded by the Los Padres Mountains and located deep within the hidden valley of enchantment, this ranch gives the visitor the high-desert glamping/camping experience of their dreams. For the hikers and explorers out there, the ranch offers trails and within 30 min in every direction there are local trails. . There is a designated area for tent camping and for RV's, Trailers, Vans, and tiny homes (no electric yet for RVs). We also offer glamping sites and all inclusive yurts. The ranch is completely private and secluded, off HWY 166. We welcome all animals, big and small. We are farm! We have pigs, goats, ducks, chickens, turkeys and more!
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$67.50
 / night
100%
(37)

Park At Tar Creeks Ranch

1 site · RV, Tent13 acres · Ojai, CA
Welcome to our tranquil ranch nestled among oak and pine trees, offering a serene getaway with stunning views of the Topatopa bluffs. Our site is the perfect place to disconnect and immerse yourself in nature, with five ephemeral creeks meandering through the 13-acre property. As a Leave No Trace environment, we ask that all guests come fully self-contained. While we don't yet have a compost toilet set up, we do provide a potable water hookup for your convenience. Please be mindful of your impact on the land and practice responsible camping during your stay. There are 4 permanent residents on the land, including me, who are in and out of the ranch daily, and our driveway passes near your campsite. So while you have privacy in the trees, you may have smile-and-wave distance interaction with other humans during your stay. A one-mile trail winds through the property that you are welcome to enjoy. Let me know if you are interested and I will show you were to find the trailhead. The path leads you to fascinating sites such as the caldera of a tar volcano, ancient Chumash cupules and mortars on boulders, and a tar marsh where wildlife thrives. Whether you're a nature enthusiast, botanist, birder, hiker, or simply seeking peace, this land offers something for you. We welcome guests to stay for a maximum of three days, but we're open to accommodating longer stays upon request. Escape the hustle and bustle of everyday life and reconnect with the beauty of the natural world. We look forward to hosting you!
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$50
 / night
87%
(27)

Bare All Retreat

8 sites · Lodging, RVs, Tents138 acres · Caliente, CA
Welcome to our 138-acre ranch and farm, nestled amidst the stunning natural beauty of our mountainous landscape. With a creek running through the front and steep mountains in the rear, our property offers a picturesque setting for outdoor enthusiasts and nature lovers alike. Explore the many old gold miners trails that crisscross our land, now perfect for horseback riding and OHV adventures. Our working ranch and farm provide a glimpse into traditional agricultural practices, with opportunities to observe and participate in farm activities. Keep an eye out for free-range cattle roaming the area, adding to the rustic charm of our mountainous terrain. Discover hidden valleys with seasonal waterfalls and year-round springs, offering peaceful retreats and refreshing natural beauty. Whether you're seeking adventure on the trails, relaxation by the creek, or a glimpse into rural life on the farm, our 138-acre property has something for everyone to enjoy amidst the serene beauty of nature.
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$28
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Value Prop
Value Prop
Happy farmer sitting in a truck in a grassy field
Happy farmer sitting in a truck in a grassy field

Camping near Lake of the Woods guide

Overview

A few minutes' drive down Frazier Mountain Park Road from the community of Frazier Park, Lake of the Woods is a great place to stock up on food and supplies before heading out on a hiking or camping adventure in Los Padres National Forest. There are lots of camping opportunities nearby, most of which are managed by the US Forest Service. While many sites in area campgrounds are reservable, some are only available on a first-come, first-served basis, so it's wise to check in at the Chuchupate Ranger Station if you haven't pre-booked a campground or Hipcamp.

Where to go

Los Padres National Forest

Lake of the Woods is right in Los Padres National Forest, the third-largest national forest in the state. The forest is home to massive stretches of protected wilderness areas, developed campgrounds (many of which are seasonal) along with thermal hot springs, fresh rivers, and endless opportunities for hiking.

Sequoia National Forest

Some of the biggest trees in the land can be found in Sequoia National Forest, a 1.2 million-acre expanse that includes the Giant Sequoia National Monument. Within the forest are 52 developed campgrounds, thousands of rivers, streams, ponds, and lakes, and over 1,100 miles of hiking trails.

California's Central Coast

In the mood for some fresh coastal air? California's Central Coast isn’t too far away. Here you'll find a solid mix of sandy beaches and rocky cliff-lined shores, plus a few fantastic state beach campgrounds.

When to go

Lake of the Woods is a summer destination, and the surrounding area gets lots of visitors during the summer months, when school is out and people from hotter parts of the state descend on the forest for camping and cooling off. The weather stays warm into October, making early autumn a great time to visit when you want to avoid crowds. Winters tend to be mild without much snow, but nearby parts of the forest do get a lot of snowfall, so it’s wise to bring chains.

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