Campo Alto Campground Los Padres National Forest California

Cerro Noroeste Road / Forest Road 9N07
Maricopa, California 93252
805-434-1996

Lat / Long:

34.8314, -119.2048

Campo Alto (“High Camp”) Campground is located in an old-growth forest of Jeffrey Pine with beautiful views from most of the spacious campsites.   The well-maintained campgrounds offers a quiet and secluded camping experience with 17 single-family campsites and 2 group campsites.  Although just a few hours from Los Angeles, you’ll find solitude, serenity and incredible scenery high atop the Cerro Noroeste in Los Padres National Forest.

Campsites can accommodate tents and RVs (up to 30 feet). Trailers are not recommended. Each site also has a gravel parking spur, table, fire ring and grill.  Single-family campsites can have up to 8 people per site and the group sites up to 35 people each. Campsite #3 has about a 50 foot walk from the parking area to the table/camping area. Amenities include vault toilets. Trash collection is not provided (please pack in/out all trash). Potable (drinking) water or firewood are also not available. Cell service is poor in the area.

Other campgrounds in the are area include Hungry Gulch, McGill, Mt. Pinos and Chuchupate. Valle Vista (small/primitive) is also about 17 miles away and Ballinger Campground (ATV) is 40 miles away.

Campo Alto Campground – Area Recreation & Activities

Outdoor recreation includes hiking, mountain biking, stargazing, and picnicking. Wildlife viewing can also be good in the area.

The campground provides ready accesses to the Chumash Wilderness and the western trailhead of the Tumamait Trail also known as the “peak-to-peak trail” (21W03).

The remains of a Cerro Noroeste historic ski lodge, a 1700-foot ski lift (rope tow), and a snowplay area for toboggans are also nearby. This facility was closed in the mid-1970s because (as legend has it), the owner/operator chased after a non-paying skier with a shotgun. Supposedly the ski lodge is haunted by the old operator with campers occasionally hearing shotgun blasts late at night.

Make a Reservation for Campo Alto

Best Campsites

5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 15, 17

Regions

• Mountains
• National Forest
• National Forest Campgrounds
• Southern California

Campsite Types

• Camper Van
• Group
• RV
• Tent
• Trailer
• Walk-To

Amenities

• BBQ Grills
• Campsite Tables
• Cell Service Poor
• Equestrian trail
• Fire Pit
• Fire Rings
• Golden Age & Access Passports accepted
• Grills
• Overflow Parking
• Pets OK
• Picnic Tables

Activities

• Biking
• Bird Watching
• Hiking
• Historic Sites
• Horseback riding
• Mountain Biking
• Nature Trails
• Photography
• Picnicking
• Stargazing
• Walking Trails
• Wildlife Viewing