Montana De Oro State Park Campground California
Montana De Oro State Park Overview
Montana de Oro State Park Campground (Islay Creek Campground) has 50 single-family campsites just a short walk to Spooner’s Cove Beach on the Pacific Ocean. Primitive and equestrian campsites are also available.
Campsites can accommodate tents, trailers and RVs (up to 27 feet). Each site also has a table, fire ring and grill. The campground has a campfire center, camp host, vault toilets and drinking water. Firewood is also available for sale at the campground. Cell service is not available in the area.
Montana de Oro State Park – Area Recreation
The Park includes over 8,000 acres of adventure waiting for you with sandy beaches, coastal plans, creeks, hills and canyons to explore. You can even hike up to Valencia Peak (1,347 feet) for an incredible view of the surround area. There are also mountain biking and equestrian trails. The best-known beach is Spooner’s Cove, across from the campground, where you can sunbath, snorkel, scuba dive and swim.
Morro Strand State Beach and Morro Bay State Park also have nice campgrounds. Both are within 13 miles of the Park.
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Amenities
- BBQ Grills
- Campfire Center
- Campground Host
- Campsite Tables
- Cell Service - None
- Drinking Water
- Equestrian Facilities
- Equestrian trail
- Fire Pit
- Fire Rings
- Firewood Available
- Grills
- Nature Center
- Pets OK
- Picnic Tables
- Restrooms (Vault Toilets)
Activities
- Beach
- Beach Access
- Beach Combing
- Biking
- Bird Watching
- Boating (non motorized)
- Cultural Sites
- Fishing
- Hiking
- Historic Sites
- Horseback riding
- Mountain Biking
- Nature Trails
- Ocean
- Photography
- Picnicking
- Scuba Diving
- Skin Diving
- Snorkeling
- Stargazing
- Surf Fish
- Surfing
- Swimming
- Walking Trails
- Whale Watching
- Wildlife Viewing
- Wind Surfing
Los Osos, California 93402
805 772-7434
Lat / Long:
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Campsite Types
- ADA
- Camper Van
- Equestrian
- RV
- Tent
- Trailer
# of Campsites:
60
Campsite Vehicle Size:
Up to 27 feet.
Season:
Year Round
Elevation:
55
Montana De Oro State Park Comments & Reviews
Visited Montana De Oro State Park Campground lately? We'd love to hear about your adventure. Did you find us useful? Did we forget something? Anything our community should know before heading out to Montana De Oro State Park?
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The Islay Creek CG was nice but could use a little attention to the fire rings and the critter lockers. Our grill was unusable and we were provided a temporary rusty grill from an old BBQ set. Despite that, the location is gorgeous! A misty and damp place with beautiful rock formations and dramatic surf. Easy hikes for the whole family along the bluffs with plenty of photo opportunities. Plenty of mountain biking and strenuous hikes for the more athletic types. The Spooner Ranch house is lovely. All in, a great place to spend a couple of days. Spots 50, 40 and 25 are best for tents.
We camped here in summer 2018 and loved it – very peaceful location a couple of minutes walk from the sea and excellent hiking trails, felt very out of the way while still being only twenty minutes drive from Morro Bay. Our only issue was that while it was very quiet during the week, a group of college kids descended on the Friday night and the vibe changed quickly. So perhaps aim for mid-week if you’re looking for solitude! We stayed in site 16, which was very spacious, however, the sites varied hugely in terms of size, so I’ve put a summary below (aimed at tent campers):
Site 1: enough space for a large tent, but it’s right by the entrance, although the road is is not busy and as the campsite is fairly small, traffic in and out is pretty light.
Site 2: Loads of space, possibly a bit exposed.
Site 3: Huge amount of space – could easily fit 2-3 big tents – option to pitch the tents up a slope under the trees and therefore slightly more private. The parking space, picnic table and fire-pit area are close to site no. 2.
Site 4: a bit smaller, anything above a four-man tent might feel slightly squashed.
Sites 5, 7, 9, 11 and 14
Island sites on first loop: these are definitely less private and are exposed with very few trees/ bushes between sites. The toilets and tap water are also situated here, and there is a sense of the track encircling them. Probably not the best if solitude is what you’re after, but good for groups.
Site 6: A good bet for size and privacy on the first loop.
Sites 12, 13 & 16: All really nice – on the outside of the first loop. Enough space for a 6 man tent, slight slopes but nothing impossible, some privacy with trees/ bushes, and very pretty views up the hillside behind. 16 is probably the best. Only downside is that these look over the group spots in the centre of the loop, so during busy periods, there might be some noise.
Site 17: Small, but nice: just about big enough for a four-six person tent.
18 and 20: Nice spots, but these are TINY and you would be hard pushed to fit anything above a two-three man tent here – also on quite a hard to ignore slope. If, however, you’re in an RV or a van, then these are very pretty and nicely secluded between hedges.
Site 19: as above in terms of tiny size, and RIGHT by the camp host – we felt this wouldn’t have offered you much privacy.
Before visiting, we thought the road connecting the two loops might be best avoided, however, the sites along here possibly have the most space, and as they are removed from the main loops, they are private and away from the group spots.
Site 23: A good bet, nice and private under a tree.
Site 24: Deep, large enough for a good-sized tent – we camped in this spot and liked it a lot.
25: Really nice spot up behind a tree, although as 26 is very small, there might be a bit of space-sharing (so perhaps get in early…)
26: Very small.
27: Spacious, private, a good bet.
28: a deep site, less flat than the others, but a tent would still be possible.
30 & 31: Slightly shallower, but still nice options.
32 & 33: Also quite shallow, and slightly exposed. Still enough space for a 5-6 man tent.
34, 35, 36, 37: Possibly best avoided if possible – on the junction and quite shallow so your tent would be close to the road, there is also very little space to pitch – larger tents would struggle.
39: spacious and pretty, quite close to the group sites in the middle section.
40: Nice, deep site with great views behind.
41 & 42: Again, perhaps avoid – very shallow, would be hard to fit a tent in.
45: A nice, deep space, not hugely flat, but would be great for a small (2-3 man) tent or van.
47: Shallow, but space for a big tent.
49: Nice space, but lacks flat ground.
50: This is on a junction, but it is a good, deep plot with space for a large tent away from the road up behind a tree.
Hi Jess,
Thanks for the great write up and tips/info on the campsites!
Which, if any of these sites are good for boondocking in a travel trailer?
What about space 44
thank you for the info!!
You’re welcome Rebecca!
Thank you for all the information on campsites at Montana de Oro. Do you know if any of the sites could handle two large tents?
Jack
Hi Jack,
Yes, there are several campsites at Montana De Oro State Park that can accommodate two large tents including 1, 2, 3, 5, 9, 15, 21, 27, 38, 43 and 50. Also 11 and 14 may work.
You are the bomb!
Thank you, that was very useful information as I tried to pick a site 🙂
Jess, great details love it! This is my 1st time to camp here, got campsites #1 & #2 for July. Wondering what the bathroom & shower situation is? It says Primitive campsite so I’m guessing no flushing toilets or showers? If that’s the case, is there somewhere to drive or walk to for a shower and to wash dishes? Thank you!
Hi Jess, You’ll really like the park/campground and surrounding area! The campground does have water and flush toilets, but no showers. Not sure where the closest place would be to take a shower.
Thank you camp Ranger for your reply! On ReserveCalifornia.com it says Pit toilet, but they flush that’s great. AT Spooners Cove beach they have a restroom at the parking lot area, any showers there?
Hi Jess, My bad – just confirmed that there are pit/vault toilets (no flush) at Montana de Oro State Park. And there are no showers down by Spooners Cove beach/parking area.
First time camping here, we have a trailer about 27 feet and big truck, which sites are best for this size and close to water spickets?
Hi Christina,
You can click on the ‘Campground Map’ button to see where the water faucets are located in the campground. Our favorite campsites are 10, 16, 18, 25, 27, 30, 39, 40, 44, 50. I recommend visiting ReserveCalifornia.com to check the pad sizes of the campsites you may be interested in.
Hi, we have ‘primitive campsite 02’ booked at Islay Creek Campground. Does anyone know if we are able to drive in to our camping area, or if it’s a hike in? If hike in, would this be tricky with lots of gear and 2 small kids? Thanks in advance! Dan
Hi Daniel,
Sorry we didn’t get the primitive campsites photographed at Montana De Oro State Park. Your hike in (from the parking area) to primitive campsite #2 is about 250 feet. There’s a decent trail.