San Elijo Campgrounds
The San Elijo campgrounds
are located just South of Encinitas and just North of
Cardiff. The campground is located right on the bluff of
these beautiful beaches and has some of the best views and
waves in the surrounding areas. About 5 minutes North is
Pipes and about 10 minutes South is Cardiff and Suck outs.
There are over 170 camp sites located at these grounds which
make them able to handle a lot of campers, families and
surfers!
I personally have camped
here a few times and have not had one negative experience.
The staff was friendly, the campgrounds were clean and well
maintained and the surf was pumping while I stayed there,
which is always a great thing.
Campground Information:
Reservations: 1-800-444-7275
Direct Line: 1-760-753-5091
Website:
www.parks.ca.gov
General Rules:
-
3 Licensed vehicles
and 8 people allowed per campsite.
-
Maximum speed in
campground is 15 MPH.
-
Animals must be on a
leash and in owner's control.
-
No alcohol or glass on
the beach.
-
Campsite check out
time is 12:00 PM.
Click Here for Directions to the
Campgrounds
Cost for Camping:
| |
Peak Season
|
Off Season
|
|
Inland Campsite: |
$ 25.00 |
$ 20.00 |
|
Oceanfront Campsite: |
$ 35.00 |
$ 30.00 |
| |
|
|
The entrance to the San Elijo campgrounds are
located right of the bluff of the coastline as you are
driving down Old Highway 101. The entrance is only
accessible from the North as you can not turn left into the
campgrounds from the South.
The road leading through the campgrounds
Once you enter the campgrounds, there are two
campgrounds to the North and to the South so wherever your
particular spot is, head on over and set up camp. the speed
limit is 15 mph in all of the campground so abide that limit
and be careful of kids, animals and other vehicles.
A beach front camping spot
The view from a beach front spot
There are two kinds of camping spots located
at San Elijo and about 1/3 of these spots are ocean front
which is the way to go in my book. Waking up next to that
ocean sound and smell is one of the most tranquil feelings
in my book and should be experienced by everyone at least
once!
Each camp spot, whether inland or ocean front
has a dirt parking lot to park your RV, camper or cars, a
bench for meals, and a fire pit that is setup for a late
night bonfire. You can see all items in these pictures.
The inland camp spots at San Elijo
The majority of the camping spots at this
campground are inland spots which are still awesome but
without the great view all the time. These spots can
actually tend to be a bit larger then the ocean front spots
due to the layout of the campgrounds so that can be
beneficial.
One of the many beach access' in the San
Elijo Campgrounds
There are many ways to access the beach in
the San Elijo campgrounds and they are all easy to locate.
there are sets of stairs leading down to the beach every 1/4
of a mile or so. They are very well maintained and in good
shape for all the traffic they see.
A shower and beach access seen from the
walkway
On top of multiple ways to access the beach,
most of them have a shower at the top of the stairs which is
awesome after a long surf session or long day on the beach.
One of the many lifeguard towers on the beach
There are many lifeguard towers located
throughout the beach at San Elijo and they are open
exclusively during the Summer months. If you are camping
during the off season, make sure to take caution when
entering the water because more than likely, there will not
be a lifeguard on duty.
However, even though there might not be a
lifeguard on duty, the lifeguards routinely drive up and
down these beaches if there is an emergency and you need
help.
The restrooms that can be found in the
campgrounds
There are several buildings throughout the
campgrounds which are the designated restrooms. There is
usually about 8 restrooms per building and on top of that,
there are also sinks to wash the sand out of your stuff. All
of the restrooms are well maintained by the campgrounds and
in no way grungy or gross.
On top of the clean and well kept restrooms,
most restroom units contain showers as well. They are free
for campers and are in also clean condition. Just look for
the word "Shower" by the door and you're there!
The Shower's at San Elijo campgrounds
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