I’ve car+tent camped at El Capitan State Beach, CA a total of 3 times in unique campsite locations, and have day-visited half a dozen other times. So I think I’ve started to get enough of a feel for the place to say something about it, in a review. Here’s what I’ve found so far.
Where is El Capitan State Beach, CA?
El Capitan (actually it’s El Capitán) State Beach is located a few dozen miles north of Santa Barbara, CA and has its own Highway 101 exit, Exit 117. Northbound visitors watch out, because the exit right before Exit 117, which is of course Exit 116, is called ‘El Capitán Ranch Road’, but that one doesn’t provide access to the state beach or campsites.
After exiting the appropriate exit, turn towards the beach (left turn for northbound visitors, right turn for those southbound). Go under the bridge and you’ll shortly be at the drive through check in station. Past that there will be a right turn to access the campsites, or just continue straight for day-use parking, the general store, and beach access.
How To Reserve a Campsite at El Capitan
You have to reserve El Capitan SB campsites through Reserve California. But don’t think you can just casually sign up whenever you want to get a spot. You have to come with a game plan if your going to reserve a spot on one of California’s most desired beach camping spots. Read my guide to tilting the odds of getting a reservation in your favor before visiting Reserve California.
Basic Car & Tent Camping Info
- The car & tent campsites at El Capitan are interspersed with the RV & trailer sites in sites 1 to 123 (Lower, Middle & Anza, and Upper & Portola groups on Reserve California).
- Each tent site has mostly level ground to pitch your tent (sometimes there’s a compromise between flat ground and shade), and has an individual fire ring, with a cooking grate, and a picnic table. This is just normal, basic, car camping.
- The sites are pretty close to one another, so if you’re not from heavily populated California, then this might be a bit of a culture shock.
- The sites are sectioned into loops that have running water bathrooms with showers, and also have potable water faucets here and there. The showers in the loop where I stayed last take tokens, but a few years ago they took quarters.
- There’s a general store in the day-use parking lot, which sells firewood. It’s now reopened, after being shut down during the pandemic.
- There are no bear lockers as there are no bears.
Which Campsites Are the Best For Car & Tent Camping at El Capitan SB?
My favorite spots are the ones numbered in the low 40’s. Those are 1) far away from the highway and Amtrak train (which has multiple trains throughout the day) so you’re removed from the noise; 2) in the wooded setting, so there’s enough shade for your tent, that it doesn’t turn into an oven; and 3) away from the main road that cars and RV’s travel to get to the other campsite loops.
Site 43 is pretty nice with respect to all three of these, as well as being pretty close to the bathroom. But I’d also like to try site 41 some time, even though it’s nearer to the campsite’s main road, that both cars and RV’s use. The latter site has nice wooded privacy, and views of the ocean through the trees. Just be aware, these low 40’s sites are in enough woodland, that they do have raccoons looking for food at night. Definitely lock food stuff and trash in your car at night.
Sites in the Low 30’s Near the Beach
If you travel with a canopy that can shade your tent from the morning/daytime sun and heat, then sites 32 and 34 are pretty good. They’re the closest to the ocean and furthest from the highway and Amtrak as you can get.
See my Guide to Prius Prime Car and Tent Camping for more on the Coleman Instant Beach Canopy we use to cover the tent from the sun in spots like these.
The problem with these sites is if you like to sleep in, in the morning, there’s traffic noise from the main campsite road. Every car/truck has to pass right by your site, to get to and from the majority of the other campsites, and a lot of this travel is done in the morning.
If you can, grab site 84. That one is the ultimate beach view site, and is coveted by all the veteran El Capitan campers. But apparently they all digitally pile into it, when it opens up on Reserve California, based on what is said in one of my Facebook camping groups. So it’s kind of hard to get.
84, or even 82, 83 or 85, are far enough away from the highway and Amtrak, as well as being well removed from the main road that cars and RVs use. Great sites indeed!
Which Campsites at El Capitan Are Not Good?
I recently stayed in site 117, on a last minute trip, and the highway traffic was too noisy all night. And it got even worse in the morning, waking me up early. The Amtrak is super loud at that site also. Such likely prompted me to write this campsite review!
Site 117 only has one shady spot for your tent since the trees there are limited, and it’s on a mild incline so that’s another sleep related antagonist. That site is even more smooshed up against its neighbors, than other sites in the grounds, so lots of neighbor noise too. You can watch my video of camping there to get an idea of the neighbor, train, and traffic noise:
Basically any of the campsites in the 60’s, 70’s, 90’s and 110’s are going to have highway and or camp related traffic noise. So try to avoid those if you can. Or at least bring some ear plugs, a solar battery bank and fan for some white noise, or other means of helping you sleep.
I managed to sleep okay in 117 from the exhaustion of setting up camp, riding my folding bike along the bike path, hiking to the beach, and a little wine and Benadryl at night.
Virtual Tours of El Capitan Campsites
On my last visit, I was able to take several videos of different El Capitan sites from different angles. If you’re looking at the loop where my recommended sites are at, I’ve got you covered for sites 29, 41, 47, 52, 53, 54, 59. I’ve got my site 117 covered also in it. The link leads to my Youtube video of these sites.
There’s more to say in this review about what to do once you’re up and running, so I’ll be back at a later date…
Further Reading
I’ve got more car camping related topics on my CAMP page, and on my Prius Prime Car Camping page. Check them out if you liked this article.