Morro Bay State Park
A comfy campout with 2 to 5 mile hikes
Ideal for first-timers
Driving to and sleeping at a campground
Perfect for families with young kiddos
Pups are welcome at camp and on hiking trails
Trip · 3-day camping trip
For · Friends and new campers
Vibe · Relaxing and chill
Reservations · Yes, reserve a site at Morro Bay State Park Campground
Drive · 3.5 hours from SF and LA
Ideal dates · June to September
Pets · Welcome at camp and on the beach!
The 23 million-year-old Morro Rock captures everyone's attention at Morro Bay State Park (I mean, how could it not?), but this park also features lush estuaries, winding oceanside walkways, and glorious sunsets. There's an 18-hole golf course and a natural history museum nearby too. MBSP gets packed in July and August due to the warm summer vibes, but September is still a fine time to visit.
Main image credit: Joshua Chun
Each campsite comes with a:
Tucked between the golf course and Morro Estuary Natural Preserve, Morro Bay State Park Campground is packed with amenities for everyone. Upper section campsites are best for tent campers, and you can buy firewood and take hot (coin-operated) showers here too. Try to reserve your campsite months in advance though. People love visiting this park.
Check-in: After 2 PM · Check-out: 12 PM
Quiet hours: 10 PM to 8 AM
Nightly Rate: $50
Morro Rock is one of 13 volcanic plugs, which are the former tops of extinct volcanoes, in San Luis Obispo County. It's 581 feet tall!
The Salinan and Chumash tribes consider Morro Rock to be a sacred site. They call it Le'samo and Lisamu, respectively.
A Portuguese explorer, Juan Rodriguez Cabrillo named Morro Rock "El Morro" in 1542. In Spanish "Morro" means crown shaped hill.
You won't be saving money, but you'll save space and weight with these camp sandals.
Clothes
Sleepover! This is a tent you can stand up in and have plenty of space for air mattresses, doggos, and more.
Shared Gear
A reliable, popular, and relatively affordable dual-burner camping stove that is fairly heavy, but performs well.
Kitchen
It's pricey, but the New York Times' Wirecutter recommended this attachment as a way for wheelchair users to navigate uneven terrain.
Essential Items
Instead of transporting stuff on your lap, use this storage bag to easily store items underneath your wheelchair.
Essential Items
Never dig around your pack to find some hand sanitizer. Instead, hang this one on the outside of your pack.
Personal Stuff
If you're an experienced backpacker, this is the lightest full-size, full-featured, frameless pack made.
Essential Items
Add a little magic to your experience by hanging these twinkling lights around your tent every night.
Shared Gear
Sometimes you just want a camp chair that gets the job done. Nothing glamorous or fancy. Well, this is it.
Shared Gear
The more you backpack the lighter your shelter becomes, and the lighter it is, the more expensive it can be.
Shared Gear
Camp underneath the stars and watch glorious sunrises in Joshua Tree National Park, the second largest national park in California.
