Big Sur = Big Risk?

May 12, 2008 7:12 PM

I need advice on first come first served camping in Big Sur, we are going to be there May 30-31 and want more "rustic" sites which are usually non-reservation sites. Are there times that are best? Places that are more off-the-beaten-path so less likely to be scooped up?

Any and all advice is welcome!

posted by jasbet07 to travel & transportation (4 comments total)

A map with some camps more info here
posted by hortense at 7:53 PM on May 12

I don't know the Big Sur coast but this week we're off to camp inland from Big Sur at China Camp, and spend the days in the river and hot springs at Tassajara Zen Monastery, with day hikes into the fabulous Los Padres / Ventana Wilderness.

That might not be what you're looking for, but Tassajara is a wonderful gem and just getting there is an adventure. It's also less chilly than the coast. China Camp is drive-in and first-comers get the best sites, but the only times we see other people there are Friday and Saturday nights. Note that to use the facilities at Tassajara you MUST book ahead by phone. We mostly go to the river outside of the Tassajara boundary, where the rocks are water-smoothed into natural water-slides.
posted by anadem at 8:32 PM on May 12

Oh, and we have been to a couple of other campsites along the Big Sur coast (along Hwy 1). We just turned up but got crummy sites because we were late in the day. If you can get there on a Thursday instead of Friday you might have better luck than we did, but it seems to be hit-or-miss, and I'd expect a late May weekend to be pretty full because Big Sur is a nice day drive from the Bay Area.
posted by anadem at 8:41 PM on May 12

I was camping in Big Sur earlier his week. We spent one night each in 3 different campsites, and didn't have any trouble finding space (on weekdays).

This is a pretty good list of the campsites:
http://www.bigsurcalifornia.org/camping.html

We stayed in Andrew Molera, Limekiln, and Pfieffer.

Molera might be a bit less crowded because you need to hike 1/3 miles in to get tot he campsite, but Pfieffer has the advantage of being huge (10 times as many campsites).

Let me know if you have any questions I could help with.
posted by vegetableagony at 7:17 AM on May 25