This is the best place to go camping if you want to get away. 79 has the biggest lot and the best of botg worlds of forest and ocean.

Stayed two nights at the campground. Campsite was just a few sites from the ocean cliff. Although it is a beautiful beach and clean campground, the traffic noise from hwy 101 kept me up at night. Was hoping to be able to hear the ocean waves but could not. Every few minutes of the night I heard semi trucks blaring through on the hwy. I am not exaggerating. It was surprisingly loud and was really challenging to enjoy true peacefulness of the outdoors.

I totally love this place. I save a lot of money every week by not going to a hotel. A day pass at $10 and a private shower on site for about $0.75 to $1.25 is only a fraction of the cost of a one night stay at any decent motel room in the surrounding towns. Be mindful that if you choose to shower here, please, dont abuse the showers with dirt, pee, or inappropriate bodily fluids. The showers are not your your stomping grounds for interludes with your significant other. They are there mostly for the campers. We are in a post Covid-19 era so taking a shower with sandals is a must. If you are passing through you can use the shower but make sure to leave the car in the day use lot and walk up to a camp site shower. Lock up your car to avoid problems with transients. Keep El Capitan clean and throw away your trash in the appropriate receptacles and not the bushes. You will have a gorgeous view of the ocean from the upper level as you look out. The mountains are nestled on the other side of the freeway, plain rolling hills that are serene and picturesque. Everyone who visits is entitled to enjoy the natural beauty here. Dont mess it up for future generations who want to visit as well.

Great beach. We stopped to look and fish a bit. We didnt catch anything. We saw dolphins. I would love to camp for a day or 2. Its pretty rocky but might have a sand section somewhere. Its calm and you cant hear the highway.

Clean bathrooms, showers, very few bugs compared to other sites. The rangers were pretty active though so strict rules on noise control which to me was a bummer but over its a great camping site for families. Lots of trees and short walk from the beach

Fun spot to break up the drive to nor cal or dry camp over night.

Great location, plenty to do here! Had an amazing vacation. Definitely recommend.

This beach has an amazing feel too it early in the morning.The breeze: perfect.. not too hot. Not too cold, just makes you feel very calm.The scent: it doesn’t smell too salty or too overpowering of seafood. I loved this smell like fresh sea breeze and tranquility.It has sort of a living calm if you may. It makes you feel like you can actually just come and forget about all the non sense, drama and irritation in your life. I know It’s just a beach but it feels like an opening of freedom. Definitely worth checking it out if you’re in the area or looking for a weekend getaway with the family. Bring the sunscreen, Coca Cola and hit the beach in the most relaxing way possible.-Eccentric Digital Media

Super chill. Reminds of a California that is more untouched. Walking the beach is an adventure as you will find weird shells, sea weed, and branches.

Clean and kept up State Beach. $10 per car day parking.

Great campground, bathrooms need updating though. Easy beach access, plenty of room to get an uncrowded section if you dont mind a little walk

Great camp grounds. With beautiful beach.

Heaven Heaven more of heaven. Great staff and super clean but you must do your part. Its not the rangers job to pick up after you!

Nice campground but could use maintenance. Our site had a water spigot and it was leaking creating a puddle that smelled horrible. We did get to enjoy blue jays tho.Also the trail to the beach was a bit over grown and the bike path needs repaving in some spots. Overall we had fun. Wouldnt keep is from coming.

Such a nice campground. Smaller. Spread out sites. And a 10 minute walk to the beach. You cant beat it

Great place to camp and to hang out for the day. You get the best of both mountain-like camping and beach fun all in one place. Great space if you have dogs who like to run around.

A perfect place for you and kids. We enjoyed each time we were. We will camping in couple weeks again.

I grew up going to El Capitan every year and I truly love it

Clean and not too many bugs. Beach was epic love this place e

Great camp sights. Beautiful beach

Great place to camp. Can get pretty windy at times. No dogs on beach unless service animals. Bathrooms are decent and pay showers available.

Great experience just didnt like being harassed by the park rangers for having a good time.

Do you hear that. Exactly peace n quite.

Beautiful and clean. There is only one loop open now. We stayed 1 night in our 5th wheel and enjoyed a good sunset.

The beach is beautiful if you dont mind swimming in tar. They recently spilled 125 gallons in may and there is still tar washing up on the beach. I had to scrape the tar off my feet after getting out of the water. I didnt realize until I smelled the burning oil from the boats in the ocean miles out.

Awesome awesome beach . Vegetation and lot of parking...

This is a really, really beautiful campground. I was stuck between two RVS that had their blasted generators running nonstop. But even that could not diminish my love of this place. Grassy, trees, hot showers, and the views!

Amazing place to Meditate alone or be playful with friends and family, explore or all aboveHighly recommended for anyone wanting a beach camping experience with good accommodations beauty in all directions along with helpful and friendly staffPeople who litter and are just obnoxious please stay away !

The Drake group campsite is spectacular had a great time with the kids

Great location. Great facilities. Really crowded.

Recently visited (Aug 19) with non-camping in-laws and everyone loved it. We rented two cabins and a bunk house (8 adults + 1 2 yr/old). We prepped meals for every breakfast and evening - cooked over open flame, and yet enjoyed private, clean and comfortable beds, bathrooms and showers! Hardly camping, but an enjoyable experience. We enjoyed beach days, Santa Barbara Zoo + restaurants, as well as hiking and mt. biking. Looking to convince the friend group to join us for another round at El Cap Canyon! Love the experience.

Beautiful beach. Campsites are large.

Nice clean park and organized camp grounds.Theres black tar on the beach. It may be naturally occurring or subsequent of offshore drilling and pipelines. Be warned, sticks to your feet and shoes. Difficult to remove.

Very well maintained and relaxing place to camp. Reservations are six months out so you really have to look off the bow of the boat if you want to go there.

Been coming here since I was a kid, this year is the worst I have seen the park, its really gone downhill, but still worth visiting

It’s nice to get outside rv camping every once in a while and cheap night time stays and lovely coin accepting showers in there bathrooms

Ugh, I hate leaving 2 star reviews. But unless you like listening to trains cruise through your tent, enjoy Trash Pandas (raccoons) digging through ALL your food, POISON OAK (there are NO warnings of this anywhere, and it’s EVERYWHERE), small camp sites (some are big, but if you don’t know when booking, you’re screwed), bathrooms that got destroyed on the weekend, and some strange popping blow off valve that goes off like every hour, then this camp ground is for you. I don’t know, maybe we just had a bad experience. We were located in 1-28 and hands down the other area where you’re close the water is WAY better. The bathrooms in our area were old and run down. The bathrooms on the other side are newer and look better. The general store at the beach is only open weekends.Be warned about the Raccoons. They WILL attempt to get into everything, they WILL climb on And into your vehicles, chairs, tables, coolers and anything else you leave out.On a good note, the showers are only $0.25 for 2 min and WERE hot!!! We did not have a tar issue, the beach was great. We even managed to go diving.If you plan to use bikes and ride in the trail, DONT, the trail has been washed away and is closed down.We will be back to try the other side and give it another try, but our first trip was a bummer.I included the raccoon attack to the car and a beach picture.

A favorite camping place

Beautiful lil walking trail

Nice beach, not too crowded. Interested sea life, a few crabs and the sand is filled with odd burrowing insects. Parts of the beach are limestone cliffs too. The tar is an issue though, Im not sure if its naturally occurring or a product of the oil rigs off shore, but everything is covered in globs of sticky tar that is impossible to get off your body or clothing. Would not recommend getting in the water or walking without shoes.

Beautiful scenery, geeked out at the old farmhouse museum.

Expensive to get in $10 a car but when we were there it was really nice. Took a few snaps. Had some strawberries by the sea then went on our way.

Magical place with a great vibe and views.

Really nice place to go camping and go to the beach. The camping site is very clean and the bathroom are okay.

This has become one of my favorite pull offs to see the ocean. The view is beautiful and it wasnt crowded when it I went, so it was extra nice.

Its a great place to visit and the parking spaces are big enough to house our motor home The beach is Close by Theres a store down the beach they also have firewood to sell you I will definitely be back

Nice if you like natural beaches.

This State Park/beach is beautiful. Right on the Ocean. $43 for one night, beautiful trees and vegetation. Id come back here in a minute.

Only 20 min away from Santa Barbara, Spacious campsites

$10 state park entry free, but wasn’t very crowded. Very windy and the water was ice cold lol but minimal seaweed and we even saw dolphins!

Love this campground. Most of the sites are well spaced apart so you dont feel like youre on top of each other. Great beaches and a fun point break for those who surf. There is also a 2 mile bike path that you can take to Refugio campground. Some great secluded beaches along the way. Be sure to keep your food locked away or place in containers that racoons cant get to. Had 7 of them show up in the middle of the night raiding the dog food we left out in a container we thought they couldnt open.

Woodsy campgrounds with all amenities

My second favorite place on earth! :)

Awful. Full of tar and oil. Me and my family went to enjoy an afternoon at the beach and returned with our bodies and our water equipment bodyboards sandals Etc all coated with black tar.

Very nice quite place to camp and hang out at the beach

Such a beautiful place, saw dolphins the day we visited

Quiet, friendly birds, racoons and skunk. :) Ideal place for a family!

Loved it. Was my first time but my sister had come before we will be back soon with our kids. I loved it all great getaway hated leaving

Great for fishing if you time your runs. Nice campsite, lots of fun. Perch, some rockfish, halibut, and dolphins, whales, and seals from time to time.

Its an amazing beach, with lots of little crabs and shells, and beautiful view, especially the sunset . Good workout place ! Very tidal!

This is a very nice place & I love camping here but I have to say that we picked a spot to be close (not too close but walking distance) to restrooms & we got there Friday mid-morning & had only 1 toilet stall working out of 2 & then Saturday Morning there was a sign that saud BOTH stalls not working & main Door locked (OUT OF SERVICE) That we could not even take showers there. (Im sure it was due to Veteran Day Weekend traffic) but We had to walk to the next loop to use the restrooms & take showers. It was very inconvenient.Also,just keep that in mind...There is an extra charge for extra cars per night of $10 now...so not only we paid for our space for up to 8 peole $54+ a night but we had to pay extra for the 2nd car $20 (2 nights)...just an FYI, make sure you secure your food/ice chest well, as there are racoons that come out at night.

Nice beach area. We saw some dolphins passing by.

Campsites are clean and spacious for a tent camper or small trailer. Working restrooms with showers but they need help. Great views of the Pacific Ocean from a bad full of sites. Overall it is a typical California state park. I would camp here again.

Very clean and well maintained state park.

Great place, had a wonderful 6 days there!

El Captain Beach one of the most wonderful beaches I had ever been to even more special with the family its a wonderful place just off the highway so if youre looking for a place to rest and relax thats the beach to go to they have Cliffs that look down into the ocean that give you that movie picturesque feeling it will always hold a special place in my heart because thats where my boy Ryan Jacob first beach trip was remember be good human beings love your loved ones while theyre here and if you ever want to take a vacation and feel like driving a little bit El Captain Beach is the place to go enjoy have a wonderful day

Nice place to take a stretch from the scenic drive.

Great little stop over, secluded with great beach access and phenomenal views. Tar on the beach so be aware :) Spots are first come first serve. Depends on the night but most of the time its filled up quick.. early reservations are best.. go to the site by 9:30 or 10 in the morning to see about first come first. Fees depend on camp or RV and spot but normally no more than about $35

Awesome sunsets. Good beach... No rocks but some tar tags

The views of the coast line from El Capitan State Beach are great looking north. South, you wont see much. The beach itself is tucked away along Highway 101, so its difficult to see from the road. Walking into the park is a pleasant path, and will take you underneath a rail bridge and through a wooded area before entering the park. Parking near the beach is readily available, and it appears that there is a beach store there, but during our visit it was closed. There is a sign posted on the notice board that the park service is under a severe budget restriction, so this may be contributing to the closing of the store. Also, during our visit, the showers near the bathrooms were shut down, so be ready to improvise in getting all the sand washed off of you. There is also a $10 fee for vehicles to enter the park.

I haVe been coming for years watching my children grow and enjoy the outdoors especially the ocean. Great camping with awesome views and walking and biking trails. They connect to Refugio State beach.

Great views, not quite as loud as NASCAR circuit. Close to freeway, but even closer to a very active railroad track. Trains blow their horns late at night just in case the cars dont keep you up. Dusty but not dirty campsites. Bathrooms reasonably clean, not too-too poop scented.

Beautiful sites, lots of space and some shade. A short walk to the facilities. Be prepared to climb a lot of stairs to go to the beach. Caution about the spots by the road, the cars drive by very fast and often shine lights in tents, lighting up the whole tent. Very clean facility and overall highly recommend.

We camped at the Drake group campsite.ProsGreat for families.Lots of open spaces for games and dogs.5 min walk to the beach.Dolphins swam by the shore every morning.Place to wash dishes.Restrooms close by.ConsOnly one firepit for our large group. It would have been nice to have a firepit for each campsite area.Long lines for showers towards dusk but ok if you shower early.Picnic tables seemed very old and worn down/wobbly. But there were plenty to use.Overall would recommend.

This is a cool place for camping. There are lots of campsites. We came in last minute for a first come first serve campsite and found a bunch of options. The ocean is usually visible from campsites. I was in B loop. The campsite had winter holy Berry and Christmas trees. I had a great time here. The cost of the campsite is $45. There are showers but no hot water.

I love this place. Nice camping spots with lots of room. A short walk in either direction will put you on your own private beach.

Creek running good

$10 charge to access the parking lot, even if for only a few minutes like we did. Quite a wonderful view of the coast from this beach! There is a store for food/snacks but I didnt go in there so I cant say much about it. Parking lot has about 50 spaces.

Cant beat a 2 minute walk to the cliffside with a beautiful view, or a 5 minute walk to the sand.

Best of both worlds, forests and beach,

One of the best place where you can enjoy camping and beach picnic as well as fishing. spacious and large sites where group camping available too. large shore with beach sand is attached where the cliff, ocean, wood and sky is beautifully getting along together. Watching dolphins swimming near by is another epic moment. Here becomes definitely my favourite campsite to relax in a ocean view camp ground.There is one and only downside after playing on the shore. There seems to have three to four oil platform offshore where you can see by the shore. and it seems have oil spill and body and swim suits are covered with oil mud after just in the beach that ended me scrubbing body and trash the swimming cloth. Just stay off the beach and avoid any fish.......and fox and raccoons are smart enough to take away all the foods during night time. They know where the food and how to open the storage even though it is seals never opened.

Sunshine or fog, this place is worth it. Long beach walks, boogie/body boarding and always a great view of the Pacific. Camping is rustic bc the bathrooms are older but we camp here year round and love it.

Beautiful venue with amazing views of the Pacific! Just a note - no hookups.

Great beach to visit, very beautiful.

Really lovely place. I took my boys to the campground overnight. We walked down to the beach and stayed for a few hours. The next morning we walked on the trails.

Great place to spend the night or just for the day.

Awesome camping and beautiful beach. No hook ups for RVs. Bathrooms and showers are a bit rustic but clean and functional.

If youre lucky enough to score a site right on the bluff, this is a beautiful place w a gorgeous view of the ocean. Its a little hike to the sand so a beach wagon will help if you use a lot of gear. The sunsets here in June were amazing

Its simply WONDERFUL!!!

Very nice. Friendly beach

Beautiful place to watch the sun set.

Its so beautiful and has a small trail to hike and explore its history.

Great campground and beautiful beach.

Cool place to relax..

Great place to take the family. Park is beautiful and well kept. Spaces are full hookups and cement pads. Movie night is a blast! Right across the street from the beach :)

Very nice beach!

This was a very nice beach. We enjoyed very much the scenic walk through the oak trees before you reach the beach. The twisted branched arch over the path, seeming very much like an enchanted Forest.

What a beautiful stretch of beach!

So lovely. Add this one to your coastal trip!

Beautiful views!