Its a great State beach & campground but for overnight I prefer El Capitan State Beach campground better. In any event, I only give both of these campgrounds a 3 out of 5 stars simply because of 2 things in their online reservation system.First, there is no way you can buy a site for same or next day. Its a minimum 3 day advance purchase.Second, there is a ridiculous nonrefundable $8 fee for every booking.I prefer the online reservation system for the National Parks, Forest, and Recreation Areas because like you can buy sites for same day use and there is no expensive booking fee.
The waters are warmer then up north in the next city. Great facilities including paid, private shower rooms with hot water. It is easy to get past where waves crash and float or swim with the swells of the waves. Picturesque.
Medium size beach with good bathrooms. Good for surfing in the north end but only a small area so it can get crowded with surfers. Good for body surfing along most of the beach. Get there early to find parking next to the beach. There is parking outside of the park area that requires a little bit of a walk if you dont want to pay the state park fee or its full inside the park.
Refugio State Beach is a protected state beach park in California, United States, approximately 20 miles west of Santa Barbara. It is 2.5 miles west of El Capitán State Beach. During the summer months, the Junior Life Guard program resides at the beach during the day. Dogs are allowed on the campsite. Dogs are not allowed on the beach. Showers are available for 25 cents for two minutes.
This Is Paradise.It is Blessed with Oceanic Views on one side and the other a Forest of Gorgeous Trees. Beautiful smiling People like the Lifeguard that took the time to converse with me about life after I asked him an important question if anyone told him God Bless you today? He replied no.I replied well God Blesshya and thank you for what your doing. He was empathetic to my Struggle as a Black man just trying to live a Peaceful Life. I shared with him that I moved here a little over3 years ago so that my daughters can grow up in a Peaceful Environment. I also shared that I come from a Military Family and Growing up as a yungen in the Bay Area Oakland/San Jose I remember many orchards and trees that resembled Santa Barbara. My GrandMomma Alicia Dupuy told me when they left New Orleans in the 50s and moved to San Diego after WWII because my GrandFather was a Navy Sea Bee stationed there. They soon moved to Oakland Ca. and she said it was Beautiful with a Forest of Oak trees thus why it is called Oakland the Land of Oaks surrounded by the Ocean Bay water on one side and Forest on the other much like Santa Barbara. We conversed and my 4 year young BabyGurl Angelinah Forever ran up to say Hello and God Bless you all by herself me smiling as proud as can be. We said our Goodbyes and he said we Welcome you and your Family to our Home enjoy. All of us Lifeguards/Rangers are Family men and were Fortunate to live and work here God Bless you too Abel....I Praise God for this Beautiful place where we as human beings from all backgrounds can just enjoy a little piece of Heaven here on Earth .Blessings
Great place would love the beach sand cleaner hard to find a place to put your chair/towel? Weird weather but getting out of the Ash/smoke so happy to be here for 2 days!
Always my favorite beach since I was a little kid. It warmed my heart just to stop and circle around. Beautiful day! If I only had my kayak and a change of clothes....you cld see the islands....only the surfers were there....high tide....camping sites were closed.....very peaceful. It was worth the $ to get out and get some vitamin D and take some pix. Lots of memories here! Favorite place to kayak!!
Camping is crowded and close. The park manager was very aggressive in making sure rules were followed. We parked at the bathroom and he came quick to tell us no parking here that its for people camping. We need to park on the other side of the building. The beach was decent. The one thing that stood out though is the old train tracks that tower overhead. Cool bit of nostalgia.
Due to Corona Virus, it was illegal to sit or lay down on Refugio Beach over Labor Day weekend. This forced everyone up on the asphalt road into closer proximity to one another. Refuguo Beach is usually a 5 star out of 5 star.
Quiet and pleasant. Nice place to rest. Plenty of parking. Friendly staff.
What a beautiful and serence beach. The waves were calm and gentle. The camp hosts were super friendly and kind. The others here were very curtious. Highly recommend. The camp sites are a bit rocky so expect to bend tent pegs. Being so close to the water puts you at risk of blowing away with the inland breeze. Take a walk towards the west and youll find some wonderful tide pools as well. Highly recommend this location. Bathrooms are clean and showers are $.25.
The place is a beautiful sandy beach and the accommodation is perfect for the family and accessible for special need people. The campground is fully shade with a lot of trees, there is a shower, playground and grill for bbq. Bike riding, walking and its clean and friendly people.
Its a nice, not busy little stretch of beach with a small amount of closely packed in campers. We just came to swim though. Nice bathrooms. The sand wasnt super fine which scraped up my back at one point, but that was my fault -- you dont have to surf the small waves upside down on your back to the beach and then let the waves push your back along the sand. :) That just to say the sand was less than fine. We felt it was worth the $10.00 to enter for a couple hours of swimming. It looks like you can park nearby the State Beach and walk in if you dont want to pay at the gate to park inside.
Great place to beach dive. Easy entry..most of the time. Angel Sharks. Halibut. 7-gills. Skates. Horned sharks. Etc.
Camped out at Refrugio brach and lucked out on a campsite near the water. Lots of friendly families and clean facilities. Would recommend. We liked it so much we wanted to book a second night but we were too late.
This could be the best beach in southern California except for the tar washing onto the beach from off shore oil platforms. Bring something to clean your feet because half of the time we go end up with oil on our feet.
Best Hiker-Biker spot in the area. If youre bicycle touring down the CA coast, stay here. The campsite is about 30-40 yards from the ocean. Clean bathrooms and hot showers(25 cents/2mins).Just watch out where you step on the beach. Everyone in my group got tar stuck to the bottom of our feet, and its reaaaally hard to scrub off. Beautiful beach besides that.
Love the ocean. However due to the power issues because of the fires showers are shut off.
Best camping ground I have ever been to and the camp host Ms. Lynn was great she made our experience much much better we will go back soon
Beautiful beach! I hope to be back for camping some day
Wonderful place love it.Can wait to come back to this place again...
Its a cool spot to stop. See the sunset or camp.
Beach access is closer to the parking lot. Small site for each camper. Store does not have much. I like it compare to Carpinteria State Beach. A good crowd when we went here, no dogs allowed which is a plus. I dont mind coming back here.
This is an amazing place great camping good people the camp host were helpful and friendly. My wifes family have had a tradition of camping here every July for well over 50 years and I can see why. I look forward to coming back and continuing the tradition for many more years
Bring your food and beverages. Theres picnic tables. BBQ grills too, bring your own charcoal...not crowded...good place to practice paddle boarding and kayaking...
Best beach in the area by far.
Worth to go ，camping near beach, nice view
Best weather in the area,awsome Beach family fun.
Great beach access. Nice campground.
Beautiful beach. I go to the very far end to take some photos of models for an up and coming brand out of London called GymVersus. They specialize in Fitness attire that can also double as street clothing. The photos I took were of the sport under garments.This beach has great waves to ride in the summer when the water is nice. It also has some decent wildlife during certain times of the year. I’ve even had some close encounters with the sea lions( I try to keep my distance).The beach itself in certain areas seem to be lower than the the water so it seems like the water is actually above your head. To some it can be scary and to others if feels like your in the middle of the ocean alone and it’s exhilarating.All and all I would recommend this beach. Pristine Central Coast beaches!! #eccentricdigitalmedia #santabarbara
Best camp site I have been too. So much to do here. They have a bike trail nearby, Kyacking. I love how close this place is to the beach and how there is a little store here too. The basketball court is a nice touch. Thr camp sites are pretty big too. We had enough room for a big full size rv and 2 cars with room to spare.
Beautiful hidden gem!! Enjoy the beautiful blooms in April!!
Chill vibes, access to restrooms, good for RVS
Nice beach and picnic area
Sun sets in the opposite direction - not on the sea... But the place has a beautiful feel to it! Its a nice ️ ground...
Very nice campground, with close beach access!!!
It has become really eroded on the west side. I dont know how long the last palm trees will survive. It has become very crowded at the weekends, so this is why I am removing one star. It is no longer a place for peaceful contemplation.
There are some nice spots here, ours was not. Train really loud freeway even louder
Top 3 CA State Beaches for camping by far. Very secluded and quiet. Book 6 months in advance for a good beach facing site. We used to take our 27 travel trailer and now take our 28 toy hauler with no issues. There are no hookup sites that I know of. They do have group camp sites and a general store and basketball courts. Beautiful place.
Water was so cold! Clean beach though. Even had a park ranger walking around picking up the trash. Brought my 4 yr old who loved it but when she had to go to the bathroom we found out they were locked with no way to get in. Sorry ocean!Lots of birds and surfers but not really crowded. Beautiful beach overall. Cost $10 to get in, no exceptions for handicap parking. Btw theres handicap parking.
A gem of a state beach park. I drove up from LA on Memorial Day to do a beach scuba dive, because this is one of the most protected beaches there is. All the Malibu and Ventura county beaches were packed, but the campground by the beach was only a little more than half full. Nice clean facilities, very friendly rangers and lifeguards, low key feel, and the walk from parking to the beach is short and easy. Ive only been here a couple of times, but its definitely worth the drive up in the morning to get in the water if no place else is possible. And yes, the beach dive was easy, theres interesting underwater structure to explore, visibility was better than expected (especially since it rained a little the day before). Refugio is close to Point Conception, and there is a lot of rough weather out there, so this place sometimes gets very windy in the afternoon
The beach is nice the sand is fine but the camp ground could use some up keep.
Secluded and beautiful. A little bit of road noise but its negligible. Try and get a site with shade if youre camping.
Nice beach, erosion has taken its toll on the various pathways to the beach. The store there is usually stocked with all kinds of goodies, and the staff is always super nice.
My family and I have camped here for years and it is still by far our favorite campground!
Great location right on the beach. There is some train and highway noise but the beach availability is worth it. No hook-ups or dump station but potable water available throughout the campground.
Reservations required for campsites in the summer, but lots of space in the off season. Campsites are less private than at the neighboring campgrounds, which makes it great for big groups. The camp hosts, state parks lifeguards and rangers know their stuff and will always help you and others stay safe. Dogs are allowed on leash on all paved areas(and grass), but please keep them off the beach. If that’s important to you, check out Jalama county beach, which allows dogs on the beach.
Basic no frills dry camping. Bring quarters for hot water showers. One of my favorite spots on the coast.
Great beach with an option for camping, there is a little general store on premises with food and basic items, the only down side is you have a to pay to enter the park and to camp.
Got foggy and cold but never a bad day at the beach
Nice beach, needs more privacy between camp spots. I felt like I was camping with strangers lol. The bathrooms were excellent and kept cleaner than any other camp bathroom Ive seen. A lot of trains and large trucks passing by in the middle of the night but luckily easy to sleep through. There are train tracks and a highway up a short hill at the back of the camp.
Best camping spot in southern California.
It is Beautiful beach I really enjoyed it there very clean and well maintained
Park staff friendly and welcoming. Clean,
Always a very nice place to camp had unexpected bad weather though.
I love the Bouchard group site at Refugio the most. Early morning beach walks never disappoint.
Great place for a barbecue and sunset!
Wonderful, relaxing and enjoyable beach. This California beach not only allows one to chill out under the sun and lounge, but if you like to fish, you can. If you want to picnic, you can. If you want to camp, you can. This palm-laden beach location offers an incredible view of the sunset. It is not far from the urban areas, so accessibility was quick and easy. Also local eateries and shops are almost a stone’s throw away.
Nice beach and great for camping
Decent camp ground on the beach. Did not see any rats like others said. However there are lots of gophers and squirrels. Definitely nice for families with small kids or those who like paddle boarding and kayaking since there are very little waves. There is a small point for surfers but its not anything to write home about. The beach is lined with large palm trees and the beach had eroded leaving most of them hanging by the roots, cool and scary. The camp store has basic amenities but doesnt have any souvenir items, not a deal breaker.
Pristine clean and not crowded.
This is the place...camping, fishing, surfing, group area...with a view...small store is open during the summer. Santa Barbara 20 minutes south...Santa Ynez Valley 20 minutes north..day parking too..Reservations are needed for camping..have fun!!
It was my first time going to this beach and it was amazing. There was plenty of parking and plenty of tables to choose from once there. Lots of shade too which was amazing and even though it was in the low 90s it felt cool being under all that shade.
Lovely beach to visit while traveling down the pacific Highway! There is actually sand at this one lol!
Really fun area to gather. I went with my whole family and had a great time! My dad, me, and his friends caught fish and even a STINGRAY! We woke up at4 30 am and got there at 6. We stoped to buy chips and coffe with my brother. Although it was too cold to swim, I practied my ballet and acro tricks on the nice and warm sand. I just hated all the sweed and bugs on the table. We loved the rocky area and even found cool shells and a shell with pearls inside!
We loved camping here on our week long expedition of central California! The campground was great! We stayed 2 nights, and had 2 different spots. Both great, easily accessible for the 22 ft RV we were in, and both spots were in a great location. Aside from maybe seeing difficulties parking your rig if it is very large, every camp spot seemed easily accessible, clean and maintained, and easily accessible to the beach... Really just a short walk from any camp site! There are bathrooms, and showers, so bring quarters! There is not any electrical hook up for RVs, and they have guidelines on when you can run generators. (Why can people enter the park at 8 am, but we cant run out generator to make coffee until 10 am??? .... My only complaint. But not enough to lose a star here since we were camping after all...) To anyone concerned about the tar, or oil, I think you need to understand that it has been happening for a very long time, (the indigenous people here used it too seal holes in their homes, baskets, etc... Look it up people) and its really not a big deal to get it off your skin. Heres a tip, baby oil and a scrubby pad/brillo pad work miracles, and dont hurt your skin if you dont scrub too hard! Just be mindful where you walk, and youll be fine! Lots of fun tide pools and rocks to explore at low tide. Beautiful picturesque beach. And the waves looked great for surfing... We saw a mom taking her 1.5 year old daughter for a ride on her surf board! Such a fun place! I highly recommend this beach and campground.
Nice. Cozzy place
One of my favorite places to spend quality time with friends and love ones.
Amazing little beach with a campsite. Parking is ten bucks and camping 45. Fine sand wonderful Palm trees and not too crowded. Love it!
Clean bathroom, beautiful beach, pleasant staff, roomy spots.
We didnt actually got down to the beach because you have to pay the entry and we werent going to stay long. But it looked beautiful.
Great place to camp at too!!
Beautiful beach day
Nice beach with some awesome camogrounds! 10$ day use and 35$ for the campsite
For a state Beach it was very dirty unkempt grounds bathrooms nor maintained and very expensive for what they offer. Beach is beautiful but no dogs are allowed. Very disapointed
Always a pleasure visiting this beautiful beach. The restrooms and showers are clean. Every campsite is not far from the beach so you can be happy with just about any site.
The hiker and biker camp was great for my pacific coast trip!! One of the best of the ride.
The position is perfect. Amenities clean...staff making sure everyone does the right thing. No dogs on the beach sign but people ignored it.
Love this camp ground perfect for family vacation
Great location! Absolutely beautiful and close access to a wonderful beach. Bathrooms and showers are super nice. This is most likely why its so expensive to camp here. Personally, I feel like the campsites are too smashed together. The train that goes right the campsites at night is the loudest thing youll ever hear. And the wind is pretty nuts. Really glad I used extra stakes for the tent. I probably would go back if the price was right but otherwise. . meh. Im not upset about it and I had a great weekend with great people and thats all that matters really.
Great campground
Camping on the Pacific Ocean with a great beach. Cool for the kids and Goleta and SB only a 15 minute drive. Wish there were plug-ins but really everything was great.
Excellent location. Easy walk to beach. Woodys pizza will deliver here. Quiet time is 8pm to 10 am, bring solar and batteries! No hookups.
Nice place to stay and spend the night while youre listening the waves...
The beach is extremely dirty with debris from the ocean. Seaweed and so forth. Beach is coated in oil chips. Tar chips. you spend hours later washing it off your body and clothing. What a nightmare. And to top it off they charge you $10 to get in because it belongs to the state.
Beautiful easy and clean
Nice place to camp, restrooms nice and clean, nice warm showers.
The beach was dirty with seaweed when I went. I would think the beach would be cleaner since they charge to get in.
Good beers and service. A little pricey, but Beyond meat burger and side salad were tasty.
Beautiful place to camp right on the beach. I love camping here. I give this campground a 5 star rating and highly recommend this place.
The camping areas where great, facilities were great, small upgrades should be done soon only with new shower heads as the old ones are about done. The atmosphere was amazing good for families, couples and large groups of friends. Would stay here again in a heart beat
Excellent to bring dogs
- Address:10 Refugio Beach Rd, Goleta, CA 93117, United States
- Site:https://parks.ca.gov/?page_id=603
- Phone:+1 805-968-1033
- State park
- Campground
- Tourist attraction
- Wheelchair-accessible entrance:Yes
- Good for kids:Yes
Similar organizations
- El Capitn State Beach1 El Capitan State Beach Rd, Goleta, CA 93117, United States
- Gaviota State Park1595 US-101, Goleta, CA 93117, United States
