Camping near Monterey, California
Camping near Monterey, California includes 12 public campgrounds on record, 8 reservable and 4 first-come. All are run by the U.S. Forest Service. The nearest, Bottchers Gap, is 18 miles from Monterey in a straight line, and none is within 15 miles.
Camping near Monterey at a glance
- Public campgrounds
- 12 (12 National Forest)
- Getting a site
- 8 reservable and 4 first-come
- Cost
- Lowest posted fee at Kirk Creek: "Standard nonelectric: $45 per night"
- Distance from Monterey
- 18 miles (Bottchers Gap) to 53 miles (Plaskett Creek Group) in a straight line; none within 15 miles
- Elevation
- 160 ft (Kirk Creek) to 4,300 ft (China Camp), 12 of 12 on record
- Season
- 1 seasonal with posted dates
- Campsites
- 175 across the 8 campgrounds that state a count
- RVs
- 8 take RVs; no hookups on record; longest stated RV length 80 ft (Memorial Park)
Distances are straight-line miles from Monterey's point in the US Census Bureau Gazetteer (2025), not driving distances. Every other fact comes from each campground's own sourced record, linked from its page.
- Sites
- Not on record
- Season
- Not on record
- Fee
- Not on record
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- 8
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- Not on record
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- Not on record
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- 10
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- Not on record
- Fee
- Not on record
- Sites
- 39
- Season
- Not on record
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- Not on record
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- Not on record
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- Not on record
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- Not on record
- Sites
- 9
- Season
- Not on record
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- Not on record
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- 8
- Season
- Not on record
- Fee
- Not on record
- Sites
- 32
- Season
- 01-01 to 12-31
- Fee
- Standard nonelectric: $45 per night
- Sites
- Not on record
- Season
- Not on record
- Fee
- Not on record
- Sites
- 23
- Season
- Not on record
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- Not on record
- Sites
- 46
- Season
- Not on record
- Fee
- Not on record
- Sites
- Not on record
- Season
- Not on record
- Fee
- Not on record
No campgrounds match these filters.
Things to do near Monterey
Public land and water within 30 miles of Monterey, the public land its campgrounds sit in, and landmarks at those campgrounds, nearest first.
- El Estero Lake fishing, a fishing water whose mapped point is 0.2 miles from Monterey; stocking record and species on fishypedia.com.
- Monterey State Beach, a state park whose mapped point is 0.6 miles from Monterey; its hours, entrance fee, and boundary on publiclandsdb.com.
- Monterey State Historic Park, a state park whose mapped point is 0.6 miles from Monterey; its hours, entrance fee, and boundary on publiclandsdb.com.
- Hatton Canyon Prop, a state park whose mapped point is 3.2 miles from Monterey; its hours, entrance fee, and boundary on publiclandsdb.com.
- Asilomar State Beach, a state park whose mapped point is 3.4 miles from Monterey; its hours, entrance fee, and boundary on publiclandsdb.com.
- Fort Ord Dunes State Park, a state park whose mapped point is 4.7 miles from Monterey; its hours, entrance fee, and boundary on publiclandsdb.com.
- Carmel River State Beach, a state park whose mapped point is 5 miles from Monterey; its hours, entrance fee, and boundary on publiclandsdb.com.
- Point Lobos State Natural Reserve, a state park whose mapped point is 6.4 miles from Monterey; its hours, entrance fee, and boundary on publiclandsdb.com.
- Marina State Beach, a state park whose mapped point is 6.9 miles from Monterey; its hours, entrance fee, and boundary on publiclandsdb.com.
- Fort Ord National Monument, a BLM unit whose mapped point is 7.3 miles from Monterey; its camping rule, field office, and boundary on publiclandsdb.com.
Supplies and emergencies near Monterey
Nearest emergency room
Community Hospital of the Monterey Peninsula
23625 Holman Hwy, Monterey, CA, 2.3 miles from Monterey . (831) 624-5311
Next nearest: Salinas Valley Health Medical Center, 450 E Romie Ln, Salinas, CA, 14 miles , (831) 757-4333.
In an emergency, call 911.
Both report emergency services in the CMS Hospital General Information dataset (accessed 2026-09-26) .
- Groceries
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- Navy Exchange (NEX)
- The General Store
- Chevron
- Fuel
-
- Chevron
- NEX Gas Station
- Chevron
- RV dump station
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- Big Sur Campground & Cabins
- Pharmacy
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- Walgreens
- CVS Pharmacy
- CVS Pharmacy
- Laundromat
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- Speedy Time Laundry
- PG Wash & Dry
- Monterey Bay Laundry Co.
Not mapped in OpenStreetMap within 25 miles of Monterey: propane, potable water fill, and ice. Stores, fuel, propane, dump stations, water fill, laundromats, and pharmacies are the nearest few mapped within 25 miles, straight-line, © OpenStreetMap contributors (data as of 2026-10-01; this extract under the ODbL). Hours are as mapped; call ahead.
Common questions
Where can I camp around Monterey, CA?
12 public campgrounds are on record near Monterey. Nearest first, straight-line from town: Bottchers Gap (18 miles), White Oaks (26 miles), China Camp (28 miles), Arroyo Seco (34 miles), and 8 more. 8 book through Recreation.gov and 4 are first-come, first-served with no reservations.
Where can I camp with an RV near Monterey, CA?
8 campgrounds near Monterey take RVs: Arroyo Seco, China Camp, Escondido, Kirk Creek, and 4 more. None has hookups on record. The nearest mapped RV dump station is at Big Sur Campground & Cabins, 24 miles from town (OpenStreetMap).
Where can I go tent camping near Monterey, CA?
Arroyo Seco and Escondido list tent or walk-in sites on record.
Where is the nearest emergency room to Monterey, CA?
Community Hospital of the Monterey Peninsula, 23625 Holman Hwy, Monterey, CA, is 2.3 miles from Monterey in a straight line and reports emergency services to CMS; phone (831) 624-5311. In an emergency, call 911.
Every campground in the state: camping in California ; by agency: National Forest campgrounds in California .