Camping near San Luis Obispo, California
Camping near San Luis Obispo, California includes 12 public campgrounds on record, 5 reservable and 5 first-come. Most (10 of 12) are run by the U.S. Forest Service. The nearest, Cerro Alto, is 12 miles from San Luis Obispo in a straight line, and 2 of 12 are within 15 miles. 3 are free.
Camping near San Luis Obispo at a glance
- Public campgrounds
- 12 (10 National Forest, 2 BLM)
- Getting a site
- 5 reservable and 5 first-come
- Cost
- 3 free; lowest posted fee at American Canyon: "Single Site: $5 per night"
- Distance from San Luis Obispo
- 12 miles (Cerro Alto) to 54 miles (KCL Campground) in a straight line; 2 within 15 miles
- Elevation
- 1,000 ft (Cerro Alto) to 2,508 ft (Selby Campground), 12 of 12 on record
- Season
- 1 seasonal with posted dates
- Campsites
- 51 across the 5 campgrounds that state a count
- RVs
- 2 take RVs; no hookups on record; longest stated RV length 35 ft (Cerro Alto)
- Drinking water
- 1 of 12
Distances are straight-line miles from San Luis Obispo'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
- 22
- Season
- Not on record
- Fee
- Single Site: $35 per night
- Sites
- Not on record
- Season
- Not on record
- Fee
- Single Site: $5 per night or $30 per year
- Sites
- 4
- Season
- Not on record
- Fee
- Single Site: $30 per night
- Sites
- 6
- Season
- 01-01 to 11-01
- Fee
- Standard nonelectric: $30 per night
American Canyon - Sites
- 12
- Season
- Not on record
- Fee
- Single Site: $5 per night
- Sites
- Not on record
- Season
- Not on record
- Fee
- Single Site: $30 per night
- Sites
- 7
- Season
- Not on record
- Fee
- Single Site: $30 per night
- Sites
- Not on record
- Season
- Not on record
- Fee
- Free
- Sites
- Not on record
- Season
- Not on record
- Fee
- Free
- Sites
- Not on record
- Season
- Not on record
- Fee
- Free
- Sites
- Not on record
- 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 San Luis Obispo
Public land and water within 30 miles of San Luis Obispo, the public land its campgrounds sit in, and landmarks at those campgrounds, nearest first.
- Avila Hot Springs, a hot spring whose mapped point is 6.2 miles from San Luis Obispo; soaking details on swimholesmap.com.
- Los Osos Oaks State Natural Reserve, a state park whose mapped point is 8.8 miles from San Luis Obispo; its hours, entrance fee, and boundary on publiclandsdb.com.
- Morro Bay State Park, a state park whose mapped point is 9.6 miles from San Luis Obispo; its hours, entrance fee, and boundary on publiclandsdb.com.
- Santa Margarita Lake fishing, a fishing water whose mapped point is 12 miles from San Luis Obispo; stocking record and species on fishypedia.com.
- Lopez Lake fishing, a fishing water whose mapped point is 12 miles from San Luis Obispo; stocking record and species on fishypedia.com.
- Santa Lucia Wilderness, a wilderness area whose mapped point is 13 miles from San Luis Obispo; its permit and camping rules and boundary on publiclandsdb.com.
- Pismo State Beach, a state park whose mapped point is 13 miles from San Luis Obispo; its hours, entrance fee, and boundary on publiclandsdb.com.
- Atascadero Lake fishing, a fishing water whose mapped point is 14 miles from San Luis Obispo; stocking record and species on fishypedia.com.
- Morro Strand State Beach, a state park whose mapped point is 14 miles from San Luis Obispo; its hours, entrance fee, and boundary on publiclandsdb.com.
- Oceano Dunes State Vehicular Recreation Area, a state park whose mapped point is 16 miles from San Luis Obispo; its hours, entrance fee, and boundary on publiclandsdb.com.
Supplies and emergencies near San Luis Obispo
Nearest emergency room
French Hospital Medical Center
1911 Johnson Ave, San Luis Obispo, CA, 1.3 miles from San Luis Obispo . (805) 543-5353
Next nearest: Adventist Health Sierra Vista, 1010 Murray St, San Luis Obispo, CA, 1.7 miles , (850) 546-7600.
In an emergency, call 911.
Both report emergency services in the CMS Hospital General Information dataset (accessed 2026-09-26) .
- Groceries
-
- SLO Beverage 'n More
- Ralphs
- Shell
- Fuel
-
- Valero
- Shell
- Chevron
- Propane
-
- Propane
- Suburban Propane
- Propane
- RV dump station
-
- El Chorro Regional Park Campground
- Pharmacy
-
- CVS Pharmacy
- Kohana
- CVS Pharmacy
- Laundromat
-
- SLO Laundry
- Tienda Rosita Clothes
- The Laundromat by Swish & Swirl
Not mapped in OpenStreetMap within 25 miles of San Luis Obispo: 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 San Luis Obispo, CA?
12 public campgrounds are on record near San Luis Obispo. Nearest first, straight-line from town: Cerro Alto (12 miles), Hi Mountain (14 miles), Turkey Flat Ohv Staging Area (19 miles), Navajo Flats Campground (21 miles), and 8 more. 5 are first-come, first-served with no reservations and 5 book through Recreation.gov.
Is there free camping near San Luis Obispo, CA?
Yes: Baja, Buck Spring, and Paradise Spring charge no fee at the campground.
Where can I camp with an RV near San Luis Obispo, CA?
2 campgrounds near San Luis Obispo take RVs: American Canyon and Cerro Alto. None has hookups on record. The nearest mapped RV dump station is at El Chorro Regional Park Campground, 5.8 miles from town (OpenStreetMap).
Where can I go tent camping near San Luis Obispo, CA?
Cerro Alto lists tent or walk-in sites on record.
Where can I camp near San Luis Obispo with drinking water?
Cerro Alto has potable water on record.
Where is the nearest emergency room to San Luis Obispo, CA?
French Hospital Medical Center, 1911 Johnson Ave, San Luis Obispo, CA, is 1.3 miles from San Luis Obispo in a straight line and reports emergency services to CMS; phone (805) 543-5353. In an emergency, call 911.
Every campground in the state: camping in California ; by agency: BLM campgrounds in California and National Forest campgrounds in California .