Camping near Santa Barbara, California
Camping near Santa Barbara, California includes 27 public campgrounds on record, 15 reservable and 12 first-come. Most (20 of 27) are run by the U.S. Forest Service. The nearest, Mono, is 9.9 miles from Santa Barbara in a straight line, and 10 of 27 are within 15 miles. 1 is free. Another 7 public campgrounds filed under nearby towns are within 30 miles of Santa Barbara.
Camping near Santa Barbara at a glance
- Public campgrounds
- 27 (20 National Forest, 7 National Park Service)
- Getting a site
- 15 reservable and 12 first-come
- Cost
- 1 free; lowest posted fee at Bates Canyon: "Single Site: $5 per night"
- Distance from Santa Barbara
- 9.9 miles (Mono) to 75 miles (Santa Barbara Island) in a straight line; 10 within 15 miles
- Elevation
- 16 ft (Santa Cruz Island Prisoners Harbor) to 3,780 ft (Miranda Pines), 27 of 27 on record
- Season
- 7 seasonal with posted dates
- Campsites
- 264 across the 16 campgrounds that state a count
- RVs
- 7 take RVs; no hookups on record; longest stated RV length 99 ft (Sage Hill)
- Drinking water
- 4 of 27
Distances are straight-line miles from Santa Barbara'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
- Sites
- Not on record
- Season
- Not on record
- Fee
- Not on record
- Sites
- 5
- Season
- 01-01 to 12-31
- Fee
- Site: $150 per night
- Sites
- Not on record
- Season
- Not on record
- Fee
- Not on record
- Sites
- 37
- Season
- Not on record
- Fee
- Not on record
- Sites
- Not on record
- Season
- Not on record
- Fee
- Not on record
- Sites
- 19
- Season
- Not on record
- Fee
- Not on record
- Sites
- 14
- Season
- Not on record
- Fee
- Not on record
- Sites
- 14
- Season
- Not on record
- Fee
- Not on record
- Sites
- Not on record
- Season
- Not on record
- Fee
- Not on record
- Sites
- 31
- Season
- Not on record
- Fee
- Not on record
- Sites
- 6
- Season
- 08-27 to 10-31
- Fee
- Standard nonelectric: $15 per night
Santa Cruz Island Del Norte Backcountry - Sites
- 8
- Season
- 01-01 to 12-31
- Fee
- Standard nonelectric: $15 per night
- Sites
- Not on record
- Season
- Not on record
- Fee
- Single Site: $30 per night
- Sites
- 13
- Season
- Not on record
- Fee
- Single Site: $30 per night
- Sites
- 12
- Season
- Not on record
- Fee
- Single Site: $30 per night
Santa Rosa Island - Sites
- 15
- Season
- 01-01 to 12-31
- Fee
- Standard nonelectric: $15 per night
- Sites
- 13
- Season
- Not on record
- Fee
- Single Site: $30 per night
- Sites
- 33
- Season
- 01-01 to 12-31
- Fee
- Standard nonelectric: $10 per night
- Sites
- 6
- Season
- Not on record
- Fee
- Single Site: $5 per night
- Sites
- Not on record
- Season
- Not on record
- Fee
- Free
- Sites
- Not on record
- Season
- Not on record
- Fee
- Not on record
- Sites
- 18
- Season
- 06-01 to 11-17
- Fee
- Standard nonelectric: $15 per night
- Sites
- Not on record
- Season
- Not on record
- Fee
- Day Use:
- Sites
- Not on record
- Season
- Not on record
- Fee
- Day Use:
- Sites
- Not on record
- Season
- Not on record
- Fee
- Day Use:
- Sites
- 20
- Season
- 01-01 to 12-31
- Fee
- Standard nonelectric: $15 per night
No campgrounds match these filters.
More campgrounds within 30 miles of Santa Barbara
- Holiday Group, 26 miles from Santa Barbara in a straight line , National Forest , reservable ; listed under camping near Ventura.
- Wheeler Gorge, 26 miles from Santa Barbara in a straight line , National Forest , reservable ; listed under camping near Ventura.
- Rancho Nuevo Campground, 27 miles from Santa Barbara in a straight line , National Forest ; listed under camping near Ventura.
- Pine Mountain, 27 miles from Santa Barbara in a straight line , National Forest , reservable ; listed under camping near Ventura.
- Reyes Peak, 28 miles from Santa Barbara in a straight line , National Forest , reservable ; listed under camping near Ventura.
- Ozena, 30 miles from Santa Barbara in a straight line , National Forest , first-come ; listed under camping near Ventura.
- Reyes Creek, 30 miles from Santa Barbara in a straight line , National Forest , reservable ; listed under camping near Ventura.
Tent camping near Santa Barbara
- Los Prietos : 8 tent sites , 11 miles from Santa Barbara.
- Upper Oso : 3 tent sites , 2 walk-in sites , 11 miles from Santa Barbara.
- Fremont : 7 walk-in sites , 11 miles from Santa Barbara.
- Santa Cruz Island Scorpion : 25 tent sites , 26 miles from Santa Barbara.
- Santa Cruz Island Prisoners Harbor : 6 tent sites , 2 walk-in sites , 27 miles from Santa Barbara.
- Santa Cruz Island Del Norte Backcountry : 8 tent sites , 27 miles from Santa Barbara.
- Santa Rosa Island : 15 tent sites , 34 miles from Santa Barbara.
- Santa Rosa Island Backcountry Beach Camping : 33 tent sites , 37 miles from Santa Barbara.
- San Miguel Island : 18 tent sites , 44 miles from Santa Barbara.
- Santa Barbara Island : 20 tent sites , 75 miles from Santa Barbara.
Things to do near Santa Barbara
Public land and water within 30 miles of Santa Barbara, the public land its campgrounds sit in, and landmarks at those campgrounds, nearest first.
- Chumash Painted Cave State Historic Park, a state park whose mapped point is 8.1 miles from Santa Barbara; its hours, entrance fee, and boundary on publiclandsdb.com.
- Gibraltar Reservoir water level, a reservoir whose mapped point is 8.6 miles from Santa Barbara; current water level on reservoirfinder.com.
- Carpinteria State Beach, a state park whose mapped point is 11 miles from Santa Barbara; its hours, entrance fee, and boundary on publiclandsdb.com.
- Matilija Wilderness, a wilderness area whose mapped point is 20 miles from Santa Barbara; its permit and camping rules and boundary on publiclandsdb.com.
- Refugio State Beach, a state park whose mapped point is 21 miles from Santa Barbara; its hours, entrance fee, and boundary on publiclandsdb.com.
- Casitas Lake fishing, a fishing water whose mapped point is 21 miles from Santa Barbara; stocking record and species on fishypedia.com.
- Dick Smith Wilderness, a wilderness area whose mapped point is 23 miles from Santa Barbara; its permit and camping rules and boundary on publiclandsdb.com.
- Emma Wood State Beach, a state park whose mapped point is 25 miles from Santa Barbara; its hours, entrance fee, and boundary on publiclandsdb.com.
- Alisal Reservoir water level, a reservoir whose mapped point is 26 miles from Santa Barbara; current water level on reservoirfinder.com.
- San Buenaventura State Beach, a state park whose mapped point is 26 miles from Santa Barbara; its hours, entrance fee, and boundary on publiclandsdb.com.
Supplies and emergencies near Santa Barbara
Nearest emergency room
Santa Barbara Cottage Hospital
400 W Pueblo St, Santa Barbara, CA, 1.9 miles from Santa Barbara . (805) 682-7111
Next nearest: Goleta Valley Cottage Hospital, 351 S Patterson Ave, Santa Barbara, CA, 5.8 miles , (805) 967-3411.
In an emergency, call 911.
Both report emergency services in the CMS Hospital General Information dataset (accessed 2026-09-26) .
- Groceries
-
- Lazy Acres
- 7-Eleven
- The Point Market
- Fuel
-
- Fuel Depot
- Speedway Express
- Chevron
- RV dump station
-
- Marborg Industries
- Santa Barbara Sunrise RV Park
- Thousand Trails
- Pharmacy
-
- CVS Pharmacy
- CVS Pharmacy
- Ralphs Pharmacy
- Laundromat
-
- Linen
- Marina Laundry
- Modern Laundry
Not mapped in OpenStreetMap within 25 miles of Santa Barbara: 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 Santa Barbara, CA?
27 public campgrounds are on record near Santa Barbara. Nearest first, straight-line from town: Mono (9.9 miles), P-bar Flat (10 miles), Sage Hill (10 miles), Middle Santa Ynez (11 miles), and 23 more. 15 book through Recreation.gov and 12 are first-come, first-served with no reservations.
Is there free camping near Santa Barbara, CA?
Yes: Barrel Springs charges no fee at the campground.
Where can I camp with an RV near Santa Barbara, CA?
7 campgrounds near Santa Barbara take RVs: Ballinger, Fremont, Los Prietos, Nira, and 3 more. None has hookups on record. The nearest mapped RV dump station is at Marborg Industries, 2.1 miles from town (OpenStreetMap).
Where can I go tent camping near Santa Barbara, CA?
Fremont, Los Prietos, San Miguel Island, Santa Barbara Island, and 6 more list tent or walk-in sites on record.
Where can I camp near Santa Barbara with drinking water?
Sage Hill, Santa Cruz Island Scorpion, Santa Rosa Island, and Santa Rosa Island Backcountry Beach Camping have potable water on record.
Where is the nearest emergency room to Santa Barbara, CA?
Santa Barbara Cottage Hospital, 400 W Pueblo St, Santa Barbara, CA, is 1.9 miles from Santa Barbara in a straight line and reports emergency services to CMS; phone (805) 682-7111. In an emergency, call 911.
Every campground in the state: camping in California ; by agency: National Forest campgrounds in California and National Park Service campgrounds in California .