Choose among 70 campgrounds situated throughout Los Padres National Forest (fs.usda.gov) for your next family camping trip. Most campgrounds are geared to a primitive, back-to-nature experience, with basic amenities at your campsite such as picnic tables. Most sites in the forest are available on a first-come, first-served basis. Davy Brown Campground contains 13 secluded campsites situated along a creek where you can fish in the springtime, swim in the summer and see a variety of birds throughout the year. Arroyo Seco Campground has one loop with accessible flush restrooms and coin-operated showers.
Off-highway vehicle enthusiasts will enjoy scenic and challenging terrain in Los Padres National Forest. The forest is home to unique OHV adventures such as the expert-only Stair Steps, where a sheer 300-foot drop-off looms just feet from where you're riding. You can camp in a designated campground near OHV riding areas, such as Ballinger Campground with 20 wheelchair-accessible sites, or camp in a dispersed location near OHV riding areas. There is no charge for dispersed camping, but you will need to have an Adventure Pass or other inter-agency pass to use the OHV areas, as well as a valid OHV registration.
If you want to explore the woods on horseback, you can begin and end your day at one of six campgrounds situated throughout the forest geared toward horse and rider. The campgrounds range from 400 feet above sea level at Reyes Creek Campground at the Piedra Blanca trailhead, to over 5,000 feet. You'll find tables, stoves and vault restrooms at the campgrounds, along with pipe corrals at most locations. Piped water is available at the Upper Oso and Sage Hill campgrounds. Sage Hill is designed for riding groups of 25 or more people and is situated at the Aliso Canyon Trailhead. The campground has flush toilets, water and ample parking for horse trailers.
The Los Padres National Forest is continually upgrading its accessibility to recreation areas for those with handicaps or mobility issues. Flush restrooms and coin-operated showers can be found in the Arroyo Seco Campground's lower loop. Many other campgrounds in the forest have accessible sites with nearby double-wide vault restrooms suitable for wheelchair users and assistants to have complete privacy and plenty of room to maneuver. Rose Valley Campground has a tent site suitable for wheelchair access. The ADA-compliant Exploration Trail begins at McGill Campground, and there's an accessible fishing area with restrooms at Reyes Creek Campground.
