It's hard to imagine a place with more camping options than California. From the Coastal Range to the Sierra Madre, hundreds of campgrounds have tent and RV accommodations along with access to hiking, fishing and swimming. If you want to spend some time at the beach during your camping trip, California has you covered. Despite the abundance of options, a handful of loctions stand out when it comes to camping and swimming.
Southern California's coast is a beachgoer's paradise, with hundreds of miles of rugged coastline and sandy shores. Leo Carrillo State Park, about an hour from Los Angeles, is home to the Canyon Campground, which has more than 130 family campsites. Each site includes a campfire ring, picnic table and access to drinking water, showers and restrooms. Hookups are not provided, but the shady, secluded campsites are suitable for tents as well as RVs up to 30 feet in length. Leo Carrillo State Park also includes about 1.5 miles of beach, with lifeguards posted at designated swimming areas. The coast is open to surfing, fishing, sunbathing and wildlife viewing. Seals and sea lions are a common sight around the water, and visitors may be able to spot gray whales from the beach as the whales pass by on their annual migration during April and May.
With a surface area spanning more than 120,000 acres, Lake Tahoe has no shortage of opportunities for water sports and recreation. Numerous campgrounds and beaches dot the shoreline, and you can find both at D.L. Bliss State Park and the adjoining Emerald Bay State Park. The parks include a combined total of 268 family campsites. The sites are suitable for tents and small RVs, and each one includes a picnic table, fire grill and bear-proof food-storage locker. Restrooms and showers are provided, there are no hookups, and many sites are footsteps away from the water. Both parks have swimming areas. Lester Beach and Calawee Cove Beach at D.L. Bliss State Park provide places to swim on the main lake, while visitors at Emerald Bay State Park can swim in the sheltered waters of the bay.
Whiskeytown National Recreation Area encompasses more than 42,000 acres of densely wooded mountains around the shores of Whiskeytown Lake in Northern California. The Brandy Creek Beach, on the lake's southwest shore, is a place to cool off or soak up some sun. Lifeguards are on duty from Memorial Day to Labor Day. Down the road from the beach, the Brandy Creek RV Campground has 37 campsites open to self-contained RVs and trailers only. The campground includes water and a dump station, but no restrooms, showers, picnic tables, campfire rings or hookups of any kind. On the opposite side of the lake, the Oak Bottom Campground has accommodations for both tents and RVs, with campfire rings, picnic tables and access to restrooms and showers. The Oak Bottom Beach is within walking distance.
Clear Lake is the largest natural lake that lies entirely within the state of California -- the larger Lake Tahoe straddles the border between California and Nevada -- and Clear Lake State Park provides a place to camp and swim on the shore of the 43,500-acre lake. Four campgrounds within the park include about 150 campsites. Tents and RVs are welcome, and all campgrounds except the primitive Lower Bayview Campground have modern restrooms and hot showers. Hookups are not available at any campsite, and the largest sites can accommodate RVs up to 35 feet. Swimmers can hit the water at the designated swimming area just up the road from the Lower Bayview Campground. No lifeguards are on duty, so swimming is at your own risk.
