Oceanside is situated in San Diego County, but it is as close to San Diego as it is to southern Los Angeles and attractions like Disneyland and Knotts Berry Farm. It is located along the San Diego Freeway (California Route 5), which is along the California coast.
The city is located just to the south of Camp Pendleton, a major base for the U.S. Marine Corps.
Oceanside has several attractions, besides the surfing, the beach and the California weather. There is a pier which was originally built in 1888, and a scenic downtown with shops and restaurants. Both are accessible from the nearby RV parks.
Oceanside is also home to the Oceanside Art Museum and the California Surf Museum, both of which are situated near the pier. The Oceans Eleven casino is situated in the same area.
Oceanside is located between two California state beaches: San Onofre and Carlsbad. Carlsbad beach is the smaller and there are no camping facilities there.
The San Onofre beach is a 3,000-acre coastal-canyon park. Nearby Trestles Beach, connected to the San Onofre beach by a 1.5-mile long nature trail, is a renown surfing site.
San Onofre–San Mateo Campground is a short distance inland from the 3.5-mile long beach. The San Mateo Creek flows just to the east of the campground, creating a wetland which has several rare and endangered species.
In the campsite, there is a shared dump station, hot indoor showers and flush toilets. There are fire pits and picnic tables for each site, and RV hookup sites with electricity and water. Camping is available year-round.
There are two RV parks close to each other in the city of Oceanside.
The Oceanside RV Park is located less than a mile from the beach and the Center City golf course. It is less than two miles to the downtown area.
The campground has full hookups including sewer, dump station, 30 amp service, cable TV and Wi-Fi. The 140 concrete sites are separated with fences. There is a laundry on-site, and tent spaces available. Pets are welcome. The park has meeting rooms and club rooms with pool tables and foosball tables. Outside, there is a pool, spa and BBQ tables.
The Paradise by the Sea RV Resort is less than a mile away, and even closer to the sea. It has 102 full hookup concrete spaces, all with picnic tables for six. The hookups include water, sewage, 30 or 50 amp electrical hookups, and cable TV (not on all sites). Wi-Fi Internet access is available. Pets are allowed, but only two dogs per site.
There is a heated pool and spa with a fire pit on the pool deck. Restrooms have hot showers, and there is a coin laundry and a small grocery and RV store. The recreation room has pool table, foosball table, hockey and basketball games and a Ping-Pong table.
About 15 miles inland from Oceanside, there are two RV parks along California Route 15.
The Champagne Lakes RV Resort is located between three lakes, where campers can fish for bass, catfish or bluegill (fishing is catch and release).
Champagne Lakes has 69 full hookup sites, and 21 sites which do not have septic and phone hookups. There are 10 tent sites with water and electricity, and a coin laundry, restrooms and showers.
The Escondido RV Resort has 125 concrete sites with full hookups, wireless Internet, and 30 or 50 amp electricity. The site is dimensioned for large RVs, and situated in a landscaped park. There are bathrooms, heated pool and spa, laundry, and picnic and barbecue areas. Pets are welcome and pet walking areas are provided. The resort also provides coffee, concierge services and a book exchange.
