Los Prietos Campground Guide
Located in Los Padres National Forest about 30 minutes north of Santa Barbara, Los Prietos Campground offers camping among a grove of large oak trees in the Santa Ynez Mountains.
The family-friendly campground is green and lush and is a great place to camp in the mountains of western California. The campground is nestled on the side of the Santa Ynez Mountains, with mature oak trees providing ample shade, and abundant vegetation blankets the ground. The campsites are roomy and allow for some privacy and separation.
The campground is a quarter-mile from the White Rock Day Use Area, which provides excellent access to the Santa Ynez River along the last 6 miles of Paradise Road.
Campground Details
Site types: Tent, RV
Amenities: Potable Water, Toilets, Trash Receptacles, Fire Rings, Picnic Tables
Information number: 1-805-434-1996
Reservations: Reservations accepted
Reservation number: 1-877-444-6777
Campground Coordinates: 33.707704,-116.734375
Location: Mountain Center, California
Address: 56375 CA-74, Mountain Center, CA 92561
Season: Year round
Los Prietos Campground Sites and Amenities
The campground offers 38 single-family sites for tent or RV camping, each equipped with a table, campfire ring, and a grill. The campground offers flush toilets, drinking water, and trash bins as shared amenities. There are utility hookups for RVs available at the campground.
This video shows some photos of the sites:
The nearby Santa Ynez River is popular for a variety of water-related recreation. Cachuma Lake Recreation Area, a reservoir about 10 miles northwest of the campground, offers boating, fishing, and kayaking. It is a no-body-contact reservoir so no swimming is allowed. The reservoir is stocked annually with trout, and anglers can also catch carp and bass.
There are many hiking, biking, and horseback riding trails in the area. The Aliso National Recreation Trail is a popular, 2.5-mile loop that begins near the campground. Also nearby is the 18-mile Santa Cruz Trail, which provides access to a variety of other trails in the area. The Camuesa OHV Route and its connecting trails are available within 10 miles of the campground.
About Los Padres National Forest
Los Padres National Forest encompasses approximately 1.75 million acres of central California’s scenic Coast and Transverse Ranges, stretching across almost 220 miles from north to south. It consists of two separate land divisions. The northern division is within Monterey County and northern San Luis Obispo County and includes the beautiful Big Sur Coast and scenic interior areas. The other division includes lands within San Luis Obispo, Santa Barbara, Ventura, and Kern Counties.
