Pismo Beach, which lies along California's pristine Central Coast, includes miles of beaches, sandy dunes, the largest winter colony of monarch butterflies in the country and the famous Pismo clam. This sprawling beach is divided into two sections, North Beach and the South Beach. Although North Beach's claim to fame is Hearst Castle and the Monarch Grove, it also has well-maintained, overnight campgrounds open year-round.
Campground Details
Pismo Beach has two campgrounds, one in the South Beach and one in the North Beach. The North Beach has several dozen standard campsites in Hearst San Simeon State Park (parks.ca.gov/?page_id=590), one of the oldest state parks in the California State Park System. You can make camping reservations between March 15 and September 30 by calling 1-800-444-PARK. During the rest of the year, campgrounds are first come, first served. Although RV and Trailer campgrounds are all in the South Beach's Oceano Dunes, the North Beach campgrounds does include electrical outlets for RV hookups that campers can use during the day time.
Amenities
Amenities for the North Beach's standard campgrounds include a dump station, comfort station, telephone, showers, restrooms, picnic areas, bike campsites and a visitors center. For emergencies, a ranger station is also available on site. The campgrounds is ADA-friendly and has a disabled access site. The maximum number of people allowed per site is eight.
Activities
The North Coast campground provides a wide range of activities. The facilities at San Simeon State Park include designated fishing areas, hiking trails that are ADA accessible and boat ramps. The surrounding beaches, WR Hearst Memorial and Cayucos, provide a pier to fish and do not require a state fishing license. Water activities at Pismo Beach include swimming, wind surfing, surfing and scuba diving. Hearst Castle (hearstcastle.org) is in San Simeon, so while camping, visit this sprawling mansion -- now a museum -- and walk through its gardens. You can also bird-watch all throughout Pismo Beach; visit the Pismo Nature Center (ccnha.org) for seasonal birding checklists and to ask docents questions.
Monarch Butterfly Grove
If you're at the North Beach campground any time from November through February, visit the famed and fascinating Monarch Grove, which has the largest winter colony of Monarch butterflies in the country. This yearly migration includes millions of elegant Monarch butterflies traveling from west of the Rockies; researchers have used the colony for tagging programs and ongoing studies. During their migration, some Monarch butterflies fly more than 1,000 miles to reach warmer climates.
References
Photo Credits
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