It appears that with all the reviews, the cat is out of the bag. Yes, as campgrounds go in Ventura County, Dennison is one of the very best. Nestled on top of a hill halfway between Ojai and Happy Valley, the view is simply incredible and you will often find artists up here with canvas and brush. In fact, this is the ideal location to view the rare "Pink Moment" on the Topatopa bluffs between November and February. It's truly astounding...
At night there is some traffic noise from Highway 150, but it's very light and bearable. You will also hear coyote song, owls, crickets, frogs, chipmunks, birds and cattle lowing. Most of the tent sites have a decent canopy of trees for shade and a few sites have water spigots available. Some even have pull-through parking, for those of us who are parking challenged.
There are no showers here and there is no creek either. The lack of running surface water at the camp might be a deal breaker for some, however it does help keep the insects to a minimum. Camping at the sites near the top of the hill are primarily for tents/vans. Larger RV's are not recommended. Camping near the top means you will probably have a nice breeze in the evening to keep things cool.
Being some distance from civilization and stray light, the sky at night is spectacular. Stars, planets, comets, shooting stars and even orbiting satellites are all brilliant and clear.
As a biker, I especially enjoy Dennison because of its central location to many great motorcycling roads, like Highway 150, 33, 192 and others. Some of the sites have space for several bikes too. Because of this, I'm adding this to the Best Biker Bars list, even though it's not a bar...
The camp host is extremely friendly and helpful too. This camp is dog friendly (for a small additional charge) and is close to Ojai, Boccali's and a general store at Summit. The views here during sunsets or when the Ojai Valley is filled with fog is nothing short of amazing.
One small negative can be day-use visitors, which use the lower sections of the camp on weekends and holidays. Large groups can frequently be noisy. Fair warning to those who are looking for a peaceful respite from the busy week. The good news is they leave when evening falls.
I won't mention which sites are my personal favorites, but suffice it to say - there are no bad ones and each has its advantages and disadvantages. I've stayed in several of them and they've all been great. And as other reviewers have pointed out, the bathrooms here are the cleanest I've found at any camp, bar-none. Even folks who hate camping just because of the restrooms, will love these... Just for reference, the very old stone restrooms are often closed. The newer restrooms are at the bottom of the hill just East of the camp host site.
Except for periodic maintenance, Dennison is open year round. Temperatures here in the Winter can dip into the 30's, so be prepared for that. You may even see a little snow from time to time. In the Summer it can be pretty hot, well into the 90's, however with a decent breeze, it's liveable. And as with any campground in Southern California, you can find rattlesnakes when it's warm, so be alert.
There are two ways to pay at this park. You can simply show up, fill out the pink registration slip and place your $20 in the envelope, which you then deposit in the bright yellow locked container. Or you can go to the Ventura County website and pay on-line, provided you do that well in advance. Reserving and paying on-line means you can reserve the specific site you want, which is really cool.
One last thing about Dennison... While there aren't any designated hiking trails near the camp, there is a very cool improved fire road, which can be accessed at two points from the park. Black Mountain Fire Road winds across the ridge above Ojai and can be a nice challenging walk with gorgeous views and scenery - HOWEVER be aware that it's not an official hiking trail or public road and access may be prohibited. Fair warning...