Los Prietos Campground is a decent spot if you're looking for a quick nature getaway close to Santa Barbara, but it has a few drawbacks to keep in mind. The location is pretty, with plenty of trees for shade and easy access to nearby trails, and the sites are generally spacious. But man was it dry and I get that that's how it is in the summer but I wasn't a fan. On top of that it's not really a great camp ground to take dogs, there was foxtails all over the place. Which made my best friend and I super nervous. But they definitely enjoyed going into the Santa Ynez river! Bathrooms were kept up which was nice. Everyone at the campsites near us were all pretty respectful. read more

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No complaints. I went camping with my daughter and her/my friends after attending UCSB orientation. Campsite was clean, bathrooms clean ( no light in the bathroom, but clean). Campsite 11. Plenty of flat ground to put tents up, we also had plenty of shade. Hosts were incredibly attentive and kind. read more

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This spot is a really cool location. I can see how it would be a little crowded on a packed weekend but with covid, we had it pretty much to ourselves. There was a camp host that we never saw, nor needed but it was good to know someone was there. The bathrooms were clean and located in multiple areas around. They had tables, bbq and fire pits (that we couldn't use due to fire hazard season) and also water spigots. What we liked most was the shade it offered. There are a few other locations very close by and those didn't really offer any relief. We were excited that we could hear and see so much wildlife! We heard owls, mules, birds etc. In the morning we had deer walking through and wild turkeys! They were huge and not really scared of us, so we could get pretty close to observe them. So so cool! It was also only about 10 min from the main road and our favorite restaurant so it's in a convenient location, at least for us! Ok for the cons, yes, there were a lot of gnats or fruit flies, I'm not sure the difference. I hear that vanilla keeps them away... not sure I believe that or not but I might bring one of those candles next. We did make good use of our citronella though. Our 2 biggest complaints were the amount of poison oak everywhere. We wanted to go to this one campsite tucked in a little better but it was surrounded. We had 2 dogs with us and I was too worried to stay in that area. I definitely didn't need them to contract it AND/OR bring it into the tent. The other was that the trees that are overhead had extremely sharp leaves! Our dogs were having a lot of issues with their feet. I'm not sure why those trees were the ones of choice at the time of organizing the campground but I would watch out, not only for your for your fur babies, but your children as well! read more

Beautiful setting with friendly and hard working camp hosts. Each site has a picnic table, fire ring, and grill. Water won't be too far, but you may have to walk for it. There's a "quiet section" if you don't want to be around noisy families or campground parties. A flock of wild turkeys live in the area, and they like to walk through the campground around sunrise. We woke up one morning with 20 or so wandering around our camp site. It's a unique experience. Negatives: Many of the sites have no flat surfaces for setting up a tent. You'll be rolling off of your air mattress in the middle of the night if you're not careful. Poison oak is everywhere, even in the camp sites. The restrooms leave a lot to be desired. Dark, dingy, with something resembling toilet paper that takes three hands to unroll. Some of the locks don't work on the restrooms, either. We'll definitely enjoyed ourselves and will return, but we have seen much better. read more

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Worst experience ever with a camp host. Hope nobody has to experience the harrassment we went through at this site. Should you feel harrassed please take a moment to complain, heres the local forest service supervisors number 805-968-6640. The camphost at one point poured a bucket of water on our fire, walked up to our site with a golf club, threatened to wake us up all night if we didnt leave, and tried to scare us away by threatening to call the cops. read more

Los Prietos Campground - Camphost putting out our fire - Campgrounds Near Me - Santa Barbara, California

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CAMPSITE 26 IS AMAZING! I had to start off with that because our experience with our campsite was actually amazing. We were far away from all other sites so we could be pretty loud and didn't get complaints, and the campsite is absolutely amazing. Aside from that campsite though, the other campsites didn't look very nice, so I have to give this campground three stars. We had a great time, but we wouldn't have if we were on a different campsite. Many are much smaller and exposed, to the point where you don't feel like you have any privacy because everyone can see each other. Campsite 26 is amazing and I recommend it, but the other ones are hit and miss so make sure you know which ones are secluded or not before you reserve one. Decent campground overall. read more

Los Prietos Campground - Campsite 26 - Campgrounds Near Me - Santa Barbara, California

Chose this place based on some other reviews and research and was dissatisfied and disappointed to say the least...dry...lack of shade ...very small sites..dirty and unkept dumpster that over flowed causing unsafe conditions...camp host nowhere to be found...no potable water and no camp fires allowed...but suggesting to boil all water.. a 5 hour drive here, I didn't stay here and would not stay here. Currently requesting my money back and was denied by the camp host read more

Los Prietos Campground - Directly across from the site I booked - Campgrounds Near Me - Santa Barbara, California

My girlfriend and I recently did a 1 night stay here. I booked it before through the Recreation app it received really good reviews. We both the campsite was boring, lacked good scenery, bathrooms were dirty and the parking spots are TINY. My Chevy Colorado barely fit in the parking spot. We had spot #11 and the fire pit/BBQ/bench is about 50 feet away on a semi steep rocky hill. The campsite also didn't allow us to use the fire pit or BBQ grill. The site also had a pretty bad fly problem too. I'm glad we only stayed 1 night. Probably won't return any time soon. read more

This campground was really well taken care of and weekday it's still fairly empty. Camp hosts were very enthusiastic and helpful. Cannot wait to come camp here again! read more

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Cute campground for beginning campers. There are some sites that are better than others. The double site is nice. There are more trees to this campsite than neighboring Paradise or Fremont campgrounds. We stayed at site 34 for the week of Easter break. It was nice, but it rained. Luckily you're close enough to town to drive. One day we went to Solvang, another downtown Santa Barbara, another day Los Olivos. Cachuma Lake is a short drive from the campground. There are less bugs and bees here than by Cachuma Lake Campground. The bad part about our site was that it was downwind from the bathrooms. It wasn't too bad, but I could see how in the summer that could be pretty nasty. We always bring air fresheners with us and that helped out a lot. Wild turkeys roam the grounds and there are a lot of black caterpillars. As I mentioned before there were not a lot of mosquitoes. I'm a mosquito magnet and only got bit four times. You can buy wood here for about $6 a bundle. There is a store at Cachuma Lake and one as you're driving up. Both are really expensive and don't have everything you're looking for. There are also no showers here, but you can drive down the way to Cachuma Lake, pay the day fee, and use those pay showers. read more

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You need to know what you're getting into. That's the key thing. #1 No showers. Repeat: no showers. In fact, there's no showers anywhere for -- literally -- miles. Considering my stay was going to be four three nights and four days... well, let's just say one of our trips to Santa Barbara was specifically to a beach with a shower, mmmkay? And there IS running water and toilets (no sinks) so you can scrub whatever crevices need attention so that you don't feel full-on horrid. Still, if you've got a family, this can get cringe-worthy. That said, I'm sure there are a camping-specific showers you can buy from Coleman. They make EVERYTHING. #2 There's not much to *do* around the campsite, so be sure to look for nearby locales. There are a few hiking trails, but I don't think any tie up to the campsite, so you'll be driving out to find them. We tried Red Rock, which is a good 20-30 minute drive out of camp. Unfortunately, even before 10AM the temperatures were well above 100 so that hike lasted about a half-mile -- but there was a few neat sights to behold, including a pretty great diving rock that I would never have enough courage to dive from. ;o) There's also a lake nearby for boating, but if you're going to bother going out to the lake, I suggest you camp there as well. There's also Solvang and Santa Barbara (of course). After a day of trekking, the campsite is a decent spot to kick back and relax. #3 Summertime... is... HAWT. Seriously. It was 85 in SB, 105 at the campsite. The trees offer a little amount of shade and respite, but you're still talking about blast furnace ambiance. Check your weather reports! The evenings got cool and comfortable, but after triple-digit heat and no showers... well, use your imagination. #4 Flies. Bugs. Biters. Two days after returning, I counted 47 bug bits. Then again: nature. Okay, all that said: the campgrounds aren't very private, and most of the space is wide open so that many campsites blend into the next. A few (especially in the back) have a little bit more privacy, but not much. It's very much a tenting site -- as opposed to trailers. Somebody else mentioned this as a starter site. In one sense, I can agree, as you're not secluded and it's a very laid-back... but I've been other places where you get more privacy AND you can take a shower for a few quarters. I'd suggest the latter for a camping newb. This is a good option if you don't mind driving around, but if you're looking for a spot to drop your tent and stay in one place... maybe not. read more

Los Prietos Campground - Most spots are fairly roomy. - Campgrounds Near Me - Santa Barbara, California

Man, oh man. Let's talk about the SWARMS OF FLIES that will torment you from the second you step out of your car until the moment you leave. They are relentless. The POISON OAK situation is pretty crazy... there really is a lot of it, so familiarize yourself with what it looks like and then stay away from it. The photos of the campground show a lush, green landscape... it was all dust and dirt when I was there. There is not a lot of privacy.... the wood was ten bucks a bundle, not the advertised six. The CAMP HOST was fine... maybe it's a new host since the previous reviews. Very very meh. read more

I have been a camper my whole life, and I would like to start off by saying this is the worst camping experience by far. Beware of the camp host(s). Upon arrival they were very courteous and helpful. But once my whole party arrived. They were rude, racist, condescending, and completely lacked people skills. We were told it was quite time after 10 p.m. we respectfully told our party to go to bed. Our party included babies, and small children. The next day the host came to harass us, yes harass she came to ask why we hadn't "controlled" our children, and she was insinuating why we couldn't get the babies to go to sleep. She not only came back once, she came back a total of 3 times repeating herself, that they were not happy with us. My six year old daughter ran up to me frightened asked if we were not allowed to laugh because the camp host also said we were laughing too much. This is a lawsuit waiting to happen . As camp hosts, give warnings, maybe ask people to leave but stop harassing people. This is unacceptable, we came on our annual family camping trip. Our entire experience was horrible because of the camp hosts. read more

I've been to this campground three times now. The first time was in October of 2016 and we stayed in site 5 next to the toilets the first time. It was hot and you could smell them whenever someone would flush. I don't recommend site 5. Our next time we camped in site 29. It was really nice. Shaded and large, but it's in the middle of everyone, so you're surrounded by people on all sides. Site 28 was our sweet spot, because it has large rocks blocking the road and our small dogs don't bark at everyone going by. It's also more secluded from everyone. Ray, the current camp host is the best camp host we've ever had! He is super sweet and takes really great care of the bathrooms. I've never seen cleaner camp bathrooms, especially with the amount of bugs in the area. Just a reminder you're camping near a body of water. There are tons of bugs and mosquitoes, so bring clothes to cover you and bug spray. If you're looking for things to do, there's a recreational area further down Paradise road. You can park for free in any of the other camp areas with your parking pass, so I highly recommend exploring the river and the hiking around Lower Oso picnic area. During the spring/summer after a rainy winter, you can swim in the river as well! Overall we really love this campground. It's the perfect get away from Los Angeles. Far enough away from city lights and easily accessible for the weekend. read more

What a cool wooded place to chillax for a bit. Can't wait to go again. Best to make reservations but they do have so.e walk in sites read more

Los Prietos Campground - Campgrounds Near Me - Santa Barbara, California

Great hosts. Site 12 is nice but a little spread out. Turkeys and birds, bats and very green and peaceful. Site 22 more secluded but smaller. read more

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The campground itself was actually pretty nice and had a good amount of tree cover. We stayed on lot 26. The driveway was smaller than other sites though so it was hard to park 2 cars there. Luckily I have a fiat so we were able to fit both cars without too much issue. Lot 26 is also very private so that was really nice as well. The bathrooms were kept very clean and restocked often, again, a big plus. The wild turkeys were super cool too! The reason for only 3 stars though is because of the extreme amount of poison oak that covers the campground and the camping sites. It really was ridiculous. And when you're as allergic to that stuff as I am it can make for a very difficult camping experience. I've never seen so much poison oak covering anywhere before and especially not at a campground where there are lots of people and kids roaming around. They should really really do something about it. It's dangerous. I understand it's part of nature but that's a part of nature that they should interfere with and cut back. read more

Just spent this passed 4th of July weekend camping at Los Prietos, and let me tell you; I LOVED it! The reviews for this campground really had me questioning my last minute decision to book at Los Prietos. I experienced none of what many of the commenters experienced on here, and had nothing but a great time. Aside from the fact that our two campsites 12 & 13 were on a hillside, we made it work and fit our giant tent, ez up, screened tent room, and had PLENTY of room for activities. Our kids got to roam around the two expansive sites, and luckily the poison oak was really far from our from our campsite communal areas (though visible!). We were visited every morning by wild turkeys, and they were more than people friendly! We were close to the bathrooms (which were kept clean all weekend; shocker!), and the smell was minimal. The bugs were to be expected and my poor little kiddo got stung twice by ants, and there are tons of big ones! There are also flies and bees that are highly attracted to the water spout, and the camp grill. Mosquitos weren't bad till our last night, most likely due to the heat. The camp hosts were very down to earth, and polite; even when our third car overstayed it's welcome. 12 & 13 are definitely more secluded, and have a lot more privacy than many of the other sites! The local Cachuma Lake, and White Rock Day Use Area made the trip even better. We will DEFINITELY be back! P.S. Santa Barbara is decent drive away if you need something major, and the Cachuma Lake General Store is close and perfect for ALL small needs! read more

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My friends and I had the urge to go on a local camping trip and Los Prietos was the only one with availability. Located 40 minutes from Santa Barbara, the campground is conveniently located for a weekend trip for Southern Californians. Although the reservations were made online, the campground charged us $10 for the second car (when 2 cars are allowed for each spot) and wanted to charge us more money for any additional people past 6 people (although 8 people are allowed per the website). Thankfully, we had a camp site that was far away from a majority of the campers. It looked pretty crowded. We were scared of how much poison ivy and bugs there will be. We had to deal with a few mosquito bites and bees came to us during our meals, but it was not as crazy as I expected. Restrooms are not the best. There are no faucets, lights, mirrors or electric outlets... but it isn't a port-a-potty! There is cell phone service and there is good coverage for internet as well! read more

Plenty of other campgrounds in the area. Avoid this one if you can. Campsite 8/10 Pretty standard campsite with a picnic table, fire pit (w/grill), charcoal grill, and plenty of flat spots for tents. There were trees with shade during the day so that was a nice plus. Bathroom 1/10 Bathrooms never got cleaned during our 3 day stay. They kind of flushed. Campground Hosts 0/10 They didn't do much except threaten to call the police on us because we hadn't paid our $10 parking fee yet. The camp host literally yelled at us "pack up your s%#t and leave" in front of our 3 year old. I paid the man and told him to watch his language. They didn't clean the bathrooms and they weren't cleaning the campsites when other campers left...so what are they there for? Summary Not worth your time or money. The campground hosts are lazy and power tripping over a few dollars that was paid in full. We have been camping in this area every summer for the past 15 years. We will not be coming back to Los Prietos. read more

People know me for my high heels and penchant for expensive cookies. I like being just so fresh, so clean, and generally take my sangria on a Southern California patio with my ladies in maxi dresses and wedges. Don't hate. It's just how I work hard to roll. But, I grew up in the mountains and camping with my family. I can build a fire, I can build a fort, I can shoot a gun, and I'll bet I could chop some wood if I absolutely had to. If the apocalypse was upon us, you'd want my tasty cast iron pan skills all up in your shelter making mean ass cowboy stew. Just sayin. The girlfriends and I decide that we should take a break from our status quo and start a new tradition: Gourmet Camping once a year- and so, the 2014 crew of myself, The Polish Princess of P.O.P., The Master Chef Selary and The Sexy School Teacher took a trip up North for a couple days. We packed the car all by ourselves too. (Keep reading for actual campsite info-hey, story telling is a camping tradition right?) The menu? Gourmet indeed. From fire kissed meatballs wrapped in onions over bacon cheese hash followed by marshmallows stuffed with rolos toasted into cookie smores to crepes with blueberries and paninis with mozzarella and spinach: WE dines like the queens of the forest. We made campfire pie oven biscuits and corn on the cob with roasted tri tip stew and mini apple pies. Our tent was a virtual nest-we made micheladas and sangria and played card games by lantern light. We checked in Saturday and stayed till Monday AM. It all sounds lovely, and it was-except for a few things: The drought: Not the campsites fault at all-but it was dry as a bone out there. The allure of the creeks and rivers caused us to make a reservation there-but they were at least a 5 mile drive to find, a disappointing turn of events. The campsite this dry is very dirty and dusty. Any other time and with more moisture it would have been perfect because of the big oak trees and shade and greenery-but California just isn't surviving this situation very well. Expensive ass firewood. 6 dollars for a small bundle. They don't want you bringing in outside wood-so its a racket. There was a water pump, but no showers, bathrooms were okay. We could smell them though so EW. About 20 miles inland from Santa Barbara so it was in the 80's and pretty humid-I dont suggest it at all for summer months. On the weekends it's full of peeps, but spaced out. Sunday night caused the grounds to empty and left us alone with just a few other campers. You can still have fires here as of July 2014-but I expect them to ban them shorty with how dry and crispy it is out there. Site # 25 is a good location that's mostly shaded and near the water, but downwind from the bathrooms. This campground is the 3rd one along Paradise Road and more spacious than the others. #gourcamping2014 ended up being just ok, kinda like this campground. Next year we might just pitch a tent next to the patio here in SD and call it good-but who knows? The adventure bug might bite me again. Just like the mosquitoes from this weekend. PS: those who know me IRL, ask me about the harrowing night #2 titled "Almost Dying In The Forest" read more

Last year I would have given this three or four stars but this year there were some small issues. The Campgrounds are great with lovely sites set away from the driveways, 11 and 12 are great sites that you can reserve online. We stayed in 21 which is set back slightly and a great pitch for two tents, you cant reserve it though. if you call in advance there are only certain pitches you can reserve. Check in should be a breeze only the camp hosts were not there when we arrived. We waited 20 minutes and they still didn't show so we went and found an empty pitch and set up thinking we would give it an hour and check back. An hour later a young tourist couple showed up in their car with a ticket in hand saying that they had just booked our pitch with the host. I drove down to the host with them to the hosts to fix the problem. At first our discussion with the female host was rather heated, she told me I could not just show up and claim a site you have to check in. I told her I would have if she had been there, then I got the smug look and eventually she got to the real issue of sorting things out! Long story short, she gave the other couple an empty pitch and we were allowed to stay. So note campers: you cannot just show up and pick a site if the hosts aren't there, you have to check in first or feel the wrath. Apparently it states that on the sign at the entrance "check in with host" but then it also states on same sign to pick up an envelope, mark your spot, insert $20.00 fee and post the envelope in the box. Only there are no envelopes but there is a box? So hosts next time you walk the dog, leave a friggn note - back in 30 mins! it was me and my family you kept waiting not vice-a-versa! Each site has a fire ring and grill, there is plenty of shade and its pretty here. There are also flushing toilets on site. My only complaints were that there was a bad smell emanating from the toilets, we were up wind but some neighbors were downwind and they said it was a pretty awful smell. Also, the running water went off for the second time in a week, that led that no toilets flushed on the site. We love this place because its close to the river for swimming and fishing, but alas with the drought the river has long since dried up. The closest spots to swim and fish are Falls and Red Rock Swim holes. Most of the camp sites in the area book up on summer weekends and this one would not be a bad choice. If you are looking for watering holes and fishing you need to look elsewhere or go down to the lake. If you're looking for a weekend getaway from the city, or a stop off point between places in the forest then this is a good stopover. Its a good campsite, but there is lots of competition around worthy of more stars. read more

A few weeks ago I went camping again in Los Padres National Forest. We lagged on the planning so all of the usual spots (Fremont, Paradise, Upper Oso) were full. To our delight, a place called Los Prietos still had some available sites. As soon as I got there, I began to realize why. Los Prietos = HIGH DENSITY. Unlike the other spots' 14 or 23 campsites, Los Prietos has a hefty 37 sites packed into the same space. The first night, we crashed early and I swear I could hear everything coming from the neighboring camps, including a full on conversation about interesting topics such as: teaching a girl how to use a shotgun, how not to injure your back while weightlifting, and much much more. I got earplugs for the second night. Another consequence of such tightly packed spaces is that people tend to walk right through your campsite if you're located line-of-sight with the bathrooms. A pair of douches walked by our campsite and rudely told us not to pee on the toilet lids, as if we were the only ones using it. We barked back, they kept walking. Furthermore, not every site has their own water faucet. We didn't realize this at first, and were caught by surprise when a couple began using our soap to wash their hands. Thanks. Finally, be prepared for some uptight campsite attendants that will constantly be monitoring and pestering you. The only two positives I could think of for Los Prietos are the proximity to the river (5 minute walk) and the presence of actual restrooms, instead of porta-potties. Unfortunately, if you're going in the summer season, the river will be all but evaporated =/ All-in-all, I would suggest that you plan your next camping trip well in advance and rent spaces at Fremont or Paradise. Use Los Prietos only as a last resort. read more

Our experience in this camp was awful! The hosts were very rude, disrespectful and racists towards our group even though we were families with children looking for an weekend escape. Never coming back!!! read more

We stayed here on Labor Day weekend and mostly thought it was great. Beautiful oak trees, lots of shade to put your tent, access to a little "beltway" trail that connects the two different loops at the campground. The toilets worked great, the campsite hosts were very helpful. And I was shocked (!) that not all the sites were spoken for on the Friday night before Labor Day. Los Prietos offers more privacy than either Paradise (sorry, I thought this was very ugly campsite) and is far more charming than Fremont. Both of these are clustered much closer to the road. Like most CA State campgrounds, the roads in the campground are potty, the tables and the grills have a beat-up look to them, but if you want privacy for a small group, head out to the "second loop" aka, the higher numbers. We stayed at site #20 and it was great. #19 is very big but there are some very small sites. The first loop is better for larger groups, is not as wooded and does not have as much privacy. Also, be sure to pack your trash away! I saw some foolish campers just leaving it out during the day and crows had a field day. And from LAX, it's only 115 miles door-to-tent! read more

Great place. Very quite and nice. We camp on Mondays and Tuesdays so it's hard to say how crowded they get on the weekends. It's a small campground but you are in the woods and surrounded by nature. They allow fires the fire rings, pets are welcomed. There is no RV dump. Over all a great little camp for $20. That's pretty cheap. This is a good alternative to paying $40 and up at Cachuma Lake, it is 5 miles a way from this campground. If you continue driving down the road you will see 4-5 other camp grounds in the surrounding area. It's a great scenic drive. read more

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Had a great birthday weekend here. Staff was super friendly and relaxed and the drive from LA was stupid easy. Bathrooms were extremely clean and welcoming. I will definitely be back. One thing to note, if you are shy of bugs, this may not be your campsite. There were TONS of caterpillars, crane flies and mosquitos but I didn't get one bite all weekend. Thanks for an awesome weekend. read more

What can i say!!! Fresh air!!! Beautiful place.... clean place.... the restrooms are clean! Mick is Always cleaning them, The only thing is there are not showers so prepare.... But other than that! This place is perfecto!!! Love it! read more

It's a beautiful place but unfortunately the hosts are very rude and disrespectful, the intended escapade was ruined specifically by the hosts! Families with children don't go there unless you want to hear a lot of "F..." words in your address even though you didn't do anything wrong! Left a bad taste and discussed by the hosts attitude!!! read more

Sometimes - it is almost hilarious how people complain about nothing. Firstly, if you want SUPER REMOTE RUGGED camping go and explore with a backpack and tent on your back and set up camp where you DECIDE. If however, you want a campground close to the City but far enough out to feel the elements of nature and smell the fresh air of the mountains - this is not a bad place to visit. Super close to the river as mentioned, beautiful short hikes through scenic little meadows and we saw quite a lot of wildlife : deer, jackals, birds, squirrels and some other elusive creature - cayote maybe ? we were not sure. Anyway- we mountain biked from camp to the old Mine - which was quite a hard ride since it was HOT and there is NO shade. We thoroughly enjoyed our stay and the hosts were super friendly checking in if we needed firewood diligently I would recommend it - although once outside - it does not take a lot to please me !. read more

This campground was clean and pretty. The raccoons are sadly very used to people feeding them and will walk right up to you. No fear. The wild turkeys are awesome to wake up to in the morning. The bathrooms are well kept but there are no showers or sinks. The only negatives are the crazy carnivorous bees and all the poison oak. I'll be back for sure! read more

The campground is ok, but not very well maintained. Stayed 2 nights and never even saw the camp host (they didn't clean the bathrooms at all either). It smelled a bit like sewer and we were woken every morning by a murder of crows cawing from 5-6:30am. The neat part was waking up to a flock of wild turkeys though. Sites were spacious and pretty well shaded, but poison oak runs ramped. Would've been a better stay if ca wasn't in a major drought, I think. read more

Los Prietos Campground - Campgrounds Near Me - Santa Barbara, California

Los Prietos isn't a bad campsite, but there are some negatives. The environment seems to be in a weird in-between place where it doesn't feel remote enough away from "civilization" to feel like you're "away from it all," but it's also not close to anything that can be a worthwhile activity. There isn't any nearby running water or hiking trails. Additionally the sites a positioned very close to each other so there isn't much privacy. Furthermore, it may just be the time we were there, but the flies were swarming and intense. From around mid-morning through sundown the site was just canvased with flies. It became unbearable. We had to leave the campsite during those hours, or just stayed zipped up in the tent until the sun went down and the flies left for the night. All in all, it's not a campsite I will return to. I did very much enjoy exploring around Lake Cachuma a few miles away, and I would highly recommend staying at the campsite by the lake instead. read more

This is a great campground! The sites are spacious and great for groups. We reserved eight sites for a trip with our church youth group and had plenty of space (and shade!) not only for tents but for a common area in between sites. This is a campground, so naturally there are bugs. There weren't a ton of mosquitoes when we went, but flies and other small flying insects were a constant. (We went in the beginning of August.) The restrooms are the cleanest I've ever seen at a campground. I'll follow that with a disclaimer: when the wind or breeze pick up, the smell travels. Our sites were on the inner part of the circle (7, 9, 14, 25, 27, 29, 30). These were great for our group. If I was going alone or with a smaller group, I would reserve one of the sites on the outer circle because they are more secluded (6, 8, 10, 11, 12, 13, 25, 28). Site #25 is really nice. There isn't a ton of shade, but there's a short path between the parking space and the actual site that make it well worth it. read more

My boyfriend, cousin and I just spent the week at Los Prietos Overnight Campground and we LOVED IT. Although, I think our great experience was heavily based on the time we went. Being there in early June was perfect. Everything is beautiful and green. The weather is just a little too hot during the day and just a little too cold at night -perfect conditions to make you feel like you've experienced some real camping conditions! We also scheduled our visit Monday-Thursday so we were one of 3 other campers there the entire time! So peaceful and quite. It felt like we were the only ones there, which played a HUGE part in why we enjoyed our stay so much! Our campsite was #26, which is the most secluded and out of site, in my opinion. It's also probably one of the largest sites on the campground and has the perfect balance of shade and sunshine through the trees. We did a long walk around the entire campground and every single site was in great condition; clean fire pits/BBQ grills and trees/brush were well maintenanced. The bathrooms were spotless and had plenty of toilet paper! We talked to the campground hosts, Rusty and Dale, a few times and they were so kind and personable! Super laid back and helpful with any questions/needs you have. (Side note-if you've ever had a negative experience with them, I am 99% positive YOU were the problem) We talked and laughed for a long time and they are a HOOT! Great people! Last but not least, there are a few trails to explore and watering holes nearby for you to cool off in! My cousin and I went for a hike on Snyder's Trail (starting at the trailhead on Paradise Rd.) which IS NOT for the faint of heart. It is ALL up hill climbing. But at the top of that 4 mile hike, is Knapp's Castle (castle ruins) which is well worth the "Chubby-Chest Pain" and feeling like you're going to die, if you're slightly out of shape like me. Or if you're smarter than us, you take the back way (off of the 154 I believe) and only hike 1/4 of a mile to get there.... My ONLY negative comments about the entire experience was there's NO SHOWERS (but hey, it's camping in nature...) and the raccoons are great at stealing anything -and I mean ANYTHING- you leave out, as well as breaking into your car and stealing food if you put it in there...(again, dangers of camping in nature). I couldn't recommend this place highly enough. And was so excited to hop on Yelp and help others make the right choice in campgrounds, like the other Yelper's comments helped me. read more

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NEGATIVES I've been camping my fair share and also grew up on the East Coast, so I pride myself in knowing how bad mosquitos get. But after staying here for 2 nights, our group left with at least 5-29 bites per person. 29 bites a person, what on earth. AND that was with bug spray and long sleeves. It made the trip almost unenjoyable. Also our site wasn't just slanted, it was pretty steep. If you orient your tent just right, you'll still slide down a foot or two during the night LOL and if you do it wrong, you'll just be rolling POSITIVES I would probably never come back, BUT, if not for the mosquitos, it was unbelievably beautiful. The staff ranger was awesome, facilities were suprisingly clean (no showers though), the area was unsettlingly peaceful, and the location is directly adjacent to Lake Cachuma. read more

I know there is usually some bad press about Los Prietos, and I agree with most of the sentiments already echoed by Flip C. However, and maybe just because I was surrounded by different people during my 2 night stay, I genuinely enjoyed my stay at Los Prietos. First, the river access is the best of all of the lower campsites in the Santa Ynez Nat. Rec. Area; it's only a 5 min walk to White Rock Rec. Area. As already mentioned, the flush toilet bathrooms are definitely a plus, although I'd recommend NOT getting a site near them - the extra walk is worth eluding the stench that emanates from them during the summer. Also, if you are lucky enough to plan your trip in advance, you can snag the sites that do have a smidgin of privacy: 5, 16, 6, 11, 17, 19, 20, and 22. Lastly, the entire campground is shaded underneath beautiful old oak trees; although terrible for separation between campsites, they at least provide a reprieve from the often hot temperatures during the summer. Be warned though, unless you enjoy lounging about your campsite all day, check with the forrest service rangers before psyching yourself up for a nice swim in the river. Although it mainly flows year round, in years with drought conditions (like this one), that water is severely curtailed. However, last July (2011), the water was still flowing strong since the winter before that was a very wet one. As a last resort, you can always visit Lake Cachuma or make the drive back into Santa Barbara, which is only 20 minutes away. Overall, I would recommend a visit if you could snag one of the sites I listed and if the river is running strong. Otherwise, there are better options, although I don't think Los Prietos is a bad choice if you don't have too many other options. Personally, I would return. I wrote a more comprehensive review on my blog, www.tenttalktime.com, complete with pictures and more in-depth analysis! The permalink is: tenttalktime.com/los-prietos read more

Campground is beautiful. But the hosts were very racist & intolerant hosts. Upon arrival we were treated with great disrespect and rude behavior. It ruined our trip. Sad to see that both hosts have no communication skills and are a lawsuit waiting to happen. Be aware racist hosts. read more

This is the worst campground,i have ever seen.The staff are very rude and mean.They don't respect people ,who visit this place.My suggestion is never to go there!!! read more

It was a nice camprground only thing is the bathrooms are unisex which sucks because men pee all over the floor and toilet. There is no sink in the bathrooms. Over all the camp ground is nice! read more