April 18-21, 2025 Thought I'd update my review, since it's been almost 8 years! since my prior review. We stayed in one of the sites with water and electricity. I believe there are only 10 or 11 sites with hookups; the rest have no hookups. Even though they don't have hookups, I prefer the sites on the bluff overlooking the ocean, but those are almost impossible to get these days. It's competitive out there when trying to make reservations. We were very happy with our large grassy site with beautiful trees and lots of birds. The sites at this campground are a nice size; it's great to have your own space. Unfortunately, our luck was that there were several big groups of campers here together, and they tended to gather at the campsite near ours. Lots of kids, scooters, bikes, barking dogs, etc. Just families enjoying each other, but it was rather lively. The campground seemed like a different world after these groups departed. Peaceful, even. There is a bit of road noise that you can hear from some of the sites depending on their location; but at night it is quiet enough to hear the owls hoot. There are two trails down to the beach; the one that was closed on my prior visits was open. It's quite a climb, but worth every step. Dog-friendly beaches are always a huge plus in my book. Also a plus is that there are four dump stations ($10). I'll definitely come back--I'll keep trying; someday I might actually get one of those premium sites on the bluff again. Note of caution - if you have a tall rig, some of the trees on the road to the campsites were in need of trimming, so you need to watch carefully. Easy does it. Also, the garbage trucks come through at 6:00 in the morning. Really? At a campground? ....... So if you like to sleep in...forget it. read more

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Great beach camping spot in the Santa cruz county. Easy beach access, cute trails around to walk. You are able to walk into capital village which is a great spot. Bathrooms are pretty clean. They have dry spots and full hook ups as well! read more

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This was a nice last minute find for camping near the beach this past weekend. We were able to snag a premium site, which is sooo worth the extra $15, with extra large space, a feeling of privacy, and lovely beach views at the edge of the cliff. Access to the beach can be found near campsite #90 (which is also near the special event area), though the stairway's a bit steep, so be prepared. There's another way down closer to campsite #70 (Sunset Trail), near the Day Use Beach Lot which goes to China Beach. We made good use of the firepit to cook some awesome meals, and roast marshmallows for s'mores. We brought our own seats for staying warm near the fire at night, but the sites have picnic tables and benches as well. We wandered through the trails a bit and explored the area at night, making our way to China Beach (which is adjacent to New Brighton State Beach), and found couples hanging out after dark as well as people fishing on the shoreline. We enjoyed a stroll on the sand under the moonlight, with flashlights on hand. We had a great night's sleep with the sounds of crashing waves outside our tent creating an ideal feeling of being out in nature, surrounded by trees, yet so close to the ocean. I liked how the restroom buildings had multiple private restrooms and private showers available (rather than shared rooms with separate stalls, which I typically encounter at other campgrounds). And the staff here were friendly, helpful, and easygoing (we only saw them when we entered, and when we were getting ready to leave). If you forget anything, Safeway's about a 5 minute drive away, and internet connection was strong during our entire stay, even as we lay on the beach the next morning. Note, there's poison oak in the campground area, but mainly behind the fencing of the cliffs, and mostly maintained along the trails (so if you stay on the trails you should be fine). read more

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A great spot along the Santa Cruz Coast. Close to so many daily activities. Fires are allowed. Dogs welcomed. Nice and clean with restrooms and showers. Potable water available. Dump stations on site to leave your business behind. Lots of coastal wildlife. Wood available for purchase from the camp host Mark. Nice relatively easy walk to the waves from the bluffs. Close to highway 1, yet far enough away that all we heard was the surf and wildlife. Spots can be tough to come so reservations are suggested well ahead of time as they become available. Happy camping for happy campers. read more

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This place is certainly one of the nicest campgrounds in California. It sits right on the bluffs. It has lots of beautiful views, trails to the beach and perfect weather. read more

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Entire campsite is smothered in poison oak. If you are allergic this place is a nightmare and not for you. You think that they could at least spray around the campsites so that we enjoy the campground. it's complete mess... Don't take your animals there they're gonna run through it and then get all over you and everyone's gonna be in the ER together what a mess read more

New Brighton Campground is one of the best campgrounds I like on the California coastal. Beautiful beach, close to the freeway, good distance between campsites. Sunny but not hot most of the time. Most of the campsites in New Beighton are not full hook-up sites. But bathrooms and water are nearby to most of the sites. The pavements are wide and deep and pretty level at most of the sites. Four dump stations for RV are also available for a $10 additional charge. New Brighton Campground is very close to the shopping area and supermarkets too. No need to overload your vehicle. You can get your supplies easily. The beaches are only a few minutes' walk. Don't forget to bring your swimsuit to enjoy the sun or the very cold water! Lol! read more

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Love this campground . Area is clean, paved for trailers and motor homes . Has family friendly walking trails . We took a trail to the beach which had a nice scenery, Some of the campsites have a nice view of the ocean ( I think "premium"). At our site, I saw colorful birds ( hummingbird with red was my favorite) . There were many bunny rabbits and some cute yellow belted bumblebees. Restrooms and showers were okay, not much of a difference between other state campgrounds. read more

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stunning campground... Views of the ocean are out of this world. And access to the beach is easy. While i appreciate the large campsites. This place could add twice the capacity without even noticing. Seems silly given the demand,not creating more camping sites. I have no doubt this with some bureaucratic nonsense. Talking of silly, bureaucratic nonsense. They do not allow alcohol on the picnic tables or beach. Just live your life don't follow their petty rules. this is a public space, and not owned by "government". if you want a sunny spot, chose carefully, as many campsites are in the shade, which can be super chilly here. if you're sensitive to sound, bring earplugs as you can hear the freeway, and just one more "complaint", why on earth do they allow garbage trucks through at 7:00am?!!! wow, people are on vacation and sleeping.. read more

I'm a local, I will say campground is great, but I spoke to a middle aged to older lady on the phone to ask a question and she straight up told me "I need you to ask your question faster than you are right now" it was unbelievably rude as I was asking her a question at a normal pace. Not only that some people have speech impediments or stutters and it's just not always that cut and dry do better you old bat read more

Stayed here one night. Campsites are ok. Roomy. Quiet even at night and early morning. You can hear the waves. Bathrooms were scarce and power washing them down 1x day would help the smell. Showers are coin paid. Beach walk from camoground is not the easiest. Not for elderly or handicapped. read more

New Brighton Campground - Fire pit - Campgrounds Near Me - Aptos, California

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We camp here all the time with our RV, both with hookups and without. Its a GREAT campground and its our first choice if we're just looking for a getaway. Its the right balance of campground (trees, grass) and beach because you are on a cliff overlooking the beach and its easy to get down to the beach. Dog-friendly (on leash of course), and beautiful. read more

I used to ride my bike loaded down with camp gear to this campground. Such a beautiful place with beautiful trees and with the beach just down the stairway. Great facilities A great place to camp. read more

This place is a great campground! Although a lot of spots are not very private, they are rather large and clean. Most of them are surrounded with poison oak, so beware! The premium spaces have a spectacular view of the ocean and huge spots. Highly recommend! read more

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This campground is in my top 3 places to tent or car camp. Your own access down to the beach from the campsite. Can fit 2 cars + 2 tents in each spot. My favorite place to camp near Santa Cruz! read more

Very very disappointed! State park campgrounds use to be very clean, this place is filthy. the BBQ at campsite group 3 was very very dirty. And the bathrooms and showers are disgusting. The campground is very over grown and needs to be raked. I use to work at Lake Oroville district as maintenance and visitor services, and our campgrounds were very clean along with the bathrooms/showers. I can't believe the filth here. I am very disappointed and will not be back. I would not recommend staying at this state park. read more

Our first time camping here. For the most part, this is a great family campground. Bathrooms were clean, they have coin operated showers, close to the beach and you can buy firewood from the camp host for $10 a bag, they had games and s'mores for kids one night in the amphitheater and a free little concert another night . The only negatives were that our camp site #33 didn't have shade and the BBQ grill was not usable at all. *i have learned from past experiences to bring a BBQ rack. We use an old oven rack (see picture).other than that we had a great time here. read more

New Brighton Campground - Unusable grill - Campgrounds Near Me - Aptos, California

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We had a premium site #78 and honestly I wouldn't do it any other way. We had a full view of the ocean from our campsite and it was just gorgeous. Our spot was directly across from the bathrooms & showers. The trail to the beach is between campsites #70 & #73 and the other trail has been closed for a few years I guess. Short walk to beach, pretty easy with all our gear and a 2 and 5 year old and dog. Dogs are allowed on this beach but must stay on a leash. The only issue is that our neighbors were pretty loud until about 12:30 am but besides that I would say excellent spot. If you can grab a premium site, I highly recommend. We were tent camping so I can't speak for RV's and trailers but we saw plenty . The non premium campsites were smaller, no ocean view and looked very cramped. read more

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Camp site are beautiful and most of the site has plenty of shades. Walking distance to the beach. Almost clean bathroom and shower. The only downside was at night, I can hear the cars and trucks passing by on the freeway. When the freeway was quiet I heard the crickets and the ocean waves which was nice. read more

We love this campground! We are in site 81 and its a beautiful view! The bathrooms with showers-bring your quarters are only steps away. Very clean! Garbage cans everywhere. Takes about 10 min to walk down to the beach. Dog friendly;-) we are in February with amazing 70 degree weather! Only reason for 4 stars is not a full hook up! But all is amazing!;-) read more

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My family has been camping here for years, so I was really excited to join them this time. However, the campground leaves much to be desired; the grounds are poorly maintained, and theft is rampant. People will come after hours and pretend to set up camp, then steal whatever they can after campers go to bed, and leave around 4:00 am. The Rangers are more concerned with writing petty tickets than patrolling who doesn't belong there. The pathway to the beach has washed out, and there are no signs directing you to the alternate path, and the weeds are overgrown in many areas. The bathrooms are maintained about once a week, but I would not call it clean. We will be taking our annual trip elsewhere next year. read more

3 stars only because premium sites are very nice and the beach is a 5 minute walk. If you go to this campground, stay at a premium site. I stayed at a non premium site and based on that, I will never go back. Non premium sites have absolutely no privacy, sites are almost on top of each other. There was nothing separating my site from the site next to me and there was a bush separating half of my site from the site behind me. I was woken up by garbage trucks at 7am on Saturday morning. read more

We have been coming to this campground for 28 years. This is our first time in November and it is cold at night so be prepared. Overall it's been a good stay except for campers that do not follow rules when it come to dogs. All dogs are to be on leash when outside but yet there are those who think that this does not apply to them. As a dog owner this is very scary as we had a loose dog run after us a few years ago and scared the crap out of us and though the guy apologized it was totally avoidable. If you plan a trip here and plan to bring your dog please be responsible and keep it leashed and teathered read more