Description
Welcome to ”post-card land“, feel free to pitch a tent. Kirk Creek Campground offers-up a piece of saline serenity for the outdoor savvy individual. Located just five miles up Highway 1 from Sand Dollar Beach, it's the largest stretch of sand found on the Big Sur coastline.
Kirk Creek Campground is a filter-less Instagram picture in the making. There’s no need to put a seashell to your sun-kissed ear to hear the ocean—just walk to it.
Pro tip: If Kirk Creek is full, try nearby first-come, first-served Limekiln Campground.
Activities
Offered near the campground.
Biking
Ride along the beautiful Santa Barbara coast, the central Monterey coast, or anywhere you want in this huge forest. The recomme...Read more
Fishing
You can fish in the rivers and streams located throughout the forest, and fish in the ocean on the Monterey coast at Sand Dolla...Read more
Hiking
Up by Big Sur, the Ventana wilderness is a popular hiking destination, with 260 miles of hiking trails, making it a unique exp...Read more
Horseback riding
The Saint Lucia Mountains have been taken by horseback many a’ times, and the time you visit should be no exception. To truly f...Read more
Paddling
Lake Cachuma in the Santa Barbara region offers some of the best kayak fishing, especially with its location admist the mountai...Read more
Swimming
You can’t go wrong at Pfeiffer Beach in Big Sur, but it’s no match for the Seven Falls in Santa Barbara. This hike might not be...Read more
Wildlife watching
Whether you are an avid birdwatcher (California Condor...check), or just enjoy seeing what the wilderness has to offer, Los Pad...Read more
Terrain
Natural features you'll find at Kirk Creek Campground.
The vibe at Kirk Creek Campground
36 Reviews
Listen raccoons. You think you're gonna sneak up up on me? This is not my first time at the rodeo. Don't look at me with your cute little faces and turn your heads to the side like we're friends. WE'RE NOT FRIENDS.
I got lucky here once with a walk up site reserved for hikers/bikers, only to find the reason it was open was because of the furry little terrors who lived in the bushes behind it. JOKE WAS ON THEM because we wedged our cooler under the picnic table and then piled rocks on top of it. We still woke up to thieving little paw prints. I swear those stinkers would have climbed into our tent for the Bulleit if not for our dog, who is completely useless at only 3lbs soaking wet, but is a fairly effective coon alarm.
Book campsite #22! This was the only site available by a fluke and the ranger said we were lucky to get it because it's the most popular spot. RIGHT on the cliff overlooking the ocean. Second all reviews about the raccoons - they even opened our water!!



Raccoons are tenacious and travel in packs here! Store your food very securely here because they run wild. We woke up to sooty black raccoon prints all over our camper, the picnic table, our cooler and everything else we left out.


This is a favorite campground of mine. Keep in mind-there is no water so bring your own. Pit toilets only, no showers.


This is one of the sickest campgrounds ever. Good luck finding a spot.




Plan to get there before 8am on a Friday if you want a weekend spot. It's incredibly popular but worth it! But they've got hiker/biker sites that don't fill up quickly if you don't need your car (or park somewhere else). Be sure to hike down to the beach!

Definitely worth booking faaaaar in advance. Beautiful and peaceful.
Ditto to Nick's comment about Raccoons. We were awoken by a midnight raid because one of our group left some food out. We shoo'ed them away, but they egged our campsite before they left (not kidding). If your coolers aren't securable, store them in cars.




Two more quick tips:
Poison Oak abounds, so keep an eye out, especially if you have bets with you.
Two cars allowed per campsite, but road parking is usually easy to find for extra cars.




- Park
- Los Padres National Forest
- State
- California
- Country
- United States
- Phone Number
- (805) 968-6640
- Directions
- View on Google Maps
- Official Website
- View Website
- Coordinates
- 35.992° N, 121.494° W
- Unknown price
- Tent / RV / Trailer: 32 Sites (Up to 8 people per site)