The best dog-friendly campgrounds near Santa Cruz, California

United States
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California
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Santa Cruz

95% (3041 reviews)

Popular camping styles for Santa Cruz

Public campgrounds near Santa Cruz

100%

(2)

Stories from the community

2 nights at BANKS RANCH IN THE REDWOODS

Nice and quiet getaway with easy access to Felton, Davenport and Santa Cruz.

Weekend Trip to BANKS RANCH IN THE REDWOODS

The Space: The Creek Site was a short drive down from the main property. We were able to make it down and back in our 24' RV with no issue. The campsite itself is open, level, and spacious. It overlooks the creek on a bit of a cliff and is close enough to hear the peaceful sound of running water all day and night. It is also just a short walk down to splash around in the water. It felt very private to be only surrounded by nature and the redwood forest. The People: Doug and Denise are awesome! We also got to meet the horses, chickens, and dogs. My three girls LOVED getting to help June with feeding the horses and even helping clean up the pen a little. They were so welcoming and friendly! We cannot wait to come back and visit!

Weekend Trip to Lobitos Creek

We absolutely LOVED this place. Magnificent views, private and spacious. We wish we could have stayed longer. We'll have to come back.

Weekend Trip to Country + Redwoods - Near beach!

Great campsite near Santa Cruz. Lots of open space and surounded by nature. Very quiet and peacful.

1 night at Lobitos Creek

Camped here for one night on a long road trip and really loved it. The location is pretty easy to find even though we came in at sunset. The space is large and would be super fun with a small group. It was just me and my partner so we chilled and cooked dinner. The provided table was large and made it easy to cook outside under the stars.

Weekend Trip to Country + Redwoods - Near beach!

Great location for getting to the beach, beautiful, quiet property, friendly neighbors, and Laura was very accommodating. It was a great place to hang out.

Weekend Trip to BANKS RANCH IN THE REDWOODS

Beautiful location and Doug and Denise were very friendly and kind. Hope to return again soon.

3 nights at Lobitos Creek

Lobitos Creek site was absolutely gorgeous. We haul a 20ft Airstream, and have been up and down the California coast for 40 years and this HipCamp site is the most beautiful and not too far from the "real life" at Half Moon Bay. Rebecca is the perfect host.

Weekend Trip to BANKS RANCH IN THE REDWOODS

Doug and Denise are very friendly and helpful. The space is very private but not very shaded during the day (we stayed in June) so definitely rent the pop-up tent or bring your own.

Weekend Trip to Lobitos Creek

We had such a great time staying here. We brought 4 kids ages 4,5,7 and 8 and they all had a blast running around being kids. Clean campground, beautiful views and quiet and peaceful.

2 nights at BANKS RANCH IN THE REDWOODS

This is easily one of my all-time fave Hipcamps. Tucked away in a forest with a private creek, it doesn’t get much better. The property spans about 40 acres of beautiful, wooded land that made us feel like we were deep in the backcountry—yet it's easy to get to and not too far from Santa Cruz proper (the hosts provided impeccable directions prior to our arrival). The creek was the perfect place to relax and recharge. Once our hosts showed us to our site, we didn’t see or hear another soul—just how we like it when we camp. The hosts were incredibly welcoming and seemed genuinely happy to share their stunning piece of land with us. Tip: They aren't exaggerating when they say their water is delicious--make sure to get some!

Weekend Trip to BANKS RANCH IN THE REDWOODS

Really great hospitality - kids loved meeting and feeding the animals. The trek to the creek was steep, but the kids loved it (ages 4-8). Lovely, quiet site with sounds of the running creek and nothing else around. FYI no wood fires in summer, but they did provide a propane fire pit as an alternative. Would stay again!

Weekend Trip to Lobitos Creek

Absolutely beautiful location and remote! Spot was big and flat and portapotty was extremely clean. 10/10 would book again

1 night at Lobitos Creek

My family and doggies loved camping here!! We had the best views, it was private and even a little magical! Definitely recommend!!

Weekend Trip to Lobitos Creek

We loved our weekend here! Visited with my two young kids who loved howling with the coyotes, spotting bunnies, and chasing lizards.

Weekend Trip to BANKS RANCH IN THE REDWOODS

This is a super convenient place to get away from it all...but also be 15 min away from Davenport and their convenience store and shops (as well as the coastal beaches). There is lots of space and sun in the meadow spot, and we walked past the creek spot on our hike down to the beautiful creek. The creek was a great place to be able to walk to during the hottest part of the day. Choose the creek site if you really want to camp and just be away from everything (the drive to it would be a mini adventure). Choose the meadow if you want to get in and out easily. It also has some great trees for hanging your hammocks. The whole experience was peaceful and the perfect weekend of camping. Obviously you have to appreciate a camp in/camp out experience (including your own poo), but Doug and Denise made it as easy and convenient as they can. Highly recommend having or renting from them the propane pit during the summer no-burn months.

Weekend Trip to Terra Cultura

Cool town near the campsite and great spot! Beautiful views especially up in the common space. Would recommend!

1 night at Lobitos Creek

I loved camping at this spot, we had had so much fun. The camp spot has a beautiful view all around and is in a nice quiet secluded area. One issue I did not foresee is the fog makes everything outside very very wet when you wake up so make sure to put everything away before you go to sleep other than that it was a blast.

Weekend Trip to Terra Cultura

This camping site was awesome for our group of 4. Clean facilities, friendly host and convenient location. We did a hiking on San Juan Bautista trail and visited the old town with historic buildings that was 15min away from Terra Cultura. Nice sky views at night. I highly recommend this place. Thank you.

Weekend Trip to BANKS RANCH IN THE REDWOODS

We loved staying at Redwood landing! It gets very sunny during the day, so our canopy came in handy. Each morning was beautifully foggy and cool, and there was a really nice breeze in the afternoons. The redwoods are beautiful all around the site. It’s close to the beach so we took day trips there. Doug and Denise were excellent hosts. Our dog had a blast (but watch out for poison oak and ticks). Definitely recommend this wonderful private campsite!