Big Sur's campgrounds sit in three places. In the Big Sur River valley, under the redwoods around Pfeiffer Big Sur State Park, the state park and three private campgrounds sit side by side, with a fourth, Ventana, in a canyon about two miles south. The south coast, about 30 miles further down Highway 1, has Limekiln State Park and the Forest Service's ocean-bluff campgrounds at Kirk Creek and Plaskett Creek. The rest are a few small hike-in camps at Andrew Molera and Julia Pfeiffer Burns. All of them book out months ahead in summer.
Fall 2026: what's open. The Timber and Plaskett Fires burned through the Santa Lucia Mountains in August 2026. Pfeiffer Big Sur State Park was closed for two months and reopened on October 16, 2026. The Forest Service has closed its burned area, with its inland campgrounds and trails, through January 31, 2027, and lists Kirk Creek and Plaskett Creek as closed since the fires. Highway 1 is open from Carmel to Cambria.
Big Sur campgrounds at a glance
| Campground | Run by | Sites | RVs | Showers | Fee/night | Fall 2026 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pfeiffer Big Sur | State Parks | 189 | Trailer 27 ft, motorhome 32 ft, no hookups | Yes (tokens) | $50–$60 | Open |
| Limekiln | State Parks | 29 (12 beach, 17 redwood) | Motorhome 24 ft, trailer 15 ft (check) | Yes (tokens) | $50, cash only | Open; beach sites closed |
| Andrew Molera | State Parks | 22 walk-in tent sites | No | No | $30 | Seasonal (closed in winter) |
| Julia Pfeiffer Burns | State Parks | 2 hike-in sites | No | No | $30 | Open, reservation only |
| Kirk Creek | Forest Service | 40 | Up to 30 ft, no hookups | No | $45 | Listed closed |
| Plaskett Creek | Forest Service | 44 | No hookups | No | $45 | Closed (fire order) |
| Big Sur Campground & Cabins | Private | Tent and RV | Up to 40 ft, water + electric | — | Not posted | Open, book direct |
| Riverside Campground | Private | Tent and RV | 25–30 ft, water + 20 amp | Yes | Not posted | Open, book direct |
| Fernwood | Private | 27 tent sites + RV sites | Motorhome 30 ft, water + 30 amp | Yes | $70–$145 | Open, book direct |
| Ventana Campground | Private | Tent only | No | Yes ($2/5 min) | Not posted | Open, book direct |
Which campground for what
- Redwoods, river and hot showers: Pfeiffer Big Sur.
- Ocean views: Kirk Creek's bluff, once the Forest Service reopens it.
- Near the beach: Limekiln's sites 1–12, once the bridge survey ends.
- Hookups: Big Sur Campground & Cabins, Riverside or Fernwood.
- Cheapest drive-in site: the $45 Forest Service campgrounds, when open; otherwise Andrew Molera's $30 walk-in camp in season.
- Away from the car: the two Julia Pfeiffer Burns environmental sites.
How to book
- State Parks sites (Pfeiffer Big Sur, Limekiln, Andrew Molera, Julia Pfeiffer Burns) are booked on ReserveCalifornia up to six months ahead. State Parks strongly advises booking: the Big Sur parks have no first-come sites, Julia Pfeiffer Burns requires a reservation, and Pfeiffer Big Sur "fills up six months in advance, even in the winter". At Pfeiffer Big Sur and Limekiln you can ask at the kiosk after 3 p.m. for a same-day cancellation, which the park doesn't recommend counting on.
- Each State Parks booking costs an $8.25 reservation fee. Cancel 7 or more days out for a full refund of site fees (minus an $8.25 cancellation fee); 2–6 days out, you lose the first night. Check-out is at noon.
- Forest Service campgrounds are on Recreation.gov (877-444-6777). Kirk Creek "books up six months in advance", and both coastal campgrounds keep two first-come sites.
- The private campgrounds book on their own websites or by phone; Fernwood takes bookings up to a year ahead.
Pfeiffer Big Sur State Park
The biggest campground in Big Sur: 189 tent and RV sites along the Big Sur River in a redwood and oak valley, with the Big Sur Lodge, a nature center and a campfire center inside the park.
- Fees: $50 a night, $60 for a premium riverfront site; second vehicle $10; hike-and-bike sites $5 (2 nights max). Seniors 62+ get $2 off.
- RVs: trailers up to 27 feet, motorhomes up to 32. No hookups, but there's a dump station, free for campers.
- Showers: hot, token-operated ($1 for 5 minutes), with water and restrooms throughout the campground.
- Limits: 6 people and 2 vehicles per site; 7 nights in a row in peak season, 30 nights a calendar year. Sites can't be booked within 48 hours of arrival. Check-in at 2 p.m., check-out at noon.
- Fires in the metal fire rings only; buy firewood at the kiosk, don't gather it.
- Dogs are allowed in the campground and on the River Path and Warden's Path, not on other trails.
After the Timber Fire, which burned about 517 acres of the park, the campground, day-use areas, River Path, Nature Trail and Buzzards Roost Trail are open again. Pfeiffer Falls, Valley View, Oak Grove, Mount Manuel, Big Sur River Gorge and Pine Ridge trails stay closed until further notice.
Limekiln State Park
A small park on the south coast where a redwood canyon meets the ocean. It has 29 sites: 1–12 near the beach (2 vehicles each) and 13–29 in the redwoods (1 vehicle each).
- Fee: $50 a night, extra vehicle $10, cash only at the park for now.
- RVs: motorhomes up to 24 feet, trailers up to 15 (one State Parks page lists 24 feet for trailers too, so confirm with the park). No hookups and no dump station.
- Hot showers by token. Dogs on leash in the campground and on the beach, not on trails.
- Fall 2026: the park reopened to camping on April 1, 2026, but the beach-side sites are closed during a geotechnical survey of the Limekiln Bridge, and the Hare Creek and Limekiln Falls trails remain closed.
Andrew Molera and Julia Pfeiffer Burns: hike-in camps
Andrew Molera State Park, at the north end of Big Sur, has a trail camp of 22 tent sites plus two hike-and-bike sites. You park in the day-use lot and walk about a quarter mile in. It has drinking water and flush toilets but no showers; $30 a night, 4 people per site, no RVs and no dogs. The camp is seasonal: it closed for the winter on November 1, 2025 and reopened on May 1, 2026. State Parks hasn't posted this winter's dates yet, so check ReserveCalifornia.
Julia Pfeiffer Burns State Park has two environmental campsites, hike-in only, on the ocean side of Highway 1 south of McWay Cove. They're $30 a night for up to 4 people, with pit toilets; the only running water is across the highway. Bring your own firewood. No dogs. They usually fill six months ahead.
Kirk Creek and Plaskett Creek (Forest Service)
The two Los Padres National Forest campgrounds on the south coast are the cheapest drive-in sites in Big Sur at $45 a night, and Kirk Creek has the view: an open bluff 100 feet above the ocean.
- Kirk Creek: 40 sites, RVs up to 30 feet, vault toilets, no drinking water and no showers. Extra vehicle $10.
- Plaskett Creek: 44 sites under Monterey pines and cypress, a short walk from Sand Dollar Beach. Extra vehicle $10. The forest's latest advisory says there's no drinking water.
- Both are booked on Recreation.gov, with two first-come sites each.
Fall 2026: the Forest Service lists both as closed due to the Timber and Plaskett Fires, and Plaskett Creek is named in the forest's emergency closure order. Recreation.gov still shows dates for them, so before you book or drive down, check the campground pages or call the Monterey Ranger District at 831-385-5434.
The forest's inland campgrounds, Nacimiento, Ponderosa and Bottchers Gap, are inside the closure order through January 31, 2027, along with Nacimiento-Fergusson Road and the Ventana and Silver Peak Wilderness trails. Free camping on the ridge roads is closed too; see Big Sur dispersed camping.
The private campgrounds in the river valley
Three private campgrounds sit beside Pfeiffer Big Sur on the Big Sur River, and Ventana is in Post Creek canyon a couple of miles south.
- Big Sur Campground & Cabins has tent sites and RV sites with water and electric hookups for rigs up to 40 feet in select sites, a central dump station, cabins, a camp store and laundry. Up to 5 people per site; $5 per extra person and per pet, $15 for a second vehicle, plus a $30 amenities fee per stay and a community impact fee. Check-in at noon, check-out at 11 a.m. Book by phone at 831-667-2322 or online.
- Riverside Campground & Cabins has tent sites and RV sites with 20-amp electric and water for rigs up to 30 feet (its home page says 25; call to confirm), but no sewer or dump station. A resort fee covers hot showers, and there's a community impact fee; pets $5 each a night.
- Fernwood Resort has 27 tent sites and RV sites with water and 30-amp electric (motorhomes up to 30 feet, trailers up to 28), hot showers and a general store. The base rate for 2 people and 1 vehicle is $70–$145 a night; $5 per extra person, up to 6 people and 2 vehicles per site; dump station $20. Book up to a year ahead.
- Ventana Campground, in a redwood canyon below the Ventana Big Sur resort, is tent-only: no RVs, trailers or camper vans, one vehicle per site and none over 20 feet. Showers are $2 for 5 minutes; summer stays have a three-night minimum. It also runs safari-tent glamping: see Ventana Big Sur glamping.
Campfires
Through January 31, 2027, a Los Padres forest order allows fires only at designated campfire sites, which include Kirk Creek and Plaskett Creek. Pfeiffer Big Sur and Andrew Molera allow fires in their metal fire rings. Don't gather wood: buy it at the campground (Julia Pfeiffer Burns asks you to bring your own).
Getting there
Highway 1 reopened through Big Sur at Regent's Slide on January 14, 2026, so you can drive the full coast from Carmel to Cambria. Pfeiffer Big Sur is 26 miles south of Carmel; Kirk Creek is about 35 miles further south. Caltrans runs one-way traffic control at several work zones this fall, at Rocky Creek Bridge, between Point Sur and Big Sur, and at Mud Creek on weekday mornings. Check Caltrans QuickMap or call 1-800-427-7623 before you leave.
Driving a rig? See RV camping in Big Sur for hookups, length limits and dump stations. For other California trips, see Death Valley camping and Catalina Island camping, or start from our guide to camping in California.
