Rancho Oso Resort

This is a Thousand Trails campground, and is a converted horse ranch. Sites are basic but not too bad. They have a large pool and country store and a historic old house that serves as a clubhouse with a kitchen (pay). The staff was nice and very helpful and they had a good number of activities.

I need to have internet access, and there wasn't much to be had, and no wifi to speak of that was at all useful. I ended up driving down the road or to Santa Barbara when I needed to get access.

This was one of the more beautiful campgrounds we've been to with picturesque mountains, nice pool area and trails. They also have horses and cattle which are fun to be around. The problem? This place has ZERO cell reception on Verizon (I'm assuming all carriers) literally none. If you work from the road do not stay here during the work week. You will never connect to the campground wifi either, not even from the clubhouse. We drove 40 minutes into Santa Barbara everyday to work from Starbucks before deciding to cut the trip short a week. We moved to Flying Flags in Buellton and had great cell service. If you're looking to have a camping experience here where you can unplug and get away from it all, then this is your place! Also beware, the road leading up to the campground is super sketchy. If you have a big rig it will be very tight. We have a 35' fifth wheel and would have hated to see what would have happened if another rig came the other way because the road was not big enough for two RVs at the same time. If you go, definitely try to avoid checking in around the same time others are checking out 10:00am-12:00pm.

We loved our time here. Cell service wasn’t great so we planned to go for a few days when we didn’t need to be too connected. We did use the cell booster and were able to use limited 4G service on Verizon and ATT. The campground is part of Thousand Trails, this was our second TT campground (we got a free year membership when we bought our camper). There was a great mildly strenuous waterfall hike on the property which was awesome, not a lot of water flowing, but a great hike. They also have goats and chickens you can visit with and offer horseback riding. It was about a 30-45 minute drive to grocery shopping in Santa Barbara or the Solvang area. Both spots have great farmers markets on select days too! Our site had full hookups, the bathrooms were clean, staff was super nice, and laundry was available for a reasonable price.

We booked this campground as we are TT elite members. Therefore it was "free" to us. We haven't been that impressed with Thousand Trails campgrounds, but this one is a jewel! It is at the end of a very twisty, hilly, 1 1/2 lane road. Therefore, do not try to arrive early, where you might meet another rig leaving. There is virtually no room for passing another rig. No guardrails, no shoulder. That said, the campground it awesome! The sites are a bit narrow, but there are full hookup sites (we did not have 50 amp) as well as limited hookups. There are also very cool cabins, teepee's, etc. with a western motif for rental. And there is a stable for horseback riding. The roads need some work, but we had no trouble with our 40' dp. The campground is in what I would call a "hidden valley" that is just gorgeous. Cell coverage was pretty much only available at the bottom of the hill, and wifi at the designated building was pretty poor. This campground is a very short drive to some really great things in this part of California. Solvang and Santa Barbara are less than an hour. Very cool area.

We stayed here a couple of weeks as part of our Thousand Trails membership. It is a beautiful area not far from Santa Barbara. Solvang is just a bit to the north. I love the California oak woodlands and this is a great example. Acorns and woodpeckers all over. I also saw a Peregrine Falcon.
The staff did a great job and there is propane on site. We would definitely stay here again, although, connectivity is limited. I managed to boost Verizon enough to squeak by, but uploading video was impossible. There is good cell service down Paradise road if you are in a bind.
All in all, it was a good stay. I shot some video here too, https://youtu.be/oKasoy1ELlk

This campground is very quiet as it is in the mountains fairly remote. It's really quite beautiful with the horses and the ranch-style. The RV spaces are tiered so there are multiple levels. The only negative is that the road leading up to the campsite is really really bad. Your RV is going to shake and there are hairpin turns. Also cell phone reception and internet is spotty at best. I have a WeBoost RV 65 and even with that it's difficult getting Internet through AT&T and T-Mobile is nonexistent.

Many people really like this place. I don't so much. First, the drive in to the CG is a bit nerve racking. Lots of comments and videos about that so I don't need to beat a dead horse.
The water went out for 2 days. Not a water boil but no water at all. Lucky I had some in my tank to last me. Oh, and when the water goes out the rest rooms are locked closed. One thing about this place is they are on well water. The water was the hardest I have EVER seen. My softener usually can do the job for up to 3 weeks. This place? 4 days and I would have to regen. Crazy hard water here. It was off the chart on my test strips.
Another day the power company shut the power off for "public safety". It's 100 out and they shut the power off. Real nice!
Nearest grocery is Whole foods in Santa Barbara. You need to take the Grand Prix raceway (154) into town. It's a twisty mountain road where looney tunes driving on it where they think the speed limit is 100 (where it really is 55). They'll try and pass you even with a double yellow line in the center.
Then there are the flies. OMG, flies are all over. You cannot go outside for 10 seconds before there are 5, 10, 15 of them on you. Sorry, not my kinda place. I was going to give lower stars but the roads are paved. I was able to get cell service although many said they couldn't (go mock MIMO antennas). I was able to get between 3-6mb DL. UL was really slow so don't try and upload much here or video conferencing (if you can manage a signal at all. It is very hilly here so that may play a factor in whether you get a signal (I was kinda in the middle)
The pool is ok if you stay in the water as the flies will get you there if you are out of it. The wine tasting on Sat afternoons is nice. It was really hot here and 30 amp service only. So, only one AC and in a larger motorhome one AC doesn't cut it well. So, if you like flies, or just like to stay inside, or like to apply bug spray if you just go outside for a few minutes this place will do you fine.
The staff were nice.

We liked the location and it was very quiet despite having most campsites full. The road is fine until the last mile. It's not as bad as others have reviewed but it is one lane and can be difficult if you have to pass someone. We have a 43' fifth wheel and had to pass a couple times. We were able to do that without an issues but there are some corners that it would not be possible and would require backing up. It's only a mile though and traffic is lite. We had planned to stay 16 days but left after 3 because of the poor cell reception. I needed connectivity to work remote and only had intermittent service with AT&T, none with T-Mobile.

We caught the tail end of the tarantula mating season and did see one cross the road. The flies were crazy when we first arrived but a with the cold snap the next day they were gone. If you don't like spiders, snakes and flies then you won't want to be here during the warmer weather. It's a decent campground but we would choose other locations first due to the cell reception.

A few ways to review this place. If you love boon docking this may not be your spot. BUT.BUT.BUT......... If you are used to RV parks this is a good place. The full hook up sites are a little sardine like for my taste. There are partial sites that are pretty good with trees and space in between each spot. BUT, the things they offer are amazing for young families, couples, and horse people. They have miniature golf, movie rentals, tennis court, horse back riding, an infinite amount of hiking trials, wine tasting, game rooms, bbq dinner gathering, breakfast offered on weekends and more I can’t list them all. It’s a perfect spot to have a group of people and/or family gathering. You can also rent a cabin or covered wagon to stay in. They have movie nights, game nights and just a ton of fun stuff. Reminds me a little of the all inclusive vacations that used to be popular in the 50’s (at least that I’ve seen in movies -ie:Dirty Dancing and Marvelous Miss Mazel.)but less organized in a good way. And on top of all this it’s a great spot if you want to be close to either Santa Barbara, Santa Ynez or Buellton. All within about a half hour drive. Dump site available on site, a store, and the quiet rules are fantastic! No worrying about loud music. This was actually one of the quietest places we stayed at (that was an RV park) Weather in the area of course is always amazing. We love boon docking so it was a little cramped for us BUT we’re from Santa Barbara so it was a great place to be close to family and get a little camping/hiking in.

The road in seemed newly paved. Even without the new surface it didn’t seem as steep or narrow as you sometimes get when using dispersed campsites. It was occasionally narrow and large vehicles may need to move over but most should be fine.

The sites are right on top of each other, with no shade. If you go down the hill to the 100’s section then you may get a bit more shade and a bit more privacy.

We LOVED the horses. If you want to ride, book before you go. Due COVID they are only taking one family out at a time and so it sells out quick. It’s reasonable too, $50 for a one hour trail ride.

Bathrooms are nice. Showers are private, unlike some CA TT’s. Good access to Santa Barbara and a nice scenic drive.

No cell service though, maybe 1 bar at most.