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3.5
45 votes

Gaviota State Park

17620 Gaviota Beach Rd., California 93117 USA

Closed Now
Opens Tue 7a
  • Independent
  • Pet Friendly
  • Not Wheelchair
    Accessible
  • Public
    Restrooms
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“Camping established in 1953”

Gaviota State Park takes its name from the Spanish word for seagull, given to the area by soldiers of the Portola Expedition who supposedly killed a seagull while camping here in 1769.  Marked by a tall Southern Pacific railroad trestle that crosses Gaviota Creek high above the day-use parking lot, the park is a popular spot for swimming, picnicking, surf fishing and camping, despite high winds that often blow through the area. A pier on the west end of the beach is used by anglers, and scuba divers and surfers use a boat hoist on the pier to access the waters of the Santa Barbara Channel.  Visitors can explore the rugged upland portions of the park from a trailhead in the parking area. Ambitious hikers can climb to Gaviota Peak that offers a spectacular view of the coast and the Channel Islands. Gaviota State Park is also home to the Kashtayit State Marine Conservation Area, and boater launching from Gaviota may be able access the Point Conception State Marine Reserve.  Each area has its own rules regarding fishing and  the take of living marine resources.

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Reviews of Gaviota State Park

4 people have reviewed this location

Ratings Summary

4.7 Access
4.7 Location
3.7 Cleanliness
3.3 Site Quality
4.0 Noise

Cell Coverage

Verizon 4G/5G

Confirmed by 4 users | Last reported on September 12, 2023
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  • 1 Review
  • 0 Helpful
September 24, 2020
Rated

Great little campground with a private beach, a pier (currently closed) and an Amtrak trestle bridge for the Coast Starlight route up and down the coast. Bathrooms with flush toilets and cold water sinks are kept clean. Hot showers $.25/2 minutes. No hookups that I know of. IT CAN BE VERY WINDY in this area so beware, especially if you're tent camping. Each site has a picnic tablet and a fire pit.

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roadtripper4947762 would stay here again

Nightly Rate: $45.00

Days Stayed: 4

Site Number: 18

5 Access
5 Location
5 Cleanliness
5 Site Quality
5 Noise

Cell Coverage Rating

Verizon 4G

  • 3 Reviews
  • 0 Helpful
September 15, 2021
Rated

A beautiful private beach in a unique setting (adjacent to the pier and bridge). I didn’t have time to visit the nearby wind caves or the hot spring, but all the more reason to come back! Bathrooms are clean and there's a snack shack for convenience. The campground draws a diverse crowd (rv, tent, surfers, families) and by 9pm the whole campground quiets down pretty quickly and despite being next to a train bridge, I did not hear the train while I was there. Slept with the camper window cracked open and fell asleep to the sound of the nearby waves. Quite nice. The campsites all bleed into one another with little to no division between sites. Tents are essentially out in a shared open space. Verizon reception was good with 15mb+ down.

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roadtripper740782 would stay here again

Nightly Rate: $45.00

Days Stayed: 1

Site Number: 31

5 Access
5 Location
4 Cleanliness
3 Site Quality
4 Noise

Cell Coverage Rating

Verizon 4G

  • 8 Reviews
  • 0 Helpful
August 30, 2023
Rated

The green grass in the other photos is now gone and it is dirt. Showers and toilets need cleaning. It is a beach campground so you are in a parking lot, meh 🤷‍♂️

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Nightly Rate: $45.00

Days Stayed: 1

Site Number: -

4 Access
4 Location
2 Cleanliness
2 Site Quality
3 Noise

Cell Coverage Rating

Verizon 4G

Photo of Campendium

Reviewed by
Campendium

September 12, 2023
Rated

Ugly, dirty, no grass, beach unkept, unbelievably rude state park attendant! He put us right in the same place as a tent village and there were at least 25 spaces open. I asked if we could move and he said all sites were booked solid. My husband went back to ask and the attendant decided to switch us with someone else coming in later. Only ONE other camper came there whole time. Awful place and advise you to not go.

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Nightly Rate: $45.00

Days Stayed: 1

Site Number: 28

Cell Coverage Rating

Verizon 5G

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Gaviota State Park

17620 Gaviota Beach Rd.
California
93117 USA
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Hours

Closed Now
  • Sun - Sat: 7:00 am - 7:00 pm

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  • Unavailable
    Parking
  • Check
    Pets Allowed
  • Check
    Restrooms
  • Unknown
    Wifi
  • Unavailable
    Wheelchair Accessible
  • Unknown
    Credit Cards Accepted
Max Length
27 ft
Affiliation
State park or forest
Last Nightly Rate
45.0
Lowest Nightly Rate
35.0
Longest Vehicle Length Reported
21.0
  • Unavailable
    Laundry
  • Unavailable
    Propane
  • Check
    Showers
  • Unavailable
    Big Rigs
  • Check
    Boondock
  • Unavailable
    Firewood
  • Check
    Tent Sites
  • Unavailable
    Cabin Sites
  • Unavailable
    Full Hookup
  • Check
    Paved Sites
  • Unavailable
    Dump Station
  • Unavailable
    Mobile Homes
  • Check
    Public Water
  • Unavailable
    Pull Through
  • Check
    Reservations
  • Unavailable
    Sewer Hookup
  • Unavailable
    Water Hookup
  • Check
    Potable Water
  • Unavailable
    Age Restricted
  • Unavailable
    Dispersed Sites
  • Check
    Open Seasonally
  • Unavailable
    Permit Required
  • Unavailable
    Group Tent Sites
  • Unavailable
    Fulltime Residents
  • Check
    Standard Tent Sites
  • Unavailable
    Pull Through RV Sites
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