Los Prietos Campground

This spot is a really cool location. I can see how it would be a little crowded on a packed weekend but with covid, we had it pretty much to ourselves. There was a camp host that we never saw, nor needed but it was good to know someone was there. The bathrooms were clean and located in multiple areas around. They had tables, bbq and fire pits (that we couldn't use due to fire hazard season) and also water spigots. What we liked most was the shade it offered. There are a few other locations very close by and those didn't really offer any relief. We were excited that we could hear and see so much wildlife! We heard owls, mules, birds etc. In the morning we had deer walking through and wild turkeys! They were huge and not really scared of us, so we could get pretty close to observe them. So so cool! It was also only about 10 min from the main road and our favorite restaurant so it's in a convenient location, at least for us!Ok for the cons, yes, there were a lot of gnats or fruit flies, I'm not sure the difference. I hear that vanilla keeps them away... not sure I believe that or not but I might bring one of those candles next. We did make good use of our citronella though.Our 2 biggest complaints were the amount of poison oak everywhere. We wanted to go to this one campsite tucked in a little better but it was surrounded. We had 2 dogs with us and I was too worried to stay in that area. I definitely didn't need them to contract it AND/OR bring it into the tent. The other was that the trees that are overhead had extremely sharp leaves! Our dogs were having a lot of issues with their feet. I'm not sure why those trees were the ones of choice at the time of organizing the campground but I would watch out, not only for your for your fur babies, but your children as well!

Beautiful setting with friendly and hard working camp hosts. Each site has a picnic table, fire ring, and grill. Water won't be too far, but you may have to walk for it. There's a "quiet section" if you don't want to be around noisy families or campground parties. A flock of wild turkeys live in the area, and they like to walk through the campground around sunrise. We woke up one morning with 20 or so wandering around our camp site. It's a unique experience.Negatives: Many of the sites have no flat surfaces for setting up a tent. You'll be rolling off of your air mattress in the middle of the night if you're not careful. Poison oak is everywhere, even in the camp sites. The restrooms leave a lot to be desired. Dark, dingy, with something resembling toilet paper that takes three hands to unroll. Some of the locks don't work on the restrooms, either.We'll definitely enjoyed ourselves and will return, but we have seen much better.

Worst experience ever with a camp host. Hope nobody has to experience the harrassment we went through at this site. Should you feel harrassed please take a moment to complain, heres the local forest service supervisors number 805-968-6640. The camphost at one point poured a bucket of water on our fire, walked up to our site with a golf club, threatened to wake us up all night if we didnt leave, and tried to scare us away by threatening to call the cops.

CAMPSITE 26 IS AMAZING! I had to start off with that because our experience with our campsite was actually amazing. We were far away from all other sites so we could be pretty loud and didn't get complaints, and the campsite is absolutely amazing. Aside from that campsite though, the other campsites didn't look very nice, so I have to give this campground three stars. We had a great time, but we wouldn't have if we were on a different campsite. Many are much smaller and exposed, to the point where you don't feel like you have any privacy because everyone can see each other. Campsite 26 is amazing and I recommend it, but the other ones are hit and miss so make sure you know which ones are secluded or not before you reserve one.Decent campground overall.

Chose this place based on some other reviews and research and was dissatisfied and disappointed to say the least...dry...lack of shade ...very small sites..dirty and unkept dumpster that over flowed causing unsafe conditions...camp host nowhere to be found...no potable water and no camp fires allowed...but suggesting to boil all water.. a 5 hour drive here, I didn't stay here and would not stay here. Currently requesting my money back and was denied by the camp host

My girlfriend and I recently did a 1 night stay here. I booked it before through the Recreation app it received really good reviews. We both the campsite was boring, lacked good scenery, bathrooms were dirty and the parking spots are TINY. My Chevy Colorado barely fit in the parking spot. We had spot #11 and the fire pit/BBQ/bench is about 50 feet away on a semi steep rocky hill. The campsite also didn't allow us to use the fire pit or BBQ grill. The site also had a pretty bad fly problem too. I'm glad we only stayed 1 night. Probably won't return any time soon.

This campground was really well taken care of and weekday it's still fairly empty. Camp hosts were very enthusiastic and helpful. Cannot wait to come camp here again!

Man, oh man. Let's talk about the SWARMS OF FLIES that will torment you from the second you step out of your car until the moment you leave. They are relentless. The POISON OAK situation is pretty crazy... there really is a lot of it, so familiarize yourself with what it looks like and then stay away from it. The photos of the campground show a lush, green landscape... it was all dust and dirt when I was there. There is not a lot of privacy.... the wood was ten bucks a bundle, not the advertised six. The CAMP HOST was fine... maybe it's a new host since the previous reviews. Very very meh.

I have been a camper my whole life, and I would like to start off by saying this is the worst camping experience by far. Beware of the camp host(s). Upon arrival they were very courteous and helpful. But once my whole party arrived. They were rude, racist, condescending, and completely lacked people skills. We were told it was quite time after 10 p.m. we respectfully told our party to go to bed. Our party included babies, and small children. The next day the host came to harass us, yes harass she came to ask why we hadn't "controlled" our children, and she was insinuating why we couldn't get the babies to go to sleep. She not only came back once, she came back a total of 3 times repeating herself, that they were not happy with us. My six year old daughter ran up to me frightened asked if we were not allowed to laugh because the camp host also said we were laughing too much. This is a lawsuit waiting to happen . As camp hosts, give warnings, maybe ask people to leave but stop harassing people. This is unacceptable, we came on our annual family camping trip. Our entire experience was horrible because of the camp hosts.

You need to know what you're getting into. That's the key thing.#1 No showers. Repeat: no showers. In fact, there's no showers anywhere for -- literally -- miles. Considering my stay was going to be four three nights and four days... well, let's just say one of our trips to Santa Barbara was specifically to a beach with a shower, mmmkay? And there IS running water and toilets (no sinks) so you can scrub whatever crevices need attention so that you don't feel full-on horrid. Still, if you've got a family, this can get cringe-worthy. That said, I'm sure there are a camping-specific showers you can buy from Coleman. They make EVERYTHING.#2 There's not much to *do* around the campsite, so be sure to look for nearby locales. There are a few hiking trails, but I don't think any tie up to the campsite, so you'll be driving out to find them. We tried Red Rock, which is a good 20-30 minute drive out of camp. Unfortunately, even before 10AM the temperatures were well above 100 so that hike lasted about a half-mile -- but there was a few neat sights to behold, including a pretty great diving rock that I would never have enough courage to dive from. ;o) There's also a lake nearby for boating, but if you're going to bother going out to the lake, I suggest you camp there as well. There's also Solvang and Santa Barbara (of course). After a day of trekking, the campsite is a decent spot to kick back and relax.#3 Summertime... is... HAWT. Seriously. It was 85 in SB, 105 at the campsite. The trees offer a little amount of shade and respite, but you're still talking about blast furnace ambiance. Check your weather reports! The evenings got cool and comfortable, but after triple-digit heat and no showers... well, use your imagination.#4 Flies. Bugs. Biters. Two days after returning, I counted 47 bug bits. Then again: nature.Okay, all that said: the campgrounds aren't very private, and most of the space is wide open so that many campsites blend into the next. A few (especially in the back) have a little bit more privacy, but not much. It's very much a tenting site -- as opposed to trailers. Somebody else mentioned this as a starter site. In one sense, I can agree, as you're not secluded and it's a very laid-back... but I've been other places where you get more privacy AND you can take a shower for a few quarters. I'd suggest the latter for a camping newb. This is a good option if you don't mind driving around, but if you're looking for a spot to drop your tent and stay in one place... maybe not.