U.S. Forest Service · Los Padres National Forest · Santa Barbara, CA

Paradise Campground

Paradise Campground is a beautiful place to enjoy California's westernmost national forest. It provides access to a variety of recreational activities, including hiking, biking, horseback riding and more. Mountain lakes and rivers in the area offer campers plentiful fishing, boating and swimming opportunities.

Open nowReservable · Recreation.gov15 sitesFrom $10 per night48 ft maxNo hookupsPets ok

More like this: reservable in California · big rigs in California · pets allowed in California

Check availability on Recreation.gov ↗
A photo of facility PARADISE CAMPGROUNDA photo of facility PARADISE CAMPGROUNDPARADISE CAMPGROUNDPARADISE CAMPGROUND
Photos courtesy of PMC · Recreation.gov

Site mix

Standard, no hookups14
Host/management1
Most sites here open on Recreation.gov six months ahead, at 10 a.m. Eastern. Sold out is not final: cancellations come back into the pool, most of them two to three days out. How to catch one

Site guide

Will my RV fit

The longest site here provides 48 feet of vehicle capacity. Most sites are shorter.

Have the trailer VIN? It carries the trailer length.

14 sites. Tap a filter to narrow the list; the map follows.

SiteEntryFits, ftSurfaceShadePeople / vehicles
001Back-in40GravelFull16 / 4
002Back-in40GravelPartial8 / 1
003Back-in38GravelFull8 / 1
005Back-in40GravelFull16 / 4
006Back-in40GravelFull8 / 1
007Back-in36GravelFull8 / 1
008Back-in40GravelFull8 / 1
009Back-in38Gravel8 / 1
010Back-in36Gravel8 / 1
011Back-in29Gravel8 / 1

Per-site records as published by the managing agency on Recreation.gov. Blank cells mean the agency listed nothing for that site. Check-in 3:00 PM, checkout 12:00 PM.

Amenities & rules

HookupsNone
Max vehicle length48 ft
EquipmentRVs & trailers, Tents
PetsAllowed
FeesAll single campsite reservations are good for 6 people and 1 vehicle. Maximum number of people per single site is 8 ($10.00 additional charge per person per night after 6 people.) Maximum number of vehicles per single site is 2 ($10.00 additional charge for 2nd vehicle per night.

The campground offers just over a dozen sites for single and double-family tent and RV camping. Each site is equipped with a table, campfire ring with grill and a pedestal grill. Accessible flush toilets and drinking water are provided. Utility hookups are not provided. Parking spurs are paved and can accommodate most RVs. Firewood can be purchased from the campground host. The nearest fee dump station is about 11 miles away at Cachuma Lake County Park off State Route 154.

Individual sites vary. Confirm on Recreation.gov or with the managing office.

Season & status

StatusOpen
SeasonJanuary to December
ForestLos Padres National Forest
Bookingwww.recreation.gov or by calling 1-877-444-6777.
Fees$30.00 per site (6-8 people), $10.00 for each extra vehicle. There are (2) double sites available that can accommodate up to 16 people, $55.00 per site. Interagency Senior and Acess Passes provide pass holders with 50% off of camping fees - not valid for day use or extra vehicle parking fee.
Rules14 day stay limit.

Los Padres National Forest recreation page ↗

Weather by month

NOAA climate normals →
Weather by month near Paradise Campground40°50°60°70°80°January: 7.06 inches of precipitationFebruary: 7.56 inches of precipitationMarch: 4.68 inches of precipitationApril: 1.65 inches of precipitationMay: 0.68 inches of precipitationJune: 0.05 inches of precipitationJuly: 0.07 inches of precipitationAugust: 0.00 inches of precipitationSeptember: 0.09 inches of precipitationOctober: 1.11 inches of precipitationNovember: 1.48 inches of precipitationDecember: 4.19 inches of precipitationJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecJanuary: 51.2°F averageFebruary: 51.7°F averageMarch: 54.3°F averageApril: 58.1°F averageMay: 63.0°F averageJune: 68.6°F averageJuly: 74.4°F averageAugust: 75.0°F averageSeptember: 71.2°F averageOctober: 64.1°F averageNovember: 56.7°F averageDecember: 48.9°F average0 in2 in4 in6 in8 inTemp °FInches
The line is the average temperature and the bars are average precipitation at Gibraltar Dam #2, 8 miles from the campground at 1,558 feet, station USC00043402 in the NOAA monthly climate normals for 1991 to 2020. Precipitation totals about 29 inches a year.

Getting there

From Santa Barbara, take Highway 154 for approximately 9 miles to Paradise Road. Turn right and continue on Paradise Road to the campground.

Nearest townSanta Barbara, California
Coordinates34.5422° N, 119.8128° W · Directions ↗

Supplies & services

Dump stationThousand Trails ↗2.7 mi
RV sales & serviceHarder RV Storage ↗7.6 mi
Outdoor gearREI ↗11.1 mi

Locations © OpenStreetMap contributors. Call ahead; hours change seasonally.

Explore

Video

(4K UHD) REVIEWING EACH CAMPSITE @ Paradise Campground! | McKenzie River | Willamette NF |

Worth a stop

The city of Santa Barbara and the Pacific Ocean are about 18 miles from the campground.

Trails nearby

Forest Service trail data →
  • 1 mi
    Snyder
    3.5 mi trail · hiking, horse, bike
  • 1.5 mi
    Aliso Loop ↗
    3.9 mi trail · hiking, horse, bike · national_recreation_or_other
  • 2.6 mi
    Romero Camuesa OHV ↗
    11.5 mi trail · hiking, horse, bike, motorcycle and 2 more
  • 2.8 mi
    Arroyo Burro
    3.9 mi trail · hiking, horse, bike
  • 3.1 mi
    Santa Cruz ↗
    18.9 mi trail · hiking, horse, bike · national_recreation_or_other
  • 3.7 mi
    Camuesa Connector
    4 mi trail · hiking, horse, bike

Trailheads within three miles

Trail and trailhead records are the Forest Service's. Distances are straight-line to the nearer trail end. Trail conditions are not tracked here.

Public land it sits in

On Wilderness Atlas →

This campground sits inside Los Padres National Forest.

Each unit is published as a centre point and an acreage rather than a boundary, so this section stands it in for a circle of the same area. Whether a campground is inside, and how far it is from one it is outside, are both approximate.

Natural features

The developed campground is located in the Santa Ynez Mountains at an elevation of about 1,000 feet. The Santa Ynez River can be accessed through a tunnel beneath adjacent Paradise Road. The campground is nestled in an oak tree woodland that provides ample shade in most sites. Lush greenery blankets the campground and an open, level playing field allows for games and exploration.

Recreation

The Santa Ynez River is popular for a variety of water-related recreation and can be accessed at White Rock Day-Use Area, less than half a mile from the campground. Cachuma Lake Recreation Area, a no-body-contact reservoir, is about 10 miles northwest of the campground. It offers boating, fishing and kayaking. Anglers will find an abundance of annually stocked trout. Carp and bass are also common catches. Visitors enjoy a variety of hiking, biking and horseback riding trails. The Aliso National Recreation Trail is a popular, 2.5-mile loop that begins near the campground. Also nearby is the 18-mile Santa Cruz Trail, which provides access to a variety of other trails in the area. The Camuesa OHV Route and its connecting trails are available within 10 miles of the campground.

Guidebooks for California

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Titles come from Open Library's catalog, matched by subject heading or by title.

Reference

Questions people ask

Do I need a reservation at Paradise Campground?

Sites at Paradise Campground are reservable on Recreation.gov. www.recreation.gov or by calling 1-877-444-6777. Any walk-up sites are listed on the booking page.

Source: Recreation.gov

How much does it cost to camp at Paradise Campground?

All single campsite reservations are good for 6 people and 1 vehicle. Maximum number of people per single site is 8 ($10.00 additional charge per person per night after 6 people.) Maximum number of vehicles per single site is 2 ($10.00 additional charge for 2nd vehicle per night.

Source: Recreation.gov

What time is check-in at Paradise Campground?

Check-in 3:00 PM, checkout 12:00 PM.

Source: Recreation.gov

Is Paradise Campground open right now?

Open as of Oct 16, 2026. Season January to December.

Source: Forest Service status

How many sites does Paradise Campground have?

15 sites, including 14 standard sites without power.

Source: Recreation.gov

Will my RV fit at Paradise Campground?

The longest site here provides 48 feet of vehicle capacity. Most sites are shorter. The sidebar tool checks a trailer or motorhome length against every site.

Source: Will my RV fit

Are there showers or a dump station at Paradise Campground?

Accessible flush toilets and drinking water are provided.

Source: Recreation.gov

Are pets allowed at Paradise Campground?

Yes, pets are allowed at Paradise Campground. Leash rules apply.

Source: Recreation.gov

Is there cell service at Paradise Campground?

FCC coverage maps show Verizon 4G LTE at the campground point. Terrain changes that from one site to the next.

Source: FCC Broadband Map

What is there to do at Paradise Campground?

The Santa Ynez River is popular for a variety of water-related recreation and can be accessed at White Rock Day-Use Area, less than half a mile from the campground. The Recreation section on this page has the rest.

Source: Recreation

What is the nearest town to Paradise Campground?

Santa Barbara, California. The city of Santa Barbara and the Pacific Ocean are about 18 miles from the campground.

Source: Getting there

What if Paradise Campground is full?

The nearest public campgrounds are Los Prietos (0.2 mi), Fremont Campground (0.4 mi, partly first-come), and Sage Hill (1.3 mi).

Source: Campgrounds nearby