Hearst San Simeon State Park Camping

Hearst San Simeon State Park is one of our favorites. Located on the central California coast about a mile north of Cambria, CA, and just five miles south of Hearst Castle, there are three camping areas at the HSS SP campground. The Lower Creek area is nicely wooded and many sites there provide a measure of seclusion, especially those right along San Simeon Creek. From any of these Lower Creek sites, it's just a short walk under a highway bridge to the beach. The Upper Creek area on the other hand is a little less convenient to the beach, less wooded and less protected from sea breezes which can be a bit strong at times. But it affords better views with several sites having the Pacific at least partially in sight. Some campsites in both areas are rather close to others which is great for family reunions or groups, but not so good if you like your privacy. Anyway, close site proximity is not unusual for campgrounds, and there are many sites at HSS that feel very secluded, and SP campgrounds generally give you more elbow room than your typical KOA or private park anyway. But if you need hookups, HSS is not for you. Although there is a tank dump, no sites have electric, water or sewer hookups. Fortunately, fresh water spigots are generously provided throughout all areas, and the bath houses have flush toilets and pay showers. (Note: On our last visit we stayed on a beautiful site in the upper area but the showers nearest us would get only lukewarm even after running for awhile. Not great! We think this was just a one-off problem that has hopefully been fixed.) One drawback of this otherwise really beautifully located and well-maintained campground is road noise. Both the lower and upper areas are very near Highway 1 where it crosses the above mentioned San Simeon Creek bridge. The bridge seems to amplify vehicle sounds somewhat and Hwy 1 is busy virtually 24 hours a day, interfering with nature's calm to an annoying degree at times. But you can avoid the constant sound intrusion by picking a site in the Washburn area which is about a third of a mile further into the park from the others. Although the Washburn sites are not as convenient to the beach and have pit toilets (thus it's called a "primitive" area) they are up on a hill where it is much quieter and many have great vistas out to the ocean and of the surrounding mountains. The lovely little town of Cambria is only about a mile away. It has lots of shops, art galleries, antique emporiums, excellent restaurants, wine tasting, etc. And there are a number of hiking trails throughout the park area that surrounds the campgrounds. Abundant wildlife can be seen among pines and oaks dripping with Spanish moss. Enjoy vistas of meadows, farmlands, vineyards and forests, all nestled below the ridge line of the Santa Lucia range rolling out to the magnificent California coast and majestic Pacific. The sunsets can be spectacular! Altogether, Hearst San Simeon SP campground is a lovely place to spend a couple days or a couple weeks.