Plaskett Creek Campground

For many years, my husband Garth and I have traveled the western states in our little 24-foot motorhome, along with our golden retriever Chase (and occasionally our cat!). In this and subsequent RVCYOB articles, I’ll share with you our experiences, our opinions on the best campsites to reserve, clever camping gear and gizmos, tried-and-true hacks, secret hikes, camp recipes, camping with pets and kids, things to avoid, and things you won’t want to miss. I hope you’ll enjoy traveling with us.

Ahhhh. Relax, unplug, reconnect with Nature, family, and friends.

Plaskett Creek campground is idyllic. It is truly southern Big Sur camping at its most sublime. We just spent six glorious days there feeling our blood pressure drop each day, which is why it’s one of our favorite local getaways.

A short 1.5 hour drive up the coast from Morro Bay, this forest service campground is known for natural beauty and grassy green meadow surrounded by generous campsites under mature pines, cypress and redwood trees. Sand Dollar Beach, the longest beach in Big Sur, is right across Highway 1 and is a go-to surf spot for all Central Coast surfers.

Plaskett Creek has an organic, rustic Big Sur vibe with predominantly tent campers, camper vans, pop-ups and a few Class Cs, though Class As and fifth-wheels can fit in many sites (listed below). You’ll see lots of surfers, couples, groups of 30 year olds, young families with kids, bikers and hikers. There are no hookups, no dump station, no showers, and no cell reception or WIFI. If you’re okay with that, please read on.

There are 44 campsites and not a bad one in the entire campground—only good, better and best. All are spacious. Most of the asphalt pads need a little leveling (2”-5”). Each site has a fire pit/grill and a picnic table. Some sites at the top of the meadow (east) have partial ocean views. There are clean restrooms with flush toilets. The three group campsites have chemical toilets. Watch for poison oak around the edges of the perimeter campsites and along the path to the beach. Firewood can usually be purchased from the Camp Hosts but it’s a good idea to bring your own if you can.

There are no grocery stores nearby (small grocery store 10 minutes south in Gorda), so plan to bring everything you’ll need including a full tank of water. There’s no water fill-up station for RVs. Even though there are plenty of water spigots throughout, you would need a water bandit to fill your tank. Make sure your black and gray tanks are empty. The closest dump station is San Simeon State Park, forty miles to the south.

If we camp carefully, using the campground toilets, water from the hose bibs, and Luci lights for evening illumination, we can dry camp for 6 days, 5 nights (we also have a 100w solar panel on the roof but it’s compromised in a shady site). I would discourage you from depending on your generator. This is a very quiet iconic Big Sur-type campground—very quiet even when it’s full. We were there for 6 days and never heard a generator. So if you consistently use your generator, this may not be your campground.

Beach access—it’s less than a ¾ mile walk to beautiful Sand Dollar Beach. Walk a short distance north on Hwy 1 to the Day Use area. You’ll find the path to the beach at the north end of the parking lot.  The level path will come to sloping section (currently still rutted by storm damage) and then a series of 102 steps down to the beach. Well worth it!

Surfing—husband Garth says it’s best in the summer time and in the fall, beach break, good with northwest swell, too big and out of control in the winter time. In the summertime, you’ll see surfboards and wetsuits in nearly every campsite!

Hiking—you can drive to numerous fantastic hikes in the Big Sur area, but right out of camp there’s only the Plaskett Ridge Road that you can access from Group Campsites 2 and 3. It’s a moderate hike with rewarding views up and down the Big Sur coastline and out to sea. Keep an eye out for condors flying above the hills. You’ll pass a few houses up there that always make me wonder what it must be like to live in rugged, remote Big Sur.

Kids—Plaskett Creek is great for kids. The campground is usually teeming with them! Besides the traditional family activities around the campfire, they can ride bikes all over camp, play pickup soccer or baseball in the meadow with other camp kids, go to the beach, or hike or surf with you.

Dogs—leashed dogs are allowed in camp, on the beach, and on Plaskett Ridge Road. If you hike the ridge road, be mindful of resident dogs up there.

Family reunions—Plaskett Creek rates high for its beautiful natural campground, beach access and large wooded sites but everyone has to be okay with the aforementioned lack of showers, WIFI, cell, electricity, groceries, ice, etc. Adults are forced to disconnect, relax and communicate. Kids get to figure out their own games and entertainment. Family members get a rare opportunity to spend good, undistracted time with each other.

Noise—It’s very quiet, especially at night, and especially when Hwy 1 is closed to through traffic. There may be some road noise in the westernmost campsites along the highway.

Night sky—If the fog doesn’t roll in, walk into the meadow away from the trees, and allow the super dark sky to put on a beautiful show of stars and early evening satellites.

History—The Salinan tribe is believed to have occupied the area prior to pioneering families like William and Sara Plaskett who homesteaded in 1869. Plaskett Creek campground sits on the site of their orchard.

Reservations—up to six months in advance at www.recreation.gov. Book early. Fees are $45 per night. Check pad length to make sure your rig will fit. Good sites for Class As, Super Class Cs or long trailers: 6, 8, 12, 16, 20, 28, 30, 40, 42. Some double sites can be rented together. If you rent just one of them, be aware that even though the campsites are large, you’re parking right next to someone. That works if you’re tent camping but not good for RVs, especially with slides. To see what each campsite looks like, I use www.campsitephotos.com.

Remember this is Big Sur, always prone to road closures due to slides. Check with Caltrans before you go to make sure you can get to Plaskett Creek! If you camp in the winter, be aware that rainy weather may result in a rock slide that can trap you there.

Campsite Ratings: Husband Garth and I have walked the entire campground and rated each campsite so that I’ll know which ones we want most when I’m back home, sitting at my computer, trying to make reservations—and which ones we want to avoid. If you’d like a copy of my rating sheet for Plaskett Creek, please send me an email from my contact page and let me know you want the Plaskett Creek rating map. I will never sell your email! I'd also love to hear if you have any information to share about Plaskett or any other campground.

Come on up to Plaskett Creek and unplug. Ahhh. We’ll see you in camp!