KCL Campground Turnoff: A Remote Camping Experience in Santa Margarita

10 reviews

Soda Lake Rd, Santa Margarita, CA 93453, USA
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KCL Campground Turnoff Introduce

Welcome to KCL Campground Turnoff, a serene and remote campground located on Soda Lake Rd, Santa Margarita, CA 93453. As a part of the Campgrounds & RV Parks category, KCL Campground Turnoff offers a rustic camping experience for those looking to escape the hustle and bustle of daily life.

Environment and Location:

Situated at the base of rolling hills and the edge of a vast valley, KCL Campground Turnoff provides breathtaking views of the surrounding landscape, including the Caliente Range. The campground's remote location offers a peaceful and quiet environment, although it can be busy, especially on weekends. It's important to note that cell service, particularly for Verizon, is limited at the campground itself, but can be found a few miles into the valley.

Services and Features:

Free Camping: Enjoy a cost-effective camping experience in a beautiful natural setting.
Basic Amenities: The campground is equipped with clean vault toilets, picnic benches, and fire rings at each site.
Horse Corrals: For equestrian enthusiasts, horse corrals are available.
Hiking Trails: Explore the surrounding area with hiking trails, including a 16-mile trail leading to Caliente Mountain, accessible from Shelby Campground, located 7 miles away. A short hike to the top of the hills behind the campground offers stunning views.
Site Variety: The campground offers a mix of drive-in sites, some with shade, and back sites requiring a short walk, all equipped with fire pits and pole with hooks for lanterns or tethering. Some sites are wheelchair accessible.
Soda Lake: A short drive up the road leads to Soda Lake, a worthwhile stop for its scenic beauty.

Important Considerations:

Limited Cell Coverage: Be prepared for limited or no cell service, especially with Verizon, at the campground.
Potential Noise: While generally peaceful, large groups with generators may occasionally disrupt the quiet environment, especially on weekends.
Water Access: While a spigot was present, water access was not available during some visits.

KCL Campground Turnoff is ideal for those seeking a rustic camping experience with stunning views and basic amenities. Whether you're hiking, horseback riding, or simply looking to relax in nature, this campground offers a unique and memorable outdoor adventure.

Location

California San Luis Obispo County Santa Margarita Soda Lake Road

Customer Reviews

3.0

10 reviews

Jack Rondini

Mar 23, 2021

Surprising nice campground at the base of the hills & edge of a large valley. Clean with vault toilet, picnic benches, fire ring & horse corral. Good views, some nice spaces for walking. There’s a 16ish mile trail up to Caliente Mountain (which overlooks the campground) which starts from Shelby campground (7 miles down the road). Unfortunately there was a large group with generators running all night over the weekend. Not terrible but enough to be annoying when you come out for quiet & peace. Considering the remote location with no guns or ATV’s allowed it was busy with all sites full every night I was there. Wednesday-Monday. No cell coverage for Verizon at the campground but if you go down some dirt roads about 2 miles into the valley you can get a few bars. Also Soda Lake which is up the road a bit was worth a stop.

Laura Clay

Sep 20, 2020

Good little free campground with 2 vault toilets (there was a spigot but no water access when we were there). I would estimate there are around 8 drive-in sites (2-3 have shade) and 8-10 back sites (no shade) where you have to walk a short distance. All sites have a firepit and a pole with two hooks for horses, lanterns, dog tethering, etc. as well as a stone table (ours even had a wheelchair spot) Horse corrals are available, and there is a great little hike to the top of two hills behind the campground for a stunning view of the Caliente Range!

Claire Reinecke

May 23, 2023

3 stars bc free and BLM, if $$ would give 2. Flies everywhere and minimal shade. Campground was full on the weekend. Tons of mice everywhere once sun finally went down, they were crawling on our feet at campfire… Yuck! People were there weed whacking all of Saturday and Sunday. Someone say yay well maintained I would say hey pretty annoying to do that on the weekend. Overall had zero peace there. It’s a place to park, sleep and poop in a vault toilet for free, if that’s what you need.

ERIC CESPEDES

Feb 17, 2021

Very clean quiet, excellent views. The 3 owls keeper us up all night. :):)

John LaBonte

Jul 05, 2019

I hadn’t been here in about 15 years, but was impressed with the improvements that have been made on that time. It’s also situated in a good location to be a launch point for your daily excursion within the monument. There’s drinking ware, pit toilets, fire rings, and shade!