Oak Park Campground

Stayed one night in the lower campgrounds. Cost $50 for online reservation. The gate is half close if you come late, but you can still drive in by the open half. I arrived around 9 or 10pm. Restroom is clean. Site has electricity outlet! Noise: The reviews are true about the noise for the train tracks . But I got lucky only two passed by in the early morning around 7am. So I wasn’t woken up by the noise. Overall I’m okay with the site, since I just stayed for a night and leave early.

I have been going to Oak Park since I was a child. My Lopez family reunion has been held there for many years. It's a very traditional park with barbecue pits and hills to hike, which we did for many years. Now my grandchildren are enjoying it at our family reunion s. We even caught a dinosaur 🦕 😳 😁 in a raffle, of course😀

Neutral about this place, only because there isn't some sort of water feature near it. Most campsites usually have a lake, or a river or a stream or something that just screams chilling at a campsite. I do like the fact that there are fire rings at each site, which at the time of October 2022 cost around $40 a piece. There is a massive outdoor barbecue area for private parties in the upper campground. You do have to book these campsites through the county website. We did notice there is a camp host on site, who is very helpful. For a quick night out in the woods for a city slicker, this might be your best bet when it comes to Camping close to the city. Think of it as an extended stay, overnight in the woods kind of vibe. I do prefer the lower Campground area, only because it's completely surrounded by trees, and you get the shade. During the week, it's usually pretty empty. Only problem is that during daylight hours, there is an Amtrak train which literally runs about 100 ft away from you, and the noise is definitely something you'd expect from an Amtrak train, or a cargo train passing right through your campsite every couple hours. The upper Campground definitely felt like you were camping on cement, and most of that is because they do not allow tent camping in the upper area. Why exactly they don't allow tent camping is beyond reason. I just don't get it. Maybe someone can chime in?

I’m not sure how to rate this campground. I don’t want to give it too few stars, because it’s well maintained and pretty. It seems like the rangers do a good job there. The issues with it are that the campground is nestled between a freeway and an active train track. The sites quite literally back up to the tracks. There is no fence or barrier at all and while I was there, negligent parents were allowing their children to play on the tracks. Trains come through blaring their horns every half hour or so, day and night. I had to save a child from actually being hit by a train. I don’t know about other people, but I find that stressful. The sites are also very unlevel. Everyone there was up on at least three levels of blocks and still sloped very far backwards. This campground also has no showers at all. I like that the campground is small and that it’s nature-y while being so close to the city. I can’t understand however why someone would plan it out to be between a freeway and a train track, and why nothing is properly graded. Most importantly though, I can’t figure out why they didn’t take the time to at least add a chain link fence between the sites and the train track. I’m all for survival of the fittest or whatever but it would be easy to make it less dangerous to save the children of idiot parents. (Included photo is taken from a campsite looking at the train track).

Nice, Quiet spot. I prefer Lower 10, 15, or 16. Shaded & close to restroom. No Showers. Electric/Water hookup. $15 dump fee. Park Rangers randomly drive through checks. Host sight unseen. Sure you could contact if needed. Mostly dirt/asphalt, no grass. Not your average campground, but great for is for the price. Close to Simi Town, avg cell service. 🫣 LOTS of FLIES (daytime) & LOUD TRAIN often (day/night) We'll definitely be back. Good luck & enjoy!