San Mateo Campground, located in San Clemente, California, is a popular camping destination offering a variety of campsites and convenient access to the beautiful beaches of San Onofre State Beach. Whether you're a family looking for a fun getaway or an outdoor enthusiast seeking adventure, this campground has something to offer.
Campground Environment:
Situated a short distance inland from the coast, San Mateo Campground provides a peaceful and natural setting for camping. The campground is surrounded by rolling hills and native vegetation, creating a serene atmosphere. Its proximity to the beach allows campers to easily enjoy the sun, sand, and surf.
Services and Amenities:
San Mateo Campground offers a range of amenities to enhance your camping experience, including:
Campground Features:
San Mateo Campground's key features include its proximity to the beach, its variety of campsites, and its peaceful natural setting. The campground is an excellent base for exploring San Onofre State Beach, which is renowned for its beautiful coastline and world-class surfing spots like Trestles Beach.
Campground Promotion Information:
Looking for a memorable coastal camping experience in Southern California? San Mateo Campground offers the perfect combination of natural beauty, convenient amenities, and easy beach access. Book your campsite today and create lasting memories with your family and friends.
Additional Information:
San Mateo Campground is located at 830 Cristianitos Rd, San Clemente, CA 92672, USA. Reservations are highly recommended and can be made online through the California State Parks website or by calling (800) 444-7275. The campground tends to fill up quickly, especially during peak season, so it's best to book well in advance.
How to Get There:
San Mateo Campground is easily accessible by car. It is located off Interstate 5, just a short drive from San Clemente and other nearby communities.
Onsite services
Picnics
Wheelchair accessible entrance
Wheelchair accessible parking lot
Wheelchair accessible restroom
RV camping
RV electric hookup
RV sewer hookup
RV water hookup
Hiking
Camping fee
Credit cards
Debit cards
Credit cards
Good for kids
Kid-friendly hikes
On-site parking
Paid parking lot
Dogs allowed
The dogs had a nice stay at San Mateo Campground 🐾 Lots of trees & greenery give it a nice “campy” feel ~ sites are a decent size and manage to seem fairly secluded from neighbors! The facilities, bathrooms & showers, were super clean! Water was good and hot! The dogs really enjoyed their walk over the hills, under the highway, and almost to the trestles….which is where the “no dogs on beach” sign became our turn around spot! The trail started at the amphitheater in the campground, where they had a scooper bag station and trash can. It was about 1.5 miles from there to the turn around spot at trestles, which seemed just about perfect for the dogs 🐾
Bathrooms lacked hand soap. Fair warning. Grill and picnic table was provided and there's almost enough parking space per lot for three sedans on average. Also fair warning, SOME of the sites seem a little inconsistent in their sizes for setting up tents. Some lots looks to have room for only one or two 3 person tents. Very short walk (from the campsites numbered 68-100 at least) to the nearby trail to the beach and beyond. Weather wise, it would have been better in just about any other month besides winter. With the heavy fog and overcast sky, not as scenic as it was when I hiked the nearby trail months and months ago.
The campground was quiet and clean. Had a decent amount of privacy in the campsites. Close to the beach. We had a great time and will likely return!
Great sites many with full hookups. Site are generally not too tightly spaced and overall a pretty quiet campground. Minutes away from the beach. Same with San Clemente if that's your thing.
First time camping at a primitive campsite was a success. Grateful that my first experience was at this location. We had campsite SM123, it was spacious, quiet, and clean. 1.5 - 1.75 Mile walk to the beach, nice views, wide path/trail. Picnic Table & Fire Ring were very convenient came in handy.