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Nestled in the pines. Nice vistas of the Cuyama Valley.
From Santa Maria: Hwy 166, 25 miles northeast, Sierra Madre Ridge 10 miles southeast.
We tried to drive up to the campground but it was impossible. The „road“ was so bad, there was no way you could get to the top without either breaking your car or falling of the cliff. We had to stop 1,5 miles before the campground. Be careful and stay safe!
Perfect spot for camping. The restroom facility is not maintained at all so it's absolutely disgusting but other then that I have no complaints. It gets SUPER WINDY so make sure you bring proper steaks and equipment along with lots of warm clothes and blankets. Check on the Los Padres forest website if it's open always before coming. 4x4 is not necessary just decent ground clearance and good vehicle awareness. The WRX made it no problem.
Awesome campsite off the beaten path with sweet 360deg views of the nearby mountains. Can get VERY WINDY though. Dont come here if you arent ok with wind shaking your tent all night.
Drove up from the north from hwy 166 its about an hour on rocky fire roads. Sweet drive though with decent cliffs on either side of the road. Made it up no problem in my outback wilderness after airing down my tires a bit. Some sections of the road are pretty rutted out so I wouldn't attempt getting up here from that direction with any less capable of a vehicle.
I camped there one night with my dog on Nov 13/14 2021. I think there are a total of 4 maybe 5 campsites. Pit toilet, very stinky, seems it hadn't been cleaned for a while. Campsites are very nice and clean with fire rings. Because it is at the top of the mountain, it could be very windy. Very nice 360 degree views of the valleys, ocean, other hills nearby. The road up to the campground from highway 166 is about 8 miles, and you will need high clearance 4X4.. you may be able (could be very iffy) to make it with a high clearance vehicle without 4X4 but would definitely need to deflate the tires to 10psi or less to get traction on steep the dirt road. Some parts of the road could be very slippery if it rains (sign says road will close if it rains, if not, I would not try to go up or you may slid off, or get stuck). I went down another 12 miles of dirt road to Horseshoe Springs Campground. While I was there, I saw 2 bob cats, a coyote, and lots of birds.
Very nice campsite with 5 spots. All have a table and fire ring. 1 outhouse. We were the only ones there in a Saturday night. Made the drive up the dirt road in a FWD VW Tiguan with no problems. About 45 mins once you get off the 166 East.
