Saddle Rock and South Gardens Environmental Campgrounds

Gab-B

No dogs allowed.

Paola E

Weirdest camping experience I have ever had. If you are able to grab a reservation, just be prepared for people to just invade your campsite all day long. There is NOT the usual respect that is usually found when camping. There are also random people asking if they can camp with you. I think the public thinks they can get to the waterfall or something?!?! You cannot. It is completely fenced off. As another reviewer said, the beach is OFF LIMITS and you will be fined. There is a Ranger at the station during the day as well as decent toilets on the east (land) side of the highway. Be careful crossing the road as people drive quite quickly. There is a tunnel under the road you can use to get from the waterfall overlook over to the Ranger station, parking lot, bathroom, and trailheads. I am grateful I had the opportunity to camp here, but would never camp there again.

ThomasJ Hind

A small campground enough for two campsites directly above McWay Falls (although you can't see it from the campsite). It's an easy five minute hike from the McWay parking lot, so plan accordingly (you'll also have to walk your stuff across the highway to get there). You get an amazing view of the ocean from the campsite (see attached photos) and even more amazing sounds of the ocean, especially at night. Closest bathroom (besides the walkable porta-potties) is near the McWay Waterfall Trailhead, but they're pretty good for a campsite bathroom. Biggest negative: the nearest amenities are at the Pfeiffer Big Sur Campground, about a 30 minute drive away. Biggest positive: walking around the "boardwalk" (a.k.a. McWay Waterfall Trail) that surrounds the waterfall is conveniently close to the campsite - just don't leave the boardwalk to try to go down to the beach... FUN STORY: when I was here, a couple got stuck on the cliff-side leading down to the beach. We saved them by waving down a driver to call 911 (service is bad around here), but the trespassing couple had to pay a $500 fine for their illegal hiking. Each. So yeah, stay above the waterfall, there's plenty of other things to do nearby, like beautiful hikes and ruins (such as the old hydro generator or Julia Pfeiffer's abandoned summer home, now called McWay Waterfall House).