Campgrounds and RV parks near Hollister, CA

Off-highway riding is the signature activity at Hollister Hills State Vehicular Recreational Area, which spans more than 6,800 acres with nearly 200 miles of trails and separate zones for motorcycles and ATVs in the Lower Ranch and four-wheel-drive vehicles in the Upper Ranch and Hudner Ranch. Fremont Peak State Park has about four miles of moderate trails, a summit hike with views over the Salinas Valley and Monterey Bay, and the Fremont Peak Observatory, which hosts public viewings with its 30-inch telescope on Saturdays from April through October. Day trips reach Pinnacles National Park, Mission San Juan Bautista, Gilroy, and Monterey within an hour. Families staying at McAlpine Lake and Park can fish a stocked private lake on site.

Hollister has a Mediterranean climate: long, warm, dry summers and short, cool, wet winters. Most rainfall falls between November and March, and summers are essentially rainless, which keeps unpaved roads at Hollister Hills and Fremont Peak passable but raises fire-danger restrictions across California State Parks. Wood and charcoal fires at Fremont Peak are banned during fire season, so renters should plan on a propane camp stove from late spring into fall. Spring brings wildflowers and clear stargazing nights at Fremont Peak, where the observatory typically hosts public viewings Saturdays from April through October. Summer weekends are the busiest, with OHV riders filling Hollister Hills and families booking full-hookup RV parks along Highway 101. Note that the Walnut Campground in the Lower Ranch at Hollister Hills closes seasonally from June 1 through September 30. Fall offers cooler nights, dark skies, and lighter crowds. Winter storms can soak the OHV trails and leave the higher campsites at Fremont Peak chilly and exposed, but coastal access through San Juan Bautista stays open year-round.

Expect primitive facilities at the state parks. Fremont Peak campsites have tables, fire rings, pit toilets, drinking water, and trash collection, but no showers, and the park does not have a kiosk to check in at, so renters should bring proof of reservation. Quiet hours run from 10 p.m. to 8 a.m. Hollister Hills is loud and busy by day when riders use the campgrounds as staging areas, then quiets at sunset when motorized recreation stops. Cell coverage there is limited. Private RV parks along Highway 101 fill the gap for hookups: Casa de Fruta RV Orchard Resort offers full hookups, pull-throughs that fit big rigs, a pool, restaurant, laundry, and on-site amusements, while Betabel RV Resort has paved pull-throughs, a pool, and laundry.