Campgrounds and RV parks near Santa Margarita, CA

Santa Margarita Lake is the closest recreation hub. The reservoir supplies drinking water to San Luis Obispo, so swimming in the lake is prohibited, but fishing for bass, catfish, crappie, redear, and bluegill is the main draw, along with kayaking, boat rentals at the marina, hiking, and horseback riding on the south shore trails. A seasonal swimming pool runs from Memorial Day weekend through Labor Day. The KOA adds a pool, jumping pillow, and weekend activities in summer. West of town, Morro Bay State Park has an adjacent public golf course, the Museum of Natural History, kayaking on the bay, and trails with views of Morro Rock. Day trips reach Hearst Castle, Pismo Beach dunes, and the Paso Robles and Edna Valley wine regions, all within about an hour of town.

The Central Coast inland valleys around Santa Margarita have a Mediterranean climate with warm, dry summers and cool, wet winters. Summer is peak season at the KOA and at coastal state parks: days are warm inland, the coast stays mild with morning marine layer fog, and reservations fill months in advance. Weekends from Memorial Day through Labor Day are the busiest, and select high demand sites at Morro Bay State Park are now distributed through a monthly Reservation Draw lottery on ReserveCalifornia. Spring and fall are the easiest seasons for trip planning. Wildflowers bloom around the lake in March and April, temperatures are moderate, and crowds thin out. Bird watching at Morro Bay is strong from late winter into spring. Winter brings most of the year's rain, the lake refills, and nights drop into the upper 30s and 40s Fahrenheit inland. A seasonal fire ban typically takes effect at Santa Margarita Lake from late spring through fall. The campgrounds in the area stay open year round.

Santa Margarita KOA Holiday has full hookup RV sites with 30 and 50 amp service, a pool, laundry, propane, a camp store, and weekend activities in the warm months. Santa Margarita Lake Campground is primitive: 60 sites in the Coyote, Roadrunner, Grey Pine, and Osprey loops, no hookups, fire rings, picnic tables, drinking water, flush and vault toilets, coin operated showers, and a marina store. Roadrunner sites are tent only, and Osprey sites sit closest to the water. Morro Bay State Park has flush toilets, token operated showers, an RV sanitation station, and a maximum RV length of 35 feet, with water and electric hookups at a portion of sites. Bay Pines offers full hookups, a heated pool, and laundry, but caters heavily to long term residents. Cell coverage is generally good near the highway and patchy in the canyons east of town.