In the end of 2023, we did and epic road trip from Vancouver Island, all the way down to San Diego and we thought we’d share our top 3 west coast RV campgrounds from that trip.
Our top 3 west coast RV campgrounds of 2023:
1. Surf Grove – Tofino, BC
Nestled right into the beach of Cox Bay, this sweet little spot had gorgeous sunsets, the best moody mornings, and was a great place to rest our heads while exploring Tofino, Ucluelet, and the Pacific Rim National Park. It was short drive to the Rainforest Trails, Long Beach, and the adorable town of Tofino itself. It had access to the biking trails that run alongside the Pacific Rim Highway, which we enjoyed.
Surf Grove offers:
- 135 clean, level sites with full hookups
- 64 with partial hookups
- RV rentals
- free wifi
- saunas
- surf rentals
- coffee shop
- camp store
- online booking
The staff were super friendly and helpful, and we most enjoyed walking down to the foggy beach in the mornings with our coffee and letting our little guy run around and explore. Also, ladies if you’re looking for awesome surf camps to learn or grow as a surfer and mingle with some super sweet gals, check out Bitches & Barrels Cold Water Surf Club, who operate out of Surf Grove.
KOA Santa Cruz/Monterey Bay
First of all: we love KOA campgrounds. Not only do we love the campgrounds, we love the app for easy booking. It’s SO user-friendly, and you can get a 10% discount if you join their KOA Rewards program, which allows you to accumulate rewards to get cash off stays or even free stays on specialized days.
This was our favourite KOA we’ve ever stayed it (close second was the Gros Morne one in Newfoundland). It had an ideal location for exploring the cities in Monterey Bay like Santa Cruz, Monterey, and Carmel, and for doing the bucket list drive along Highway One to Big Sur.
The campground itself was quite large, but didn’t feel like it. It had amazing amenities for kids: pool, spa, huge playground, jumping pillow, climbing tower, outdoor games, a little train ride, and more! There were even some games for “big kids” like cornhole, horseshoes and ladder toss. There were weekly scheduled activities for kids and/or adults, breakfast served at the Sand Shack on the weekends, as well as fresh-baked pizza!
Sun Outdoors San Diego Bay
This bayfront oasis was our lovely home for a whole month in Chula Vista. It’s on a nature preserve, has views of the sun setting over Coronado Island across the bay, has quick and easy access to downtown San Diego and the millions of things it has to offer. We really only scratched the surface, the possibilities are endless with this location.
The park itself has the best pool and spa with a splash pad and an amazing gym and yoga room, I really amped up my yoga game while here. There’s a great park and sports area with lots of activities going on for the kiddos. They had bingo and paint nights for adults, as well as a bar and restaurant for breakfast, lunch or dinner. All sites are huge, paved, and gorgeous. If you have family visiting (or you don’t RV camp) there are super sweet little cabins available for rent as well!
Sun Outdoors are usually a little more on the pricey side, but it’s worth it. We took advantage of the monthly rate, which is discounted quite a bit, especially if you book far out in advance. I think we booked six months in advance for this one, and even the staff said we got a really great deal. We were here over Christmas and New Years, and wanted to treat ourselves and also have available lodging for potential visitors.
Thanks for reading about our top three west coast RV campgrounds! From San Diego, we kept going south, down to the bottom tip of Baja Mexico. You can read about some of those travels here as well!
Happy camping!
