Doheny State Beach Campground: Beach Camping & Surfing

Doheny State Beach is known as one of the top surfing spots in Southern California for longboard surfers and a beautiful place to beach camp. All year round you will be beachfront to the sand and see locals surfing long rolling waves and playing beach volleyball. The beach at Doheny State Beach campground is also very kid friendly where you can have the little ones play in the shallows without the worry of large shore break waves.

Not only is Doheny State Beach Campground just steps away form the sand, but just take a short bike or car ride to Dana Point Harbor for restaurants, bars, and sightseeing. Not feeling like making dinner? You can grab happy hour overlooking the Dana Point Harbor at Wind & Sea restaurant with their famous Mai Tais or get some exercise by renting a paddle board in the harbor. There is an abundance of activity to do at Doheny State Beach which makes it ideal for couples, families and all ages. 

General Campsite Info:

  • How close are the campsites to the beach? Beach sites are on the sand
  • Campsite Cost: $40.00 plus $7.99 reservation fee
  • Tent Camping Friendly: Yes
  • Max Trailer Length: 35 feet
  • Max Motorhome/RV Length: 35 Feet
  • Dogs: Ok at the campground, not on the beach
  • Dump Station: Yes

Top Doheny State Beach Campsites

The Doheny State Beach campground has only one row of sites that are directly on the beach. The campsites that are highlighted in blue below are on the sand. Most of the beachfront campsites have dividing bushes that help keep privacy from your neighbors and the sites are far enough from the main part of the beach to keep public beach goers out of your campsite. One thing to note, due to recent King Tides the campgrounds have been subject to flooding, and to keep from further problems the park has created large sand berms between the campsites and the ocean. Not to worry! The campsites are still amazing and you can perch your beach chair on top of the berm with a great view for happy hour, it also keeps the wind down at your site – a big positive!

Doheny State Beach Campground Map

A little secret, the campsites on the North Loop that overlook the river jetty area (odd sites 27-35 & 36) have a great view without the potential sand berm, these campsites are highlighted in green. We stayed in space 35 and had a full view of the river jetty and beach, making for a perfect sunset view.  The river jetty area is where the San Juan Creek meets the ocean. There is an abundance of birds and wildlife hanging out in the water, which creates beautiful scenery for any bird lover.

Sunset Camping Doheny State Beach
Site 78 on the beach with the berm – Great sunset view

Reservation Insight For Doheny State Beach

Reservations are tough at Doheny State Beach. The campsites can be reserved up to 6 months out on ReserveCalifornia.com and they go quickly. If you cannot reserve a campsite via ReserveCalifornia.com you can always try to show up same day to grab a “lottery site”. Doheny State Beach will lottery off any cancelled campsites at 12pm everyday.

How does the lottery work? Anyone looking for a campsite for the night will get a number from the ranger. Campers who are currently staying at the park will get first right to a campsite and then people just showing up get second picks. Whoever’s number gets chosen, gets a site! During the winter, the likelihood of getting a site is higher, but during summer it can get a little hairy. If you live close, then give it a chance. The campsites open up at 2pm so you have time to grab a lottery campsite and head home to get the camping supplies.

I’ve been at the lottery and folks who have driven hours for a Doheny State Beach Campground site had to find alternative plans due to striking out at the lottery. If you do not end up with a site, then San Clemente State Beach or San Onofre State Beach are next best options. 

Your Doheny beach camp is setup, what to do now?

You’ve pitched your tent or pulled in your trailer or RV, what to do now? Below is a short list of things we like to do at Doheny State Beach. 

  • Don’t forget your longboard! Don’t have one? There are surfboard rentals at the main beach for anyone looking to try it for the first time. 
  • Take a walk to Capistrano Beach that is just south of Doheny State Beach Campground.
  • Play beach volleyball, there are a ton of courts at the main beach area. 
  • Grab beach cruisers and take a ride to the north end of Dana Point Harbor to see the seals and crashing waves.
  • Walk the Dana Point Harbor to check out the boats and end with a sunset cocktail at Wind & Sea or Turks.
  • Finish off the night with a campfire at your site, don’t forget the s’mores!
Interior Campsite Doheny State Beach Campground
Site 71 – Interior Campsites

Facilities & Cleanliness at the Campsite

Warm showers and clean bathrooms, always a plus. Doheny State Beach is great for tent campers or RV who need extra facilities. Our Chalet A-Frame trailer doesn’t have a bathroom or a shower, which makes a long stay in it somewhat tough. Doheny State Beach has more than enough clean flushing toilets for midnight bathroom runs and the campsite has coin operated showers. The showers are $.50 for two minutes and the water is instantly hot. After a long day of surfing or playing Bauchi ball, the showers at Doheny State Beach are a little slice of heaven. For guest that have disabilities, bathrooms and showers are handicap accessible.

Doheny State Beach Full Campsite

Solitude? It’s Beach Camping at a Developed Campsite

The one drawback to Doheny State Beach campground is the noise. The camp hosts do a good job of walking the park to keep noisy guests from disturbing others, but there are a few other items you can’t control. The campsite has a large majority of trailer and RV campers, so there is a good amount of generator noise from 10am to 8pm.

My other big issue with the noise is the close proximity you are to your neighbors. This might be more of an issue for tent campers that do not have trailer or rv walls to keep out the noise. Other minor noise issues, is the train will come by in the middle of the night and startle you from your deep slumber or you can hear quite a bit of road noise from PCH and the freeway. Even though you will not have the quietness of a high Sierra meadow, the close proximity to the beach definitely makes up for it.

Conclusion – Overall Beach Campsite Rating for Doheny State Beach: 8

Doheny State Beach campground has a soft spot in my heart as this is where I started to learn how to surf and play beach volleyball. For a camper, it is a great developed campsite that is able to give you a beautiful sunset every night and enough privacy to make you feel like your own beachfront property. You could find more seclusion at Northern California beach sites, but for this being in the heart of Southern California it is perfect. Be sure to try to grab reservations early and bring enough sunscreen!

Hope you enjoy your weekend office!

Park & Website Information