Central Coast CA RVing

After 17 months of full-time RVing, my favorite place is the Central Coast of California.  Here’s a great spot to stay and some fun things to do.

Morro Bay Dunes RV Park – I stayed in this park in November 14 – 23, 2015. While this RV park is not super-duper dog friendly, the dogs and I love, love this spot. Here’s the scoop. I was in D-5, tiniest spot ever, right against a fence, a street, then the dunes, then the beach, water, etc., you get the idea. Out my door I saw this:

The park has tiny camp spaces and the office people make you feel like you are doing them a favor to stay there. They are busy year round and make no deals at all. My first spot was the worst spot I’ve ever had, next to the restroom, so I moved to a space where I could walk through a gate, cross the little road, and the boys and I were at the beach. The only great thing about it is the location. I will be back, but would love to have some company next time! Want to come?

This private park is on the Morro Bay City Beach, which is dog friendly. There is a line/sign just to the north of the spot where the RV Park is on the beach, you are not allowed to go past this line with the dogs (it’s state owned beach). Walk towards the big rock (south). I talked with some locals and they said that it’s fine to have the dogs off leash if you can control them. The actual Morro Bay is south of the rock, the RV park is on the north side of the rock, connected by the bike path.

Get in your car and drive approximately 1 mile north of Morro Bay, past the last stop light, look for the pull outs on the beach side. This is “Dog Beach”. It’s unmarked and about 1 mile long. All the locals bring their dogs here and it’s a total blast. We only ran into friendly people and dogs, daily. Sunsets here are amazing.

 

From the campground, you can walk on a beautiful paved pathway right to the other side of the big Morro Rock, to downtown Morro Bay, where there are otter pools, boat marinas, restaurants and shops. Cutest place ever!!! Rent a kayak and paddle around the bay, you’ll see seals, otters and who knows what else.

The weather here is kinda the same year round. The locals tell me that the summer (June – Aug) is very busy and the mornings are foggy, every day! The fog burns off in the late afternoon; it’s warm and a bit muggy.

The “to do” attractions in the area are plentiful. Hit the Farmers Market in San Luis Obispo, every Thursday 6-9pm, its amazing!!! Then you’ll need to go back to SLO for another visit, because it’s a fun downtown. You’ll also find a Costco and everything you need in this city of around 90k folks.

Visit Pismo and Avila beach communities; see the butterflies at the south end of Pismo. Dogs are welcome on the Pismo beaches, on leash. Avila has 2 short sections of leash free dog beaches. The town of Avila is tiny and darling with some restaurants with patios that look out to the beach.

North of Morro Bay is Cayucos, they have dog friendly beach also. Another cute, tiny town. Keep driving north to Cambria, where you can stroll this quaint village by the sea. There are 2 sections to the “downtown”; both are full of interesting shops. Further north is Sam Simeon, I did not visit this attraction this time (did so with my Father many years ago), but I did drive up just a few more miles and watched the Elephant Seals on the beach. This is a must see! There are docents there 365 days a year and they know everything about the seals. It’s really interesting and I found I could have watched them for hours, the dogs too. Mick was a bit over aroused, but he kept his composure enough that we could stand there for 30 minutes.

I felt very fortunate to find The Yoga Center of Morro Bay. This place is rock star in my yoga world. They offer many classes, and are oh, so friendly.

Morro Dunes RV Park is expensive compared to the rest of the country, but in California, it’s reasonable, especially for being on the beach. The state parks in California are $50 for a dry camp spot. The Morro Dunes is about $48 for a night and $750 for a month Oct 1 – April 1. The Verizon cell service is strong and there are several over the air TV channels available. The RV Park has a very nice laundry facility, showers and an on-site RV repair man that I’ve heard is very good. There is a fenced in dog area, my dogs and I did not like it. To be on the beach in a nice quiet place where the dogs can have fun is golden for me. I loved this area and I will be back.

Some folks like the Pismo Beach area and there are a few more choices for RV’s there, it’s a busier area, very busy on the weekends. Avila has dry camp spots right on the water. This is the Port San Luis Camping area.