Best Camping Spots & Outdoor Adventures

Explore the best best camping spots & outdoor adventures options for kids and families in Watsonville

Pinto Lake County Park

Pinto Lake County Park

Visit this great place for kids and families!

South Campground

South Campground

Campsite in scenic surroundings. This dune-protected campsite under the pines offers spaces for RVs & tents, along with ocean views.

Sunset Campground

Sunset Campground

Simple campground with beach access. Campground at Sunset State Beach featuring tent & RV sites, plus beach access & picnicking.

Sunset State Beach

Sunset State Beach

Oceanside spot for picnics & camping. Beach surrounded by steep sand dunes offering picnic areas & campsites, plus bay & mountain views.

Santa Cruz / Monterey Bay KOA Holiday

Santa Cruz / Monterey Bay KOA Holiday

Visit this great place for kids and families!

Seacliff State Beach Parking and Campground

Seacliff State Beach Parking and Campground

Visit this great place for kids and families!

Campground | New Brighton State Beach

Campground | New Brighton State Beach

Visit this great place for kids and families!

New Brighton State Park

New Brighton State Park

Visit this great place for kids and families!

The Forest of Nisene Marks State Park

The Forest of Nisene Marks State Park

Outdoor destination for hiking & biking. Hiking, biking & jogging trails on varied terrain rising from sea level to steep coastal mountains.

Camp Loma

Camp Loma

Visit this great place for kids and families!

Soquel Demonstration State Forest

Soquel Demonstration State Forest

Natural area with mountain biking trails. Scenic forested park featuring redwoods, natural springs & a series of cycling trails.

Marina Dunes RV Park

Marina Dunes RV Park

Coastal RV campsite with many amenities. RV campground near the beach offering free Wi-Fi, a clubhouse, a fitness room, showers & laundry.

DeLaveaga Park

DeLaveaga Park

Picnic, recreational & athletic areas. Grassy space includes picnic areas, playgrounds, sports fields, bocci ball courts, trails & a creek.

Lighthouse Field State Beach

Lighthouse Field State Beach

Serene spot with a variety of vistas. Iconic spot with a lighthouse offers a variety of vistas & pathways for dog walking & strolling.

Vince DiMaggio Park

Vince DiMaggio Park

Visit this great place for kids and families!

Locke-Paddon Park

Locke-Paddon Park

Visit this great place for kids and families!

Hidden Falls Girl Scout Camp

Hidden Falls Girl Scout Camp

Visit this great place for kids and families!

Mountain Sea Adventures

Mountain Sea Adventures

Visit this great place for kids and families!

Natural Bridges Tidepools

Natural Bridges Tidepools

Rock pools with diverse marine life. Public tide pools in the rocks at Natural Bridges State Beach home to anemones, sea stars & crabs.

Fort Ord Dunes State Park

Fort Ord Dunes State Park

Park with ocean beach & bluff-top views. A trail leads to the beach in this park with a bluff-top platform offering views of Monterey Bay.

Wilder Ranch State Park

Wilder Ranch State Park

Picnic areas, trails & horseback riding. Natural landscape with diverse activities including hiking trails, picnic areas & horseback riding.

Garden of Eden - Henry Cowell Redwood State Park

Garden of Eden - Henry Cowell Redwood State Park

Wooded hiking area with a swimming hole. Picturesque wilderness area featuring a riverside loop trail & a natural swimming hole.

Santa Cruz Redwoods RV Resort

Santa Cruz Redwoods RV Resort

Riverfront campground with a clubhouse. RV hookups & sites for camping offered in a wooded, riverfront setting with a rustic clubhouse.

Sierra Azul Open Space Preserve

Sierra Azul Open Space Preserve

Hiking trails, wildlife & dramatic views. 18,000-acre wilderness area in mountainous terrain with hiking trails, wildlife & valley views.

Roaring Camp

Roaring Camp

Train rides & all-ages special events. Family-friendly park offers train rides amid natural landscapes, seasonal routes & special events.

Henry Cowell Redwoods State Park

Henry Cowell Redwoods State Park

Park with campgrounds & hiking trails. Featuring a variety of forested areas, this park offers camping, fishing, hiking & picnic spots.

Mount Hermon Adventures

Mount Hermon Adventures

Visit this great place for kids and families!

Toro Park

Toro Park

20+ miles of hiking trails. Peaceful 4,756-acre park offering riding trails, softball fields, playgrounds & volleyball courts.

Highlands County Park

Highlands County Park

Visit this great place for kids and families!

Monarch Butterfly Sanctuary

Monarch Butterfly Sanctuary

Nature reserve for seasonal butterflies. Preserve with pine, cypress & eucalyptus trees sheltering thousands of monarch butterflies Oct–Mar.

Loch Lomond Recreation Area

Loch Lomond Recreation Area

Reservoir park for fishing & boating. Scenic 175-acre reservoir park for fishing, boating & hiking (seasonal & can be closed by drought).

San Carlos Beach Park

San Carlos Beach Park

Tranquil spot with bayside vistas. 2.87-acre city park offering footpaths, benches, landscaped turf & scenic bay views.

Casanova Oak Knoll Park Center

Casanova Oak Knoll Park Center

Visit this great place for kids and families!

Fort Ord National Monument

Fort Ord National Monument

Wild preserve with 80+ miles of trails. Home to 35 species of rare flora & fauna, this undeveloped wildland offers over 80 miles of trails.

Monterey Bay Kayaks

Monterey Bay Kayaks

Visit this great place for kids and families!

Coast Dairies State Beaches

Coast Dairies State Beaches

Beaches & bluffs along the Coastal Trail. A series of small beaches with bluffs & rock formations following a stretch of the Coastal Trail.

Bear Creek Redwoods Open Space Preserve

Bear Creek Redwoods Open Space Preserve

Woodland oasis with permit-only trails. Hiking & horseback riding are allowed by permit in this 1,400-acre preserve with forest & fields.

Lexington Reservoir County Park

Lexington Reservoir County Park

Hiking, boating & fishing destination. Scenic park & reservoir featuring hiking trails, picnic areas, a boat launch & shoreline fishing.

St. Joseph's Hill Open Space Preserve

St. Joseph's Hill Open Space Preserve

Demanding trails in a dog-friendly space. This 270-acre site welcomes dogs & provides challenging trails for hikers, bikers & equestrians.

Heintz Open Space

Heintz Open Space

Outdoor destination with trails & trees. A wooded park with hiking & biking trails, attracting a range of wildlife & birds.

Vasona Lake County Park

Vasona Lake County Park

Site with a sprawling lawn, trail & lake. Public green space with 45 acres of lawn, a multi-use trail & picnic areas plus a lake with fishing.

Hellyer County Park

Hellyer County Park

Urban park with a multi-use, paved trail. Green space featuring a 15-mile paved trail, plus picnicking, disc golf, a dog park & a velodrome.

Camp Krem

Camp Krem

Visit this great place for kids and families!

Palo Corona Regional Park

Palo Corona Regional Park

Visit this great place for kids and families!

Carmel Beach

Carmel Beach

Visit this great place for kids and families!

Los Gatos Creek County Park

Los Gatos Creek County Park

Dog-friendly outdoor spot with AstroTurf. Dog-friendly public space with an AstroTurf lawn, hiking trails, bicycle paths & fishing ponds.

Saddle Mountain Carmel

Saddle Mountain Carmel

Casual cabins, luxury tents & a pool. Elevated campground with comfortable cabins, high-end tents & a swimming pool with scenic views.

Nature's Outings

Nature's Outings

Visit this great place for kids and families!

Garland Ranch Regional Park

Garland Ranch Regional Park

Nature area with many hiking trails. Rustic, dog-friendly park offering extensive hiking trails through woodlands, canyons & chaparral.

Sequoia Peterson Grove

Sequoia Peterson Grove

Visit this great place for kids and families!

Sanborn County Park

Sanborn County Park

Lush forested park with camping & hiking. Verdant wooded park featuring RV/tent campsites, plus picnic areas & over 15 miles of hiking trails.

Whalers Cove

Whalers Cove

Visit this great place for kids and families!

Point Lobos State Natural Reserve

Point Lobos State Natural Reserve

Coastal hikes, diving & a whaling museum. Scenic coastal area featuring diverse sea animals & wildlife, hiking, diving & a whaling museum.

WilderSkills Outdoor Adventures

WilderSkills Outdoor Adventures

Visit this great place for kids and families!

Joseph D. Grant County Park

Joseph D. Grant County Park

Expansive park of rolling hills & trails. Green foothills & oaks mark this 9,560-acre park with hiking & horse trails, plus cattle grazing.

Castle Rock State Park

Castle Rock State Park

Camping, hiking & horseback riding. Park offering 34 miles of hiking & horseback riding trails among redwoods & other regional trees.

Castle Rock Trail Camp

Castle Rock Trail Camp

Visit this great place for kids and families!

Waterman Gap Trail Camp

Waterman Gap Trail Camp

Visit this great place for kids and families!

Guadalupe River Park

Guadalupe River Park

Riverside park with running trails. Small city park offering a visitor's center, a playground, a community garden & 2.6 miles of trails.

Big Basin Tent Cabins

Big Basin Tent Cabins

Visit this great place for kids and families!

Garrapata State Park

Garrapata State Park

Ocean views & 2 miles of beachfront. Park with 2 miles of beachfront & coastal hiking, including a 50-foot climb to a Pacific Ocean view.

Portal Park

Portal Park

Picnic facilities & recreation center. Small park offering a large, reservable picnic & barbecue area, playground & recreation building.

The Camp at Carmel Valley

The Camp at Carmel Valley

Visit this great place for kids and families!

Stevens Creek County Park

Stevens Creek County Park

Trails, picnic areas & a reservoir. Miles of multi-use trails, shaded picnic areas & a large reservoir for fishing & boating.

Big Basin Redwoods State Park

Big Basin Redwoods State Park

Hiking trails & other outdoor activities. California's oldest state park offers backpacking, mountain biking & other outdoor activities.

McClellan Ranch Preserve

McClellan Ranch Preserve

Former horse ranch with a nature museum. Former horse ranch from the 1930s featuring a nature museum, community garden & historic buildings.

Penitencia Creek Park

Penitencia Creek Park

Green with a pond, trail & ball fields. Rolling green park with a central pond & a walking trail, plus baseball & softball fields & a track.

Alum Rock Park

Alum Rock Park

Large park with mineral springs & trails. Spacious park featuring hiking & biking trails, mineral springs & several picnic areas.

Serra Park

Serra Park

Tennis courts, ball fields & open lawns. Nature area with tennis courts, ball fields, playground & picnic areas, plus manicured & open space.

Sunset Trail Camp

Sunset Trail Camp

Visit this great place for kids and families!

Rancho San Antonio County Park & Open Space Preserve

Rancho San Antonio County Park & Open Space Preserve

Hiking area featuring a working farm. Rural nature preserve with 25 miles of hiking trails, plus a working farm & a model plane launch.

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