Are there any campgrounds in california (southeren perfered) that campgrounds are on the beach or right by or close to the ocean ? are there any you recomend? thanks!

Lindsay M, though u live in Minnesota l hope u enjoy ur stay when u come out to Ca. In mission bay in san diego on the bay r a few camping grounds, in San Elijo the State Park, in Carlsbad, San Onofre, Leo Carrillo, El Capitan & Refugio all r also State Parks. Reservations need to be made well in advance as the rigors of the Ca,. lifestyle gives cause to certain people that overwhelming need to re create & many do so camping. All these places r my favorites because l am into the ocean (in every way) but then if u have a motor home or a self contained trailer there r many many more. For fishing leo Carrillo, & refugio get one thousandth the pressure. For surfing all of them but san onofre at different times hold overhead height waves with refugio the best then leo Carrillo second both break a right around a corner. Also, there is a dry (in summer) river bed up the canyon behind the campgrounds (into the Santa Monica mountains) at leo Carrillo. About two miles in (watch out for the poisen oak) there r magnificent pools, waterfalls & huge rock formations to sun on & dive off of. At Refugio the water is so clear snorkling is as good as it gets & l am sure u too will find it one of the nicest places in the world just walking the low tide shoreline. Happy New Year.

yes - lots of great ones.

my top recommendation would be channel islands. u have to boat out to the islands, but they r really pretty.

pismo beach is pretty nice. the beach itself is awesome, but the campgrounds can be pretty congested in the summer. all the sites r pretty close to each other.

all up & down the coast near santa barbara & san luis obispo there r places to camp - cayucos, estero, hearst san simeon, montana de oro & morro bay r all nice areas, & l think they all have campsites.

lastly, check out parks.ca.gov for a directory of all the state parks. happy camping!