Ponderosa Campground, Templeton, CA

Ponderosa Campground is located in the Monterey Ranger District, Los Padres National Forest (about 47 miles from El Paso de Robles, CA) with an elevation of 2,084 feet. There are a total of 23 campsites. The campground is normally open from the beginning of May to the end of September. 22 sites can accommodate RVs between 15 and 40 feet. All sites are currently reservable. Reservations can be booked up to 6 months in advance. There is a fee of $37.00 per night. Some amenities include swimming. Activities include biking, fishing, hiking trails.

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Campsite Reviews (26)

2.7 out of 5

5 star		12%
4 star		19%
3 star		23%
2 star		23%
1 star		23%

@DeepikaB216589 · Camped on Sep 2, 2022 at Campsite #18

The campsite was well shaded, but there was way too much poison oak to feel comfortable with. There was absolutely no water to be found, the pipes had been capped yet tyhwre were other sites with running water. We weren’t notified of this, or of the fact that campfires were not permitted during our stay. All in all, if we did go back, it would be in the spring when the creek is running. It was too buggy and hot to be fun.

@KristenB526611 · Camped on Jul 28, 2022 at Campsite #2

There was bathrooms but they weren't kept well. Very empty campsite and the water spickets worked well. One access road is closed and there was a hornets nest on the tree above our site.

@WendyK3663563 · Camped on Jul 15, 2022 at Campsite #17

No hiking trails, no water, no close stores for ice … cause it’s hot as balls. The highway over to Big Sur was closed. Then on top of that had a family of 30 with loud music and there 10 screaming crying kids for two days. Super relaxing 👌 . Maybe spring would be better.

@ChrisW1509692 · Camped on Jun 29, 2022 at Campsite #14

Beautiful and remote campground for those seeking the quiet of Los Padres. We pulled in with a 32’ TT as indicated to be supported by our site at spot 14. Insufficient space to back the trailer in, and nearly impossible to get out of the campground at all with a trailer of this length due to a turn impeded by a large scale Oak tree. Great for tent camping and smaller trailers. Would absolutely not take a trailer over 20 feet.

@AutumnS7708592 · Camped on Jun 27, 2022 at Campsite #15

The camp is a hidden gem and I didn't realize it first you had to traverse through a military base because of the closure on Highway 1/ Nacimiento Road access due to a landslide. The emails from this reservation was helpful to navigate this though. Bring mosquito repellent. The campsites were tucked away from the driveway and road, often up or down a hill. They were spread out well and tree shade was available.

@MariaP8100980 · Camped on Jun 27, 2022 at Campsite #1

Beautiful little creek, lots of wildlife, facilities in good condition, and not too many mosquitoes. Water labeled not potable, and there was no way to tell if it would be safe if boiled or filtered. It is important to note that there is no access to the coast, and has not been for at least 2 years. The road is blocked right after the 2nd campground, so it would be a 12 mile hike. Note! The road to the campground from HWY 101 is not blocked, although SIRI says it is. Another important point is that the GPS systems will not help you find the place. "The condition of the roads is not known." You need a good California map. You have to go through an army base on Mission Rd to get there, and the turnoff to the army base visitors quarters takes you on to the campgrounds. Needless to say, we had the place nearly to ourselves.

@FernandoA838 · Camped on Aug 24, 2021 at Campsite #10

Bathrooms were terrible and no one is around to help you. Overall a filthy trash area

@FernandoA45118 · Camped on Aug 24, 2021 at Campsite #10

Bathrooms were terrible and no one is around to help you. Overall a filthy trash area

@RobertH1222975 · Camped on Aug 20, 2021 at Campsite #7

Beautiful area. Severe amount of bugs, !!’Not RV or TRAILER friendly!!! Camp host was awesome and did his best to accommodate us. Site 7 is described as a 33’ rv site. It is a parking spot with a hike down to the site that is not accessible by car. My 32’ RV was partially in the road. Only 2 spots on top ridge were rv friendly but the brush is so overgrown it caused deep scratches into my rv. Loved the area but campground should be marked as “tent only”.

@KarissaD455679 · Camped on Aug 20, 2021 at Campsite #14

This place was amazing! Yeah there was no creek/ river water, the 1 freeway was closed, there was black and yellow wasp looking things trying to get to our meat we were cooking, and we couldn't use the bbq or fire ring, but that didn't stop me from having an awesome birthday. We brought our propane grills and made great food, our neighbors were very friendly all around us, our sites 13 and 14 are spacious and the nature all around was so beautiful. I will never forget my 36th bday and how great it was to be out in the fresh air and surrounded by nature. I would definitely go again and many times after that!

@KarissaD199 · Camped on Aug 20, 2021 at Campsite #14

@RobertH830 · Camped on Aug 20, 2021 at Campsite #7

@EricG681 · Camped on Jul 7, 2021 at Campsite #15

We drove in on a Wednesday evening 7/7 at around 6:30 pm. Our camp host, Andres, was super nice and friendly. There were only 4-5 sites filled when we arrived and he was really helpful with switching us to open sites that would have the best view and accommodate my rooftop tent. The campsites were decent but overall the layout of the area wasn't as shaded and grown as I would've hoped. It looked like there had been some recent cutting of trees and tractor work and it didn't feel very natural in some areas -- felt almost like a construction site in certain sections. The water wasn't running very much at all but assume that's just a time of year thing. This was my fault for scheduling the first week of July but the heat and the bugs were rough. It was 115 degrees and down to maybe high 80's or low 90's at night at the coolest. We had some beers and put on bug spray but the heat and insects made it a tough stay. We originally were going to stay for 2 nights but ended up cancelling and driving elsewhere the next morning. It was 98 degrees at 10:30 in the morning and dusty and dry -- not sure what I expected but was hoping for something a little less intense. Keep that time of year in mind would be my suggestion. The only other point to note is that the roadway headed west from the campground to the coast was closed -- we had counted on using that to go back and forth but had to drive south to Cambria and cut through instead. Pros: beautiful landscapes, deer, secluded, super friendly camp host Cons: incredibly hot, dusty, lots of bugs in my face all night and morning, not very accessible to the coast, very isolated -- definitely a site that you set up and stay at rather than exploring around the area.

@MikaelaA420 · Camped on Jul 5, 2021 at Campsite #7

Andreas was very helpful and made sure we had all that we needed. Unfortunately, the road to Big Sur was closed so it was quite a drive, but the campsite was quiet and serene. Make sure to bring bug spray! Lots of them at dusk…

@MikaelaA681210 · Camped on Jul 5, 2021 at Campsite #7

@JacksonB509 · Camped on Jun 6, 2021 at Campsite #8

Was closed

@AnthonyG929 · Camped on Aug 21, 2020 at Campsite #2

Campground was shut down when I arrived unbale to chexk in and system didn't let me request refund

@KateM519 · Camped on Aug 8, 2020 at Campsite #2

The Ponderosa Campground is in a great location, just about 14 miles from the Big Sur coast and in a beautiful green canyon with a creek running right through the campground. The creek was dry in August which is typical, but probably great in the spring and early summer. I think we would have had an enjoyable stay if our campsite was one of the higher numbers anything 4 or above but we were campsite 2 and this should not be a site. It was less than 10 feet from the camp hosts trailer and did not provide enough space for us. Even if we had not had issues with the camp host, we would have felt uncomfortable being this close and I would recommend that they get rid of this site and just have the space dedicated to the camp host. There were a decent amount of flies but they were mostly in the creek bed and did not bother us too much. I would stay here again as long as I had one of the higher site numbers.

@JordanA891 · Camped on Jul 17, 2020 at Campsite #10

It is a beautiful experience camping at Ponderosa, despite all the bugs, which a campfire and a few citronella candles did well to repel most of them). We enjoyed cooking on the provided grills, walking along the stream, and excellent star gazing. All nearby trash cans were completely full when we arrived and the water faucet was not working. It was our first time here and the camp attendant was confusing and not too helpful when asked about the campsite, his wife was nice though.

@MarisolB862 · Camped on Jul 3, 2020 at Campsite #2

Space 002 perfect for families with children. we stayed during the July weekend for 3 nights and wish we stayed longer. The campsite and restrooms were well maintained and clean. The Couple who host were very friendly and welcoming. This campground does not have an easy access to hiking trails.

@AnaMayH948 · Camped on Jun 25, 2020 at Campsite #6

If you enjoy being away from civilization and just old-school dry camping, this is the place for you. If you don’t like that there are no hot showers, just vault toilets, no cell signal, this is not the place for you. Pros of our campsite: huge, quiet, secluded, Next to the creek, the stars at night are beautiful. Cons: bugs, bugs, and more bugs. I know that’s part of camping but this place has the most I’ve experienced to date. They also have limited trash area so garbage doesn’t get collected regularly. Things we did: drove to Prewitt ridge, played by the creek - set up little fish traps for catch and release. There are hiking trails around the area although we didn’t do much of that apart from following the creek trail.

@JulieB689 · Camped on Sep 6, 2019 at Campsite #10

I think we stayed at campground 7/8. The campground is somewhat secluded which we loved. The campground itself was nice, off the beaten path, but our particular campsite had a major issue with bees. We couldn’t have breakfast or even hang out at the campsite until the evening because we were swarmed by them. I’m not sure if it was the season (beginning of September) or if it’s like that all year. The other problem with this site is that the restroom was very close causing an ongoing 24/7 odor. Probably won’t be back to this campground unfortunately.

@TheresaM693 · Camped on Aug 30, 2019 at Campsite #2

The drive to get to this campground from highway 1 was beautiful but somewhat terrifying for this midwesterner. The campground itself was fine for a place to sleep, but I would not go back. We probably got one of the worst sites (2), right by the entrance. The flies were awful and made it hard to cook our dinner or enjoy the stream. Once the sun set the flies were gone. Being near the entrance, we were being woken all night by cars pulling into the campground and reading the sign... Headlights shining on our tent. Being woken in the middle of the night, I stepped out of the tent and the stars we're amazing!

@EllieP568 · Camped on Aug 28, 2019 at Campsite #6

It's a good job that ability to review campgrounds arose a few months after our stay at Ponderosa as it definitely would not have been a positive review if written in September 2019. *** I ought to preface this by explaining that I am Scottish and in Scotland, "off grid"/wild camping is legal. Thus, you would only pay to camp should you wish to experience the luxuries. For £30 ($40), you can get a 3-4 nights, fully equipped bathrooms with showers and hair dryers, laundry rooms, dish washing facilities etc. So visiting a Californian Campground was a shock to the system. *** After the long windy drive from Highway 101 to Ponderosa (and the incredible views that it gifted us as we drove up during a sunset). We arrived at a smelly Ponderosa campground littered with trash and the odd dead animal body part and thousands of flies. In hindsight, we should have been better prepared for flies considering the still forest setting. It was a very quiet night, with only 2 other occupants the night we stayed (Late August 2019) and for $6 or so, was fine for the night. I would, however, recommend the following: * Light a fire on arrival in the designated fire pit - this can held ward off the flies (make sure to pack in your firewood). * Make sure you have a good flashlight - it gets really dark after sun sets. * The flies can make preparing and cooking food a nightmare. If possible, wait until sun set before beginning your dinner - you will have far more success.

@PingG318 · Camped on Aug 23, 2019 at Campsite #22

We arrived at our reserved camp site in Ponderosa Campground on Aug. 23, 2019 around 6pm. Upon arrival, we immediately noticed a huge dumpster full of smelly trash near our camp site. Next, we found that the water faucet at the site is broken and we could not get any water. Also the toilet smelled so nasty that you have to hold your breath to enter it. We were looking for a pleasant outdoor place to spent the weekend and enjoy the nature. This is a total disappointment. We ended up leaving the camp site after spent only about 10 mins there. The strange thing is that all the sites at the campground were marked as reserved, but at 6pm, nobody were there except the first camp site near the entry. In hindsight we should have stopped and asked these only people about what is going on in this campground. I tried to cancel our reservation and request a full refund that same day online (we reserved for 2 nights), but the online cancellation did not work. I called next day and was told that the online cancellation is down because people are abusing it. My guess would be the gross management of the campsites has caused too many people to cancel so they shut it down. The only good thing I would say about the company is that the call receiver was polite. He took my cancellation request and submitted it. The next day or two, I received an email from the company that says my cancellation can not be accepted. I would never ever use this service again.

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