Middle Lion Campground, Ojai, CA

Middle Lion Campground is located in the Ojai Ranger District, Los Padres National Forest (1 hr 7 min north of San Buenaventura, CA) with an elevation of 3,150 feet. There are a total of 8 campsites. The campground is open all year. Sites can accommodate RVs and trailers up to 20 feet. All sites are currently reservable. Reservations can be booked up to 6 months in advance. Each site includes a picnic table and fire ring. There is a fee of $30.00 per night. Activities include biking.

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Campsite Reviews (27)

4.0 out of 5

5 star		41%
4 star		33%
3 star		15%
2 star		7%
1 star		4%

@Christoph90008 · Camped on Apr 1, 2024 at Campsite #2

Middle lions was closed. No notification it wouldnt be open. Arrived to a closed gate.

@MatthewW543034 · Camped on Jul 27, 2022 at Campsite #2

Beautiful campsite. No cell service and no water makes it not ideal for young kids.

@AnnN3481504 · Camped on Apr 29, 2022 at Campsite #4

I have been camping at Middle Lion Campground since 2010. This was the very nicest I have seen the campground. Everything was clean and orderly, the bbq grills are in working order. The river is running, and while not as high as I saw it in 2010, it is flowing and serene. The hiking trails have been looked after. I highly recommend camping here if you are okay with a fire pit, bbq grill , space for rv or tent or car and a vault toilet, no piped water. I saw deer, rabbits, frogs, a woodpecker and various other birds.

@Gabrielle44268 · Camped on Mar 25, 2022 at Campsite #3

Great little camp site, number 3 is a great spot, right on the creek with plenty of space to spread out. There were some challenges not having a camp host. some reserved spots were taken by people who did not have reservations so others couldn't camp. So show up early to claim your spot.

@AmandaS6104080 · Camped on Mar 11, 2022 at Campsite #5

This is a small remote campground. The stream running through the campground was very charming. There were frogs singing most of the night as well. The camp spots do not have a ton of shade. I had an amazing experience!

@AaronB6097308 · Camped on Mar 4, 2022 at Campsite #4

Awesome little campground! Love the little creek going by, some nice and easy hiking eight from the campground. However the road. Some pretty good potholes. Any regular car can get down and up, just go slow. Do NOT recommend for anyone with a trailer or large RV. I've got a small 15' trailer, made it down and back up finw but had to go extremely slow and carefully. Seriously, think they should disallow trailers from here unless they do some more regular road maintenance to keep the potholes modtlf filled in.

@BenF7171752 · Camped on Jan 21, 2022 at Campsite #4

Great spot!

@BenF190 · Camped on Jan 21, 2022 at Campsite #4

Great spot!

@RolandS684 · Camped on Jan 13, 2022 at Campsite #4

We booked sites #4 and #5 for our Trail Life Troop. They had ample room for parking and camping, although site #5 did seem to have a bit more room. We used #5 as our main hub for eating, cooking, and chatting around the campfire. All the boys seemed to enjoy it, as there was a nice creek just across the road for them to explore. One of them even found a football. We also had a pleasant view. The campground is small and quiet, and our "neighbors" were respectful about not partying late into the night as some campers do. One downside was that there is only one pit toilet, but it was close by to our sites. There is also a nearby hiking trail that leads to a good spot to have lunch near where the Rose-Lion Connector Trail branches off of the Lion Canyon Trail. We think that we may have run into some Poison Oak on the trail and we think there is some more near the creek. The trail did have quite a few blackberry bushes though, which are almost a dead ringer for Poison Oak. The only difference is that blackberry bushes have little spines on the trunk and leaves. Overall, we enjoyed our stay and we would come back.

@RolandS3857472 · Camped on Jan 13, 2022 at Campsite #4

@kaitlynp538702 · Camped on Dec 3, 2021 at Campsite #2

I wasn't aware that we weren't allowed to have campfires, would have been nice to know that before I brought a bunch of firewood lol, so definitely check the area or call the park rangers. This spot is great nonetheless, campsite #2 is nice and secluded from the others, #4 is right next to the trailhead. Was pretty warm during the day in winter and VERY COLD at night, especially because we couldn't have a fire. I left my half full tea outside and woke up to see that it had frozen overnight. Other than that, we still had a great time, very peaceful place and a short hike to a beautiful waterfall.

@kaitlynp122 · Camped on Dec 3, 2021 at Campsite #2

@DanielleF962 · Camped on Nov 5, 2021 at Campsite #3

Site 3 was great for groups!

@DanielleF49934 · Camped on Nov 5, 2021 at Campsite #3

Site 3 was great for groups!

@GreggC1773267 · Camped on Oct 8, 2021 at Campsite #5

The campground itself was clean and well-maintained. Meanwhile the last mile of the road on the way in could definitely use some maintenance as there were plenty of places they could’ve popped a tire and being so far off the grid without cell phone reception was a potentially dangerous situation. My son and I enjoyed the quiet though and definitely felt secluded away from the city and enjoyed the many close by hiking opportunities.

@GreggC742 · Camped on Oct 8, 2021 at Campsite #5

@CarrieL975 · Camped on Jun 10, 2021 at Campsite #2

One of our favorite places to camp. Bugs were manageable. It was much hotter than the weather suggested, though. Toilet could stand to be emptied - but other than that, I’m never disappointed when we camp here.

@JohnB755 · Camped on May 7, 2021 at Campsite #4

We reserved Site #4 - This should not be a site! It is in the middle of a dirt road that campers use s a parking lot and turn around. It is not a campsite. There is barely room for one tent and no car, unless you block the road. Luckily for us there were several other sites open, so we were able to use one that was NOT in the middle of a road. So it was a better experience than it could have been. The campsite as a whole could use a little updating, my fire pit was pretty bent up and was filled with large rocks. Which is nice to cook things on, but is kind of a FIRE HAZARD as it is near impossible to put a fire out with these rocks retaining so much heat. When I arrived, I started my fire without even using a match or lighter or any kind of spark, I just put some dead grass and kindling on it and it started right up! Knowing this now, I would just take the rocks out next time but I feel like it is something the park should be aware of OR at least have running water at the site so I don't need to use 3 gallons to put out the fire.

@AnnN938 · Camped on Apr 16, 2021 at Campsite #7

I love this campground. Some of the campsites are more level than others. I was there with a group. Be sure to print out your reservations. There isn't any internet and although there are plaques put up by the Service that takes care of the campground, if your group doesn't all arrive at one time, there may be folks who want to pouch your reserved spot and they demand proof that you reserved it. The joys of a popular campground. Bring all your gear, there is nothing offered except a vault toilet. They had toilet paper this time, but I brought my own just in case. Bring your water, food, clothes for a cold night. There is quite a bit of wood there after the last fire, you just need an axe to chop it into smaller pieces for the firepits. Don't forget a hat and sunscreen because during the day you need it. Everything very basic is there at the camp (space marked out, fire pit, bbq, picnic table). We had a great time. Enjoy!

@BrittanyG352 · Camped on Mar 5, 2021 at Campsite #5

Love the camp site there were a lot of young couples there is a streaming river near the campsite the stars were amazing it’s a circle campsite really small so make sure make reservations when your coming in to the campsite at dark be cautious road has some ditches highly recommend a lot of hiking trails near by has basic bathrooms

@DanS588 · Camped on Feb 26, 2021 at Campsite #5

awesome spot, great hiking , and nice and clean

@MitzyeR900 · Camped on Nov 26, 2020 at Campsite #3

If you plan on camping this winter, you should know that it gets very very cold. Our water froze when we were there. I do recommend going to the Rose Valley Waterfall. The hike to the falls is quite lovely. There are other hiking trails nearby but they were overgrown with poison ivy so be careful. Also, hitting up Ojai if you need supplies is good, too. Plus, they have a beautiful downtown area. The last mile into the camp has a lot of potholes, large potholes, so drive slowly and carefully. If you don't print out your reservation info, make sure you take a screenshot because there is no phone service. There are no bear lockers but there are trash cans there and one portable bathroom, no showers. There were other people when we were there but everyone kept a safe distance and were quiet as soon as it got dark. We loved falling asleep to the sound of the creek in our campsite # 3. It was beautiful.

@KarinS813 · Camped on Nov 25, 2020 at Campsite #7

Very clean and well cared for. Some of the sites feel like they are right on the road though, while others are nicer. Easy access to good hiking.

@EsmeraldaP365 · Camped on Nov 21, 2020 at Campsite #7

Nice place to gather your thoughts and get away from any city life

@ElliottE208 · Camped on Nov 6, 2020 at Campsite #4

Amazing setting on a stream

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