Tips For Beach Camping On a Budget

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Beach camping is probably one of the least expensive ways to have an overnight stay right on the coast, however, when compared to other campgrounds and types of camping, it comes in with a bit heftier of a price tag. Then when you add in the cost of extra vehicles on your site, it adds up even more. That’s why I’ve compiled these money-saving tips for beach camping.

There are some ways that you can cut the price down a bit and even avoid paying some of the extra fees. While spending the past week beach camping at San Elijo State Beach Campground, I compiled a list of some of our tried and true money-saving tricks. These tips will likely work for most California State Park Campgrounds, but I can definitely vouch for them working at the various Southern California Beach Camping spots.

Opt For a Non-Hookup Site

I know, I know. This doesn’t seem like much of a trick. I’m starting with one of the most obvious tips for beach camping, but hear me out. So many people will only camp on hookups. But do you really NEED them? You can save a lot of money by choosing a non-hookup site.

Beach campgrounds usually have pretty generous generator hours, so you can likely run your generator during the hottest parts of the day, if it’s the AC you are concerned about. But you’re also at the beach, and there is usually a nice breeze. It cools down a ton at night, so opening a couple of windows can make a huge difference in temperature as well.

At San Elijo State Beach, the generator hours are from 10am until 8pm. I know that can make breakfast and coffee tricky in the morning, but you can always look into alternative ways to make coffee, and there is a 7-11 and Starbucks just across the street from that particular campground.

Tips for Beach Camping: Bring Firewood With You

Another of my money-saving tips for beach camping is to bring firewood with you. The price of a bundle of wood at the beach campgrounds will cost you a lot more than other campgrounds. This year, the price went up to $14. If you can stop at a gas station on your way and grab a bundle or two, you will save a lot of money.

Consider Sharing Your Site

Many of the beach campsites have more than enough space to share with another family, especially if one or both families are tent camping. We’ve even seen campsites with three trailers or motorhomes parked on them.

The campsites have a capacity of 8 people (although, we’ve never seen them be strict about that number unless there are noise complaints about you) and up to three vehicles. We had friends join us this year who had no idea that we could have more than one trailer on a site.

You do have to pay for extra vehicles on your site, but see below for ways to avoid those fees. If you are on a hookup site, you can really only share with a tent-camping family, but you could definitely throw a tent up on those spaces as well.

Tips For Beach Camping: Avoid Paying for Extra Vehicles

One vehicle is included in your campsite rate, but if you have a second or third car on your site, you will pay an extra $15 per vehicle per night. There are a couple of ways that you can avoid paying these fees. One is to park offsite. At San Elijo, there is a lot of street parking right outside of the campground. If you are just looking to park for the day, grabbing a spot out there is an easy way to save money for you or your guest. However, you can’t park overnight in those spots.

If you are looking for overnight parking, you can park across the street in a few different areas for free. There are neighborhood streets that you can park in and then walk into the campground.

Another of the tips for beach camping is one I just learned about: if you tow a vehicle in, that car gets its own parking tag without having to pay extra. Our friend towed his extra vehicle in on his parent’s motorhome, and then moved it to his campsite as an extra vehicle. So if you have the means of towing a car in or being towed in, that can save you $15 a night.

More Beach Camping Resources

• How to Make Your Ice Last Longer in a Cooler
• Easy Camping Meals
• Best Beach Games for Families
• Camping Supplies List: What to Pack
• Motorhome Essentials: What You Need
• How to Have an Outdoor Movie Night While Camping