Ventana Wilderness Campground, Big Sur California

Welcome to Ventana Campground, Big Sur, California

THE VENTANA CAMPGROUND WILL BE CLOSED FOR THE 2008 SEASON FOR RENOVATIONS. WE LOOK FORWARD TO SEEING YOU IN THE FUTURE AND THANKS SO MUCH FOR YOUR LOYALTY THROUGHOUT THE YEARS!!

Ventana Campground is located 65 miles north of San Simeon and 30 miles south of Carmel in Big Sur, California. We are 1/2 mile south of the Big Sur Post Office and 3/4 mile north of Nepenthe Restaurant. Turn at the large red historical home on the east side of Highway One with a sign for VENTANA INN AND SPA. Then make a left into the campground. From there a short jaunt off Highway One takes you to a 40 acre redwood lined canyon where we have 92 camp sites strategically placed to take advantage of the existing contours of the canyon without disturbing the natural beauty. This enhances the beauty of the campground as well as offering a unique character to each individual camp site, ultimately offering every campsite more privacy.

Entrance - Ventana Campground and Ventana Inn & Spa

The entrance to Ventana Campground and Ventana Inn & Spa is clearly marked by this sign next to the red house on Highway One.

Ventana Campground is located in Post Canyon. Post Canyon is a box canyon beginning at about 900 feet in elevation and oversees the Big Sur River valley to the North. This gorgeous box canyon is home to Post Creek, a small stream that runs through the redwood trees that tower over the campground. A lush second growth forest is filling in the lower canapy in places where turn of the century logging selectively harvested some of the old growth. The campsites are tastefully nestled among these trees and along the streams edge, offering several "private" and unique camping opportunities.

The geography of the campground places one central to many of Big Sur's spectacular landforms and famous business establishements and also creates an extremely agreeable microclimate from spring through fall. This location seems to sort out the wildly variable weather that can make the Big Sur land forms so dramatic and magical. The stiff winds and coastal fog do not prevail in the canyon and the altitude and filtered sunlight of the Redwood grove moderate the extreme temperatures of the summer and fall. Good weather makes for great camping!

Ventana Campground is a combination of rustic camping with modern facilities. Three bath houses have hot showers, electrical sockets, and flush toilets. Each site has a picnic table, fire ring, and running water is a short walk from all sites.

Join us in Big Sur for summertime fun! Have a look at our online slideshow!