Upper Oso Campground

The campgrounds are worn, restrooms are filthy and the asphalt on parking pads are covered with dirt and weeds, causing Camp Host to make threats about parking on dirt. The fact that the Upper Oso Horse Campgrounds (and others on Paradise Road) are still not open, after over 4 year closure, is a shame and just mismanagement on the part of the Santa Barbara Ranger District. STOP MILKING THE COVID SITUATION, GET OFF YOUR REAR ENDS AND GET BACK TO WORK.

The campgrounds are worn, restrooms are filthy and the asphalt on parking pads are covered with dirt and weeds, causing Camp Host to make threats about parking on dirt. The fact that the Upper Oso Horse Campgrounds (and others on Paradise Road) are still not open, after over 4 year closure, is a shame and just mismanagement on the part of the Santa Barbara Ranger District. STOP MILKING THE COVID SITUATION, GET OFF YOUR REAR ENDS AND GET BACK TO WORK.

We really enjoyed the campground and especially Sunny, the resident host. She kept everything clean and especially the bathrooms, which were decorated to feel welcoming. We will definitely be coming back.

We really enjoyed the campground and especially Sunny, the resident host. She kept everything clean and especially the bathrooms, which were decorated to feel welcoming. We will definitely be coming back.

We stayed over the Thanksgiving break. Got there on a Wednesday afternoon. Only about half the sites were occupied. By Thursday afternoon, there was only one other family in the whole campground (and the host). The crossings to the horse corral side were washed out. That may have had something to do with the vacancies. We hiked a bit on the local trails, but most of the time, just hung out at camp. The sites a pretty spread out so we had no problem throwing the disc around. We brought the dogs this time (their first camping adventure). We have two German Shepherds. I tried a new tether system that you put in the ground. It has two 20-foot leads and the attachment point is on a ball joint, so they don't get tangled. I tested it at home before we went to make sure there wouldn't be any problems. One of the dogs can get aggressive with other dogs. In the yard, it worked perfectly, but the camp site soil is super sandy. They were able to pull it out a bit. We ended up attaching them to the built in camp stove pole.

The nearby trails are used heavily for mountain bikes, dirt bikes, quads, and horses. They use the road that surrounds the site to access the trailhead, but everyone was polite and courteous when we encountered them on the trail. The toilet hut had one working toilet. The other side was out of order. The working toilet was a bit wobbly but made it through the week. If there had been more guests, there might have been a wait. The water from the spigot was not potable, so we went through a lot of the water we brought in.

Almost all sites had a ton of shade from the oaks. There are hundreds of holes (gopher?) in the ground so watch your ankles. The site is in the middle of a valley surrounded by steep faces. You have the feeling of really being isolated. The road to the site from Paradise Rd is single-lane, bumpy, with patches of gravel, and potential water crossing which I enjoyed better than camping right off of Paradise Rd.

We stayed over the Thanksgiving break. Got there on a Wednesday afternoon. Only about half the sites were occupied. By Thursday afternoon, there was only one other family in the whole campground (and the host). The crossings to the horse corral side were washed out. That may have had something to do with the vacancies. We hiked a bit on the local trails, but most of the time, just hung out at camp. The sites a pretty spread out so we had no problem throwing the disc around. We brought the dogs this time (their first camping adventure). We have two German Shepherds. I tried a new tether system that you put in the ground. It has two 20-foot leads and the attachment point is on a ball joint, so they don't get tangled. I tested it at home before we went to make sure there wouldn't be any problems. One of the dogs can get aggressive with other dogs. In the yard, it worked perfectly, but the camp site soil is super sandy. They were able to pull it out a bit. We ended up attaching them to the built in camp stove pole.

The nearby trails are used heavily for mountain bikes, dirt bikes, quads, and horses. They use the road that surrounds the site to access the trailhead, but everyone was polite and courteous when we encountered them on the trail. The toilet hut had one working toilet. The other side was out of order. The working toilet was a bit wobbly but made it through the week. If there had been more guests, there might have been a wait. The water from the spigot was not potable, so we went through a lot of the water we brought in.

Almost all sites had a ton of shade from the oaks. There are hundreds of holes (gopher?) in the ground so watch your ankles. The site is in the middle of a valley surrounded by steep faces. You have the feeling of really being isolated. The road to the site from Paradise Rd is single-lane, bumpy, with patches of gravel, and potential water crossing which I enjoyed better than camping right off of Paradise Rd.

The location was great, near Santa Barbara, with hiking right from the campground. The host, Sunny, was also great. However, the road to get there was terrible. The main issue was the motor bikers. Not only were they very annoying during the day zipping along through the campground, but we were woken up multiple days at around 4:30 and 5:30 AM by the motor bikers. It ruined the experience for us.

The location was great, near Santa Barbara, with hiking right from the campground. The host, Sunny, was also great. However, the road to get there was terrible. The main issue was the motor bikers. Not only were they very annoying during the day zipping along through the campground, but we were woken up multiple days at around 4:30 and 5:30 AM by the motor bikers. It ruined the experience for us.

Sunny the campground host was the best! The campground was quiet, the restrooms were okay and the water spigot was just fine too.
Beautiful area.

Sunny the campground host was the best! The campground was quiet, the restrooms were okay and the water spigot was just fine too.
Beautiful area.