Our close to home but far away enough from the city go to Spot
FOSTER RESIDENCE CAMPGROUND
When you live in Los Angeles but you crave the woodsy camping feeling but you don’t want to drive 5 plus hours to get there, Foster Residence Campground can be your go to. Located in Ventura County, we have been here multiple times through the years and we keep coming back because it is a lovely place.
With only 16 sites total, the first 10 sites have full hookups at $50 a night. The other 6 sites are for your true camping experience at $28 a night. This park has a camp host on site so you can ask for help if needed. We love that this park gives you plenty of space between sites so it allows you to feel like you are there alone but yet, you have that comfort to know that you are not.
This park is our go to park when we are feeling outdoorsy and when we want to go on long e bike rides. Just about a mile away, you run into the bike path where we can ride about 6 miles into Ojai or ride about 8 miles the opposite direction and ride through town and go all the way to the beach! The bike path is just lovely and allows you to experience beautiful picturesque backdrops.
This place also provides hiking trails and it’s about 6 miles away from Lake Casitas rec center.
This campground is right next to a fork on the road where they have metal plate on the road and cars drive on so it does become loud at night when cars drive on it so it takes a little getting used to until you can drown out the sound.
Our family have very fond memories of this place as it is still one of our go to places when we just want to City Lights Escape. You can book your spot at Foster here.
Our next woodsy favorite place on our list is a place to hike, bike, swim, play, and it's a KOA
Temecula/Vail Lake KOA
KOA’s are usually in their own category because a lot of KOA’s do a good job of providing activities, entertainment, and a place for your non camping friends or family members to join too so everyone is included in the ultimate camping experience. These campgrounds are great to get sprinkled into your road trip as they tend to be a little more pricey because of all the amenities so we’ve been to a few so far; Black Hills/ Rushmore KOA and this one is on the top of our list thus far.
This place is great from the moment you drive in. As soon as you turn in, immediately you can feel the vibe that you are going to have a great time. Driving to your spot, you see kids riding their bikes, people playing miniature golf, families going for walks, it’s just a lovely place all around.
This KOA has campsites on different levels and they are very spread out so be aware where you book your site if you plan on using the amenities. Talking about amenities, they have more than one pool and it’s huge. They also have volleyball and basketball courts along with play structure, etc.
Our family loves coming here for the bike trails and the long hiking trails the most. Last time we discovered we could ride all the way down to the lake which was fun and we were able to ride on actual mountain trails which was both fun and challenging. The serene quiet sound and the beautiful views is almost necessary at least once a year to reset and reflect our daily lives. This KOA just hits differently, you have the busy, action filled parts of camping here but then you also get the quiet, peaceful part since it is just such a huge place.
Last but not least, the bike trail. I don’t know anywhere else near Los Angeles where you can camp and ride a dirt bike or a powered bike motocross style. Great memories made here for sure. You can book your site at this wonderful place here.
