ONE OF THE BEST CAMPGROUNDS LOCATED IN BIG SUR, CALIFORNIA

You want me to cross THAT river in MY car!? My mom and I gasped and looked at each other saying, “there is no way in heck we are going to do that!” Little did we know we were so wrong and ultimately we would cross the rushing river.

The previous week had consisted of lots of wet, stormy nights. My mom and I were headed down Highway 1 for a road-trip to move my husband and I from SF to SD. We lucked out with beautiful weather during our three day drive, however, due to the previous weeks rain, lots of trails and roads remained closed. One of those roads happened to be the entrance to our campground for the night. The owner of the campground, Amanda, had called me the night before and let me know the bridge to the campground itself may be covered in water from the rain, but there is no reason to worry. We could just drive right on over it and into the campground. Cool, sounds good! So I thought….

My mom and I arrived to the campground about mid afternoon. We headed down the long asphalt driveway towards the campground only to come across a roaring, rapid river. This was no small river! I literally saw rapids going on. Literally, you could practically kayak down this river.

We began to yell across the loud river attempting to get the attention of someone. Finally, a gentleman sees of flailing our hands and comes across a walking bridge (the gate was locked otherwise we would have just walked over it) and asks if he can help us. We tell him we have a reservation for that night, but we don’t feel safe crossing the river. He goes, “oh your fine, you got it!” My mom and I were astonished that he thought it was OK to just drive on across. We didn’t feel comfortable with it, they don’t allow people to go across the walking bridge, and he wouldn’t drive our car across for us lol. So, we were stuck with a decision of whether or not to cancel our reservation or drive on over. The nice gentleman offered to go get the owner, Amanda, and ask her for any other options. He walks across the bridge, gets Amanda, they hop in a car and drive right on over the river. WHAT! I was shocked.

Amanda gets out of the car and gives us a quick little science lesson on something about how fast the water is moving and how we can see certain angles on the bridge and that is completely safe to go over. My mom and I were still skeptical, so we ask Amanda to drive our car over…and she did. Amanda drove, my mom in the front seat and me on my mom’s lap headed towards the raging river. Amanda guns it across and we make it over safely. Phew I was so scared, but really I think we were being woes in the end ha-ha. We had to cross the river multiple after that, due to going out for dinner and breakfast. Each time was a bit scary, but also exhilarating!

Anyways, if you want the cute quaintness of Big Sur at a reasonable cost then Riverside Campground is the place for you.

Read here for more options on California Glamping.

As scary as it was crossing the river, the owner Amanda and all the employees were very welcoming and reassured us multiple times that it was safe. The campground itself has the cutest little cabins for rent! Each one is different and unique. Some of the cabins have a bathroom, some have multiple beds, and some are just a cute little place to rest your head. There are fire pits outside, a heater inside, and some even have a little coffee maker. It was actually quite nice to go to bed and wake up to the sound of the rushing river. The campground is set back in the woods and is so quiet and peaceful.

My mom and I were able to sit and enjoy a nice glass of wine on our deck with a view of the river prior to heading out for dinner at Nepenthe. In the morning, we woke up, made some coffee and enjoyed the peacefulness that this campground has to offer.

At the front of the campground, just across the river, is a little Market where they offer snacks, fire-starters, marshmallow supplies and much more! They do offer WiFi connection; however, it was very slow. But really who needs WiFi when you are in a setting like this?

Riverside campground offers RV camping as well as tent camping. Dogs are permitted as well for a small extra fee. Prior to our arrival they even offered us a free cabin upgrade. I can’t speak more highly of them. Amanda and Pam were so friendly each time I spoke on the phone with them. I would highly recommend staying here. If you want to book a reservation then head over to the website here!