We drycamped at San Onofre State Beach, Bluffs Campground 30 miles north of Oceanside. Availability at this campground is pretty open since it is essentially a long parking lot next to the I-5 freeway just south of the retired San Onofre Nuclear Power Plant. There are no hookups but sites do include an area for tents, picnic tables (in pretty poor shape but usable if covered) and fire rings. Restrooms have rv-style flushable toilets, outdoor beach-styled cold-water shower and sink. The RV campsites are wide asphalt parking spaces with adjacent dirt areas with fire rings & tables. The ranger-recommended tent site was on the bluff above our RV, on a wide hiking trail. But in other sections of the campground, most tents were pitched at parking level (quieter). Hikers & dog walkers use the trail so it’s not very private, although there wasn’t much foot traffic. Noise from the I-5 freeway and railroad is noticeable especially higher up where the tent was pitched.
Each section of the campground has a restroom & trail leading to the beach (see map below). We were next to Trail 5 which was closed due to an unstable cliff collapse. Next trail, Trail 6, is quite a ways down so if you are carrying beach gear, driving to the trailhead is a good idea. The beach at Trail 6 is not busy, rocky, and dog-friendly. If you prefer a sandy beach then drive N a couple miles to Trail 1. The hike to the beach on Trail 6 is longer but less steep than Trail 1. People with e-bikes had the best method to access Trail 6’s beach. Trail 1 was steeper and coming back uphill was shorter but more challenging.
The coastline & bluffs are beautiful here. But other than visiting the beach, surfing, or biking along the 3.5mi stretch of paved, level road, there is not much to do.
There were groups of people in RVs & tents gathered & enjoying getting together. So if you are having trouble finding a campsite, this campground usually has vacancies. For no hookups, rustic restrooms, and closed trails, paying $40/night is a bit pricey since it dry camping. We’ve stayed at other Ca state beaches with water & electric for the same rate. There is a dump station but there is a $10 fee, even for paying rv’ers. When talking to the ranger, he said it was something they recently implemented because non-paying rv’ers were dumping when the ranger station was closed.