Saddle Mountain Ranch

Wow, we cannot rave enough about this place! Given we stayed on a Saturday night, we were lucky to get a spot and they accepted us even though we were longer than they allowed with the understanding we may not fit. My husband is excellent with parking and we made it! The host greeted us at the entrance and helped guide him into his spot. It was so beautiful at this campground! Out of all the campgrounds we have been to, this was the most friendliest one. All the guests were out and about, enjoying the amenities, being social and having fun! Our only complaint is that we didn’t get to stay longer. We loved it here and will be back for sure! Mahalo and A Hui Hou!

This is a great campground! Heated pool, fire pits, games: horseshoe, etc. Really fun place. Staff is on hand and accessible. Highly recommend!!!

What an incredible park. Lynn was extremely helpful and accommodating…
I can’t wait to return ;)
~Joey Z

What a beautiful, quiet, friendly RV park!!! It’s not far from the heart of Carmel and Monterey, yet completely away from the busyness and crowds of people. The park is filled with lovely trees and flowers, and has common areas to sit and have a picnic or a glass of wine under the lighted gazebo. There is a large, fenced play area for the kids, and a very large, gorgeous pool. The grounds are impeccably maintained and everything is very clean and well kept.
The RV sites have full hook-​ups, and there are tent sites and cabins to rent as well. Lynne (the manager) is a delight… helpful, kind, and very welcoming. She made us feel right at home!
We stayed 9 nights, and we will definitely be back again! We thoroughly enjoyed our time at Saddleback Mountain… it was absolutely perfect!

Given the fact that it was my first camping experience, I had an awesome camping here last week along with my husband and a group of friends. We had booked one of tent sites and it was just perfect. It has clean bathrooms and hot shower and the lady working there is very nice. The only thing is that if you want to stay up at night, you have to keep quiet from 10 pm to 8 am since tent sites are close to each other and your noise may bother neighbors.

We stayed here just this last week. We wanted to stay in Big Sur but everything was booked up. Somehow we stumbled upon this place online. We looked at the reviews and the majority of them were good, so we booked it for the week. I am SO glad we did. We booked the cabin for 6 of us. My husband and I with 4 kids. I can not say enough go good things about this place. The managers were super friendly. The place was clean, the cabin was so darn cute, and the trails were great. There is a Loft upstairs that has two double beds, well mattresses on floor; however it’s perfect for kids or adults. Just make sure you don’t stand up, you will hit your head. Big Sur is roughly 26 miles from the cabin. Very convenient to all the hiking spots in Big Sur. I am totally in love with the cabin. Only complaint is the bathroom so small… Who cares. Do your business and hop out. The cabin was super clean and had everything we needed to do our cooking. You will not regret staying in one of the cabins. Can’t wait to book it again!

Good location if you’re looking to camp near the ocean. An hour from Big Sur and an hour from Santa Cruz, only about 10 mins to the beach or Carmel village. However, the management was really unorganized. We called 2 weeks prior to arrival to book an extra night stay and were told it would be no problem and we would be charged once we checked in. When we arrived the camp host said we were «really lucky that there was a site available the night before our expected arrival». They had no record that we had booked another night! Could have been terrible for us if they had double booked. We let it blow over though because the office woman was very sweet and friendly.
Though the stay is fairly cheap, the sites are very small and you should try to bring an SUV to make it up the uneven roads. Loved that the campground had various hiking trails that allowed you to see beautiful views of the valley and ocean!

We thoroughly enjoyed our 4 night stay at Saddleback RV Campground. It has wonderful views and a very peaceful atmosphere. Dog friendly, of course!
The Owners/​Managers are extremely hospitable. Great location. Very clean.
We will certainly go back in the future!
I tried my best to capture in photos the relaxing, beautiful views from this property!

My husband and I along with our friends stayed here Christmas day and night and for a few days thereafter. The facilities were very nice the views were spectacular. We found it very convenient to be near Carmel by the sea as well as the Carmel Valley area where we visited several wine tasting rooms and checked in with local shops. It was a great visit overall. The road up to the campground is a bit steep winding and narrow but its well worth it. Large rigs will need to be extra careful.

We camped at Saddle Mountain Ranch this past weekend on a tent site. We found a nice, quiet, flat site under old oak trees. This campsite has a pool! We didn’t use the pool since it is November, but if you visit in the warmer months, bring your bathing suits! As others have written — the bathrooms are very clean. The showers do not require coins, yay!
This place is quite close to Carmel and is very close to the Quail Lodge — any one riding in the Best Buddies Hearst Castle Challenge each year could consider camping here prior to the event.
I am really happy we found this campsite because we had a lovely, peaceful experience here. Thanks, Saddle Mountain Ranch!

We made a last minute reservation at this place because no other campgrounds were available.
No regrets.
Lynn, the host on duty was extremely accomdating and friendly. The camp sites were clean and they had free Wi-​Fi/​charging station. They also had a pool if that’s what you’re into.
One downside is that this place is pet friendly so we were woken up pretty early in the morning due to barking dogs.
Overall, our stay was great definitely come here if you’re looking for a place. Also say hi to the cat!

What a great campsite! I highly recommend anyone wanting to camp near Big Sur make a reservation here! We booked in advance for a drive-​in campsite. After checking in we discovered a small snafu (not our fault), the owner (Joyce?) was so kind to us and wiggled a few things around to accommodate us, we were so grateful for her and truly had a wonderful stay. It was one of the nicest camp sites, clean bathrooms (they looked newly updated) plenty of showers throughout the grounds. My husband and I played cards once the sun set in the Gazebo near the pool. Plenty of track lighting and the pool stayed open until 10 pm. We didn’t have the chance to check out the hiking trail, but we return next year and stay here again.

Like the other person said, horrible customer service. Lynn is a mean woman. Talks too much, acts selfish, does not listen to the customers, gives no sympathy if you have a problem, and makes ignorant comments (i.e, told me she could get 10 times more money for my site than I paid $ 82-​really? I haven’t heard of a $ 820 RV site for one night). My people with me thought I was overreacting but then they heard her on speakerphone shortly after. Many of the sites are too small and lack privacy. 6 sites face the parking lot/​office. Quiet hours start at 10pm but there were many drunk people at 2am waking everyone up. Want a fire pit? That is $ 10 a day. Want to bring an extra car? That’s $ 20. Want to show up after 10pm? That’s $ 100. Want to smell the portapotty aroma around you? That’s free. 12 channels of cable and non functioning internet is free also. Better off at a KOA (Costanoa, Avila Beach) or any other campground (Smithwoods, Pismo Sands, Laguna Seca). Thanks to Lynn’s personality, we will never be back. I feel bad for the owner that employs this lady.

We have camp at a wide range of places and I have to commend this management group for having beautiful landscaping, everything well-​kept, very friendly staff who were warm and welcoming, (Lynn was great!) and just a great spot that is also conveniently located near Monterey and Carmel for sightseeing.
As inn owners ourselves, we know how much work it is to keep both amenities and grounds in great condition and everything was really lovely here!
My family had a combination of needing a trailer RV spot and a cabin for my sisters family and they worked to ensure we were located close to each other and had a lovely stay. I cannot recommend this campground highly enough. It is not inexpensive but well worth the price. The pool was great for the kids, they have a playground, badminton and horseshoe court. They were even dog friendly at the camp sites.
On Unilocal,you also currently get a free dura flame log (as the area heavily wooded does not allow for real campfires but there are grills for BBQ and fire pits you can rent for the duraflames.
Finally, they have accessible hiking from the campground, but we did not have the opportunity to explore them on this trip. We will return for sure.

Our first RV experience and we wanted a park that was a bit nicer than the typical RV park-​ing lot next to a freeway. Saddle Mountain Ranch fit the bill! The setting is gorgeous, just far enough from town to feel like camping but close enough for a quick trip to the store for supplies. (We had an extra vehicle but we also saw guests who unhooked their RV and drove down to the Safeway.) We had space #8, which gave us a nice buffer from the office and main parking area and also was easy to back into. Heather the host was so nice and Lynne was very accommodating about our dogs and also when we needed to add some dates on our reservation. As others have said, the heated pool is stunning and the bathrooms are very clean. Each site comes with a picnic table and barbecue, and they have firepits that you can rent by the day or week, perfect for making s’mores. The trail to the top of the mountain is about 4 miles round trip with amazing views, but wear sturdy shoes and long pants and sleeves, poison oak is everywhere! Regarding some of the other reviews, the bridge apparently has been replaced because it is not that scary narrow one, and the steep and windy section of the road is pretty short, we had no trouble with our 28 foot RV and saw much larger ones whip in and out easily. We would happily return if we ever do another RV trip, or if we ever get up the nerve to try camping in a tent!

If it was possible I’d give a minus star! The customer service is absolutely horrible! We reserved a cabin. At the last minute my brother & sister in law wanted to join us. I figured we would work it out with management when we got there for the fee for extra people. My brother showed up first he had my niece and nephew with him who were not intending on staying with us in the cabin and the management on-​site was extremely rude to him & told him that we had too many people and then when I called to try and explain and straighten things out she accused me of lying and told me that my under 12-​year-​old child must of magically turned into a 17-​year-​old (I’d reserved 3 adults 1 child… I have a 9 year old who was with me & she assumed my 17 year old nephew was the child) she would not let me clarify at all and was extremely rude and offensive on the phone. We were so upset we did not feel comfortable staying there for the weekend at all so we told her we were not coming and to just keep our deposit & she said «that’s fine!» After we got home a couple of days later we realized that they had charged an additional $ 700+ to our credit card without our permission. Not only is this poor customer service but it is a serious indicator of their integrity.
My brother said the pics online are very deceiving it is not nearly as big as it looks & they park trailers no more than a foot from the cabin so you can’t even look out the cabin window and see anything but a trailer with people inside parked next to you.
This is been a great lesson to us about reserving online and giving out our credit card number. We are pursuing getting our money back because we never gave them permission to charge the $ 700 dollars… At this point it’s more than just the money, it’s the principle.

Visited on July 4^th weekend. Let’s preface this with saying I am NOT a camper, this was my first 2 night trip. Free hot showers, a nice pool with clean lounge chairs, beautiful views and friendly staff made this a wonderful camping experience!
I cannot explain how much I despise waking up with the smell of campfire/​bonfire hair, so I loved that they do not allow fires!
There is poison oak literally on all sides of each site, so watch your step and watch your dogs (which by the way are only a $ 5 fee each).
All of the sites down below are for RV’s, then up the hill are tent sites where you can park nearby and carry all your stuff in. We were in an SUV with a rooftop tent, so I am very glad I called to reserve a specific spot (extra $ 5 fee to reserve a specific site) and paid the higher price for a premium drive in tent site, otherwise we would not have had space to set up. But for someone in a normal tent, definitely go the cheaper route.

I stayed here on a Friday in June. They have hot showers, a pool, a playground, horse shoes, badmitten, a hiking trail, and are dog friendly. The trail goes up to a nice area with benches and a view of the area. Good for sunsets.
The campsites aren’t private, and aren’t in the woods. But it still does the trick.

I came here tent camping here with my family of 5 for two nights this weekend. The view is amazing, they have horseshoe pits for every site as well as a hose and BBQ. They have a really nice pool with amazing views on both sides, and a very cool playground next to the main office and bathrooms. Hot showers, two sinks on the outside of the bathrooms for washing your dishes (how nice!), and they even sell some supplies there as well as having two vending machines. The trail is definitely worth checking out because it gives you the highest view of the valley. The camping was a lot of fun for us and we hope you enjoy your stay as well. Highly recommended and hope to see you there! Also bring a telescope with you, they are a lot of fun out there!

Hidden gem! We found this place by a simple Google search. Stayed for two nights. The camp host was very helpful and the facilities are better than expected, especially for the price. Coast camping can be expensive, but we found Saddle Mountain to be reasonable in price and had everything we needed. The showers offer plenty of privacy and hot water, and the pool is hotel quality. There is even a play ground for the kids. We will definitely come back!

Nice views of the valley, awesome facilities, pricey for tent camping though. 35 bucks a night for 2 people…

We came here tent camping Presidents weekend/​Valentines weekend for 2 nights This was kind of a last minute decision, which I always have the best of luck when planning things a few days before. We had a nice time. This time of year, the full campground isn’t opened. We had camp site 38 I believe. Campsites are pretty close to each other but on a hill, so we had ppl above us and below us, it was a small site too. 1 tent only, no fire pts unless you bring your own pit and with duraflames.(which we are not use to non wood fires). You can probably set up a tent in an open area right behind the campsite if not in use (it technically isnt a camp spot, but looks like an overflow tent spot.
The bathrooms were extremely clean. OMG. I have never seen such clean restrooms/​showers (yes hot showers too) at a campground before. and free to use, first cme first serve. They looked new. (the one above ³⁸⁄₃₉ at the turn of the road. We really like this time of year as its off season so not completely packed, but for a holiday weekend and our gorgeous weather we have been having, they were full. But it was quiet in the night and early morning, which is great.
70’s during day, low 40’s at night. We did wine tasting one day and bike riding at Fort Ord the other day. Perfect weekend and not too far from the SC mtns. We will be back again. Loved it. We paid $ 35 a night.

This is a quiet, low-​key RV/​campground. As others have said the drive can be a little hairy, but if you’re experienced and confident you’ll be just fine. The spaces are pretty close together, but it’s very quiet. The swimming pool and deck area are beautiful with lovely views of the surrounding areas.

My husband and I spent a month here this Fall. This RV park was very peaceful and quiet. Large swimming pool, kid playground, clean bathrooms, and friendly workers. The RV and camping sites are well landscaped and tidy. A great hiking trail to the top of the mountain with a view of the sea. Close to Carmel-​by-​the-​Sea and Carmel Valley Village. The RV/​Camping park is located halfway up the hill on a dead end street with views down the valley. We will be back! They also have 2 cabins for rent that were cute too.
The road going to the RV park is skinny. This park was build in the 60’s so it has a lot of old school charm. We have a 35ft RV that did fine. The sites are smaller because they didn’t make big RVs in the 60’s. It’s a small park with a family feel and no reasons to have extra bathrooms and showers. I preferred this park over any large corporate establishment ran one.

This was our first time camping at Saddle Mountain Ranch, we found it online while looking for a place to relax during 4^th of July weekend.
The drive to the site does get narrow and a little scary, but just take your time. We had a big group of people staying, with motor homes, travel and tent trailers of various sizes, and we were all able to get there and park with no problem.
The pool was nice and the kids loved it, no bikes allowed is a bummer, but I can understand their reasons. IT’S ON A HILL.
Beautiful views and friendly hosts.

This campground is a nice, cheap alternative to hotels in the area during the Summer. We had a really nice stay in tent site 37, which is one of many sites that has a gorgeous view of Carmel Valley. We were offered an upgrade to a premium tent site when we checked in! Good thing too, we had some trouble sleeping and got up in the middle of the night, and sound really seems to carry, so it was probably better to get us out of the way. The premium rent sites up the hill have a decent amount of privacy and all the beautiful trees and hanging moss and views Carmel Valley has to offer.

This place is beautiful. We spent 4 nights here for the cali roots festival and had a blast! It’s quiet and peaceful and only 15 minutes from downtown Monterey. I drove a 40′ rv up the main road without much problem. Its tight dont get me wrong but certainly not dangerous. The bathrooms are clean and the hot shower is a nice touch. Heather and Lynne were very friendly and made it an easy decision as to where we would stay next year. I have already booked my reservation for next years festival. Highly recommended!!!

Where do I start?
How about the fact that we are pulling a massive 34 foot fifth wheel (37 when de-​hitched.) The road to get to this place is tiny, narrow and lined with low trees. We began to get nervous when the road turned into a one way road. We hoped and prayed that no other campers, or anyone for that matter, we’re making their way out. Luckily, we made it through the road without any oncoming traffic, only to come upon a fork in the road that split between two RV parks. The road to the right was another narrow road leading to Carmel by the River RV Park, and the road to the left was freakishly narrow and VERY steep. Of course that was the road that led to Saddle Ranch. At first my husband said nope, it’s not happening… but we had no other option! Lol… we were forced, as backing up was not an option.
We slowly made it up the road, only to come upon a tight left turn into the actual RV park. The tent sites were straight, and up another narrow and steep road. :) All in all, we made it in. Ruined our day, took a couple of years off of our lives, and caused marital strife… but we made it I’m with only a few scratches to our fifth wheel from the trees.
I wish there was a mention of this when we booked…
Pros: The park itself is nice, quiet and quaint. The view is beautiful and the pool is warm. The bathrooms are clean and well maintained. I would rather camp somewhere like this, than a huge state park. It is pretty close to all of your attractions… Carmel by the Sea is 15 minutes away, Monterey, Big Sur, etc.
Cons: There is no bike riding! Our kids couldn’t ride anywhere here, so that was a huge bummer. There are no fires allowed. This was no fun, as the weather gets pretty chilly at night, and there would be nothing better than a nice hot fire.
Did I mention the road to exit? It’s a different one and worse than the road up. We saw another big rig coming up, and all my husband could say was… good luck! ;)