La Panza Campground in CA -- Campground & RV Camping
La Panza Campground in CA
CampgroundUSFS
22 mi from Shandon
Official campground & reservations ↗
Rig fit
- 1 pull-through sites.
- Overhead clearance: 14 ft.
- Driveway grade: severe.
Campground details
Setting
La Panza Campground sits in a canyon shaded by oak trees alongside a seasonal creek in the Los Padres National Forest. It offers 15 spaciously arranged year-round campsites suited for tents and RVs under 16 feet. Amenities are limited to designated fire rings and five vault toilets; there is no drinking water, electricity, or dump station. The campground features a wide cul-de-sac turnaround and serves as a base for exploring the Pozo La Panza area's 44 miles of off-highway vehicle routes. The nearby Machesna Mountain Wilderness provides additional trails for hiking and horseback riding.
Getting there: Directions from Santa Margarita, CA: Travel Highway 58, 3 miles east, Pozo Road approximately 26 miles east, Forest Road 29S18, 1.5 miles east. Alternate route: Highway 58, 26 miles east, Navajo Road 3 miles south, Pozo Road half a mile east.
- Limited separation from through roads or other sites here, a 7-site campground with the nearest through road 0.1 miles off.
- Flat ground is scarce: under a tenth of the terrain within a few hundred yards is level.
- Lyda Spring lies 0.2 mi off.
- Most of them shaded.
- Pine Mountain stands 1,578 ft above the map pin, 3.1 miles southeast.
Climate averages
October normals 49–78°F, 0.8″ precipitation. Monthly averages, PRISM 1991–2020.
Starlink Radar
Open sky · Terrain & buildings · Tree canopy
Estimated horizon in eight compass directions, using 10 m USGS elevation. Sky clearance 91 of 100.