We spent the night of May 8 at San Clemente State Beach. This was really a good occasion for several reasons.

1. My daughter loves to go camping and it was the night before her birthday.
2. We went with another family who we are close to and this allowed the kids to have a closely supervised slumber party.
3. It just gave us a chance to get away.

San Clemente State Beach is a park which allows overnight camping. There are not a whole lot of those around in Orange County. Therefore, as you could see, getting reservations is not simple. I got lucky on this occasion and must have found one where someone had cancelled. Here is the deal. Reservations are made at http://www.parks.ca.gov. They release availability on the first of every month for six months out. So If you want to guarantee a spot in June, you had better log on to lock it in on New Years Day. The price is reasonable – about $30 per night.

At San Clemente State Beach, you are not really camping on the beach. You are camping in the hard dirt spots at the top of the cliff. The spots are normally for 8 people and they are plenty big for 2 tents. We actually had three tents up in our site with plenty of room for the campfire. Our campsite had a fence behind it, and not far away was someones backyard. So it really is not that remote of a place for camping…but hey, its next to the beach.

The beach attracts a lot of surfers. But even if you are not a surfer, the body surfing / boogy boarding is good too. The beach is a good peaceful place to stroll along as well, and what kid ever gets tired of sand castles or other graffiti.

You can bring your dog with you; however, when you go the to beach itself, you will find an unwelcome sign “No Dogs Allowed!!!”.

Have fun surfing. We’ll See Ya There!!!