Campfires at Oceano Dunes
Yes, you can have a real driftwood fire on the sand here, at one of the last beaches in California where that's still true. Here's how to do it right, keep it legal, and keep the next camper's feet unburned.
Keep It Legal
- Where: campfires are allowed on the sand south of Grand Avenue. No fires on the boardwalk side or in vegetated areas.
- Size limit: keep it to 3 feet across and 2 feet tall. Bonfire-sized burns draw rangers, not compliments.
- Wood only. Clean, untreated wood. Pallets and boards with nails, screws, or any metal are prohibited and will earn you a ticket. Twisted metal in the sand becomes a tire and foot hazard long after your fire is gone.
- No trash in the fire. Burning anything other than wood is against the law.
- Mind the wind. It can shift in a moment. Keep serious distance between your fire and anything with a gas tank: campers, quads, fuel cans.
Never Bury a Fire in Sand
Sand insulates. Coals buried under it stay scorching hot for hours, sometimes into the next day, invisible to the kid running barefoot to the water or the rider dropping a tire into your old pit.
- Put it out with water, not sand. Douse it, stir it, douse it again until everything is cool to the touch.
- Bring jugs for dousing. The same water jugs locals carry for getting unstuck do double duty at the fire pit.
- Let it burn down first. Plan your last log so the fire is dying on its own before you turn in.
Where the Wood Comes From
Free Driftwood
Unlike most state parks, Oceano Dunes encourages collecting the driftwood laying around, and after a winter storm there's plenty. Check the high-tide line and the creek mouth. Storm weeks are firewood jackpots.
Delivered to Camp
Vendor trucks patrol the camping beach selling firewood, ice, water, and snacks right to your site. Flag one down when it rolls by; beach prices beat breaking camp for a bundle of wood.
On the Way In
Grab bundles with your beer and ice at the last stops: Pier Liquor on Pier Avenue or the Grand Avenue stores in Grover Beach. Details in the supplies guide.