Fires Are Allowed at Oceano Dunes
Yes, you can have a real driftwood fire on the sand here at Oceano Dunes, the stretch most people still call Pismo, and 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, between the shoreline and the western edge of the foredunes. No fires on the boardwalk side, in vegetated dune areas, or within 50 feet of a restroom or picnic table.
- Size limit: keep it to 3 feet across and 2 feet tall. If you came here looking for bonfire rules, that is the answer: a true bonfire is not legal on this beach. Anything oversized draws rangers, not compliments.
- Wood only. Clean, untreated wood. Pallets and boards with nails, screws, or any metal are prohibited, illegal to even bring onto the beach, 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.
- Hours: fires have to be out by 10 PM unless you're registered, paid-up camping south of Post 2. Day use fires and unregistered camps go dark at 10 PM, no exceptions.
- 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. Visible is safe. Hidden is not.
This is not just courtesy. In June 2016 California State Parks prohibited wood fires at several San Diego area state beaches, among them Cardiff, Carlsbad and Torrey Pines, and the reason it gave was buried coals staying hot for days and burning people. Those beaches got portable propane instead. Oceano still allows a real wood fire on the sand. Rules like this one are the reason it still can.
- Let it burn out. Rangers and park staff actually prefer this to someone trying to hide or bury a fire fast before they leave. A visible fire or ash pile is obvious and gets avoided. A buried one isn't, and that's the real danger.
- Dousing works too. If you want it out sooner, water beats sand every time: douse it, stir it, douse it again until it's cool to the touch. Never smother it under sand to make it disappear.
- Bring jugs either way. The same water jugs locals carry for getting unstuck do double duty at the fire pit if you want to speed things along.
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.
Camping South of Post 2
Fires burn past 10 PM only for registered, paid-up campers. Here is how beach camping works, what to reserve, and what to expect when you get there.
Check the Creek First
Arroyo Grande Creek sits between the Pier Avenue entrance and Post 2. When it is running, the crossing decides your trip before anything else does.
Time the Tide
Firewood, coolers and a loaded truck all move easier on hard packed sand. Drive in near low tide and the whole trip gets simpler.