Davy Brown Campground Los Padres National Forest California
Davy Brown Overview
Davy Brown Campground has 13 single-family campsites and is located next to a creek in the beautiful Los Padres National Forest. Campsites have nice shade from oak and gray pine trees. Red manzanita, coffee berry and red berry shrubs are also found in the campground.
Campsites can accommodate tents, trailers and RVs (up to 25 feet). The road to the campground is narrow and would be a bit challenging for trailers. It’s mostly paved (about a mile is dirt). Each site also has a table, fire ring, grate and BBQ pedestal.
The campground is open year round. Amenities include vault toilets and trash collection (dumpsters). Â Water is not available so bring your own. Â There is also no cell service or overflow parking available.
Nira Campground is also nearby.
Davy Brown Campground – Area Recreation & Activities
The campground is a popular base camp to enjoy hiking, mountain biking, photography, hunting, horseback riding, ATVing, backpacking and wildlife viewing. Wildflowers are on full display in the spring. You can also splash around and cool off in the creek’s water holes.
The campground is the starting point for several trails, including the spectacular Davy Brown/Fir Canyon Trail. Two miles further are the Lower Manzana and Upper Manzana trailheads, entry points to the majestic San Rafael Wilderness. Los Olivios, Santa Ynez, Solvang and Buelton are within an hour’s drive.
 Mt. Figueroa Campground is also in the area.
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Amenities
- BBQ Grills
- Cell Service - None
- Equestrian trail
- Fire Pit
- Fire Rings
- Golden Age & Access Passports accepted
- Grills
- Pets OK
- Restrooms (Vault Toilets)
- Trash Collection
Activities
- ATVing
- Backpacking
- Biking
- Bird Watching
- Fishing
- Hiking
- Horseback riding
- Mountain Biking
- Nature Trails
- OHVing
- OTV Trails/Riding
- Photography
- Picnicking
- Stargazing
- Swimming
- Wildlife Viewing
Los Olivos, California 93441
805 434 1996
Lat / Long:
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Campsite Types
- ADA
- RV
- Tent
- Trailer
# of Campsites:
13
Campsite Vehicle Size:
Up to 25 feet.
Season:
Year Round
Elevation:
2,101
Dump Station:
Off-Site
Davy Brown Comments & Reviews
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harvesthosts.com
The drive up here is just gorgeous! Some of the drive is alongside horse properties with huge oak trees that look like they’re out of England, at least in springtime when it’s so green. Along the way there are nice pullouts for boondocking, as well.
Now to the campground. Despite nearby the hellacious Lake Fire, they managed to save this campground. It’s in a narrow canyon, and on the opposite side there are burned trees, but everything is coming back to life. The campground is lush and beautiful, with many trees. I think nearly all sites have shade. The froggies were singing all night, and it was quiet and peaceful. On a Sunday there were a lot of folks on the main road, probably driving out of another nearby campground–Nira? But it wasn’t obnoxious, just a car now and again, and no noisy motorcycles. The vault toilets were in good shape, sites were clean, signage was good. The only downside, and this is significant, is the amount of poison oak in some of the sites. The worst one that we saw, when we walked through the campground after nearly everyone had checked out, was 13. If you have small kids, be sure that you know what poison oak looks for and to be vigilant to keep them out of it, and don’t let your dogs off leash or they’ll get it all over their fur. Bring poison oak soap to clean up with.
No water.
We camped in early May 2025. Will totally come back, to stay in #12, which seems the best site in the place. It’s huge, has boulders for kids to climb on, and it’s very shady. A stroll down the forest road is a pleasant walk, and there are trails, though many of them are closed at this time. The Davy Jones trail from the north end of the camp is open and it’s very pretty, especially in wildflower bloom.
Thanks for the great review of Davy Brown campground!
Any warnings for camping this week?
Hi Robert,
Davy Brown Campground is open.
Los Padres National Forest and Santa Barbara County have fire restrictions in place (fires only in designated campsite rings), but sometimes rangers/camp hosts will not allow based on dry/windy conditions. The weather the next 10 days looks good for Los Padres National Forest, with a little wind in the afternoon (5-10 mph). Have fun!