Pismo State Beach offers all kinds of attractions: hiking, swimming, surf fishing, and digging for the famous Pismo clam. There are tree-lined dunes and the beach is popular with bird watchers. The park has the largest over-wintering colony of monarch butterflies in the U.S.

  - Ocean Lagoon has a wheelchair-accessible fishing overhang.
  - Four restaurants are within 2 blocks of the campground.
  - ATV rentals are available within 2 blocks of the park.
  - A trolly service provides access to the surrounding community.

Location - Directions
Coming from the north, take the Highway 1 exit off of Highwa 101 and go straight through the intersection. There are three turns into the parks, the first is the North Campground, then the entrance onto the beach and Oceano Dunes State Vehicular Recreation Area at Grand Ave, the next light after that is the Oceano Campground and another entrance onto the beach.

From Highway 101 from the south you can take the Grand Avenue exit. Go left across the bridge and follow Grand down to the light at Highway 1. Left for the Ocean campground, right for the North Campground.

Activities
Fishing, surfing, hiking, and recreational vehicles are the main attractions. You can even ride horses in some areas. Here's one local stable.

This area is also famous for the Monarch flutterbies that make their winter home in the nearby eucalyptus trees. There's a special parking area north of Grand Ave along Highway 1 with a docent on duty in the busiest month.

If you get a chance stop by the Pismo Nature Center. This is a small building but is packed with a lot of information on the area.

Camping
The Oceano campground has pull-thru RV spots with water and electric, primitive camping for both tents and RVs, and walk or bike in tent spots. You ahve to drive over to a dump station on Grand Ave in the Ocean Dunes area, and a sign says that there's a $10 charge.

Golf
There's a 9 hole golf course over at the Oceano Dunes entrance. No reservations required.

Shopping
You'll pass grocery stores, banks, drug stores, a laundry, and other vitals along Grand.

Climate
The climate along the beach can be extremely volatile. It can be 80 in November and 50 in August when a thick fog comes in. Rainny season is normally late October until May, but the weather has varied a lot. And I've even seen a light rain in July as monsoon season hits further south.