Port San Luis to close beachfront RV campgrounds. ‘We’re just very, very disappointed’
A cushion of fog rolled into Port San Luis on Wednesday morning, where a group of six friends sat around a fire pit drinking coffee at the Woodyard campground.
The beachfront spot had been a regular getaway for the group since the 1990s. They gathered there on Wednesday for a “last hurrah” after they discovered it would close next month.
“We’ve just had spectacular times and we just thoroughly enjoy being close to the ocean,” Templeton resident Gail Farrell said. “We’re just very, very disappointed (about the closure).”
The Port San Luis Harbor District will close its two beachfront campgrounds — Woodyard and Nobi — on Nov. 16, as directed by the California Coastal Commission, harbor district business manager Suzanne Aguirre said.
The sites are located in pullout parking areas on the bluffs overlooking the harbor.
The eight Coastal Gateway RV campsites and the seven to 12 trailer boat campsites will remain open, she said. They are set back on the other side of the road and don’t block the view.
The 19 beachfront RV sites may not be closed forever, though, as the Harbor District will apply to the Coastal Commission for an extension of the closure date, Aguirre said.
The Harbor District does not know when the Coastal Commission will decide on the extension, she said.
Port San Luis to close beachfront campgrounds
The campground closure has been a long time coming, Aguirre said.
In 2006, the Coastal Commission said the two campgrounds blocked “panoramic ocean views,” a commission report on the county’s Local Coastal Program said.
The commission directed the harbor district to close or relocate the campgrounds within five years or when a more appropriate location was found for them — whichever happened first, the report said.
The Harbor District applied for multiple extensions, which is why the campgrounds remained open so far past the original closure date, Aguirre said.
The harbor district will close the 19 beachfront RV spots on Nov. 16, she said, but the harbor district is “in the process of requesting an extension,” Aguirre wrote in an email to The Tribune on Wednesday.
“We are currently in discussions with the Coastal Commission regarding the 19 RV spots,” she wrote.
Campers ‘sad’ to see beachfront campgrounds close
On Wednesday, Nevada City resident Cheri Smith wrapped up a three-day camping trip with her husband and their boxer, Milo.
She’s been visiting the Woodyard campground for about 10 years, she said.
“I like waking up to the sound of the ocean,” Smith said. “We can watch nature out there — all the pelicans and the little sea otters.”
Smith learned about the impending closure from her camp host when she checked into the campground, she said.
“We’re kind of sad about it,” she said, noting that she won’t book the other campgrounds farther from shore. “I want to stay down here on the beach where I can see everything and feel like I’m part of it.”
From now on, she plans to camp in Morro Bay where she can still find beachfront campsites.
“My money will go to Morro Bay. That’s just the truth,” Smith said. “This is my happy place, but if it’s no longer available, then I won’t be coming down here. It’s a long drive to come from Nevada City.”
This story was originally published October 10, 2024 at 10:31 AM.
