American Canyon Campground

Los Padres National Forest

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Campground guide

What to know before booking

American Canyon is a small, secluded campground which borders the Machesna Wilderness. The American Canyon campground offers 12 campsites for tent and car camping (no RVs due to size restriction). The campground is in a grove of mature oaks.

Official campground details, summarized

Concise planning notes based on the public Recreation.gov campground information.

Facilities

The American Canyon campground offers 12 campsites for tent and car camping (no RVs due to size restriction). Each site includes a picnic table, and a combination fire ring/grill. There are two outhouses with pit toilets in the campground. No drinking and non-potable water at the site. No trash service, so pack it in, pack it out.

Natural Features

The campground is in a grove of mature oaks. The watershed is dry during deer season. The lower areas are a mix of open grasslands with oak and pine woodlands. The higher terrain is covered in chaparral, with coulter pines near the top of the ridges and scattered open grasslands.

Recreation

The campground is surrounded by wilderness and private lands, so mountain biking isn’t practical. Horseback riding, hiking and wildlife viewing isn’t really recommended during rifle season. This really is a hunting camp. There are cattle trails in abundance and a rigorous trail (1800’ of elevation gain) from the campground to the Nunez Potrero and Pine Spring near the top of the ridge. The American Canyon watershed is dry in deer season.

Nearby Attractions

Due to its remoteness, there are only a couple of nearby places that might be of interest. The Vintage Cowboy Winery in Pozo opens on most weekends. The Pozo Saloon is also open on some weekends, but not consistently. Both are approximately 10 miles west of the campground.

Important notices

Adventure Pass and Interagency Pass holders can make reservations and enter the campground. There will be a registration fee applied ($8 for online reservations; $9 for call in reservations) managed by Rec.gov. For more information on purchasing an Adventure Pass, visit Adventure Pass on the Los Padres National Forest website. National Forest Daily Adventure Pass: $5 (valid for 1 day from the date that is scratched off) National Forest Annual Adventure Pass: $30 (valid for 12 months from the month of purchase) You can purchase your Daily and Annual Adventure Pass at: Local - San Bernardino National Forest Offices Local Vendors - Choose your vendor from this Vendor Map Online - MyScenicDrives.com

Reservations can be made three days in advance.

All single campsite reseravtions cover 6 people and 1 vehicle. Maximum number of people per single site is 6. Maximum number of vehicles per single site is 1. Additional person or vehicle are not allowed.

Potable and non-potable water not available at the campground. Bring adequate water supply.

Surrounding campgrounds

Other tracked campgrounds within driving distance, nearest first.

Common questions

How do I book American Canyon Campground?

Reservations are handled by Recreation.gov, not by Kestrel. Use the official reservation link on this page to book. Kestrel only watches availability and tells you when a site frees up.

How quickly will I hear about a cancellation?

Kestrel rescans every two minutes, and every 30 seconds during the provider's daily release window. Alerts go out by email as soon as a matching site appears.