Outdoors
Trails and recreation areas near Salinas open to biking and mountain biking.
Good to know: Wilderness areas are closed to bikes; check each area’s trail rules and yield to hikers and horses.
14 mi west · National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary is one of the most spectacular marine protected areas. This sanctuary also has one of the largest underwater canyons and closest-to-shore deep ocean environments.
25 mi south · USDA Forest Service
Amid a grove of towering trees, eight campsites create a loop within White Oaks Campground, just off Tassajara Road.
27 mi south · USDA Forest Service
Pleasantly nestled under a large canopy of pine trees, China Camp is a campground where peace and quiet is commonplace. The spacious campsites allow you to set up camp with more than enough space between you and your neighbors.
Map of 27 places loads as you scroll.
Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary is one of the most spectacular marine protected areas. This sanctuary also has one of the largest underwater canyons and closest-to-shore deep ocean environments.
Amid a grove of towering trees, eight campsites create a loop within White Oaks Campground, just off Tassajara Road.
Pleasantly nestled under a large canopy of pine trees, China Camp is a campground where peace and quiet is commonplace. The spacious campsites allow you to set up camp with more than enough space between you and your neighbors.
Arroyo Seco Campground is a semi-rustic, but developed facility in California's westernmost national forest.
Recreation facilities at San Luis Lake were constructed under a cost-share agreement between the Bureau of Reclamation and the State of Colorado during the late 1980s and early 1990s.
Escondido Campground is one of the best kept secrets in the Santa Lucia Mountains. This family-friendly campground boasts scenic vistas that will take your breath away.
Escape the hustle and bustle of the city at Memorial Park -- a scenic and remote campground tucked away in the Santa Lucia Mountains.
O'Neill Dam and Forebay are joint Federal-State facilities located on San Luis Creek 2.5 miles downstream from San Luis Dam. O'Neill Forebay Dam is a feature of the Central Valley Project - San Joaquin Division - San Luis Unit .
Within the steep and rugged Griswold Canyon, BLM land straddles both sides of the road.
Kirk Creek Campground is an oceanside paradise, with each site overlooking the Pacific Ocean. It offers a variety of opportunities for relaxation and recreation.
Ponderosa Campground offers visitors a beautiful location to relax and enjoy nature. It runs along the Nacimiento River, which provides a variety of recreational opportunities.
The Laguna Mountain Area consists of somewhat rugged terrain with rolling hills covered in dense brush. The area's vegetation is characterized by classic chapparal habitat, oak forests, and grassy meadows.
Plaskett Creek Campground offers a beautiful location just minutes from Sand Dollar Beach, one of the largest and most popular beaches in central California.
Look closely at the ground you will find evidence of the vast inland sea that once covered the Tumey Hills. The light porous rocks are composed of diatoms, the tiny, bleached, shell-like skeletons of sea algae.
Located on the outskirts of the Clear Creek Management Area (CCMA), Condon Peak offers rolling grass-covered slopes with a few tall pines and shrubs, as well as steep slopes and rocky outcrops covered with pine and brush.
Located in southern Monterey County, and standing over 2,700 feet in elevation, Williams Hill offers great views of the surrounding Salinas Valley.
Don Edwards San Francisco Bay National Wildlife Refuge is located in a vast cultural and natural landscape.
The Coalinga Mineral Springs National Recreation Trail was designated under the National Recreation Trails System Act in 1981. The trail is located on the scenic southern tip of the Diablo Mountains.
Private property surrounds Stockdale Mountain. Do not enter through private gates or fences.
Parking access onto nearly 1,800 acres of Bureau of Land Management property in this area is provided through an easement from the California Department of Fish and Game.
Aquatic Park Cove is a vibrantly urban harbor that mimics a natural anchorage and is located on the Pacific shores of one of America's great West Coast cities.
As San Francisco's only group campground, Rob Hill offers a national park camping experience just minutes from the city.
Kirby Cove is located just north of the Golden Gate Bridge at historic Battery Kirby. Visitors are awarded breathtaking views of San Francisco, its famous Golden Gate Bridge, and the rugged Pacific Coast of northern California.
Bicentennial Campground is in an ideal location in the Marin Headlands surrounded by a grove of cypress trees. The campground is a great location for those wanting to camp near the city.
Haypress Campground is nestled within the coastal scrub of Tennessee Valley, near Mill Valley. The hike to this campground is 1 mile from the Tennessee Valley Trail head parking lot, which means car or RV camping is not allowed.
Cerro Alto Campground is a well-known hiking and mountain biking paradise. It is located a short distance from the sandy beaches of Morro Bay, where visitors enjoy surfing, fishing, kayaking, sailing, scuba diving and more.
Distances are straight-line miles from downtown Salinas. Listings come from Recreation.gov’s federal recreation database; check each official page for hours, fees, fire restrictions and closures before you go.
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Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration), about 14 miles west of Salinas as the crow flies. Next are White Oaks Campground (25 mi) and China Camp Campground (27 mi).
Based on Salinas’s average highs, all year. Conditions at higher elevations can be much cooler.
Federal agencies including USDA Forest Service, Bureau of Land Management, National Park Service. Each listing links to its official page for hours, fees, closures and current conditions.