Campsite Review: Vandenberg Campground is a military-only campground located on the Vandenberg Air Force Base west of Santa Barbara. The location is west of US Highway 1, south of Santa Maria, and west of Santa Barbara.
All RVs must use the Lompoc gate. Depart US Highway 1 on Santa Lucia Canyon Road then northwest on Washington Avenue. After going through the gate follow Washington Avenue westbound and make a left turn on California Boulevard. From California Boulevard turn right on 18th Street which will lead to the campground. The reception area is on Santa Barbara Avenue.
There are 49 RV full hookup sites 20 dry sites, and 19 tent sites.
Vandenberg Campground is a nice enough place that really needs updating.
Details
Website: Vandenberg FAMCAMP
Address: Bldg 5010 California Blvd, Lompoc, CA 93437
Link to Google Map for the area: Vandenberg
Phone Number: (805) 606-8579 Reservations recommended.
Here is the link to an article on authorized patrons: Who can stay at military campgrounds?
Dates stayed: December 1-4, 2019
Comfort: Temperatures were nice with light rain.
Elevation: 370′
Season: Year-Round
Price Paid: $28/ night, pull through, full hookup
Our Site: #15
Hook-ups: Electric / Water/ Sewer – 50 amp
Dump station: Yes
Restrooms: Yes
Shower: Yes
Laundry: Yes
Potable Water: Yes
Water to fill your RV storage tank: Yes
Cell service: Verizon – Weak Signal / AT&T – Weak Signal
Observations
Campsite Review: Vandenberg Campground insider info:
We stayed in and recommend the pull-through sites although most of them have low-hanging trees that can create a problem for big RVs. We had our pick of sites on arrival so this didn’t become a problem for us. Some of the pull-through sites are unlevel due to tree roots. This could be a problem for some RVs.
Sites 21-45 are all on one large paved slab. These sites are all too close together for large RVs. It is hard to understand how anyone thought that this would be a good layout. This is a design problem and not because the layout was old.
Unless you are there in the summer, thus needing air conditioning, the prime sites might be the dry camping area. Most likely you will be all alone. Of course for this to work, you will need to be self-contained.
Most of the facilities in the campground match the base and most need updating.
Another problem is that Vandenburg allows way too many extended stays and ignores the idea that campgrounds were designed for recreation, not for the housing of military personnel or contract workers. While I hesitate to recommend them, stay limits would be a good solution to this problem.
Bonus
You may get lucky and get to see a rocket launch — we did not get so lucky.
Make sure you visit the Museum on the north side of the base at the missile launch site complex. The curator has done a wonderful job documenting the history of the launch site and developments in rocket technology. While not NASA Space center, it was a very worthwhile visit.
Layout and Satellite views
