Best Things Nearby:
Surrounded by Los Padres National Forest (many trailheads); Lake Cachuma, 10 minutes north; and the city of Santa Barbara, 30 minutes west.
Best Things About the Resort:
It is in a beautiful, mountainous setting in the Santa Ynez River Valley, with horses, wildlife and wildflowers, and lots of amenities and activities. The RV sites are on terraced hillside, all with good views.
Resort Experience:
We spent a very enjoyable week at this top-notch 310-acre Thousand Trails/NACO RV park and guest ranch. In fact, Rancho Oso gets one of our few five-star designations, meaning it’s about as good as a campground gets, in our opinion. It’s a bit of a winding drive up San Marcos Pass and onto Paradise Road, skirting the Santa Ynez River. From the turnoff on Paradise Road, it’s almost another mile to get to the kiosk, where we were welcomed by the ranger and given a map directing us to full-hook-up RV spaces farther on. Our RPI (Resort Parks International) membership allowed us to stay here for $8 a night, plus a $2 reservation fee. Membership is required unless you’re bringing a horse or renting a cabin or covered Conestoga wagon. RV sites cost $36 a night for (non-member) RVers with horses, and rentals cost $59/nightly for a four-person covered wagon (cots inside) and $84/nightly for a Western-themed cabin with double bed, twin bunks, mini fridge, ceiling fan, and barbecue grill. Tent campers can set up right by the river, next to corrals for their horses. For members and guests, there’s also a variety of rental trailers, park models, and cabins of various sizes adjoining the seven tiers of hillside RV spaces. Another more tree-shaded RV section is across the creek from the country store.
Pickleball, anyone? During our week-long stay at Rancho Oso, we enjoyed their pools and hot tub several times. The one next to the steaming spa is unheated and very refreshing to swim a few laps between hot soaks. The more popular heated pool nearby draws families with children. Behind the pools are playground, volleyball, basketball, pickleball, and tennis courts. Pickleball? I’d never heard of this sport, a mini tennis-like game created in Washington in 1965 and named for a family dog!
Rancho Oso contains two historic buildings on its grounds, an 1846 adobe that’s currently used as an operations office and the early 1900s Stone Lodge, now a restaurant. The Stone Lodge was bustling with families breakfasting indoors and on the patio the morning we went to take a look; the recreation room has a big stone fireplace with an obligatory buck’s head mounted above. In another corner is a painted mural of the area with deer, wild turkeys, and a soaring eagle. Both Stone Lodge and the chuck wagon near the park entrance are open weekends and very reasonably priced.
The cowboy theme prevails at Rancho Oso. On the weekends especially… In our May newsletter, special weekend events included a campfire sing-along, harmonica lessons, and performance, all by Cowboy Dave, and singer-songwriter Steve Woods playing country favorites and his own originals. Golden horseshoe hunts for the kids are held on Saturdays. Besides the Stone Lodge, there’s an adult lodge with patio and wooden deck. Indoors there’s a TV room and library with a fireplace, comfortable couches, and knotty pine walls. A sunny game room has tables for puzzles, card and board games, and chess.
- Campground Type: Private
- Campsite Type: RV
- Price Range: $0 - $10
- Cleanliness: Excellent
- Campground Facilities: Excellent
- Recreational Facilities: Very Good
- Campsite Satisfaction: Excellent
- Family Friendliness: Very Good
- Service: Excellent