Oof - Tough time of year for Big Sur camping, check reserveamerica.com for
camping availability.

Sam Simeon State Park at the south end of Big Sur usually has availability
but it's not the nicest place. It is fun to set up camp there, go to
Cambria for a nice dinner and then back to camp to snooze.

Not much off the grid casual camping, it's pretty well policed by the
locals who live there.

One place, sort of secret, is Lion's Den campground:

https://goo.gl/maps/ArtWC4LJAr32

You drive up the easy dirt road and then walk in, about a mile or so of
walking [I don't think you can legally camp at the trail head].

Not much poison oak and great views. Only two campsites are available,
first come first serve. Pretty reliable availability during the week in the
off season, not sure about this time of year.

On Mon, Jul 18, 2016 at 8:34 AM, Jared Planter <jaredplanter@gmail.com>
wrote:

> Hello all
>
> My wife and I are on our first long trip from San Diego up the Red Woods in
> Mendocino, in California. We have a place to stay up there and we were just
> going to drive through Big Sur, however we'd like to stay a night there
> now. Aside from major campgrounds does anyone know any off the beaten path
> spots to boon dock or have any tips to offer for camping in that area in
> general?
>
> Much appreciated in advance!
>