On May 31, 2022, the sun set for the final day of seasonal camping at the Sunset Vista Camping Facility on Huntington city beach. This was the last time the Sunset Vista Camping name would be used as City Council approved a name change for the beach camping facility, operated by the Community & Library Services Department. The Huntington Beach RV Campground is the official new name and the facility will re-open on October 3, 2022, immediately following the airshow. The new name is not the only change the beach camping facility experienced over the last several months.
In early 2022, the Community & Library Services Department, in conjunction with the Public Works Department, embarked on a renewal of the beach camping facility located at 20903 Pacific Coast Highway, just one block south of the Huntington Beach Pier. The campground was repaved and restriped, new electrical/water pedestals were installed, and the facility was reconfigured to add three publicly bookable campsites and one overflow campsite within the existing footprint of the facility. This brings the total number of publicly available campsites to 49, up from the previous 46. The extra campsites will help create more opportunities for the public to bring their RV to camp at the beach. To create a more efficient and hassle-free booking experience, a new website and reservations system is being introduced.
The new website, HBRV.org, was launched June 10 and contains all the information necessary for making reservations at the Huntington Beach RV Campground. It even includes information on the highly coveted Pacific Airshow camping experience, offered by the airshow itself. The newly-implemented reservation system launched on July 3, which is the first day to make a reservation for the upcoming camping season on October 3. Campers will also notice the elimination of some fees and an adjustment to others, making the booking experience more clear and reducing the overall cost to stay for many campers who visit for a short trip. The goal of these changes is to enhance not just the experience in the campground itself, but time spent booking and finding available spaces.
The beach camping facility was initially introduced by the City in the mid-1970s. Originally, only dry camping was offered. The City built up the campground and added pedestals in the early 2000s during Phase II of the South Beach Improvement Project. The City switched from mail-in reservations to online reservations in 2013, making the campground more accessible and dramatically more popular. The campground now sees almost 60% of campers visiting from the southern California region, while the rest hail from all over the US and around the world.
With all the improvements to the newly named Huntington Beach RV Campground and the introduction of the new HBRV.org website, accessibility and use are expected to increase. Thus, creating more opportunities for people to enjoy the sun and sand in Surf City, USA.
