McGill Campground — Hotel in Ojai

To all mountain lovers — think twice before visiting McGill Campground. A group of friends and I decided to spend the weekend there, but what should have been a relaxing getaway turned into a nightmare. We arrived around noon, paid our fees, and began setting up. Not long after, the campground host approached us — noticeably intoxicated — and asked if we knew the rules. We confirmed we did, but his tone was unnecessarily confrontational. He then spent most of the day across from our site, drinking with his friends while watching us closely, as if waiting for us to slip up. Later, I flew my drone for a few minutes, and the host immediately stormed over, aggressively claiming that drones were not allowed and that I should review federal regulations. After landing the drone, I double-checked the rules on both the campground and federal websites — there were absolutely no restrictions. In fact, this area is commonly listed as a drone-friendly location. That evening, around 9 PM, we sat down for a quiet dinner — no music, no fire, no disturbance. At 9:20 PM, the host showed up again, clearly drunk, shining his bike light into our faces and shouting that we had to go to bed. If we do not comply he would pepper spray us and our dog. We have a Golden Doddle (the sweetest dog ever).Then he threatened to call the police if we didn’t comply. Later that night, my wife and I went up to Mount Pinos to photograph the Milky Way. Around 1 AM, we got a call from a police officer saying some of our friends had been arrested and we needed to return immediately to pick up the rest of them. Our friends were woken up by law enforcement and told to leave the campground at 1am. When they explained they’d been drinking and couldn’t safely drive, they were arrested for trespassing and refusing to leave — despite having paid to stay there. When I returned to the camp, the officer said we had to pack everything and leave immediately. I tried to explain how the host had been harassing us all day, but the officer simply said it wasn’t their concern. So, at 1:30 AM, my wife and I had to break down everyone’s tents and pick up the whole camp in the dark and head back to L.A. The next day, we had to drive to Bakersfield to pick up our friends from jail, then return to the campground to retrieve the vehicle we had left behind, and then again back to LA. What should have been a peaceful night under the stars turned into a stressful and costly ordeal. The behavior of the host — drinking, harassing guests, and abusing his authority — is unacceptable. It’s clear from online reviews that this wasn’t an isolated incident. I strongly urge whoever manages this campground to take immediate action and reconsider who they allow to represent their site. We certainly won’t be back, and I hope no one else has to go through what we did. We have been camping all over the world and by far this is the worst...

Our experience at McGill Campground in Frazier Park was incredibly disappointing and concerning. We arrived around noon and began setting up our site. Around 1:30 PM, the campground host (an older gentleman from Iran) came by and asked if we were aware of the rules. We said yes, and he reminded us that music must stop by 9:30 PM and everyone should be asleep by 11:30 PM -- which we respected. Later that afternoon, my husband attempted to fly his drone to explore the area. We had already checked all relevant federal regulations and confirmed that drone use is allowed in national forests (unlike national parks). However, the host immediately came over, aggressively telling us drones were not permitted and insisting we check their website. We did -- and found nothing that prohibited drones as he claimed. There were also no signs anywhere indicating this made-up restriction. At 9:21 PM, the same host entered our camp -- visibly intoxicated -- and started yelling at us, claiming we were disturbing the peace. We were quietly eating dinner; there was no music and no loud noise. His behavior escalated quickly, and he even threatened to use pepper spray on us, which was shocking. For more detailed content, I also want to mention that he spent most of the day across from us drinking at another campsite, and we witnessed him argue with other campers as well, seemingly without cause. At 9:30 PM, he said he would call the police. By 1:00 AM, law enforcement arrived, woke everyone up, and told us we had to leave because the host "wanted us gone." We explained that most of our group had been drinking (except me), and driving at that hour would be unsafe and illegal. Despite this, some of our friends were arrested for refusing to leave and spent 12 hours in jail. This experience was beyond unacceptable. What was meant to be a relaxing outdoor weekend turned into a traumatic ordeal because of an aggressive, intoxicated host abusing his authority. I will strongly caution anyone considering a stay at McGill Campground. I would never be back there after everything that happened. I will also file an official complaint against the staff...

My wife Erika and I came here for the Labor Day weekend 2017, and it wasn't too crowded, but since they don't do reservations, it's first-come-first-pick on the sites. There isn't any onsite water, so be sure to bring plenty for your visit. Also, FYI the toilets are vault style, and there aren't any showers. McGill has 78 sites, 2 group sites, with multiple loops. Be sure to go past the sign near the entrance that says "Group 1 Site", to reach the lower loops with more sites. This is a little misleading, only because Group 1 is near the end of that loop.

We found a large tent site with plenty of shade, and a spectacular view looking down into the valley. You can find trails to hike a little ways into the woods, or just chill at your campsite. At this time of the year, our families were sweating in 109° weather, while we enjoyed fresh mountain air and temperatures in the mid 70's. Nights were in the mid 50°-60°, making for a cool, comfortable sleep. The only unexpected weather incident was about 3 hours of pouring rain with lightening, but then that's part of experiencing nature, you just have to go with the flow!

The hosts were friendly and attentive, making sure you were checked in, and if you needed any wood for the campfire. As difficult as it was without running water, these were some of the cleanest vault toilets I've seen. The hosts made multiple rounds throughout the day and evening, which I'm sure helped to prevent anyone from becoming too loud, or getting out of hand.

Frazier Park is close enough to LA and Ventura Counties for either a quick get away, or holiday weekend, so check the weather forecast, and experience nature close by...