“ Road is very bumpy and winding going up to fremonts peak but the views were amazingly beautiful. I would definitely recommend if you have the time going up to check it out and spend a couple hours hiking around. ”

“ I would say Oakpoint has very nice view! Family getaway camping is very relaxing at the location, especially with kids. ”

“ I was able to reserve campground 8 online with arguably the best view in the Valley View Campground. I would say site 7 looked the most isolated, however, and also did have a good view. We went in the middle of the week and there was only 1 other site with campers though, so we were able to walk over to site 7 and take pictures during sunset. We went at the end of June, and there were not that many bugs. A few here and there as expected with nature, but nothing crazy like some reviews had said. This could also be because we went in the middle of the week, and also during COVID, so there hadn't been a lot of people traffic I don't think. Which also means less trash, in general, for bugs to be attracted to. The observatory was also closed due to COVID. We were not allowed to have fires as it was too dry (California curse!). The whole trip we were actually above the clouds (at sunset/sunrise), so I don't know if the clouds were just low this week, but if this is the case frequently, I can see how there's not much precipitation. We hiked Fremont Peak Loop and it was a cool rocky structure at the top with some mild scrambling. It was a pretty short hike. Maybe about 2 miles round trip from the campground? I had planned on tracking the distance but forgot to. It only took about 1 hour with time to take pictures, too. Views from the top were cool, but again, very yellow brush with some trees. Seemed dry, but pretty in its own way! Great mountain views/pics from the top beside the radio towers. During our walk back, the rangers were cleaning out the bathroom in the morning, so that was nice too! ”

“ Fremont Peak State Park is at the top of a long winding road above San Juan Batista, we had no trouble with our 20 foot camper van but would not attempt it with large RV. 25 feet allowed. It's a primitive campground, pit toilets (which were pristine), water but no showers. Highly recommend if you enjoy peace, quiet and stargazing. Rowdy groups and loud music not welcome Best campsites 24, 23, 22. Did not like Valley View sites. ”

“ Fremont Peak is spectacular. From its granite crags, one can behold the Pacific to the west (and get great views of Moss Landing/Monterey) and the Quien Sabe mountains to the east, along with the San Andreas Fault running like a zipper upon San Juan Bautista. San Juan Canyon Road is windy, steep, with amazing curves as it wends its way between San Juan Bautista&Salinas. The drive to the state park, as well as to Salinas or San Juan Bautista, is beautiful. Fremont Peak SP is one of California's more primitive&spartan state parks. Bring your own liquids, don't glamp (you can't), and enjoy being out in Nature. One of California's hidden treasure. California's gold! ”

“ Fremont Peak is a beautiful park for both catching sunsets and observing the night sky. The views are spectacular, especially at sunrise or sunset. Perfect views of Monterey Bay and Santa Cruz, with rolling hills that stretch from here to Santa Cruz mountains. It's also a wonderful place for stargazers and/or amateur astronomers. You can either setup your scope or go enjoy the Observatory when it's open. The hike to the peak is short and sweet, but the views from the top are priceless. Every time I head up that way the campgrounds have moderate campers. Overall, this is a beautiful park, I love all the wonderful views it has to offer. ”

“ Ten Easy Steps to Happiness™ Vol. 1: Hiking No. 3: Lost in the Clouds Sometimes, you hike for the views: sweeping vistas, vastly scaled landscapes, plunging canyons and cataracts, epic blue oceans and lakes, trees in autumnal splendor, desert mountains at sunset, the works. But there are those moments on the trail when it's not about what you see. It's about what you feel. And that's what walking in the clouds is all about. Fremont Peak, in the right weather conditions, offers that possibility. And on a mild winter's day, in between El Nino rain storms, it's a chance worth taking. So, how to spend a few precious hours lost in the clouds? The Ten Easy Steps™ can help! 1. Do your homework ahead of time. Before John Fremont made his mark here in the nineteenth century, this was simply known as Gavilan Peak (Gavilan is Spanish for "hawk"). Look into the connection between the area and John Steinbeck, who ended "Travels with Charley" standing atop the peak and reflecting on a life led in and around the Salinas Valley. The California state parks website offers a free download of the park brochure, which has a handy map of the trail system on the last page. Bringing your own copy ensures an easier start to the hike. 2. Take your time. Don't rush the drive in! It's about 11 miles from the highway turnoff (a right turn at the traffic light leading into San Juan Bautista). The road is narrow with a fair number of hairpins and is popular with local cyclists, so budget 20-30 minutes for the drive. This is part of the journey, and getting there is definitely part of the fun! 3. Once you park at the main lot, plan a loop route that follows the park boundaries counterclockwise using all of its major marked trails. You'll need to budget 2.5-3 hours, prepare for a few steep ups and downs, and bring enough water and supplies to enjoy the highly changeable weather conditions up here, esp. in winter. Most of the hike will take place at or near 3000 feet, while the surrounding valleys below are near sea level, so the vertical relief is not insubstantial for this part of California. There will be wind, fog, sun, and rain. All of which will make the trip an elemental one and contribute to its wilderness feel, even if you're never all that far from Hollister and Salinas down below. 4. From the parking area, start out on the fire road that passes just below the Oak Point campground. You'll connect with the Valley View trailhead. Begin the hike there, passing through forests and mountain meadows, sometimes climbing steeply as you wrap around the peak. 5. The Valley View Trail warms you up for tackling the Peak Trail properly, which begins just to the left of the main parking area where you started. Turn right just past the large stone and wooden marker explaining the historical backstory to the peak, and start the trek to the summit. The trail gets rockier and steeper as you go. You'll reach a small pass - a notch between rocky knobs - cross a wooden bridge, and then switchback up the other side of the mountain with sweeping grasslands below. This part of the hike looks and feels like Wales, and it's here that the fog tends to blow in and envelop you in its thick, wet embrace. One minute you're looking out at the valley below, or at the massive cell phone towers just below the main summit, then next it's all hidden by blowing fog. 6. Enjoy your time in the clouds, but watch your step! Once you reach the gravel service road below the rocky summit cap, you'll encounter a few informal side trails, but stay on the main tread as it wraps its way up stone steps to the final, granite jumble of moss and lichen-covered rocks that is capped off by a metal flagpole, geodesic survey medallions (three of them), and yet another historical plaque. On this last bit, you'll probably need to use both hands in a few places to keep your balance on the rocks, and you'll have a few different options for reaching the flagpole at the summit crest. If you're hiking in the fog, visibility will be low - 5 to 10 feet - but the feeling of exposure, while modest, will be overwhelming. 7. Head back down and take the Carmen Trail to the observatory. Lovely oak trees and green slopes await. 8. Take Tony's Trail to the park entrance. This connects you to the Cold Springs Trail, the last link on the loop that returns you to where it all began. 9. Cross the road to the Cold Springs Trail, which is steep at times. Don't underestimate it. 10. Reconnect with the fire road near the campground. Walk back to the car, more tired than before, a little wetter perhaps, but wiser to the ways of the world. Once back home, channel that inner Steinbeck of yours and post your own review. Walking in the clouds tends to encourage reflection and internal dialogues about one's life. Be prepared for where it might lead. ”

“ Got lost here three times as I didn't see the direction an arrow on the sign pointing the CORRECT direction of the park. Road is curvy, winding, turnsy, up and down, few turn-offs but where there is, STOP!! Thar's a great view to be enjoYed!! If you like to drive and on twisting narrow scrap the cliff roads, you'll love it! As forementioned, if you luck out you'll get here on a day with fog.... don't ask ~ jes do it! Pray for fog!!! Campsites are very minimal - don't expect anyone to come out to help you unpack, unless you've brought kids and family/friends. Maybe even then NOT. Various campsite areas, and by accident and pure luck, drove to a lower site where I encountered by chance MY campsite... a small turnoff marked by a wooden post with the campsite number. On that post was a laminated sheet indicating MY name and reserved. Pit toilet facilities and picnic tables all over. Stay on trails as there are a LOT of annoying burrs all over, but the views are to DIE FER!! Was fortunate enough to arrive on a clear night just in time to catch the last few seconds of sunset, and when you see that sea of fog below you - should you also be blessed - then you'll just want to stay ferever! This was the first sunset I've seen in a looong time where the afterglow lasted almost an hour! wow! They have big events at the observatory each July/Aug and the public is invited. Great place on clear nights for those with telescopes. After the sunset people crawled out of the various sites with their telescopes and wow, what a great star-gazing night it was!! PHOTOGRAPHICALLY SPEAKING: Take your tripod for those clear-night starry night captures. I was there with camera snapping and also saw the International Space Station zip by overhead, along with about six meteorite trails including one that lasted for about 2 seconds! If you are walking around in the dark ~ and it DOES get very dark there ~ please use a red filter over your flashlight lens as to not destroy the night-vision of any- and everyone there! If you can't find a red filter to use, then cover your white light beam with your hand to guard any light-spillage so that you can use your white light still, but control it so that others won't be bothered by the light. GREAT views driving up and down the hill. PRAY fer FOG!! I would have given five stars because I saw a LOT of stars. I gave four because I like roughing it, but not really!! ROUGHing: NO WATER (bring your own and LOTs of it!) NO Showers (BrinG more water!!) NO water pit toilets (spray thyself with bug repellent before entering) NO lights (bring a red-filter flash-light) LOTs of mosquitos - they don't need water now!!! NO campfires - cuz thar ain't NO WATER (too dry) ”