Carnegie SVRA Park

Regarding P&R Sports’s dirt bike school: Phil may have experience riding bikes, but a good teacher he is not. In spite of the P&R Sports website claiming that «He is great with kids and patient with everyone», At a recent class, Phil was surly and short-​tempered, and soured what should have been a fun first experience for my wife and 10 y/​o son. He showed no patience, rolled his eyes at bathroom breaks, shouted unclear instructions, emphasized «not being here until five», and finally had a tantrum and stopped the class a half hour early after my wife asked if she could repeat a basic skill a few more times to really get the hang of it. He accused her of quitting, and then went straight to my son, took his bike away, and began loading up.
While Renee is good to work with, Phil simply isn’t. I strongly recommend finding another school, until Phil either stops interacting with students, or changes his unprofessional style.

Great fun! Only A small fee to park for the day. Ride till you drop! Awesome terrain, large park.

Phil and Renee rock. They taught me and a group of friends — the class was very intimate. I went from not knowing what the clutch was to riding over rocks and small hills as I switched gears while standing (a testament to Phil’s teaching as well as the obstacle course he has crafted over the years). As the teacher, Phil is hilariously engaging and very patient. He has professional dirt biking experience and has been teaching for 11 years. He not only teaches the rules of the road but also captures the culture of dirt biking and the ethos of being a part of the national forests. I can’t imagine someone better to teach the sport. Renee was also a great host and did a great job of coordinating with us, preparing us and keeping us hydrated — thanks for the 1 334 636 326 bottles of water and gatorade! My only disappointment is that they only have a beginners and advanced course — after that you have to buy your own bike!

This was my first time riding a dirt bike and I must say it was very enjoyable. The class was more for additional training as I already ride a street bike. The class was very small and intimate and the riding course is small, which is perfect for a beginner. Phil and Renee, who run the school, advertise there are no more than four students per class. Signing up for the class was very easy. I called and left a message and Renee called me back within a few hours, not right away but no fault of their own because they were at the course (the course is in a remote area and unless you have a satellite phone, you’re not going to get any reception). Renee responds right away to emails and any messages left on their phone. You will then receive an email confirming your class and the instructions how to pay for the course.
In my class, here were only two students and the other student was a child, which did require additional attention by Phil, the dirt bike instructor. This was fine with me because I already have experience riding bikes, so I required little supervision. I did, however, witness Phil interacting with the child, who must have been around 7 – 8 years old. Phil’s patience with him was remarkable. He is very patient and communicated very well with him. I would imagine he would be a great instructor with first-​time riding adults who I assume can pick up the commands and dirt bike riding techniques much better. Based on my experience in this class and what I witnessed, I highly recommend this class to anyone, adult or child, who is just starting out riding bikes or taking the class for additional riding experience.
One additional note. You have to bring a long sleeve shirt/​jacket for the class. It was very warm there and while it is hard to tell how the day will be, I brought a light long-​sleeve shirt and also a thermal long-​sleeve shirt just in case. I wore the light long-​sleeve shirt the entire day. I also brought a change of over-​the-​ankle shoes in case my shoes got dirty or muddy. This is so I don’t get the inside of my car dirty. Just FYI.

This review is specifically for the campgrounds at Carnegie. If you are camping and dirtbiking I’m sure the experience is very worthwhile and enjoyable, but when advertised as a campground here are some things I wish I know ahead of time.
We saw Carnegie listed on a camping website, and the main appeal is that they allow dogs and they had plenty of availability even on a holiday weekend («plenty» should have been a red flag for us).
My friend called with questions about the campsite, to get a feeling for what kind of campsite it was, since we were driving from San Francisco we wanted to make sure it was going to be worth it. The person on the phone mentioned that there were some trees and some scenery… but failed to mention ANYTHING ELSE. Like the fact that you are basically camping in a dirt parking lot, right next to a road where cars go speeding by at all hours of the night. Or that you’re looking at giant dirt mountains and will be breathing in dirt all day. Or that it was incredibly windy on the day that we called (and maybe every day). Not sure how it normally is, but Carnegie is in a canyon and the wind was howling like crazy. And since we couldn’t even stake our tents into the bedrock, the tent walls were flying up all through the night. Between that and the cars speeding along the road 6 feet from our tents, it was a very restless night.
It wasn’t all bad though. The bathrooms are close by and have running water and electricity, and each campsite has a really tall fire pit so the wind didn’t put out our fire. There’s also trashcans at each site, and rangers come around and empty them in the morning. The cost is cheap, it was $ 10 per car for overnight camping. Dirtbiking seemed fun, and made us wish we could be doing that instead.
One thing, they have dirtbikers of ALL ages (read: CHILDREN), so you need to be really careful driving through the parking lot. We saw some reckless dirtbiking, and it made me very nervous to share the road with them. On the plus side though, we did see a ranger pull over one of the ATVs so it’s nice to know they’re patrolling.
All in all, Carnegie couldn’t stand alone as a campground, and I wish they were more up front about that on the phone. But as a Vehicular Recreation Area, it seems like a ton of fun and a unique experience to check out.

Nice place for quads and dirt bikes — although more dirt bike friendly than quad friendly. Price is very reasonable, day pass is $ 5 and well worth it. When you get to top of the hills its very scenic and beautiful. Each season has its own beauty.
Best time to go is spring, that way you don’t eat the dry dirt trail being thrown in the air by the rider in front of you.
It can get very dusty in the summer and fall. good time to go is right after a rain. And some of the hills can be very challenging — I found out the hard way by tumbling down of of them! :)
The park’s terrain can accommodate every level of rider, and I like it specially since its only 30 minutes from my town!
This is the best local option unless you have the time to go to Hollister or Pismo beach. Would highly recommend.
4 stars only because its so far from civilization!

Just about 1 hour from the Peninsula, I am an adult, female, never drove a motorcycle in my life. This school offers loaner bikes and gear, which was great since I am a true newbie. P&R Sports teaches all ages and experience with great knowledge an patience! Renee set up my appointment and was there to greet me. She was so wonderful, welcoming and kind. I felt at ease immediately. Phil, the instructor, was so down-​to-​earth and a great teacher. He was thorough, super experienced, has taught tiny kids to mature adults, loves what he does, and literally teaches «by the book» and emphasizes smart common sense. I was nervous and Phil was right there, encouraging me on, supporting me, and right by my side if anything happened. I felt safe and now feel confident that I learned from pro. A great class for any age or experience. If you are thinking about dirt biking or even getting a street bike license, I strongly encourage you to take this class first. Thank you to Phil & Renee, you both are awesome!