BJ’s ATV Rentals

This place is a crap. Made a reservation and never got the confirmation. Waited for almost an hour to get to the front of the line and the guy was so rude that he was saying he will only take the paid reservations at that time. Very disappointed with their service and delays. There was another lady who also did not pay but had a reservation was accepted by those days. These ppl are crazy. I would never recommend this place to anyone. Go to some other place if you can. It’s definitely not worth the wait and I would say go for other less popular rentals. Nothing can be this bad as this one

Everyone was really nice and very professional they made a first-​time rider Feel confident, they go over safety rules throughly they really care about your safety, i would definitely come back and recommended to friends and family, and again EVERYONE was super friendly and helpful, at the beginning they even come over to check on us

I forgot my phone in one of the shuttles so I was suuupppper grateful when they drove back to the store to give it to me.
Riding for 2 hours is definitely more than enough. The price was pretty decent too. You can park at the beach and they have a shuttle to take you from the beach entrance to the where the ATVs were. I highly recommend using this place, loved my time :)
Also check in with Unilocal for free gas!

I’ve never written a Unilocal review until my experience at this place. Stopped by last weekend, friendly service at the counter and ok service by the ATV instructors. Only rode for an hour and my ATV ran out multiple times. It ran out going up the dunes which was pretty scary and then just flat out ran out every minute as I was trying to get back to the drop off site. My boyfriend’s ran out as well, but only once.
I was pretty bummed and upset at how not fun the experience turned out to be, but what was more upsetting was having the instructor say we would receive a refund on my ATV and when we got to the front desk the woman said no. The instructor also rode my ATV and admitted it ran out on him as well, but it only didn’t when he went full throttle, sorry I wasn’t about going full throttle my entire ride as they are pretty fast and a bit scary, especially for your first time. The posted speed limit along the beach is 15 mph too so it’s not like you’ll be going full throttle there anyways.
Beautiful beach and view, relaxing when my ATV didn’t stop.

Awesome service. Friendly staff. So much fun can’t get any better than these people. Prices are fair

Good prices, atvs were in good condition. The customer service was okay. … Brief and to the point. The girls at the counter were swift in service and had us on the beach with minimal wait times. My only complaint would be the transport vans from the parking lot to the actual atv area. Cramped, old, and really dirty. I understand having sand everywhere is inevitable, but the vans interior itself doesnt have to be disgusting. It was just plain grimey.

We made reservation the same day with no issues. We checked in and was out in 10 minutes after paperwork and some safety tips! We drive to the beach, where someone was there to pick us up and take us to the ATVs. I’ve rode a quad before at the desert but riding on the sand dunes is an experience you must try! Weather was great and employees were really helpful! Highly recommended! I will definitely come back!

Came here on Sunday. It was pretty busy but no reservation needed. Just waited in line. Filled out the paper work paid the bills. Time to hit the sand. You drive down to Pismo and you get a shuttle to their location if you don’t want to pay to drive in yourself, which saves you 10 $.
Once you get to the location you wait for them to set you up in your ATV then its a quick demo on gas breaks, how to reverse and basically don’t do anything crazy.
TIP: Remember where BJ’s ATV is! Look for some markers to figure out where you are exactly before you leave.
We did the two hour ride. It was more than enough, literally more than enough, our group was tired by the time we got back. Its a lot of fun and its a little scary at first.
Seriously do not fly off one of those steep walls of sand, and do not get stuck either. It will be interesting 10 minutes figuring out how to get out.
Overall this place is great and its riding ATVs on the beach who doesn’t have fun!
Also, some of their helmets have GOPRO mounts on it ready for you to clip in!

We had a party of 10 so we were able to get the group discount. If you aren’t able to get the group discount, you can still check-​in on Unilocal to get a $ 5 discount on gas on each rental! It is also better to reserve ahead of time as we did. There weren’t many people on the slightly rainy Saturday in December that we went on, but expect it to get crowded in sunnier conditions! After our group discount it was $ 75 per person plus a $ 100 refundable deposit per person upon return.
Things to consider bringing or wearing:
1) Long pants and socks (jeans preferably) because the exhaust gases can be hot and you’ll be better off if you fall.
2) Headsock because the helmets smell pretty bad. People sweat in them, what do you expect? I actually used my hoodie as a headsock, but they also sell them there too.
3) Gloves because they dampen the vibrations from the ATV and offer more grip. They are also sold there.
4) Sunscreen, though we went on a somewhat cloudy/​partially sunny day with some rain.
5) Good tough shoes, kind of like the type you would wear when riding a motorcycle.
6) Goggles or sunglasses. They give you free ones, but you can buy new ones as well.
There are 4 ATV models that are offered, both in manual and automatic versions. We all rented the Honda 250EX, which is a semi-​automatic model. Many people in our group had never operated a manual transmission vehicle before and despite that, the operation of the 250EX was easy to pick up when taught to us by the instructor. It was also fairly fast! The 400EX is a full manual and only for experienced dirt bike riders.
We parked at the business office and were shuttled to the beach where all the ATV’s were at once we signed all waivers, paid fees, and received our equipment. I was instantly overtaken by the natural beauty of the beach when we arrived. Once on our ATV’s we took a short trip along the shore towards the dunes where the real fun began.
Good tips while at the dunes:
1) Approach descents slowly and survey the area before crawling down, foot brake if necessary.
2) If you’re going to go up a hill, make sure you commit to it and build enough speed so that you won’t end up stuck half way up or worse, having to retreat from the attempt and come back down.
3) If you are stuck, do not keep accelerating, you’ll just dig yourself into a deeper hole. Instead, rock back and forth to free yourself or use reverse gear. And when using reverse, it is better to use the handbrake.
Lastly, the customer service was great. One of the ATV’s in our group broke down on the way back and I went back to notify staff. One of the reps followed me back to the stranded party with a new ATV while towing back the old one. We weren’t charged any penalties for being a little late due to this.

This is totally worth the trip to Pismo! It’s over 15k acres of sand dunes that you get to ride wherever you want. The instructions are pretty minimal. Just make sure you bring a phone in case you get stuck in the sand. The process to check out the atvs were a bit confusing because you have to drive to the beach and wait for somebody to pick you up, but that’s no sign. They just tell you to stand there and some truck will swing by, which took a bit of time. Otherwise, lots of fun!

Let me start off with saying that the experience was really fun and exciting. The bikes were nice. A little dangerous but what isn’t that involves speed. The view of the beach was amazing.
If you want to rent here make sure you make RESERVATIONS if not you will wait what seems like forever.
The staff is really nice and helpful. I will be renting here again. Just need to make RESERVATIONS.

CHECK-​IN TO GET $ 5 OFF GAS ON EACH RENTAL!!!
For our party of 11:
ATV rental — $ 75/​person for 2-​hours
Deposit — $ 100/​person (but they will return the rental when you return the helmet)
You get there.
You pay.
You sign your life away in waivers and forms.
Fit and receive your helmets.
You’re ready to get on an ATV! :)
From the BJ’s ATV Rentals Office, we drove our cars to the beach and was shuttled in a truck/​Suburban for free to the location where we would get our ATV’s rentals. You strap on your helmet and one of the staff members will teach you the tricks of the trade on functioning the machine. It can be quite nerve-​wrecking, but you’ll get the hang of it! Ask questions when you’re confused and make sure to listen, the staff are quite friendly and attentive to your concerns.
Personally, I had a black ATV and it was better at turns and control, however the lever to accelerate was more difficult to push with my thumb than the red/​yellow ATV’s. My black ATV also exerted more hot air from side, so I got heat burns from it. In the end, I traded with someone in my group because the heat was a bit unbearable. Perhaps it was just my ATV, but just be aware and be safe of your ATV!
Customer service was awesome. One of our ATV’s broke down and after several people coming to help us, we threw the towel in and called for help from the staff. They fixed the issue and we were riding again :). The people at the office are kind, they even gave us recommendations for places to eat (Rib Line across the street is amazing ^_​_​^)
Some rules to be aware of:
— If your ATV gets stuck in the sand and it’s not mechanical, you have to dig yourself out. If a staff member has to come out and help you, you are charged $ 25.
— For every 15-​minutes you do not return your rental back on time you can be charged up to 1 hour LATE FEE.(For example: In my case, it would be $ 37.50 per 15-​minutes).
— Damages are not taken out of your deposit, rather you have to pay accordingly to the severity of the damage.
– Basically, read your flyer and know the penalties and consequences of all the different rules and such.
TIPS:
1) RESERVE, RESERVE, RESERVE! Do not wait and drop in. Better safe than sorry.
2) Wear sunscreen and high socks – the ATV’s gave me severe heat burn/​rash.
3) Get ready to get stuck, a lot. Hopefully you have strong individuals with you who can pull you out or dig you out!
3a) Be prepared to spend much of the 2-​hours digging yourself and friends in your party out.
4) Fanny pack or backpack, whichever that can hold some water for you.
5) Bring sunglasses. We were offered free goggles, but we wore our sunglasses instead. However, it seems they can charge.
6) Don’t forget to check in for $ 5 off gas on your rental!

TL;DR — If you do not have a reservation, do not bother dropping in unless you like gambling your wait time.
Last Sunday, my BFF and I decided that we would do a last minute Monday day trip to SLO to hang out at the beach and go ATVing. The following day, we did exactly just that and literally drove down at 8 AM from the Bay Area. BJ’s was one of two places that I had bookmarked after doing some quick research on the best places to go ATVing. Because it was so last minute, I had tried to make a quick request in the morning to be contacted about reservations via e-​mail, hoping that they might just take us in without reservation (or with if they got back to me/​saw my request in time).
Upon arrival, we stand in a single line of which we hear that they take reservations first only. Okay, that’s fine, we’ll wait till we’re at the front of the line to see what happens. When we get to the front of the line (after 20 minutes of waiting already), the man asks if I have a reservation and I say no and explain that I had requested to be contacted but did not hear back in time, but that I understand given the short notice. Was there something that he could do for us given we just drove 3 hours down to do ATVing? No. There was not. He said that he takes reservations only first. I asked him, so does that mean that you’re literally going to go down this entire line to check for a reservation, and that even if someone gets into line (20 minutes after I did) and happens to have a reservation, that you will take them first? Yes, he said.
That’s when I was extremely unhappy with the way that this business services it’s customers. There’s a single line that services both reservations and drop-​ins, but priority will always go to those with a reservation. So basically if you’re a drop-​in customer, you’re gambling your wait time by standing in line hoping that as he goes through each person in line, that no one behind you has a reservation. If someone by chance happens to get in line behind you, even though you’ve been waiting in front for the last 20 minutes (like I have), he will take that person first. WHAT THE HELL?! That made me so mad. You should either have two separate lines to service both (one for reservations and one for drop-​ins) where you have a system for every reservation or cancelled reservation you have at a certain time, you’ll take the next drop-​in… or some sort of system that I can understand what my sense of wait would be like!!! Or you just have a policy of reservations only. I respect and understand reservations but perpetuated long waits are not things a prospective customer would like to hear…
My BFF kept waiting in line while I walked outside to give a quick call to another competing ATV company (the other of my one of two), and we were able to get a reservation at 2 PM instead of having to wait another indefinite wait time here. After leaving, to top off the bad situation, my BFF told me that she overheard the three ladies behind us making reservations (got the idea of making reservations from us but they didn’t know we were calling somewhere else) and secretly called BJ’s while they were in line, and made a reservation for 11:30 AM (time was currently 11:20 AM). They were speaking with the lady across the counter just 10 feet away and managed to book a reservation even though they were behind us… meaning that they would’ve been serviced next because they now had a «reservation» even though we’ve been waiting much longer than they have and were in front of them. Are you kidding me??? Props to you three ladies for playing the game well, but I am much happier to go to another business than to wait in a line at BJ’s. For a place that prides itself in servicing it’s customers, BJ’s was a complete disappointment. I would not recommend anyone with the intent of a drop-​in to come here at all.

I’ve been lagging on writing my review because I was so unhappy with the customer service in the end, I didn’t want to re-​live it and upset myself again.
We drove out 4 hours to ATV for our first time on the weekend of 7÷18÷15. We were told that if we take the shuttle from the the check-​in area out to the ATV area on the beach it would be a small extra fee each and we would have to come back. OR we could drive our own cars there and just leave our helmets and things so we wouldn’t have to come back so that’s what we did.
When being taught how to use the ATV, the instructor/​worker was talking very fast. I mean I understood he wanted to get through it especially because it’s our rental time we paid for. But because he was talking very fast we had questions here and there. The worker seemed annoyed every time we asked… But once we got it, we were just excited to finally ride we didn’t mind it too much.
We had a blast out there! You do really have to be careful when approaching each dune because you don’t see how deep it is until you’re on top. My favorite part was riding thru the sand where it was tiny bumps because it felt like you were riding on waves.
But on the way back my little sister fell off her ATV and it flipped over so gas was leaking on it. We restarted it for her but the ATV was very hot and especially with the gas everywhere we didn’t feel it was safe to ride back. My lil sister was crying and very scared and kept insisting on walking back. We weren’t sure on what to do so we just rode her back and told the workers what happen.
The first thing he said was «And you just left it there??» And our response was «oh sorry it’s our first time so we didn’t know what to do cause of the gas.» And he was just like «okay but you don’t just leave it there.» NOT EVEN CARING ABOUT HER WELL BEING AT ALL. And she was just standing in front of him still scared. I get that your upset we left it out there and we apologized that it was our fault but at your job, you must be professional. And if your upset you hide it because that’s what customer service is about.
Anyway, we then all started getting our helmets together to leave there so we can leave. He then tells us we can’t leave our helmets there and we have to take them back… And that we couldn’t leave until the ATV we left was back. I agreed about waiting for the ATV to get back but I was explaining how we were told we could leave the helmets there once we were done, he just blew off what I was saying and kept repeating we had to bring them back. WHAT WAS THE POINT OF US DRIVING OUR OWN CARS THERE THEN? Our whole point of us not taking that shuttle was so that we didn’t have to go back there and stay on the beach!
I was just so shocked and upset about this person. I didn’t know if he was having a bad day… Or if he just hates his job but I was REALLY UPSET. I walked to my car and called the shack where we had did all the paper work and got our helmets and spoke with the lady about our experience. I had to set a complaint or I wanted SOMEONE from the company to know how upsetting it was. I had told her that I was going to wait for him to get the ATV and I was just going to return the helmets and leave. And she was okay with it. Once I got there we talked about it more, but of course all they could do was apologize. The ladies were very very nice. It just sucks that that young man had to ruin our trip with his attitude.
Next time I go back, I’m going with a different ATV company. A few of my friends and cousins had went to Pismo couple weeks later. I told them about my experience and they chose to go with a different company as well.

Thanks to Unilocal I was able to find BJ’s ATV Rentals!
Made a reservation for twelve 250 Honda’s in the afternoon with a $ 100 deposit — quick and painless. Upon arrival, we were able to get settled from the long drive we had and we were taken care of even after our reservation time.
We were able to walk away with helmets, goggles, and transportation to the dunes for $ 75 a person (don’t forget to ask for the group discount).
The drive to the beach was something else. We were not sure if we were going to take Chevy Suburban through the water, but depending on driver; you can be in for a bumpy ride or a painless one (which is what we fortunately had on the drive back to the transporter station).
It was a great 2 hours spent on the beach and the semi-​automatic 250 Honda’s worked really well. The price was very fair and it was a great time.

We went on Memorial Day. It was extremely busy and we waited an hour even with reservations. Not complaining, as it was a holiday. Not sure how long the wait is on regular weekends. You first go to their off site location. Then you have the option to drive up on the beach to the actual rental location or parking lot and wait for a shuttle. The shuttle wait isn’t too long as the driver drives back and forth all day. So cool how cars can just drive on the sand! I’ve never seen that many cars so near the ocean before. It’s crazy on the beach Memorial Day! Not to mention cars with confederate & skull flags… But that’s another story.
Anyways, the staff was all very friendly. Helmets and goggles are included. Check in for free gas. Not sure how much this usually goes for as it was my first time. There are around 6 other ATV rental places you will see in the same area. We chose BJ’s cause the check in offer and numerous pleasant Unilocal reviews.
Be careful when going up big hills ESP if it’s you’re first time. Expect to get stuck. Girls, I suggest you go with at least one strong guy or very strong girl. Otherwise you will waste your time waiting to get rescued. It took me a while to get it down cause I don’t know how to drive manual (yet). But they also have automatic ones available. 4 different ATVs to be exact.
The whole experience was great and so much fun! I will definitely be back if the wait isn’t as long. I think the 2 hour rental is plenty for first timers. Take a bandanna if you don’t want to eat sand. Closed toe shoes & long pants are required. Your shoes will get drenched in sand. Sand will even end up inside your socks somehow. AHH can’t wait to go back.

This was my first trip to Pismo beach and ATVing. We did not know we had to make a reservation. We found this place on Unilocal and decided to go with BJs. There was a line when we arrived, about 10 people. There had two people helping the line of people. It appeared there were understaffed. We waited about 35 minutes and it was our turn. The lady called out «next with reservations». We got back in line and waited again, then the other person yelled, «next»! We went up to the window and he asked if we had reservations, we said no. Before we can get another word in he quickly said we are helping people with reservations only right now. That was it.
I was in line for 50 minutes and there was no sign posted bout reservations will be serve first. I felt that I was at the DMV and they didn’t care. I understand that I should have done more research and made reservations. But we wasted time waiting and there could have posted a sign or they can let people know the first time that they are helping people with reservations only!
We went to ATV sunbuggy and they helped us right away without a reservations and was friendly. If it’s your first time, go with a place that takes the time to help you! I understand it gets busy on the weekend but providing good customer service to everyone should be important!
This is my personal experience and unfortunately it was not a good one. I do not recommend. Sorry!

One of my fave memories from summer involves the beach.
And a big, red motor vibrating between my legs. I mean, ROARING between my legs.
Better prepare your thighs for an awesome workout. You’re gonna be sitting on that ATV, clocking in speeds of up to 35 mph and you don’t wanna get thrown off.
A day trip to Pismo Beach from SF is totally doable. And fun. The rental store isn’t actually on the beach, so allot for extra time to sign a waiver, fit helmets and pay.
Like Chameleon’s song, here’s how you ride dirty:
— grip your Atv with your thighs
— when you speed up, it can get bumpy. Lift your butt up a little bit especially when going over humps or you’ll get bruises on your tailbone area. Unless you’re into that 50 shades of grey type stuff?!!
— go with strong guy friends to pull you out of a sand trap. The bike weighs a ton, you’ll need help. (Thanks Alex and Bobby!)
— ladies, do NOT wear shorts. The motor gets really hot, this is not the time to be cute.
— last but not least, have fun!

Best ATV rental!
Friendly and welcoming staff! They were very patient with us and also made sure we understood all the instructions.
My boyfriend and friends had a great time in the sand dunes! I was so scared to go down but I did it :) so much fun!!! I enjoyed riding by the beach! So beautiful and relaxing :)
The drivers will pick you up and drop you off at the ATVs. Our driver was awesome! Even though they drive back and forth he seemed so energized and always entertained us! When you get to the ATVs you can actually learn and ride around the area once you are comfortable. They show you and teach you :)
I would prefer to do it with a group of friends. The area is pretty big so stay with each other!
Check-​in you will get free gas!

Do you like sand all up in your cracks? If you don’t believe me, come try it for yourself. Going ATV’ing is an experience like no other. Since it was a last minute decision to do this, we only had an hour left before closing time. Luckily they were flexible with us since most people go for the 2 hour time slot. They charged us half the price (came out to around $ 37) and we had free gas tanks when you do the Unilocal Check-​in offer. Yay for Unilocal!
After signing our lives away on a waiver, we were given the option to choose between either a manual or automatic vehicle. I chose the automatic since I’d never done it before. The guys were super helpful and handed us our helmets. After a brief instruction on how to operate our vehicles, we were off.
They gave us directions on how to get to the vast sand dunes and after a few slow revs of the engine, it didn’t take me long to want to speed up. As I approached the sand dunes, I couldn’t believe how big of an expanse it encompassed. Going up the hills, I almost felt like I was in the middle of the Sahara desert (only with the beach behind me). It was thrilling, scary and so much fun.
Yup, so much fun until you get *STUCK*. Yes, it happens all the time and if you happen to drive into a part of the sand that is too soft, then your wheels can just do revolutions in place. Luckily, there are so many people out there riding around so you are never alone. Sooner or later, someone will stop and help you pull your ATV out of the sand. Then it’s back to having fun again.