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Established Camping

Lawson's Landing

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About

Lawson’s Landing is a fishing and boating resort and campground situated at the mouth of Tomales Bay, California. Generations of families have visited the area to rest along the shores of the Pacific Ocean. Lawson's Landing is located about 50 miles north of San Francisco and 20 miles west of Petaluma at Dillon Beach. The Landing was first established in 1929 and the family-owned and operated campground has been running since 1957. From camping to clamming to boating, there are so many activities to enjoy. Come discover what generations of visitors have long enjoyed. Bring your family and friends to experience the great outdoors along the beautiful Pacific coast.

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Location

Lawson's Landing is located in California

Detail location of campground

Directions

137 Marine View Dr, Dillon Beach, Ca. 94929 Coming from inland areas you want to head west on Washington St. in Petaluma. • Travel toward Bodega Bay about eight (8) miles, then make a left on Tomales Road • At the stop sign on highway one make a right turn up the hill into Tomales. ​• Take the first left on Dillon Beach Road four (4)miles to Dillon Beach. • Lawson's Landing is at the end of the county road south of Dillon Beach.

Address

137 Marine View Drive
Dillon Beach, CA 94929

Coordinates

38.237643335598136 N
122.96843189389216 W

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Access

  • Drive-In
    Park next to your site
  • Walk-In
    Park in a lot, walk to your site.

Stay Connected

  • WiFi
    Good
  • Verizon
    Good
  • AT&T
    Good
  • T-Mobile
    Unknown

Site Types

  • Tent Sites
  • RV Sites
  • Standard (Tent/RV)
  • Group

Features

For Campers

  • Market
  • ADA Access
  • Trash
  • Picnic Table
  • Firewood Available
  • Phone Service
  • Reservable
  • Drinking Water
  • Electric Hookups
  • Alcohol
  • Pets
  • Fires

For Vehicles

  • Sanitary Dump
  • Big Rig Friendly

Reviews

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4.0

out of 5

23 Reviews

kaela L.The Dyrt PRO User
Reviewed Nov. 15, 2023

Awesome

Super close to the beach, just up and over a hill. Went on Veterans Day weekend so it was pretty busy. Most people have rvs so the generators start early. But I would go back, maybe not on a holiday weekend.

Site155
Month of VisitDecember
  • Review photo of Lawson's Landing by kaela L., November 15, 2023
  • Review photo of Lawson's Landing by kaela L., November 15, 2023
  • Review photo of Lawson's Landing by kaela L., November 15, 2023
Sally’s G.
Reviewed Jul. 14, 2022

Bring your own TP!

Nice beach, okay camp sites that are very close to each other (although we didn't have neighbors) Porta pottys were very dirty and TP less. The site markers are on poles at the back of the sites, make sure you have the map oriented the correct way or you will drive around for ever looking for your site.

Site210
Month of VisitAugust
Tim & Cleo D.The Dyrt PRO User
Reviewed Mar. 26, 2022

Great Spot

We typically head up for crab season, but it is also a nice escape from the summer heat. Wide variety of spots available, from pull thru to back-in, they also will typically let you get creative with your layout if you're with a group.

SiteMeadow View
Month of VisitDecember
Joseph R.The Dyrt PRO User
Reviewed Feb. 3, 2022

Quick painting trip

Loved the spot. Had a perfect painting view right over the dune. Campground was clean and the neighbors were close but respectful.

Site512
Month of VisitFebruary
  • Review photo of Lawson's Landing by Joseph R., February 3, 2022
  • Review photo of Lawson's Landing by Joseph R., February 3, 2022
  • Review photo of Lawson's Landing by Joseph R., February 3, 2022
  • (10) View All
BRIAN O.
Reviewed Oct. 10, 2021

Fun for crabbing

We went here to try crabbing for the first time. The site is very nice and all spots are walking distance to the coastline beaches. The campsite we were able secure was in the vehicle meadow area. Each spot has enough room, but each spot is right on top of the other. If you don’t have friendly neighbors, which was our case, the closeness can be a problem.
The site is clean and the port-a-potty toilets were maintained as well as they could be with so many campers. There is a general store on site and it’s right by the beach area where most people launch their boats, crab and fish.

Sitevehicle meadow
Month of VisitNovember
  • Review photo of Lawson's Landing by BRIAN O., October 10, 2021
  • Review photo of Lawson's Landing by BRIAN O., October 10, 2021
  • Review photo of Lawson's Landing by BRIAN O., October 10, 2021
  • (4) View All
tj A.
Reviewed Sep. 23, 2021

Not bad

This is a big campground. The spaces are nice and big. You can camp on grass, gravel and cement whichever you prefer. Weather was good. Overcast in the morning and sunny in the afternoon. Nice big beach you can take dogs on.

Site511
Month of VisitOctober
Stacie L.
Reviewed Aug. 21, 2021

My new favorite place!

We stayed here in Aug after canceling a Tahoe trip due to smoke. We were not disappointed! Such an amazing location! We stayed in the Meadow View sites cause most of them were available but after walking through the campground that's where I would go back. The sites are quite large which was really surprising. They fit our trailer, our large truck and my minivan no problem and we still had a huge area where we had chairs and the fire ring set up. The trek up the dunes to get to the beach is a little rough, especially when it's hot. But the beach is amazing and it's so worth the walk! This is a very dog friendly location, so if you dont like dogs off leash, this isnt the place for you. Store is so convenient and has some really cool souvenir stuff. We ended up doing dinner at Nicks Cove in Marshall which I highly recommend if your looking for something a little fancy. And on the way out we stopped right up the street for lunch at Tomales Deli and Cafe which was divine! We are planning on making this an annual trip!

Site226
Month of VisitSeptember
  • Review photo of Lawson's Landing by Stacie L., August 21, 2021
  • Review photo of Lawson's Landing by Stacie L., August 21, 2021
  • Review photo of Lawson's Landing by Stacie L., August 21, 2021
Julie E.
Reviewed Aug. 9, 2021

Don’t waste family time here

This was a place my dad took me every year! Lots of great memories were made! Snipe hunting in the dunes, crabbing from the dock…Even as a younger adult(20-25) I made great memories introducing my friends to this great camping spot by the beach. Recently, taking my family, was a huge disappointment! After getting my kids super excited with all my past experiences, I really felt I let them down. At least we still had Bodega Bay to fall back on. Warm, fresh clam chowder bowls at the Bodega Bay restaurant/snack shack (main strip) and Doran Beach jetty…thank you!! As for Lawsons Landing-We WILL NOT be returning or sending donations EVER AGAIN.

Site1
Month of VisitAugust
J
Reviewed Aug. 5, 2021

Perfect tent site for the night

Traveling north from the Bay Area, we used the Dyrt app to find a suitable place to pitch a tent and stay the night on our way north to the redwoods. Online reservation was so easy, drove right to the campsite, pitched our tent just about an hour before dark giving the kids enough time to find some shells and get wet. They had plenty or porta potties around and several trash bins, and we were tempted to stay another night even!

Site120
Month of VisitSeptember
Phanessa F.
Reviewed Jul. 17, 2021

Not for me

I like to camp further away from neighbors. Although the huge park has “premium” sites where you are farther apart, even those are too close for my comfort. I literary can see and talk to my neighbor with both of us inside our trailer. Aside from that, the kids enjoyed the sand dunes a lot. There’s lots of fishing and other activities I did not explore. It’s not easy to access the beach. It seems there’s a huge sand dune between the campground and the beach. I’m not 100% out of shape, it was hard for me to go up the sand dunes.

Site139
Month of VisitAugust
  • Review photo of Lawson's Landing by Phanessa F., July 17, 2021
  • Review photo of Lawson's Landing by Phanessa F., July 17, 2021
  • Review photo of Lawson's Landing by Phanessa F., July 17, 2021
  • (7) View All
mark D.
Reviewed Jul. 15, 2021

lawsons

This place has very little amenities and the porta potties always need cleaning. The price is high for the area. I used to like this placefor a coast trip but now I would rather go farther North.

Month of VisitJuly
S
Reviewed Jul. 11, 2021

Great location!

Decent rv campsites, more grass than sand. A bit pricey though for dry camping. Can get really windy. Walking distance to the beach. Quiet place on non holiday weekends. Fun place to fish and the Beach is also pretty clean.

Month of VisitMay
  • Review photo of Lawson's Landing by Scotty B., July 11, 2021
  • Review photo of Lawson's Landing by Scotty B., July 11, 2021
  • Review photo of Lawson's Landing by Scotty B., July 11, 2021
  • (7) View All
JThe Dyrt PRO User
Reviewed Jul. 8, 2021

Primitive, but great location

Great location.  Our campsite was hidden from the beach by the sand dunes.  Fortunately, they have a path to hike over the dunes that was pretty easy.  Not fancy, but does have pit toliets and a place to dump your waste.  Very relaxing location.

Month of VisitApril
M
Reviewed Jun. 25, 2021

Easy camping w/lots to offer

Such a fun place! You can camp waterfront, explore the tide pools, fish, build sand castles & relax Oceanside.

Sitesea wall, oceanview 738
Month of VisitJuly
  • Review photo of Lawson's Landing by Melisa B., June 25, 2021
  • Review photo of Lawson's Landing by Melisa B., June 25, 2021
  • Review photo of Lawson's Landing by Melisa B., June 25, 2021
Seathrough H.
Reviewed Jun. 12, 2021

What to say…

Use to go here years ago. You would pull up, everyone would make a big circle with their campers and it was on. Now it’s all roped off, spaces are painted on the grass, tent campers have a separate area… blah blah blah. They’re completely being directed by the coastal state committees. I get it from a conservation standpoint just think they’ve gone overboard. Feel bad for the family.

Site12
Month of VisitJuly
  • Review photo of Lawson's Landing by Seathrough H., June 12, 2021
Carly D.
Reviewed Jun. 1, 2021

beach adjacent fun

I've camped here about half a dozen times over the years and while each experience has been different, they were all enjoyable and I would easily return again.

There are a variety of campsites, and they are many - we camp as close to the ocean as possible in the meadow area. There are port-o-potties on site but they're not always super close to your campsite. You typically do have to hike the ocean from the dunes, and while some consider it a light and easy walk, for others it could be difficult. There are other sites closer to the waterfront, but I haven't personally camped there yet and can't testify to the ease.

The weather is GREAT, and you can usually count on some light wind daily. It's amazing kite weather. The sites are in full-sun, so plan for shading yourself. I suggest a pop-up canopy, and double suggest staking it down.

We've run out of firewood on occasion and bartered with other campers (some have kindly donated some for the night and we reimburse their wood in the morning). There's a lovely general store and restaurant nearby with delicious clam chowder. There is also a day-area beach, a really cool pier where folks crab, and loads of fishing. Pet friendly, sand dunes where you'll see lots of action, and just a lovely area. Camping is year round, and the weather is typically PERFECT.

Site104
Month of VisitAugust
  • Review photo of Lawson's Landing by Carly D., June 1, 2021
  • Review photo of Lawson's Landing by Carly D., June 1, 2021
  • Review photo of Lawson's Landing by Carly D., June 1, 2021
Alyssa L.
Reviewed May. 22, 2021

Lost what made it great

This is still a cool spot. Great beach access, fishing, crabbing, boat launch, etc. but it used to be so much better. The sites are super close together and the layout could be better.

Month of VisitApril
Maureen F.
Reviewed Dec. 1, 2020

This Campground has been handcuffed by the CA Coastal Commission!

This campground needs an upgrade badly and the Coastal Commission has denied all their requests for over 10 years now. The huge camping fees go to pay their legal fees to fight the Coastal Commission and not to the services they provide. You don’t get any hookups at all. So sad what this government appointed commission is doing to this family owned campground. I feel really bad for them. I hope they sort it all out soon because they have a fantastic location.

Month of VisitOctober
  • Review photo of Lawson's Landing by Maureen F., December 1, 2020
  • Review photo of Lawson's Landing by Maureen F., December 1, 2020
T
Reviewed Oct. 5, 2020

If you need to be here th

Ok if you have a boat and need to be here other wise I’d go somewhere else . Seems like the mix of fishing people , Partiers and campers don’t mix . With the prices they charge it seems like they could fix the road . Don’t even think about going over 2 mph on their road

  • Review photo of Lawson's Landing by Tom , October 5, 2020
Christy S.The Dyrt PRO User
Reviewed Jul. 13, 2020

Awesome location

Really enjoyed our time here. Dillon Beach is a great location not too far from the SF Bay Area. We visited during Covid so every other site was vacant to allow proper distance and you needed to be in a self-contained vehicle, or at least that is what the rules stated. Amenities are minimal but it’s all about the location here and you can’t beat the location. 4 stars due to lack of bathroom facilities. Verizon has decent coverage, T-Mobile - not reliable.

  • Review photo of Lawson's Landing by Christy S., July 13, 2020
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Ryan G.
Reviewed Jul. 31, 2019

Perfect campground

Stayed here in summer 2016, this place was perfect. Hidden from the winds on the beach just over a hill, this place had super flat spots and a great spot with space for our huge Mercedes Sprinter. This is honestly my favorite campground I’ve ever stayed at. Highly recommend!!

h
Reviewed Jul. 30, 2018

A Family Favorite for Seaside Camping

When I was a kid my family would always camp here! I haven't been back to camp in quite some time, but have visited Dillon Beach for day trips recently and checked out the campground for ol' times sake. It is just as I remember.

The campground is mostly flat and grassy, with fire pits and picnic tables at the sites. One of the great features of this campground is that the camping area is separated from the beach/ocean by protective dunes. You can still hear the ocean, but it isn't as loud and windy as it could be. As a kid, I'd spend all day playing in the dunes. We even found a kitten there once, who we ended up adopting and named "Dillon" after the beach!

There used to be cows that would graze occasionally--which added a fun element. Waking up to cows outside your tent is pretty exciting as a kid.

The beach is lovely, and not overcrowded. Great for beach combing when the tide is low. We often find sand dollars.

Month of VisitAugust
jim N.
Reviewed Jul. 13, 2018

Lawson;s Landing / Dillon Beach

tthesouth end of Bodega bay, at the mouth of Tomales bay. I love ocean camping!

Caught and ate crabs both times i've been here

  • Review photo of Lawson's Landing by jim N., July 13, 2018
  • Review photo of Lawson's Landing by jim N., July 13, 2018
  • Review photo of Lawson's Landing by jim N., July 13, 2018