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Established Camping

Anchor Bay Campground

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Anchor Bay Campground, near Gualala, California, is a charming spot that offers a unique blend of beach access and a welcoming community vibe. With its own private beach where dogs can roam off-leash, it’s a fantastic place for families and pet owners alike to unwind and soak up the sun.

The campground features well-maintained facilities, including clean restrooms and showers, which visitors appreciate after a day of outdoor activities. Many campers have praised the friendly staff, creating a warm atmosphere that makes you feel right at home. One visitor noted, “The staff is so friendly that the resort has an excellent community feel.”

For those looking to explore, the campground is just a short walk from a small town with a grocery store and coffee shop, making it easy to grab essentials or enjoy a morning brew. The stunning sunsets over the ocean are a highlight, with one camper mentioning the “magnificent” views that make it hard to leave.

While the sites can be a bit close together, the overall experience is enhanced by the beautiful coastal scenery and the sound of waves lapping at the shore. Whether you’re here for a quick overnight stay or a longer retreat, Anchor Bay Campground offers a memorable escape into nature.

Description

The campground is very popular and is often filled to capacity during the On Season‘s weekends, holidays, and school vacations. But it is always a quiet, peaceful, family-oriented place because most of our customers have made Anchor Bay their favorite destination, returning with their friends and relatives year after year. We’ve seen their kids grow up, and now their kids are coming with their own children. Having a close-knit and respectful clientele assures a warm, relaxed, and friendly stay for all comers.

Anchor Bay Campground is very popular for fishermen, beach combers, divers, and sea kayakers. The outdoor enthusiast will find so many wonderful opportunities at this beautiful location. Things To Do!

We have 27 overnight camping spots (4 in the redwoods and 23 at or on the beach) and 40 owned spots (See Map). Each camp spot has a water hook up, picnic table and fire pit. For those sites with electricity or sewer dump, please refer to our Rate Sheet On our rate sheet we have also included information as to the largest size rig allowed in each spot. Our restrooms have showers (coin-op), flush toilets, hot water, and electrical outlets. Our campground also has a septic dump station, recreation area with sink and picnic tables. Often times you will visit our fish cleaning house, and see some of the local catch of the day being processed! We sell ice, bait, firewood and apparel. For reservations, please visit our Reservation page.

On the bluff top above the beach, connected by a short trail from the campground, the little resort village of Anchor Bay provides most of our camper’s needs. The Anchor Bay Store is an organic based grocery store, White Cap is a locals favorite for coffee and pastries, and restaurants include both a Thai restaurant and a Mexican restaurant. There is a coin op laundry mat, yoga studio, hair salon, and a massage therapist.

The base rate for one site and includes a family (2 adults and up to 4 children under 18) and one vehicle only. Additional charges apply for additional persons and vehicles as listed below, but not to exceed the campsite occupancy limit. For rates and utility availability see Rate Sheet For location of sites, see Campground Map.

Fee Info

$20.00 per night for a second vehicle.
$5.00 per night each extra person age 18 and up.
$3.00 per night each extra person age 5 through 17.
$3.00 per night each dog , but no more than 2 dogs per campsite.
$1.50 coin-op showers (for 5 minutes).

Reservation Info

Only one family unit (i.e. Mom, Dad, and up to 4 kids) is allowed per site, otherwise there is a four person maximum limit.
No more than two vehicles are allowed in one site, but only one RV.
Please note that our sites are not the same size, and that there may not be room in some sites for second vehicles or several tents even though your situation falls within the allowable occupancy limits. When you call for reservations, we can discuss the options for your particular needs.
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Location

Anchor Bay Campground is located in California

Detail location of campground

Directions

Warning! Some internet mapping sources show Fish Rock Road as being the best way to get here. Wrong! Fish Rock Road is 28 miles of narrow, winding dirt road that takes over an hour to drive in a sportscar. This road is not recommended for trailers or motor homes. Bad Weather – Often times bad weather can create traffic issues on the coast (mud slides, etc.). Please check road conditions prior to heading out to Anchor Bay Campground. If a road is not passable, a GPS (or digital map app) may send you to Mountain View Road. Please reconsider! This narrow road often has issues and can create a very stressful drive. Please consider these options: A. Take highway 101, to River Road ( to Guerneville ), continue onto highway 116, then exit to Jenner on highway 1. Head North to Anchor Bay. B. Take highway 101, to highway 128 ( to Boonville ), continue to highway 1, and then head South to Anchor Bay. PLEASE VISIT THE WEBSITE FOR PRECISE DRIVING DIRECTIONS FROM SACRAMENTO OR SAN FRANCISCO

Address

35400 S Highway 1
Gualala, CA 95445

Coordinates

38.80407842111976 N
123.57964911924635 W

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Access

  • Drive-In
    Park next to your site
  • Boat-In
    Sites accessible by watercraft.

Stay Connected

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

Site Types

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

Features

For Campers

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

For Vehicles

  • Sanitary Dump
  • Sewer Hookups
  • Water Hookups
  • Pull-Through Sites
  • Big Rig Friendly

Reviews

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5.0

out of 5

11 Reviews

Reviewed Dec. 3, 2022

PRIVATE BEACH!

We came in as a drop-in to this location ($66 for full hook ups) and it is absolutely magical! The staff is so friendly that the resort has an excellent community feel. There is a little walking path up the hill to "town" where there is a grocery store and coffee shop. This resort has its own private enclosed beach where dogs are allowed off leash! They have showers and bathrooms as well!

Good things to know before arrival: not all beach spots have full hook-ups, and only 1 has a sewer connection. It is very tight drive in, and they often have to turn large RVS/Trailers away. On the list, a majority of their spots can host 22ft-30ft trailers.

Site23
Month of VisitDecember
  • Review photo of Anchor Bay Campground by Raven P., December 3, 2022
  • Review photo of Anchor Bay Campground by Raven P., December 3, 2022
  • Review photo of Anchor Bay Campground by Raven P., December 3, 2022
  • (11) View All
Reviewed Nov. 10, 2022

Best campground

My sister and I come from Tahiti, and travel With a van . Our best place was in this campground. Very Clean, thé team very helpfull and kind.

we had planned to stay only one night, finally we only took two. The site is calm, the sea is right next to it and the spot is just magnificent at sunset. We were safe and we immediately felt good. I thank the whole team, and I recommend this place 4000%

Sitethe best
Month of VisitOctober
  • Review photo of Anchor Bay Campground by Ang. S., November 10, 2022
  • Review photo of Anchor Bay Campground by Ang. S., November 10, 2022
  • Review photo of Anchor Bay Campground by Ang. S., November 10, 2022
Reviewed Jul. 17, 2022

On the beach

People are very friendly and staff go out of their way to help. Place was very crowded, kinda like sardines in a can. Love hearing the waves at night. Good Wi-Fi available.

Site41
Month of VisitJuly
  • Review photo of Anchor Bay Campground by harry S., July 17, 2022
Reviewed Feb. 15, 2022

Conflicted about positive reviews for a treasured space

There is a part of me that wants to give this place no stars, for totally selfish reasons, which others can identify with when they find a spot like this, I'm sure. Every time a place like this gets more good reviews, more people will want to visit, which makes it more crowded and harder to get the peace and quiet I treasure about this place.

I don't live far away, about 90 minutes south, just outside of Guerneville. I like to hop in my microcamper (a 2011 Honda Fit) and come up here on a Sunday morning, and get a drop in spot for the night. I take my easy chair out to the beach and sit for hours, soaking up the solitude. During the off season, this place is an oasis. It's fairly easy to get a spot away from the other campers and avoid the obnoxious brighter-than-the-sun LED "porch lights" of the megadollar RVs that make their way in.

This place has more than enough people who know about it and call it their favorite spot to stay in business for a very long time, so this review is kinda pointless, but I was bored and felt like chiming in anyway.

I love it here.

Site46 (assume you will smell the garbage but you will have space)
Month of VisitFebruary
  • Review photo of Anchor Bay Campground by Jack R., February 15, 2022
  • Review photo of Anchor Bay Campground by Jack R., February 15, 2022
Reviewed Feb. 13, 2022

Easy overnight stay

 We dropped in after other campgrounds were full. Easy check in great Wi-Fi right on the beach there’s a lot of people watching the Super Bowl but it’s all good glad to be here

Site40
Month of VisitFebruary
Reviewed Nov. 28, 2021

Nice place but looks a bit packed

Great and friendly host. The campground is packed but we got a nice private area. Nice accessible beach at end of area.
Winter discount made it even nicer.

Site57
Month of VisitNovember
  • Review photo of Anchor Bay Campground by Robert , November 28, 2021
Reviewed May. 1, 2021

Small campground with beach acesss

I’ve been coming to this campground as a kid for many years and still enjoy this place. A small campground with beach access, hot coin operated showers and clean restrooms. A quick trail takes you to the small town drag of a grocery store, coffee shop, laundry mat and two restaurants.

Month of VisitJune
  • Review photo of Anchor Bay Campground by Jason F., May 1, 2021
Reviewed Apr. 12, 2021

Beautiful place

First time staying in a private campground. After a month on the road with pretty much no service, WiFi is great to watch a movie. Paid $50 a night with dog. Sites are extremely close together, hopefully your neighbors are cool, ours were. Coin operated showers. On a nice wind protected beach. Seems to be a big abalone/fishing spot. General store up the road that has anything you might need. Must eat one of those Bay Area it’s it ice cream sandwiches. Massive surf a little north of here at a place I will not name.

  • Review photo of Anchor Bay Campground by Venice  G., April 12, 2021
  • Review photo of Anchor Bay Campground by Venice  G., April 12, 2021
  • Review photo of Anchor Bay Campground by Venice  G., April 12, 2021
  • (6) View All
Reviewed Feb. 26, 2021

Accident turned into success

Me and my buddy Kevin were just taking a night to go explore and planned to stay in the ocean cove campground only to find it was closed for the season. So we drove down the road and found the anchor bay campground. I myself had a tent and my buddy Kevin sleeps in his truck. Beautiful scenery around the campground as it lays right in the edge of the ocean, instant walk to the beach. The sites themselves are relatively small but all have water spouts, lunch tables, and fire pits. Good level gravel campsites and a very friendly staff as well!Some have electrical and some other things but I’m just referring to our site. Very fairly priced. Gets windy during the day and very damp at night so plan accordingly. There is a store within 5 minute walking distance to the campground. HIGHLY RECOMMEND TO ANYONE LOOKING FOR A COOL NEW PLACE TO STAY A NIGHT OR TWO!

Reviewed Feb. 1, 2021

Unexpected and AMAZING

Reluctant to post about this campground because it’s a gem and I don’t want others to take over haha. We found this campsite tucked away near Gualala during the lockdown in January. Almost every campground was closed after CA hospitalizations peaked, so this private campground saved our trip! I was skeptical when we first arrived because it was foggy and looked cramped. We found out from the very friendly and helpful staff that the campground is privately owned by a group of people who enjoyed the area as children and wanted to make sure others can enjoy the land as a campground. The owners wanting others to enjoy their time definitely shows. Very clean restrooms and showers, clean spaces, helpful staff and the best part FREE WIFI!

The campground is down a small hill and about 10 feet from the ocean on a bad day. We fell asleep to the sounds of waves and could fit in yoga sessions when the tide went out. Spots are close together, but it wasn’t an inconvenience considering the proximity to pure jaw dropping coastline. Careful if you have Verizon and need a cell signal. But if you can use WiFi to access your communication apps, then you will be just fine.

Reviewed Dec. 11, 2020

Small, private, fantastic

This campground is a private campground which means dogs are more than welcome! Theres approximately 30 sites, with a very short walk to a mile and half of coast line. There’s a coffee shop on site, bathrooms and showers. Campground has WiFi, if you’re into that kind of thing. Reservations are made up to a year in advance. Tess, the camp host was very sweet and helpful as well as the other staff I met! Highly recommend

Month of VisitNovember
  • Review photo of Anchor Bay Campground by Garrett M., December 11, 2020

Frequently Asked Questions

  • How much does it cost to camp at Anchor Bay Campground?

    Camping at Anchor Bay Campground can cost between $45.00 and $60.00 depending on the site.

  • Does Anchor Bay Campground have RV hookups?

    According to TheDyrt.com, Anchor Bay Campground has water hookups and sewer hookups.

  • What is the max vehicle length at Anchor Bay Campground?

    Anchor Bay Campground allows vehicles up to 40 feet.

  • Are fires allowed at Anchor Bay Campground?

    Yes, according to campers on TheDyrt.com, fires are allowed at Anchor Bay Campground, although make sure to check current fire restrictions in the area.

  • Does Anchor Bay Campground have wifi?

    Yes, according to campers on TheDyrt.com, Anchor Bay Campground does have wifi.

  • Is there cell phone reception at Anchor Bay Campground?

    According to campers on TheDyrt.com, Verizon signal is unknown, AT&T is fair, and T-Mobile is unknown.