Bodega Dunes Campground — Sonoma Coast State Park

Have you been over to Bodega Bay?  I think you'd like it there.  Our friends sure know us well!  While the town doesn’t look much different than when it appeared in Alfred Hitchcock’s “The Birds”, the cafes in the village have definitely upped their game. 

Bodega Dunes State Park is a great way to experience the area without the same activity and noise in the camp grounds down closer to the water. The campsite loops wind through the coastal Live Oak and Bishop Pine trees and provide some privacy in between sites in some areas, though some sites are right on top of each other.

They are generally smaller pull-in sites geared more toward tents, vans, and small travel trailers. There are just a handful of sites that can accommodate bigger RVs.  Many of the sites have decent open sky resources for solar power and satellite internet, though many in the lower areas had standing water and torn up asphalt pads from the heavy rains the last couple of years.

The bathrooms were clean and comfortable with flush toilets and warm showers (coin operated). My only complaint about the bathrooms is that there weren’t quite enough for the demand, in my opinion, but a few port-o-potties might help offset that during the busy season. 

Hiking among the sand dunes and along the beach provide some really stunning scenery. Reaching the beach, you’ll find as much coastal sand as you can handle with miles and miles of it to yourself. The water, which is normally pretty cold year round, can also be pretty rough for swimming.

A short drive away is the gorgeous Bodega Head Trail which winds up along the headland and offers amazing scenery. It’s sort of like a small Point Reyes National Seashore, but much easier to get to.

Bodega Bay has a couple of small grocery stores, gas stations, and more than a few restaurants to meet nearly any craving.  The area is known for its Dungeness Crab Harvest, so be sure to check that out when it's in season!

There is upward of 90 sites, many are for just tents and are on sand with fire pit. I have our travel trailer there and are the site # in the 70's and are on a asphalt pad, which makes it cleaner and level. Down side would be close to a road and traffic during day, but at night very quiet except for fog horn which is no big deal. The beach walks and adventuring the coast and local fair makes it all worth it. Water and dump station available, not at campsites but at entry of park

Stayed at this campsite at the tail end of a storm so not many folks pitching a tent. The campground was quiet and met some lovely people every now and then. The sites were distant enough to give each camper privacy. Bathrooms and showers were really clean compared to other places. You had to pay for hot water, but $20 got 3 of us enough hot water for 3 days. 

The trail to the beach was a nice walk and easy to follow. The beach itself was quiet and only a few folks were out there after the storm.

Overall, a beautiful campground, I'm hoping to go back again and stay in the same spot.

We got a great workout hiking in the dunes to see the sunset over the ocean.

Lots of cool and funky trees.

Bathrooms could be updated/cleaner.

Nice place to eat in Valley Ford called Rock Oysterfeller.

There is a foghorn that sounds off every 10 seconds or so. I didn’t notice it when we set up camp…maybe the wind and waves. But in the middle of the night it woke me up. I thought it was some Tsunami warning or something. I managed to read what it was and after a while managed to sleep through it.

This location has no hookups but does have a dump station, vault toilets and small bbq grills available. Beautiful sunsets just a short walk away in the dunes. Day use is also available

Nice campsites that are surrounded by greenery, not too close together. Well-sheltered. Unfortunately not good beach access from this campground (you have to drive).

This campsite is centrally located on the peninsula. Access to several roadside dog friendly beaches within minutes. The bay and the beach are within walking distance to campground. The bathrooms are clean and the showers are coin operated. Sites are flat and semi private. The staff is friendly and campground is large.

It covers the basics: fire pit, picnic table, flush toilet, and shower. You can buy firewood onsite and you're close to amenities in Bodega Bay.

We stayed here on a whim. We read good things about this campsite and kind of assumed it was close (walking distance) to the beach from our campsite. It wasn’t, but it’s just a short drive to the beach parking lot (about 3-5 mins). The site was nice. Bathrooms were clean and the showers (purchasable tokens) had good water pressure and warm water. We had a minor issue when we tried to book a second night, but it ultimately worked out.
We visited Wrights Beach which is nearby, and we think we would rather book there on our next visit as it’s much closer to the shoreline.

Nice campground at a state park in Northern California. Nice large sites but some have views of nearby housing. Some also have a LOT of sand. Clean bathrooms and showers.

My partner and I stopped here on a road trip along 101. Campground was beautiful and provided a nice walk to the beach through shallow dunes. Lots of beautiful desert succulents in the area.

Not a ton of coverage from the wind, but I'm not sure can be helped. Walking distance to food and the beach!

Cozy campsites, family vibes. Nice brisk walk to the beach. This is the kind of beach for you if you like long walks and poetry. Doggies love it too.

This is such an incredible area to camp! The California coast is hard to beat. This campground is in the sand dunes, with a short walk to the beach. This is absolutely one of the best places to see the sunset. The campground had showers and full bathrooms! 10/10 would recommend.

Stayed hear in June. Weather was beautiful. Campground is in the trees and a short drive to the beach. Use the beach access in the campground.... too crowded if you try to get to the beach on the main highway. Bathrooms are maintained with pay showers($1 for 3 mins), limited groceries close by. Very crowded on the week ends. Campground is spaced out. No hookups, just basic camping for both RVs and tents.

I like this campground. There are some cool hikes to the dunes and to the beach. Go to the wharf near by to pick up some live crab to boil over the fire. Overall a great campground for adults and kids. Go with a group or a romantic getaway. Experience northern California Coast and see where they filmed Hitchcock's "The Birds."

Not much privacy for tent camping. Fog horn goes continuously. Good hwy 1 access. Affordable. Walking distance to awesome beach.

Quiet and close to beach.

There are lots of RV campers here but some with tents. They just started allowing reservations recently. If you want a sunny site, go for the center of the loop in the 60s/70s. We prefer shade and some space. Have stayed in 36 and 90. 36 was big enough for two tents. 90 only. 91 is good size but not protected from strong breeze.

Nice place but not beach. Close enough to hear seals in the bay. Nice sites

This campground is in the heart of Bodega Bay. There are many sites with various amounts of privacy. The sites include long paved driveways, tables, and fire pits in the sand. Each site is a short walk from bathrooms, trash bins, and the beaches. The bathrooms have flush toilets and sinks, and pay showers that take quarters. Given that the campground is on the water, it can get very chilly at night and the wind tends to pick up. It is nearby the town of Bodega with great chowder and various shops to visit.

Close to downtown Guernville and the Russian River Brewery. Access to the Salmon River Beach, which has great surfing and fun for the whole family. Beautiful campsites with clean bathrooms and showers.

It is always windy and therefore cold on the beach. That is why there are such big sand dunes.

Regardless, a beautiful place to visit and camp. There are also equestrian trails, so you can book a horseback ride from a local ranch as well!!

Some of the sites are very spacious and wide open and some are less spacious and have shade. Short drive into the south beach of salmon creek for the most part. Great campground and fun beach day for the whole family. Showers are available in campground to rinse of the salt and the sand!

Campsites are spread out

we didn’t like this campground that much. The price is quite high compared to usual state park campgrounds $35/night, the toilets are old and dirty without soap or towels. Camp is busy and full of people. It was actually pretty quiet considering the camp was full, I guess the cold weather made people go to their tents earlier. Camp sites are quite big. We had three tents and three cars comfortable fitting one normal campsite.

I absolutely fell in love with the campground that’s nestled in the sand dunes surrounded by the most gorgeous beaches. We didn’t have a reservation and just showed up and didn’t make the best choice with our campsite because it was shady which looked stunning but we were absolutely frozen the entire time! I can’t wait to go back this summer!

We had a nice time camping in this large and well-maintained campground. We found a beautiful spot tucked up on an embankment on the first loop and managed to squeeze in 4 tents. A bit windy and cold being so near the shore, but definitely worth it. The bathrooms and showers were clean and had plenty of hot water. The Pacific-side beach was only a 10-minute walk away.

Great location, close to Spuds for the best red chowder on the planet

Very nice simple campground with everything you need. Great for kids. Close to Mendocino coast