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Best Tent Camping near Bay Point, CA

655 Reviews

Tent camping options near Bay Point, California feature a mix of state park, regional preserve, and national seashore sites within reasonable driving distance. Mount Diablo State Park's Juniper Campground offers tent-only sites with picnic tables and drinking water, while regional preserves like Briones Regional Park and Morgan Territory provide more primitive tent setups within 30 minutes of Bay Point.

Most tent-only campgrounds in the region require reservations, with first-come-first-served exceptions at locations like Pantoll Campground in Mount Tamalpais State Park. Facilities vary significantly, with sites like Juniper offering drinking water and trash collection but no showers, while more primitive tent sites in regional preserves may lack potable water. Walk-in tent sites are common in the area, especially at Sibley Volcanic Regional Preserve and Tilden Regional Park where campers must park and carry gear to their designated camping area. One camper noted that at Pantoll Campground, "sites are fairly close together in bunches, but there was a bit of space between the groups," highlighting the typical spacing at these locations.

Areas farther from Bay Point offer more secluded tent camping experiences, particularly in Point Reyes National Seashore, where backcountry tent sites require hikes ranging from 1.8 to 6.3 miles. These locations provide tent campers with greater privacy and access to coastal trails. Fire restrictions are common throughout the region, with some sites allowing fires only in designated fire rings or on beaches with permits. Based on reviews from The Dyrt, many tent campgrounds experience significant fog and wind, especially those near the coast, requiring proper tent stakes and rain protection. Vault toilets are standard at most primitive tent sites, though amenities like picnic tables and food storage lockers vary by location.

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Best Tent Sites Near Bay Point, California (34)

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Recent Tent Camping Photos near Bay Point, CA

57 Photos of 34 Bay Point Campgrounds

Tent Camping Reviews near Bay Point, CA

655 Reviews of 34 Bay Point Campgrounds

  • Erin S.
    Mar. 16, 2022

    Pantoll Campground — Mount Tamalpais State Park

    Tent campground with plenty of hiking trails

    Pantoll is a pretty campground located adjacent to the entrance to Mount Tamalpais.  You can hike to, bike to, take the bus to, or even drive to this campground.  If you choose to drive, just know that it can be impossible to find a place to park on busy weekends (you'll need to drop your stuff off, find a place to park along the road, then come back to park in the evening when the parking lot clears).  We hiked in.  On a weekend night in March, only four of the 16 sites were taken so we had no problem nabbing a spot.  The campground is situated across a steep-ish hillside.  Water spigots are spread out among the sites, but all the bathrooms are located down the hill near the parking lot.  Each site has a fire pit, picnic table, and a flat spot to pitch a tent.  Sites are fairly close together in bunches (for example, 2, 3, and 5 were close, 6 and 7 were close, but there was a bit of space between the groups). Firewood is sold at the ranger kiosk but they have limited hours. Some spots are larger than others, and very few can accommodate a house-size tent (you know what I mean - and no judging, I have a house-size tent for car camping).  We had our 3 person backpacking tent with us and it would have fit in all the sites.  Sites up the hill require a bit of a hike-in but are farther from the road noise and busy parking lot.  There is one dishwashing station near the bottom.  

    Pros: 

    - Location.  You can hike anywhere from this campground.  Down to Muir Woods in less than 3 miles.  Up to Rock Springs, Bolinas Ridge, and Mount Tam.  Down to Stinson Beach.  I could spend a week here exploring all the trails.

    - Amenties.  Dishwashing sink, many water spigots, food storage lockers, fire pits, toilets that flush.  And Wifi from the ranger kiosk (squee!!!) which we appreciated to check the weather and bus schedule (very poor Verizon signal).

    Cons: 

    - Noise from Panoramic Highway.

    - Busy parking lot with lots of people potentially moving around the campground (especially the lower sites). 

    - No reservations: FCFS only.

    Overall I'm really happy I finally got to chance to camp here and would recommend.

  • Rommel C.
    Oct. 31, 2022

    Live Oak Campground — Mount Diablo State Park Campground

    juniper campground - site 15 - end of october

    great campsite! be careful driving up the windy road and watch for the many cyclists. going up/down with you. 

    driving in was very easy; parking is right next to the site. the campsite itself was beautiful - panoramic views of the east bay area. i could recognize walnut creek, lafayette, danville and san ramon through the binoculars. site was clean, but the ground itself was very rocky. irritating that there wasn't really any level spots to set up the tent, so sleeping on a slant was a real treat (sarcasm). weather was very mild during the day; not too hot, nor too cold. nights were bearable in the high 50s, and by late night (cuz i kept waking up because of slanted sleeping), but felt like low 40s and slightly windy. make sure you bring thermals and a warm sleeping bag. sleeping pad is a definite must on the sharp rocks; be careful when stepping around in the tent with just socks on. 

    drought meant that flushing toilets were all locked.. as were the showers.. but from what i heard the "chemical toilets" (aka porta-potties) were an adequate substitute. water access had been shut off as well, so make sure you bring plenty of your own for washing and drinking. 

    critters - we didn't encounter any during our stay. no racoons, bears, mice, rats.. nada. just a ton of pincher bugs everywhere. not even many flies! we had those spinning fly deterrent things, though. maybe those really DO work? 

    ALSO because of the drought - NO WOOD FIRES ALLOWED. total/complete bummer to camp without a campfire. gas stoves and lanterns were permitted, though.

  • MarinMaverick
    Sep. 1, 2020

    Haypress Campground — Golden Gate National Recreation Area

    Hidden Gem

    Theses are limited  (5) hike in tent sites.  Not far in - less than a mile.  You are on your own here. Bring your own water.  No fires. You get a picnic table and a food storage locker, nothing else.

    Meadow sites against a row of trees. There is very little privacy between sites but the couple times I have been here it was not full.  It can get windy - there is some shelter under the tress. 

    Here you can strike out hiking through Tennessee Valley to the beach and beyond!

    Great for a close get-a-way and seclusion.

  • S
    Nov. 12, 2020

    Live Oak Campground — Mount Diablo State Park Campground

    Juniper Campground: hiked in

    We hiked up to Juniper campground from the Clayton side. The sites in the teens have less overhead shade but more privacy than those of higher numbers. The sites closest to the driving road/entrance/overlook will have the potential to be downwind of the bathroom, unfortunately.

    The campground is a dry campground - as in no alcohol.

    That said, we loved our site #15, and enjoyed the privacy it provided, plus the views (if you stand on the table or are tall). We didn't encounter critters. We had some trouble staking down on the rocky dirt. 

    This is a good campground to explore the rest of the summit areas, plus Rock City.

  • Larry W.
    Aug. 28, 2020

    Sugar Barge RV Resort & Marina

    Quiet, NO other tenters!

    We (party of 4) were there primarily because we rented a boat from their Marina. That went well! This is an RV campground & full-complement resort on Bethel Island, San Joaquin River Delta. Many RVers appear to be long-term or full-time residents.

    The tent-area was a clearing, fully backed up to the levee, with some shade and a water spigot. Appears to be only 4 “sites,” which are defined by picnic tables, GENEROUSLY spaced, no fire rings AND the Delta is h.o.t.! It’s also on the far edge of the property, so car traffic was MINIMUM — and NO generators were heard, even though the RV section is huge!!!

    The rest rooms were in the Marina building, a short walk. We would DEFINITELY return for boating and tenting!!!

  • Cococounty L.
    Apr. 25, 2020

    Briones Regional Park

    A nice spot!

    A few low spots. Cleared 12' barely with minor scrapes. Good parking and turn around. Lots of opportunities for horse riders in area. Pets on leash.

  • Lori A.The Dyrt PRO User
    Jan. 5, 2022

    Glen Campground — Point Reyes National Seashore

    Simple and Basic

    A 5 mile hike from the Bear Valley Trailhead leading to a small campground with 12 sites.  We stayed at #9.  Potable water and vault toilets are available, with each site also having a picnic table, charcoal barbecues and bear boxes.  Wood fires are not permitted.  A stream runs beside the campground and there are hiking trails leading to the sea.

  • Erin S.
    Mar. 16, 2022

    Haypress Campground — Golden Gate National Recreation Area

    A no-frills but pretty campground in Marin Headlands

    A hike-in campground in Tennessee Valley, a short 20 minute drive from the Golden Gate Bridge and the hustle and bustle of the City.  My family of three stayed here for one night in mid March.  It was a Sunday night, and three out of the five sites were occupied.  

    The tent pads (a flat sandy area surrounded by wood beams) were fairly small - maybe 10' x 10'.  Each site had a picnic table and a large metal food locker.   The sites were well spaced and did not feel cramped.  Two vault toilets, fairly clean. The campground was located at the end of a 0.5 mile dirt road, which was about a quarter of mile down an old paved road from the TV parking lot.  A few folks walked into the campground that weren't staying there, but they weren't a bother, just going for a walk. The campers we saw varied from families, a solo bike-packer, and a couple just starting out camping.  I was worried that being so close to the city and the parking lot, it would be party central with groups hauling in a bunch of alcohol, but it wasn't the case at all. Neither the parking lot nor the campground had running water, so come prepared unless you want to drive into town.  

    Pros:

    - Very quiet and peaceful.  The night had beautiful stars with no artificial light.  No road noise.

    - Small number of sites with great spacing.

    - Decent toilet facilities.

    Cons:

    - No water.  We backpacked in from the Golden Gate Bridge.  There was no place nearby to fill up on water, and had to be extremely conservative in our use.  No springs or creeks running nearby this time of year either.

    - Would have been nice to have a fire.  

    Overall, we had a pleasant camping experience and would recommend.

  • Joseph G.
    Apr. 18, 2024

    Samuel P. Taylor State Park Campground

    Decent Camping with Great Hiking & Views

    As the title says! Due to a cancellation at another state park, we booked a site at Sammy P. last minute, 2 days prior to our check-in date. It rained during our trip which we knew about beforehand. 

     We stayed at campsite #56, which was a surprisingly small lot. Keep in mind, not all campsites at Sammy P. are the same size, but I noticed the handful that we saw were smaller than what I’ve seen at other state parks. Not much space to pitch a larger size tent - we used our Big Agnes Big House 4 person tent and barely had enough space to set up the tent’s guy lines, however, a 2-3 person tent would fit just fine I think. Don’t plan on pitching more than one tent though, if you book site #56. I’d like to add that the area designed for you to deploy your tent was on a slope; you can tell there was an effort to make the area flatter but there was still a slope. This was a little problematic during the rain because the rain runoff would pool up in that area. We didn’t actually take on water inside our tent, but the footprint and lower outside area of the tent body were extremely muddy. 

    The site’s accompanying picnic table was positioned oddly close to the fire ring and was sitting on top of wooden planks to keep it level. I guess you could move the table away from the fire ring if you wanted but you might end up with a wobbly picnic table (also remember: not much space). The food locker onsite is made of wood. Make sure you bring a pad lock as there is no locking mechanism on the door. Also, most of our goods got wet from the rain so the food locker is definitely not waterproof. Keep your eyes peeled for wild life and your food no matter what time of the day it is. We were harassed by cute little chipmunks and birds that didn’t seem too intimidated by humans. The bathrooms were about what you’d expect to see at a public facility, nothing fancy and clean enough to use. The sinks had hot water and good water pressure. We never ended up using the showers because we were deterred by the rain.

    Enough of the “bad”, the local trails and creeks were breathtaking. We hiked Pioneer Tree Trail which was the perfect length for a novice hiker. Hiking through the forest felt like you were walking through a scene from Fern Gully. The various runoff creeks that you hike alongside were so neat to see. We would like to visit again, it was definitely a great last minute trip.

Guide to Bay Point

Tent campsites near Bay Point, California range across an elevation span from sea level to over 3,800 feet at Mount Diablo's summit. The region experiences Mediterranean climate patterns with hot summers reaching 90-100°F and mild winters around 40-60°F. Camping in the area typically requires advance planning, especially during summer months when many sites fill 3-6 months ahead.

What to do

Hike volcanic formations: At Sibley Volcanic Regional Preserve, explore the remains of a 10-million-year-old volcano with self-guided tours. "The Sibley backpack camp is a small, primitive hike-in site for a maximum of 15 campers, a moderate 0.2 mile walk from the parking lot," notes reviewer Elliott B.

Fish in the Delta: Bay Point campers can access excellent fishing opportunities at nearby waterways. At Delta Bay RV Resort, one camper mentioned, "Spent the night at my usual fishing spot and had a great time. Staff is friendly and food is good."

Mountain biking trails: The extensive trail systems throughout the regional parks offer varied terrain for cyclists. "Tilden is great for anyone looking for a close park right outside of the Berkeley/San Fran area. It is a rather large park area that overlooks Berkeley. It is great for biking (but be weary of the hills)," writes Ethan K.

What campers like

Wildlife viewing: Many tent campsites near Bay Point provide opportunities to observe local fauna. At Las Trampas Regional Wilderness, Stuart K. observed, "When we were there we saw deer, cattle, raccoons and many other four legged vermin running around the area."

Coastal access: Though requiring more driving from Bay Point, coastal camping offers unique experiences. A camper at Angel Island State Park noted, "We try to get what they call the 'group' kayak site. There is ample room here and there is direct access to the water. It is on Racoon Straits side of the Island."

Off-grid feeling: Despite proximity to urban areas, many tent sites provide a sense of remoteness. At Morgan Territory Regional Preserve, camper Tyler S. simply stated, "Feels very off grid. Camp experience was smooth and the sun was shining."

What you should know

Weather variability: Bay Point area campgrounds experience significant temperature shifts and coastal influence. At Pantoll Campground, one camper warned, "Currently no fires or stoves allowed so it's rough without any source of warmth. The wind chill is real at night!"

Parking challenges: Many tent sites require walking from designated parking areas. At Pantoll, Michael I. advises, "Parking can be a challenge here due to the popularity of the various trailheads, and the limited parking."

Wildlife precautions: Local wildlife regularly visits campgrounds. As Samantha T. notes about Pantoll, "Lots of raccoons at night, so lock everything away."

Seasonal restrictions: Fire bans often affect camping experiences. At Sibley Volcanic Preserve, "No wood fires or BBQs are allowed; only camp stoves are allowed for cooking," according to reviewer Elliott B.

Tips for camping with families

Kid-friendly attractions: Choose tent sites with nearby activities for children. Tilden Regional Park offers various family amenities as Nicholas M. points out: "Tilden offers a lake in the middle to swim in and fish. The campsites have lots of fire pits."

Tiny house experience: For families wanting a camping alternative, consider unique accommodations. At Delta Bay RV Resort, Del B M. shares, "They have a lot of cute tiny houses in this campground. You can bring your own tiny house, or rent one for the weekend."

Historical sites: Several camping areas offer educational opportunities through historical structures. Angel Island State Park features immigration and military history that Randy B. describes: "An exciting and unique place to pitch your tent."

Tips from RVers

Limited RV accommodations: Most tent campsites near Bay Point offer minimal facilities for RVs. At Reinhardt Redwood Regional Park, sites are primarily designed for tent camping with limited space for larger vehicles.

Alternative options: RVers might consider the eastern edges of the region for more suitable accommodations. At Juniper Campground in Mount Diablo State Park, Brittney L. noted, "Our site had nearby bathrooms, showers & trash. It included picnic table, fire pit, food storage boxes, & is very spacious."

Access considerations: Many Bay Point area campgrounds have narrow, winding roads. One camper at Briones Regional Park mentioned, "A few low spots. Cleared 12' barely with minor scrapes. Good parking and turn around."

Frequently Asked Questions

Which is the most popular tent campsite near Bay Point, CA?

According to TheDyrt.com, the most popular tent campground near Bay Point, CA is Juniper Campground — Mount Diablo State Park with a 4-star rating from 2 reviews.

What is the best site to find tent camping near Bay Point, CA?

TheDyrt.com has all 34 tent camping locations near Bay Point, CA, with real photos and reviews from campers.

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