Best Equestrian Camping near Bodega Bay, CA

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.

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.

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!

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!!

This location is easily accessible for all. Biking, trails for hiking and the gardens are gorgeous. Rvs and horses welcome.

Ranger Review: Mountain House’sHomestyle Turkey Casserole Dinner at Wildcat Campground – Point Reyes National Seashore: Great spot to watch the fog role in and explore some solitude on the beach…

Campsite Review: Wildcat Campground, in Point Reyes National Seashore, is located in an open meadow on a bluff overlooking the ocean with a short walk to the beach and a 3.2 kilometer (2.0 miles) round-trip walk to Alamere Falls, which is one of the main draws of this campground. The Falls will get extremely busy during the day as people start hiking in and this way you can head over for a little bit without too any people first thing in the morning. Tip: If you head in the opposite direction of the Falls, you’ll have miles and miles of no one around…

The campground is about 10 kilometer (6.3 miles) hike from the Bear Valley Visitor Center or an 8.8 kilometer (5.5 miles) hike on the Coast Trail from Palomarin.

Note: Reservation/Confirmation Notice ≠ Permit. So even though you may have already made a reservation online, you must stop by the Bear Valley Visitor Center on your arrival date to pick up your camping permit and parking pass.

So, if you want to drive back to the Palomarin trailhead for the “shorter” hike this could make your overall trip a bit longer as it can be almost a 40-minute drive. Also, you could bike to the campground, but the only bicycling route is via a strenuous 10.7 kilometer (6.7 miles) ride along the Stewart Trail from the Five Brooks Trailhead. The campground consists of five individual sites and three group sites; three of the individual sites only hold up to four people.

Vaulted toilets, and potable water! Campsites have charcoal grills, picnic tables, bear boxes/food storage lockers, and some sites have a little privacy due to the high grass. Because the campground is in the middle of a grass field, campfires are only allowed on the beach (You need to get a permit from the Visitor Center). That’s really a good thing as whom wants to wake up in the middle of a field on fire. Also, you might want to be on the lookout for small vermin running around the fields and looking to snag any food you’ve left out. We didn’t have any issues, but definitely heard them.

During our hike in and out we hung out at site #2 as this site didn't have people currently camping there. I'd be cautious about actually staying at this site as unfortunately it had the horse riders come right by as this is really the only way they can get to the hitches…I’d avoid this site at all costs if possible (unless you come in on a horse!). Also, it looked like sites #4 and #8 are basically connected and if you happen to be there in both sites with friends that might be OK, otherwise you’re staring at strangers the entire time…

Thus, from our exploring the campground I’d recommend campsites 6 &/or 7 as they provide a little more seclusion. Also, as I went in late July the majority of the campground seemed a little drab. Mostly brown dried out and dead glass, from what I understand this is typical of summer in this part of CA. I’d maybe try coming in spring (May) as the wildflowers in the area are amazing!! Saw them off the Tomales Point Trail, which I highly recommend.

While the campgrounds themselves are nice, and I appreciate not having to lug in all of our water and the use of the vault toilets I personally think that the amount of day hikers, and horse back riders detracts from the feel of this being a back-country campground. Maybe in the Fall/Winter or Spring it’s better.

Gear/Product Review: As a Ranger for TheDyrt.com from time to time I get to review different products and during this trip I got to reward myself for the hike into the campground with Mountain House’s new 2-Serving Homestyle Turkey Dinner Casserole. I’ll admit that after reading the description I was a little skeptical at first, however, I think the best way of describing this meal is that it tastes like Thanksgiving!!

I really enjoyed the combination of turkey, stuffing, vegetable and spices. They really did add up to what I think a true Thanksgiving day meal tastes like. While like any dehydrated meal you have to be good at mixing it, this one is no exception. If you don’t mix it up properly (they suggest at least twice in the directions) you could definitely find yourself with a ball of spice or a piece of stuffing that isn’t fully rehydrated, but that’s easily fixed by mixing it up some more.

The large chucks of turkey and what ends up looking like real stuffing was a very pleasant surprise to this meal. It was well deserved after an 8+ mile hike. The amount of carbs and protein are perfect for that post hike meal. Especially if you eat both servings like I did! Although, I think that a normal couple could easily share the meal.

As my final thought, I would definitely recommend that anyone looking for a meal that tastes home cooked with little effort, you take this one along with you on your next backpacking trip. As it weights less than 4 oz, you’ll be able to bring quite a few!

I give the Mountain HouseHomestyle Turkey Dinner Casserole 4.75/5 Stars!

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.

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.

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."

Great place to explore the California coast. Good level campground with reasonable amount of privacy. Showers cost $1 and you need a token. The token machine was broken and the camphost was kind and gave me a free token.

This was a lovely place to relax with a friend. We explored the area, including eating at the famous "Birds" restaurant. 

the sites are nice with picnic tables. Some more level than others. Nice big trees. Great hosts.

Great spot for cheap and restful accommodation while Visiting wine country. Yurts, and campsites, pull thru and rv sites. Not super cheap cuz you are in California but way more affordable than any hotel and 5 minutes from Calistoga, thru vineyard lined lanes. Lots of hikes for a hike level. Mosquitos started coming out but tolerable. Nice trickling river and peaceful pondering spots. Great bathrooms but bring lots of quarters for showers, helpful staff! Rico you are the best for giving me firewood!

Great place to stay at when visiting the Napa wine valley that is halfway between St Helena and Calistoga, two nice tourist towns. There are nice hiking trails in the park though they are closed currently (Dec 2020) due to the fire in the area. There was no damage to the campground even though the fire burned into the grounds. The weekends usually are full, it clears out Sunday evening so during the weekdays it is really nice. Staff are really nice. Be careful of the poison oak, it is prevalent there as it is so anywhere in Northern California.

I've camped here more times than I can count.  I remember camping here during several wine-soaked weekends with large groups of friends, back in my younger days.  We rode our bikes through the Napa valley, stopping at multiple wineries along the way.  Then, after a day of riding and wine tasting, we retired back to our campsites for an evening of grilling and drinking of local wines (of which there are many, many excellent choices). I've only tent camped here; I've not brought my Airstream because I don't think there are spots that are large enough for it.  However, I do recall seeing trailers and RV's here in the past, so it can accomodate rigs of smaller sizes.

There's nothing dramatically beautiful about this park, but if you like California country living - oaks, madrone, rolling hills, and lots of sunshine - than you'll enjoy it here.  It's a short drive from the San Francisco Bay Area, and is quite literally in the Napa valley, on its northern end, near Calistoga.  You'll easily be able to get to all the restaurants and wineries in the valley. You won't be disappointed with a couple of nights camping at Bothe-Napa.

One important note: I have not been here since the fires that have ravaged Napa and Sonoma every year since 2017.  There has been at least one fire that burned very near this park, causing it to close temporarily.  I don't know how bad the impact to the park has been, as I've not seen it first hand.  As I write this in summer 2021, the campground is open, so hopefully the fire and smoke damage was minimal.   As I've mentioned in many of my other posts, the sad reality of the ongoing drought in California is that summer camping is not the experience it used to be.  It's still fun, but I would argue winter or early spring is now the best time to visit places like Bothe-Napa.  The creeks will be flowing, you'll be allowed to have a campfire, and the vegetation will be greener and lusher.

Per my rating system, I give this 4 stars as it's not a place you'd plan a trip to from out of state, but it is a place you should consider visiting as part of a larger trip to Napa/Sonoma.  For locals, this is a top tier spot.

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.

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

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.

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.

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.

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 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

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.

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.

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

This place is right on the water with great views. We were passing through and only stayed one night. We had a Late check in and there was no person in duty. The confirmation email stated that we would receive a campsite assignment upon arrival and expected an envelop left for us w/ our site number. However, we received no direction as we arrived after 8pm and actually had to drive by the camp host who told us we could stay at one of two sites that would fit our trailer. Aside from this slight checkin issue, the campsite was good. No washer, but shower facilities available for tokens (50cents for 2 mins). Mostly tent spots, limited RV/pull thru sites. Great views of the bay though!

really nice site, so close to the water. REAL BATHROOMS!!