Best Cabin Camping near Boulder Creek, CA

We stayed here with our 2 dogs last November as a nice winter getaway from L.A. We got one of the tent cabins, which are just adorable and so cozy. The sites are nice and distanced from each other, bathrooms were in great shape and it was pet friendly. We got a package with the tent cabin that came with bedding, cooking utensils and firewood, so were pretty much set once we got there. The beds are comfy and the wood burning stove (photo attached) is the only source of heat. It is neat but BE WARNED...it gets COLD on those winter nights so make sure you a) have enough wood; b) are good at keeping fires going throughout the night; and c) have lots of dry wood. The wood that was left for us as part of our package was really wet and wouldn't burn so we had a very chilly night even with loads of sleeping bags and blankets. Other than that, we had a great experience and got to take the dogs for a great walk on the paved trails in the State Park. Can't wait to go back!

We visited the Big Basin Redwoods State Park late July this year with a large group of friends and their families and it was such an awesome experience. We stayed in a tent cabin at the Huckleberry campground which was nicer than we thought it would be. It had just the right amount of space for my wife and I, our two daughters and all our gear. The entire campground is loaded with trees so there was plenty of shade everywhere. There's also a few decent hiking trails close to the campground which is really cool and convenient. My daughters enjoyed every minute from the hiking, riding their bikes, campfires as well as all the other great things to do when camping. We also explored the Visitor Center to see some of the most magnificent dinosaur-like redwoods including what they call the 'Father of the Forest' and 'Mother of the Forest' trees. The guide was an encyclopedia of information on the massive trees which he shared with us along the tour. If you're at all interested, then you must go on the short tour. The only complaint I have is about the one night there were what seemed to be very loud college students, probably from UC Santa Cruz or another nearby college, who were in the cabin at the site next to ours and were partying way too hard. We had to tell them to keep it down since they had woken us up. I'm all for a little partying, but damn, they were loud and no one came around to tell them to keep it down besides us. Other than that, all in all, we had a great tent cabin campsite and did notice some even better in the campground, so we will definitely be going back again.

Mount Madonna County Park has 4 campgrounds. I've been camping in this park since the late 70s. I've seen some changes over the years...ahem...decades. There's something for everyone here, RVers, tenters, and those who want to rent tent cabins. There are plenty of trails to hike, as well as equestrian trails. No bikes on trails though.

There are several micro climates in this area and temps can vary, besides our weather varies from day to day.

There are trails offering views of the Santa Clara Valley, and trails offering views of the Monterey Bay. The park is above the fog line (most of the year). We don't get rain in the summer here. The park is situated at the County lines of Santa Clara County and Santa Cruz County and is part of the Santa Clara County Parks system.

No stores or markets in the park, but you can easily run into town, either Watsonville or Gilroy. It's slightly closer to Watsonville where you will find a gas station/market on 152 (Currently a Valero), or go into Gilroy on 152 for Safeway and more.

There's a small cabin (ranger's station) with a history exhibit and the white reindeer up from the kiosk. My favorite campground in the park is the Tan Oak campground at the top and through the day use area. There are plenty of Geocaches on the trails.

The bathrooms are generally clean. I say generally because I prefer the off season when I have the campground to myself and the bathrooms are super clean, but when the campground is full, like any public bathroom they can need more attention. (Or maybe people just need to clean up after themselves) I've never used the showers, nor the tent cabins. I like the sites because overall they are separated by trees so you don't feel as crowded as more open campgrounds.

Despite signage warning of mountain lions, I have never encountered a single one in all the years of camping here. I've had raccoons and skunks (so lock up your food and belongings), turkeys and deer.

Weekends, especially a holiday weekend such as Memorial Day weekend, can be full. (Not my favorite) I have also stayed for the 4th of July when it fell midweek and had the campground (Tan Oak) literally to myself.

Leashed pets are allowed (2 per site) and 2 cars and 8 people per site.

Great location with nice views of the valley. Easy drive in with parking spots next to most sites.

Camp sites and cabins are a little close together but nice, clean grounds make it comfortable. Good playground for kids. Foosball, ping pong, corn hole, horseshoes, and other games available. 3 gas fire pits near the office with nice space for socializing or sharing an outdoor dinner.

Cabins are tight but nice and clean. Our kitchen had all the necessary utensils and dishes to cook for a couple nights.

Staff is nice, communicated well ahead of the trip, and made late check in easy.

Huge pool is heated May to October. Small sauna next to pool currently closed but looks fairly new.

This R.V. Park is rustic, but has a lot of amenities and is very close to Santa Cruz. We visit family and friends in the area often, but this was the first time we camped in the area. It is $50 base price per night, which I think is very exorbitant for a tent site. There is an additional $3 charge per night for any more than two campers per tent or R.V. site. Because there was me and my two daughters it was $53 per night. I gave it 4 stars because the price is so high.

There are just four tent sites here. We were in T2 which was just over a small footbridge over a creek from our parking spot. The spot was small, but had a picnic table, fire pit, and elevated wooden deck. I’m not sure if the deck is for setting up your ten on or lounging on, but we opted to set up our tent on the ground.

We spent most of our time with relatives, so we didn’t have a lot of time to use the amenities, but there were lots of kids around using the playground, bicycling, playing basketball, and swimming in the pool. There was also a large clubhouse with foosball, ping pong and arcade games which is open from 9am - 9pm. My daughters used the clubhouse while I set up camp and after waking up while I stayed in bed for a little while.

There was no AT&T sevice for me, but free WiFi was available so it was fine. The check in process was slow, but okay. Our campsite neighbors seemed very squeamish about camping and left out food that a raccoon family got into in the early morning waking them and us up. I think they were just inexperienced campers.

Overall I’d stay here again, but I might hesitate at the price. I think this would be a nice place for a family to hang out at. There are lots of things for the kids to do and lots of friends to play with.

There is something awesome about standing inside a tree that is literally 10 times bigger than you! Camping here was one of the most special, amazing camping adventured in my life. My husband is an environmental geologist, so he had been working in California for the cleanup after the wildfires. So we decided when he was done I would fly down and we would take a little vacation. We had spent the week before in Yosemite National Park, so by the time we got here (not even gonna lie) we were exhausted and a little sick. In Yosemite the temperature drop at night gave us both a little cold, but thankfully the temperature in Big Basin was not nearly as harsh.

Before arriving we reserved a campsite on their website at the Huckleberry campground. At the time the Huckleberry campsite was the only one open, maybe because it was off season, although I am not sure. On the website there are actually pictures of each site so you can choose to your liking. I chose a small site with a lot of trees, what I thought was the most breathtaking site. It was just our little tent so we didn't need much room. The site had one parking spot, a picnic table, a fire pit with rack, and what I call a "bear box" which is a animal resistant container for food.

Our site was close to the bathrooms, showers, and dumpster which was convenient for us especially after 'roughing' it in Yosemite. Every facility was clean and surprisingly very nice. We didn't end up using the fire pit, but instead just cooked our food over a pocket rocket, but I do believe they had firewood for sale at the rangers hut. They had a grocery store but it is not open during the winter months so plan accordingly. However there is a town in Bouldercreek, CA with a grocery store, some bars, and a few restaurants. It is about a 20 miles drive out of the park to the town.

We ended up taking a break from the cold one afternoon while we were there and drove into town to eat at Boulder Creek Pizza & Pub. It was absolutely delicious, but whether it was actually the best pizza in the world, or it had been so long since we had a real meal, either way it was great!

The trails and campground are easy to get too and well marked, but we did lose service on the drive into the park. The education center on site is very interesting and teaches you so much about the history and growth of the amazing Redwood trees. Even every single campsite is breathtaking so you can't lose. We did a few trails around our campsite, nothing very extreme.They do have very good hiking trails with distance, just make sure you get a map before. Everything was just so wondrous and beautiful. I felt like a kid exploring this place, so small and insignificant in the big scheme of things. I will never forget this park, it will forever hold a spot in my heart and soul.