Best Equestrian Camping near Bridgehaven, CA

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.

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!!

This is a nice well maintained campground. It's situated in a wooded area so there is a lot of shade on hot days and its inland enough that it's blocked from the wind.

The bathrooms have flush toilets and are well maintained. Each site has a food lockbox and use it because the raccoons are fierce! We had our cooler on the picnic table and they knocked it over and tore apart and ate all our food. Lock your cooler in your car.

The beach and dunes are a trail or a road walk from the campground. Dogs aren't allowed on the dunes but, they can be on the trail and beach.

Has everything you would need: bathrooms, showers, etc. Nothing that exciting but very good for kids.

If you do make it up here, check out the Mendocino Coast, just the drive alone is worth the trip without even taking into account any of the lovely food, art, or events in the Mendocino and Russian River area.

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

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

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.

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 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.

Campsites are spread out

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!

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.

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.

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

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.