Best Tent Camping near Clearlake, CA

In the coastal town of Bodega Bay California is a state/regional beach called Doran Beach. It is a beautiful place to go for a day trip or for overnight camping trips. Doran's campground is right on the beach with the bay on both sides of the road. There are several areas for RV's and also for tent camping. (This review is for the tent camping.)

As with many sites in California there is a parking lot to park cars in and you walk in to the sites. There are restrooms, water and drinking fountains. 

The sites themselves have tables, campfire pits and a lockable wooden storage box.  There is a bird sanctuary nearby which is great for birdwatching. 

The sunrise and sunsets are the most beautiful times of day and the beaches have emptied out. There is nothing like sleeping to the sound of rolling waves. 

The only downside to this as a tent camping spot is the incredible wind that blasts in from the ocean. 

I love this campground.

Wasn't very private, but is good for tent camping in a safe family environment.

Brought my trailer her for the first time as an adult after many times tent camping at nearby Gerstle Cove as a child. Had a FANTASTIC time. Woodside campground is BY FAR the more beautiful of the two Salt Point campgrounds. Plenty of flat parking pads for rv campers, yet sites are thickly wooded and appropriately spaced to have an awesome tent camping experience as well. Take note that many of the nearby beaches have dangerous rip currents and aren’t exactly great for swimming or water play.

Tent camp here every year. It's small but great for families! Has a creek and many hiking trails!

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

Always windy. Great scenery, and many of the tent sites are tucked away in little nooks and crannies for privacy if you don’t want the more open outer ring sites.

Nice state park north of Napa, the few car tent sites are nicely situated near a creek. Good space between sites. Easy and fun camping.

Yurts and cabins available. Close to road so a little noisy. Great for a less expensive stay. Saves money for wine tastings...

I tent camped here on a September weeknight. The campground is very spacious on a bluff overlooking the ocean. Very few other campers so I had plenty of options for sites. It was cool, sunny, and no wind-perfect weather! Stunning views all around, with a trailhead to Stillwater Cove. Very quiet and relaxing stay here!

We’ve been travel trailer camping twice to this campground and love it! Beautiful, large sites under the redwoods and along the Gualala River. The campground offers partial hook-ups with a dump service for a fee (dump station on site as well). There is a little camp store for basic camping / RV needs as well as bathrooms, showers, and laundry. The camp is great for RV and tent camping. We’ll definitely be returning many more times.

While driving through Sonoma Valley, I found this hidden campground that was one of the most amazing campgrounds that I have stayed at. I was tent camping and easily found the perfect spot. Until this trip, I had never seen a banana slug which was HUGE! I stayed for just one night while continuing on my way up to the Redwoods. The hills were covering in the yellowing grass of the summer and combined with the tranquility of the rolling hills, I experienced one of the most calming sunsets of my life. Not far from this campground is the Jack London Historical State Park, which i highly recommend going to see. Overall, this was a fun little hidden gem in California.

Tent camped here several times before I got my trailer. Fantastically close to many great wineries, and minutes from Calistoga. The park has a great swimming pool that my kids enjoyed, and I heard there was a fun hike to the mill located elsewhere in the park. Heads up for RV campers- the park is hilly, and some of the parking spots aren’t flat, so make sure you check sites like campsitephotos first to make sure you get a spot that works for you.

Fuller grove was a nice little campground on Lake Pillsbury (our rented minivan just weathered the dirt road in from the 101). It’s a small loop with great options for multi-tent camping. Some of the sites far from the entrance and along the water are very nice with multiple pads and tables. The campground beach is beautiful, definitely recommend some late-night stargazing. There’s only outhouses in decent condition. We were there with only a few other campers, so it was a peaceful stay.

This KOA is pretty big with plenty of options for RV sites. Wide variety of full hook-ups or partial hook-ups. Like most (if not all) KOAs, you can also tent camp or tent cabins. Good size dog park for the pets to run and be free, as well as plenty of fun activities to entertain the kiddos. For us, this is a great spot to shoot down the highway and pull in for a few days to get away from the hustle and bustle of normal life! Close to downtown Petaluma with plenty of premium shops and restaurants.

There are only a handful of tent only sites, most of which are secluded by trees. We have gone twice and enjoyed it. The group site is large and open. Beach access is very easy, especially with kids. The beach is wide, flat and great for families. The first Saturday of the month the rangers do a tide pool talk. They bring sea creatures (like sea stars, sea slugs etc) to share and let the kids hold them.

One thing to be prepared for is the wind. The tent sites are VERY windy, especially at night.

Beautiful spot to go camping. First time here, tent camped in a halfdome 2+. Second day was so windy one of the poles bent! Saw several tents mangaled and in the trash.
Know how to anchor your tent! Lots of RV's. Quiet at night. Trails to the beach, and at low tide there was so much sea life for my son and I to explore.
We saw 1 shower building with 4 showers, $2.50 in quarters. Boat launch for med to small boats. Fish cleaning station.

We came Fathers day weekend, didn't have problem getting a site late in the day. $35 cash $40 credit card price for tent with 1 vehicle. The store has a good selection. Firewood is light weight, but a big bundle is Cash only $9.

I'd go back.

We got a same day reservation, thankfully, because it was impossible to reserve anywhere in the area. We just wanted to car camp overnight to test drive our gear before a longer road trip. We got placed into site 6, which happened to be a handicapped accessible spot. It was level (perfect for our needs) had a fire pit, two picnic tables, and water source, and handicapped accessible (larger) porta-potty right at our site. Very convenient. 

Overall the campground was nice, clean, and well maintained. Lots of portapotties available around the campsite. Plus, the site offers a location with flush toilets, and pay-for-showers if wanted. Most of the campsites were pretty close together, with no trees or shrubs to give privacy. Those who tent camped had more options for more private settings.

Good for families.

The good: The private beach is great for kids (and adults). Easy swimming without a strong current. Lots of shallows but a deep swimming hole are for adults too. The camp store is cute and there’s a brewery next door if you want a meal out. There are several playgrounds which are fun for kids. And an arcade.

The bad: super expensive and the actual sites aren’t great. We camped in our van in the rv area and it’s really just a big parking lot right by the highway. I think the tent sites are a bit better.

Other info: there are cabins and camper vans to rent so could be a good place to go with friends or family who aren’t campers and want a nice river day but again it’s $$$.