Best Tent Camping near Diablo, CA

Recent Tent Reviews near Diablo, CA

593 Reviews of 38 Diablo Campgrounds

• 

  MarinMaverick

  Legend

  

  Aug. 13, 2020

  Olema Campground

  Only Game in Town

  If you want to explore the Point Reyes National Seashore you do not have many options.  This facility has been there a long time, and while not the best, it gives you great access.  It is mostly used for RV's some appear to be year round residents.  I am a tent camper and there are tent camping sites.  They are on a grassy area and not well defined.  Not a lot of shade for tent sites.

  That being said you are at the gateway to a large fabulous national seashore.

  They have great ameneities - a store, post office, hot showers.  Everything you need is there.  There is a great restuarant down the road and a church next door!

• T

  Tai W.

  Guide

  

  Sep. 25, 2020

  Samuel P. Taylor State Park Campground

  Beautiful campground among majestic redwoods

  The Upper Campground is a gem of a place to camp, nestled among the redwoods on the eastern facing side of a ridge (complete with hiking trails) and a creek.  The Madrone group campground is across Sir Francis Drake Blvd (I personally think it's less scenic but more open).  The only reason I took off a star is the campground's proximity to the road, which is not extremely busy but can be noisy if you are camping in a tent.  Were it not for the noise, we'd go back again and again and again.

• 

  Alicia F.

  Legend

  

  Oct. 25, 2018

  Half Moon Bay State Beach Campground

  Great views

  Often booked so you’ll want to get a reservation. $35/night for tent camping plus 7.99 reservation fee. No electric for tent camping but there is water. Safeway is just a mile away. Super cute town close by with fun shops and restaurants. The wind in the afternoon can be annoying but the views are worth it. I love staying here after working in Burlingame which is only 30 minutes away. Super easy to get to Mavericks, San Francisco etc.

• T

  Tai W.

  Guide

  

  Oct. 27, 2020

  Samuel P. Taylor State Park Campground

  Beautiful campground but close to the road

  Love this campground ... a great basecamp for easy access to everything that West Marin has to offer.  It has wonderful campsites nestled among mature trees with a stream that runs through it.  It's a bit too tight for large trailer or RV camping (unless you are an expert at maneuvering through tight spaces).  Also, if you're tent camping, the vehicle noise from the nearby Sir Francis Drake Blvd can be distracting if you are a light sleeper (and you are tent camping).  But all in all a great locale!

• S

  Susan V.

  Scout

  

  Oct. 12, 2021

  Midway RV Park

  No tent sites

  This management informed me they do not have tent sites, contrary to the information the Dyrt app provided.

• 

  Alana S.

  Scout

  

  Oct. 27, 2024

  Dumbarton Quarry Campground on the Bay

  Great for first time campers

  The staff was amazing. Tent site was spacious. Not too crowded. Clean bathroom and shower. Several trails to walk. Close to town in case we forgot something.

• 

  Jasim ِ.

  Traveler

  

  Sep. 30, 2020

  Bicentennial Campground — Golden Gate National Recreation Area

  It's just ok

  Only 3 tent sites available, You have to reserve ahead of time, No drive in access, unloading our staff was very big work, Very nice views and a lot of hiking trails are available

• J

  Joanna M.

  Traveler

  

  Dec. 26, 2019

  Steep Ravine Campground — Mount Tamalpais State Park

  Campsite vs Cabins

  Do this. “Hike in” means a paved lot with wheelbarrows to help you get your gear to your site which is less than a mile.

  Yes these can be hard to get but the new “rolling reservation “ means dates are released 6months to the day not a whole month at a time. Be flexible and you can get a site. We have also stayed in the cabins which are a fantasy experience but the tent sites are cheaper and easier to get.

  Tent sites have raccoons and are $25/night Cabins have mice and are $100/night

  Site 2 is on the edge of the world. Several trees had been chopped down and there was little shelter but an unbelievable view! We camped for two nights in November and it was sunny and chilly.

  Raccoons are abundant and brazen. They got into my lock top storage container but didn’t even try the flimsy food locker. Our bandit made off with a loaf of bread and the marshmallows.

  Other tips: Site 1 is very exposed. Site 2 is ample for two tents if needed Site 3 ample for two tents with just a cedar fence between site 2 and 3 Site 4 is tucked down on the hillside with a great view south.

  Beach access is via larger boulders. Have good shoes.

  Firewood is available onsite for $7. Clean outhouse near tent sites. Clean bathrooms near parking lot- no soap or showers.

• 

  Les S.

  Guide

  

  Sep. 24, 2019

  Skyline Wilderness Park

  Beautiful campground and park

  I tent camped here and really liked it. There is also an RV section. It has flush toilets, showers and WiFi. For recreation you have the park behind the camp with great hiking trails and the whole Napa region. The people who work there are nice and do a great job keeping it up.

• 

  MarinMaverick

  Legend

  

  Sep. 1, 2020

  Brannan Island State Recreation Area

  Access To The Delta

  I am a tent camper and there are some good tent sites here.  A bit open so can be windy but pick your site.

  Access to the Delta with a boat ramp.  Access to fishing all around you. Beyond water sports not a lot to do here but relax. Or go fly a kite.

• 

  Lori L.

  Guide

  

  Jul. 20, 2023

  California Delta's Snug Harbor

  Worth the drive

  Snug harbour sits on Steamboat Slough of the California delta. It is a small island that has pretty calm water around it. It is under new management (2022). They were gracious and helpful. Bathroom were clean. (I am a bathroom snob). Extremely dog friendly. Tent camping is allowed. Back in RV SITES back right up to the river, with their own dock. There are also cabins and two manufactured homes. A cute beach sits at the end of the island. There was plenty to do if you enjoy boating or fishing. Looking forward to going back.

• 

  Eric D.

  Scout

  

  Jul. 2, 2019

  Olema Campground

  Private Family Oriented Campground

  Pros: Has numerous amenities including hot (free) showers (cleaned daily), flush toilets, full hookup RV spots, laundromat, US Post office, fenced playground, dog park, drive in tent sites, and firewood for sale. Cons: expensive, sites are close and poorly defined and the after hours check in procedure doesn’t prevent overlapping.

• C

  Colleen T.

  Scout

  

  Jun. 29, 2021

  Skyline Wilderness Park

  Camping during Covid

  The tent camping is good. It’s spread out now because of social distancing. There are only 3 other campers besides me. Dogs are allowed but not on the trails so that’s a real bummer because this is a great place for hiking and horseback riding. Campsite is nothing special but the restroom gets 4 stars and the shower does as well only because the shower pressure is fantastic. Take yer skin clear off . I’m happy that I’m here and really that’s all you can ask for

• N

  Nick T.

  Guide

  

  Sep. 26, 2021

  San Francisco North-Petaluma KOA

  Great camp for the kids

  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.

• M

  MacClellan R.

  Scout

  

  Oct. 17, 2024

  Olema Campground

  Spacious and Accommodating

  We visited this park earlier this spring. Yes it was wet, but we didn't mind. Liked the spaces and layout so much...we are going back this fall. Plus we love that whole area.

  However, DYRT got some info wrong. While there are plenty of full hookup spaces for RVs, there are no pull thru sites. Only back in for trailers and drive-in for coaches. Many tent camping spaces and RV spaces w/just water and power. The folks are friendly and helpful.

  M.R.

• E

  Elizabeth S.

  Scout

  

  Jun. 29, 2020

  Skyline Wilderness Park

  Not Fancy, but Well Appointed

  Basic outdoor setting near downtown Napa. Clean and well appointed bathrooms and showers. RV as well as tent camping in different sections. Recommend bicycles, if you have them, to ride into town, or on nearby backroads to view acres upon acres of vineyards. Park allows daytime use for mountain bikes, hikers and horseback riders. During current COVID times (eg 6/2020), wineries require appointments for visiting, as compared to many with “drop in” ability in the past, so plan ahead. Open 7am-7pm, with gate code given for late entrants. Recommend earlier check in (starts at 1pm).

• 

  MarinMaverick

  Legend

  

  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.

• 

  Jill F.

  Guide

  

  Sep. 1, 2018

  Half Moon Bay State Beach Campground

  Chill and scenic

  Short walk to the beach. You can walk for miles on the beach or on the bluff trails. Everyone is laidback which makes for a peaceful experience. Great sunsets!!

  Tenting camping and RVs. Limited electrical hookups.

• 

  MarinMaverick

  Legend

  

  Aug. 12, 2020

  Ben Ries Campground — Butano State Park - CLOSED INDEFINITELY

  Redwoods on the Coast

  This is a hidden gem. A little bowl full of redwoods, a creek and great hiking. Lots of great tent sites but pick your site wisely so you are not too close to your neighbors.  Also have some good back country hike in sites.

  There is a nature trail along the creek.

  If you hike up to the ridge on a clear day you can see the ocean.  There is also an old landing strip on the hill you can hike to as well. Great hike along the ridge where you can bakcpack into a trail camp.  Little streams along the way to get access to water.

• 

  MarinMaverick

  Legend

  

  Sep. 29, 2020

  Lower Campground

  Best Along The Creek

  There are two loops here. What is the lower loop is a smaller number of sites which are all on the creek. The first few you park on the road and carry your equipment down to your site. It is a short distance. The last few sites on this loop are typical drive in sites.

  This loop being on the Creek I like better for tent camping. Redwoods on a creek what more do you need.

  Table, fire pit, food locker. Restroom with showers.

  Swimming holes in the creek but most of it is low flow and shallow (except in winter).

  Great hiking. Great for bikes. The Cross Marin trail goes thru the park whchc is a paved bike path thru the redwoods.

• 

  MarinMaverick

  Legend

  

  Aug. 17, 2020

  Castle Rock Trail Camp — Castle Rock State Park

  Skyline to the Sea Trail or Rock Climbing

  This is sweet hike in trail camp.  We have used it for two purposes.  First when were were climbing in Castle Rock State Park and this was our hub and second when we were doing the Skyline to the Sea Trail and wanted a easy first day.  This is primitive. There is a shelter with tables in the event there is rain.  Then there are scattered sites, some with tables for you to find a tent site.  If busy - you will be sharing.

  Shaded, though hike down can be in the open. Primitive restrooms. Water available. Picnic Tables.

  Great home base for climbing - good trail camp for the march to the sea.

• 

  Ed E.

  Legend

  

  May. 21, 2018

  Del Valle Regional Park

  Camping within an hour from the town of Livermore, CA

  We've been camping here a few times now, since it is about a half hour from where we live. We camp with a 27' Travel Trailer and the campgrounds can accommodate it. There is also several tent campsites as well. The marina to Lake Del Valle is a few miles away. They rent recreational boats as well as aluminum fishing boats. They have a swimming beach area and they rent kayaks as well. There is some decent hiking trails from the campgrounds. There were no hookups where we camped for the travel trailer. Lots of turkey and deer in the area. The fee for us was $27/per night. They is a per fee as well.

• 

  Justin M.

  Traveler

  

  Jul. 6, 2018

  Samuel P. Taylor State Park Campground

  Barely camping, and 100% incredible

  Unlike Big Basin or other cabins that neighbor tent camping, the SPT cabins are secluded. Here are my disorganized bullet points:

  • Cabins are incredible. They have electricity, outlets, and heating. All you need are sheets, pillows, and blankets.
  • Great for families.
  • Drinkable water
  • Dish washing station at the restrooms
  • Showers!
  • 15 mins from the nearest store, so you don't need to bring much (or can pick things up if you forgot)
  • 45 mins from Pt Reyes

  Be aware of the tons of poison oak, and bring a yellowjacket trap to hang. There's not a lot of flat ground in the campground for kids riding bikes, so you'll need to go hike the trails or go down to the other main area for that. But this is like 2% negative and everything else is 98% positive.

  Overall I think these are perfect for the mini-vacation style "let's throw a few things in a bag, low effort" camping trips.

• J

  J W.

  Traveler

  

  Jun. 27, 2016

  Samuel P. Taylor State Park Campground

  Samuel P. Taylor

  Our tent is 10" by 8" and we barely fit this thing in the site. We were in site 9 (the one next to us looked really nice like you could set it up under the trees!). I learned the hard way to check size of the camp site to make sure your tent fits! We did it but it was close! That's probably my fault really, but none of the sites seemed particularly big. It was nice that it was right by the creek so you could hear that in the tent. Sites are separated by trees side to side, but there's a road down the middle and the sites across the way are very visible as there is just downed trees as a barrier. There is a little trail you can walk up through the campsite - but you never really get to see the creek! The chipmunks here were super aggressive. My daughter was eating a fig bar and we were all at the table too. She put the bar down on the table to take a drink of water and the chipmunk jumped on the table and grabbed her bar and ran. I've never experienced that brave of a chipmunk before!

• A

  Ann I.

  Scout

  

  Jun. 26, 2022

  Dumbarton Quarry Campground on the Bay

  Nice new campground

  We've camped here twice and it's been nice with a couple of exceptions. Since it's a new campground, the trees are young and don't supply much shade, but since it's close to the SF Bay, the bay breeze helps. It is right off 84 near the Dumbarton bridge so there can be a lot of traffic noise. There are some nice trails that will take you to the Bay and also to Coyote Hills Regional Park. It's also near Ardenwood Farm so if you have little kids it's a good spot to visit. 
  They have RV and tent sites and it looks like they will have a little store and laundry facilities in the future. There are lots of shopping and restaurant options very nearby if needed. 

  We had an issue with a camper that was next to us playing very loud music and when we asked them to turn it down they refused so we asked at the office if there was a space available somewhere else and they accommodated us without question. 

  We appreciate how convenient it is for people who live in the Bay Area and if you want to visit the area from out of state or out of the Bay Area, it would be a great place to park your camper and explore.

• 

  Joseph F.

  Traveler

  

  Sep. 9, 2021

  Samuel P. Taylor State Park Campground

  Nice shady retreat in beautiful redwoods.

  We have previously tent camped and car camped here and we really enjoy it. It can get warm in the summer, but the cool moist ocean fog comes in and blankets the area in the evenings, which can really cool it down. On our first visit, there was no running water or showers, but they did have portapotties. On our second visit, water was available, but it was not potable, and the showers and toilets were still not working. Not sure if that is a Covid related issue or a temporary maintenance issue. It’s worth a drive through prior to staying, in order to find a site that fits your needs, they have many different sized sites available, and we like the sites in the high teens (18 & 19), as they seem a bit larger and are right along the creek. The sites appear to be your standard state park equipment with a fire pit, a picnic table and a lockable pantry. The parking area for our site was large enough to accommodate our SUV and another vehicle. There is firewood generally available with the camp host or at the gate. Good cell signal with Verizon. Because of the amazing redwood canopy, it might be hard to get good sun for solar in most of the sites. There are all kinds of trails available, as well as a paved path that runs for at least a mile or so along the creek, that used to be the old railroad line through that area. They have informational signs all over the place providing historical or ecological information. Access to the creek is seasonally restricted for spawning, and I believe that goes from spring to about mid June or July. Also, lots of poison oak in the unmaintained areas and off the trails, so be aware.

• A

  Adam

  Traveler

  

  Aug. 31, 2018

  Steep Ravine Campground — Mount Tamalpais State Park

  Worth doing at least once. Bring mouse traps.

  How is it possible that I am the first to review this place, the number one most difficult to reserve spot in all of California (and therefore presumably all of America)?!

  So the cabins are not only notoriously difficult to reserve -- you need to be ready to click "reserve" on the website at no less than 5 minutes before the window opens for your dates of interest, which was 6 months ahead of time when I reserved -- but kind of expensive for what they are, at $100/night plus reservation fee.

  For that, you get your own seaside cabin with million dollar views just 30 minutes north of the Golden Gate Bridge. Sleeping platforms for about 6 people split among 3 semi-private rooms. Flush toilets at the parking lot and an honor system for buying firewood bundles with kindling. A full-time host lives in the house at the parking lot. There are dish washing spigots scattered among the cabins. There are wheelbarrows for schlepping your stuff to the cabins and campsites; more on that later. And charcoal grills outside each cabin. A couple general use picnic tables scattered about. So those are the basics you can read anywhere.

  Various thoughts and recommendations, based on my solo weekend visit in mid-March 2018, staying in Cabin 7 at the bottom of the hill closest to the little beach:

  • It's a classic, twisty ride on Highway 1 to get to the entrance, and then another steep, curvy ride down to the campground. Campers sensitive to motion sickness or vertigo be warned.
  • Mice. There were several brand new mouse traps provided at the entrance to my cabin. You'll need them. You'd think staying in a cabin would elevate the camping experience a bit, but frankly, this brought things down a couple notches. In two days, I caught three and actually had to buy more traps. Removing any hint of food every night might work, but that's a pain. Experienced cabin-stayers will probably have better advice than mine.
  • Views. The campground and all cabins have incredible views. Bring binoculars and your good camera. Bolinas, Stinson, The Farallon Islands, fishing boats, the night sky, raptors, seals, all manner of water fowl…that's why you're here. The views. And…
  • It's about a mile into Stinson Beach if you need provisions or restaurants, and you can hike right onto the Steep Ravine / Matt Davis trails and climb all over Mt. Tam from the campground. It's also a great base camp for exploring Bolinas and the Pt. Reyes area by vehicle.
  • Wind! It's typically windy in this area most afternoons from May to September. Between those months, there's always a chance of rain, so being inside the cabin with the woodburning stove does have a major advantage over the campsites.
  • Seating. Bring your camp chairs. The cabins have fixed sleeping platforms, a built-in table, and two hard wooden benches. If you want to sit close to the wood stove or just lounge comfortably inside or out, it's DIY.

  My advice? If you're a small party that just wants a couple days with the gorgeous oceanfront views and location, stay at the tent sites, not the cabins. You won't sleep with one eye open waiting for the mousetraps to pop, and it's a flat, easy portage from the parking lot to the campsites. Easier to keep clean, and I find cooking outside to be less of a hassle and easier to clean up than doing it inside the cabin where there isn't any water, sink, or spillage containment solution. Cheaper and (barely) easier to reserve a tent site, too.

  If you're intent on having the cabin experience, or if you're staying in winter, or staying for more than a couple days, or have kids and really want to set up house, then go for a cabin, and I'd recommend choosing a cabin close to the parking lot. They're actually more private and you can use the wheelbarrows to move your stuff from car to cabin. The cabins further away from the parking lot are further down the hill; wheelbarrows are not an option, and footing is iffy when carrying large, heavy items up and down from the parking lot. Views are the same from all cabins so you're not losing any benefits. I'll try for CB04 next time.

  But take whatever cabin you can get, and check "Steep Ravine Cabins" off your camping bucket list.