Best Tent Camping near Greenbrae, CA

Tent campers seeking outdoor experiences near Greenbrae, California can find several established campgrounds in Mount Tamalpais State Park, Point Reyes National Seashore, and Golden Gate National Recreation Area. Notable options include Pantoll Campground and Bootjack Campground in Mount Tamalpais State Park, both offering walk-in tent sites with picnic tables and access to numerous hiking trails. Sky Campground and Wildcat Campground in Point Reyes National Seashore provide more remote tent camping experiences with coastal views.

Most tent campgrounds in the region feature primitive amenities with varying levels of development. Sites typically include picnic tables, fire pits or charcoal grills, and food storage lockers to protect supplies from wildlife. Water availability differs between locations - Pantoll and Bootjack campgrounds provide drinking water, while Haypress Campground in the Marin Headlands requires campers to bring their own. A visitor commented that at Haypress, "You are on your own here. Bring your own water. No fires. You get a picnic table and a food storage locker, nothing else." Vault toilets are standard at most locations, though flush toilets can be found at certain campgrounds like Pantoll.

The tent camping experience around Greenbrae offers unique advantages for those seeking natural immersion. Many sites provide direct access to extensive trail networks, with Mount Tamalpais State Park connecting to paths leading to Muir Woods and Stinson Beach. As described in feedback on The Dyrt, "You can hike anywhere from this campground. Down to Muir Woods in less than 3 miles. Up to Rock Springs, Bolinas Ridge, and Mount Tam." Early morning fog often blankets coastal campgrounds, creating atmospheric conditions but requiring proper rain protection. Campers should be prepared for encounters with local wildlife, including raccoons that actively search for food after dark. First-come, first-served policies apply at several campgrounds, including Pantoll and Bootjack, while others like those in Point Reyes require advance reservations through recreation.gov.

Best Tent Sites Near Greenbrae, California (42)

    1. Steep Ravine Campground — Mount Tamalpais State Park

    15 Reviews
    Stinson Beach, CA
    7 miles
    Website
    +1 (415) 388-2070

    $25 - $100 / night

    "And charcoal grills outside each cabin. A couple general use picnic tables scattered about. So those are the basics you can read anywhere."

    "There is a separate bedroom, you could sleep 2 couples on beds easily with extra floor space and a small individual bunk for larger families."

    2. Pantoll Campground — Mount Tamalpais State Park

    14 Reviews
    Stinson Beach, CA
    5 miles
    Website
    +1 (415) 388-2070

    $7 - $25 / night

    "Pantoll is a pretty campground located adjacent to the entrance to Mount Tamalpais.  You can hike to, bike to, take the bus to, or even drive to this campground.  "

    "The sites are nice size and level but the downside is they are pretty close together and right next to the parking area so there isn't much privacy."

    3. Sunrise Campground — Angel Island State Park

    9 Reviews
    Tiburon, CA
    8 miles
    Website
    +1 (415) 435-5390

    $30 / night

    "Angel Island is a unique backpacking experience, one I'd gladly do again."

    "Angel Island is a California State Park, but it's surprising how many visitors do not know of the 10 campsites scattered around the island!"

    4. Wildcat Campground — Point Reyes National Seashore

    14 Reviews
    Olema, CA
    15 miles
    Website

    "A very cool spot for backpacking in with 6-8 miles to hike in, depending on the trails you take. The tall grass gave some privacy between neighboring campsites. Nice to have a water spigot on-site."

    "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](https://www.nps.gov/pore/planyourvisit/alamere_falls.htm"

    5. Bicentennial Campground — Golden Gate National Recreation Area

    7 Reviews
    Sausalito, CA
    8 miles
    Website
    +1 (415) 331-1540

    $25 / night

    "this is an excellent primitive campground with 3 sites."

    "3 sites, very close to each other/nothing separating them. Sites were clean."

    6. Haypress Campground — Golden Gate National Recreation Area

    5 Reviews
    Muir Beach, CA
    6 miles
    Website
    +1 (415) 331-1540

    $25 - $75 / night

    "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."

    "A hike-in campground in Tennessee Valley, a short 20 minute drive from the Golden Gate Bridge and the hustle and bustle of the City.  My family of three stayed here for one night in mid March.  "

    7. Alice Eastwood Group Camp — Mount Tamalpais State Park

    4 Reviews
    Muir Woods, CA
    4 miles
    Website

    $110 - $225 / night

    "Group B holds 25 and has more privacy. We had Group A and had a ton of day hikers invading our site."

    "Per my rating system, I usually reserve 5 stars for those parks that are worth traveling to from long distances (i.e. out of state)."

    8. Glen Campground — Point Reyes National Seashore

    10 Reviews
    Point Reyes National Seashore, CA
    15 miles
    Website
    +1 (415) 663-8054

    $30 / night

    "A nice place to stay for backpacking. Site 8 was a little bit secluded and away from other sites. The site was smallish and had a fox box and picnic table."

    "Beautiful weather, not too hot. It was a hike-in camp site called sky camp. It was a 1.3 mile hike uphill so that was pretty rough. It was our first time going to a hike-in camp site."

    9. Sky Campground — Point Reyes National Seashore

    13 Reviews
    Point Reyes National Seashore, CA
    18 miles
    Website
    +1 (415) 663-8054

    "The hike in camp is only a 1.3 ish mile hike and it was awesome."

    "There is short backpack trip to Sky Camp which is litereally on the ridge.  You are in the Point Reyes National Seashore up on a ridge.  Beautiful views when there is no fog - but expect fog."

    10. Bootjack Campground — Mount Tamalpais State Park

    3 Reviews
    Stinson Beach, CA
    5 miles
    Website
    +1 (415) 388-2070

    "Each campsite had a table and bench, wood grill area, and easy access got the restrooms, potable water, and trash cans (that are inside wooden boxes to deter wildlife)."

    "Most sites are near the road and you’ll hear bicycles all night. Though, you can see the city shine in the distance. Cost us $25"

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Tent Camping Reviews near Greenbrae, CA

752 Reviews of 42 Greenbrae Campgrounds


  • Erin S.
    Mar. 16, 2022

    Pantoll Campground — Mount Tamalpais State Park

    Tent campground with plenty of hiking trails

    Pantoll is a pretty campground located adjacent to the entrance to Mount Tamalpais.  You can hike to, bike to, take the bus to, or even drive to this campground.  If you choose to drive, just know that it can be impossible to find a place to park on busy weekends (you'll need to drop your stuff off, find a place to park along the road, then come back to park in the evening when the parking lot clears).  We hiked in.  On a weekend night in March, only four of the 16 sites were taken so we had no problem nabbing a spot.  The campground is situated across a steep-ish hillside.  Water spigots are spread out among the sites, but all the bathrooms are located down the hill near the parking lot.  Each site has a fire pit, picnic table, and a flat spot to pitch a tent.  Sites are fairly close together in bunches (for example, 2, 3, and 5 were close, 6 and 7 were close, but there was a bit of space between the groups). Firewood is sold at the ranger kiosk but they have limited hours. Some spots are larger than others, and very few can accommodate a house-size tent (you know what I mean - and no judging, I have a house-size tent for car camping).  We had our 3 person backpacking tent with us and it would have fit in all the sites.  Sites up the hill require a bit of a hike-in but are farther from the road noise and busy parking lot.  There is one dishwashing station near the bottom.  

    Pros: 

    - Location.  You can hike anywhere from this campground.  Down to Muir Woods in less than 3 miles.  Up to Rock Springs, Bolinas Ridge, and Mount Tam.  Down to Stinson Beach.  I could spend a week here exploring all the trails.

    - Amenties.  Dishwashing sink, many water spigots, food storage lockers, fire pits, toilets that flush.  And Wifi from the ranger kiosk (squee!!!) which we appreciated to check the weather and bus schedule (very poor Verizon signal).

    Cons: 

    - Noise from Panoramic Highway.

    - Busy parking lot with lots of people potentially moving around the campground (especially the lower sites). 

    - No reservations: FCFS only.

    Overall I'm really happy I finally got to chance to camp here and would recommend.

  • MarinMaverick
    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.

  • Rommel C.
    Oct. 31, 2022

    Live Oak Campground — Mount Diablo State Park Campground

    juniper campground - site 15 - end of october

    great campsite! be careful driving up the windy road and watch for the many cyclists. going up/down with you. 

    driving in was very easy; parking is right next to the site. the campsite itself was beautiful - panoramic views of the east bay area. i could recognize walnut creek, lafayette, danville and san ramon through the binoculars. site was clean, but the ground itself was very rocky. irritating that there wasn't really any level spots to set up the tent, so sleeping on a slant was a real treat (sarcasm). weather was very mild during the day; not too hot, nor too cold. nights were bearable in the high 50s, and by late night (cuz i kept waking up because of slanted sleeping), but felt like low 40s and slightly windy. make sure you bring thermals and a warm sleeping bag. sleeping pad is a definite must on the sharp rocks; be careful when stepping around in the tent with just socks on. 

    drought meant that flushing toilets were all locked.. as were the showers.. but from what i heard the "chemical toilets" (aka porta-potties) were an adequate substitute. water access had been shut off as well, so make sure you bring plenty of your own for washing and drinking. 

    critters - we didn't encounter any during our stay. no racoons, bears, mice, rats.. nada. just a ton of pincher bugs everywhere. not even many flies! we had those spinning fly deterrent things, though. maybe those really DO work? 

    ALSO because of the drought - NO WOOD FIRES ALLOWED. total/complete bummer to camp without a campfire. gas stoves and lanterns were permitted, though.

  • S
    Nov. 12, 2020

    Live Oak Campground — Mount Diablo State Park Campground

    Juniper Campground: hiked in

    We hiked up to Juniper campground from the Clayton side. The sites in the teens have less overhead shade but more privacy than those of higher numbers. The sites closest to the driving road/entrance/overlook will have the potential to be downwind of the bathroom, unfortunately.

    The campground is a dry campground - as in no alcohol.

    That said, we loved our site #15, and enjoyed the privacy it provided, plus the views (if you stand on the table or are tall). We didn't encounter critters. We had some trouble staking down on the rocky dirt. 

    This is a good campground to explore the rest of the summit areas, plus Rock City.

  • Larry W.
    Aug. 28, 2020

    Sugar Barge RV Resort & Marina

    Quiet, NO other tenters!

    We (party of 4) were there primarily because we rented a boat from their Marina. That went well! This is an RV campground & full-complement resort on Bethel Island, San Joaquin River Delta. Many RVers appear to be long-term or full-time residents.

    The tent-area was a clearing, fully backed up to the levee, with some shade and a water spigot. Appears to be only 4 “sites,” which are defined by picnic tables, GENEROUSLY spaced, no fire rings AND the Delta is h.o.t.! It’s also on the far edge of the property, so car traffic was MINIMUM — and NO generators were heard, even though the RV section is huge!!!

    The rest rooms were in the Marina building, a short walk. We would DEFINITELY return for boating and tenting!!!

  • Cococounty L.
    Apr. 25, 2020

    Briones Regional Park

    A nice spot!

    A few low spots. Cleared 12' barely with minor scrapes. Good parking and turn around. Lots of opportunities for horse riders in area. Pets on leash.

  • Lee D.The Dyrt PRO User
    Nov. 1, 2023

    Doran Regional Park

    Large and popular Sonoma County Park

    General: Located between Bodega Bay and Bodega Harbor, this county park has over 140 sites in four campgrounds: Shell, Gull, Cove, and Jetty. There is also tent camping, a group campsite, and a hiker/biker camping area. No hookups in any site. 

    Site Quality: Each site has a picnic table and a fire ring. Sites all appeared to be level. Depending on your site, you may have more privacy/separation than in others. Site 21 (in Shell) was nicely positioned, however, the sites on either side of us were not occupied during our stay so we had more privacy. 

    Bath/Shower: Self-contained units with a toilet and sink with soap, HOT water, and air dryer. One coin-operated shower house for Shell, Gull, and Cove campgrounds, located between Gull and Cove. Additional showers in the tent-only section and the Jetty campground. Generally clean. 

    Activities: Hiking, fishing, birding, beachcombing, wading, and water sports. There was a very short boardwalk and sandy walking paths, although some of these were very overgrown. 

    One thing I appreciated was propane cylinder recycling. We learned there is a program where select vendors will refill the small cylinders and we hope this becomes more readily available. This is a much larger county park campground than we have been in before and it was very busy when we were there on a weekday in late October. Nice but I prefer the smaller and quieter campgrounds.

  • Lori A.The Dyrt PRO User
    Jan. 5, 2022

    Glen Campground — Point Reyes National Seashore

    Simple and Basic

    A 5 mile hike from the Bear Valley Trailhead leading to a small campground with 12 sites.  We stayed at #9.  Potable water and vault toilets are available, with each site also having a picnic table, charcoal barbecues and bear boxes.  Wood fires are not permitted.  A stream runs beside the campground and there are hiking trails leading to the sea.

  • DThe Dyrt PRO User
    Dec. 8, 2021

    Westside Regional Park

    Great views, but close to the neighbors

    First, you stay here for the views. Great views from the first two rows closest to the water. There are very few plantings between spaces. No hook ups at all, but water is available if you fill before you park. Seven dollar dump station. Each campsite has a fire ring and a wooden picnic table and grass. Since there’s no hook ups between the hours of 8 AM and 8 PM, you will always be listening to somebody’s generator running. Always. No privacy at this campground. I did not check out the bathrooms for the campground, but I did look at the bathrooms for the large boat launch area next-door. No showers in that bathroom, but it was clean. A bit spendy for no hookups. Safe. Zero long term campers when I was here. There are no first come first served campsites at this location. All camping spaces had a reserve sign on them, even though the place was about 40% full. Completely dark at night, which was great.


Guide to Greenbrae

Tent campsites near Greenbrae, California range from coastal bluff settings to redwood-sheltered glens within the coastal mountain terrain of Marin County. Most campgrounds sit at elevations between 400-1200 feet, capturing fog patterns that roll in daily between May and September. Winter camping brings temperatures that rarely drop below 40°F, with January averages reaching 57°F during daytime hours.

What to do

Beach exploration at Wildcat Camp: Located 6.3 miles from Bear Valley Visitor Center in Point Reyes, this campground provides a prime basecamp for morning explorations of Alamere Falls. "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," notes one camper who suggests, "If you head in the opposite direction of the Falls, you'll have miles and miles of no one around…"

Star-watching from Angel Island: Take the ferry from Tiburon to Angel Island State Park for unparalleled night sky viewing after day visitors leave. "Once the last ferry leaves, you have the island practically to yourself. It is pretty awesome," shares one reviewer. The limited camping capacity means privacy for stargazing: "There are only 10 sites on the island, so permits are limited!"

Historic sites at Mount Tam: Explore old military installations and immigration facilities while camping. According to one visitor at Steep Ravine Campground: "The wildlife is off the hook..I've seen deer in the seaside vernal pools, wild miniature ocean bunnies boxing in the morning sunshine, and a great white shark off the cliffs one fine day..." Access these sites via trails that connect directly to most camping areas.

What campers like

Backcountry privacy with amenities: At Glen Campground in Point Reyes, campers appreciate the isolated feel with practical features. "The campground is quiet, 12 sites arranged in the trees around a small bare field with toilets and a water faucet," writes one reviewer. Another notes site selection differences: "Some sites are dry and get some sun. 5-8 are more private than others, but 8 gets 0 sun."

Coastal views: Experienced campers recommend specific sites at Sky Campground for optimal ocean visibility. "I personally wouldn't reserve sites 1 or 2 due to odors that drift over from the toilets. I stayed at site #12 and felt that it and #11 were the best ones there because they are surrounded by lush vegetation and have trees that provide shade and protection against the wind. It also had a good view of the gorgeous coastline!"

Proximity to San Francisco: Tent camping areas provide quick natural escapes for city dwellers. At Bicentennial Campground, a reviewer notes: "This is an excellent primitive campground with 3 sites. It has great hiking nearby and an incredible view of the Golden Gate Bridge and the city, and is a short drive into the city." The accessibility makes these campgrounds practical for weekend trips.

What you should know

Tent pad limitations: Many walk-in campgrounds have specific tent placement areas. At Haypress Campground, "The tent pads (a flat sandy area surrounded by wood beams) were fairly small - maybe 10' x 10'." Know your tent dimensions before arriving to ensure proper fit.

Water planning: Water availability varies significantly between sites. One camper reports at Haypress: "No water. We backpacked in from the Golden Gate Bridge. There was no place nearby to fill up on water, and had to be extremely conservative in our use. No springs or creeks running nearby this time of year either."

Site privacy considerations: Campground layouts vary in how much separation exists between sites. At Bicentennial Campground, "All three sites here are next to each other and have no separation," while at Glen Campground, "Most individual sites are well-screened by shrubs and trees."

Wildlife interactions: Multiple campgrounds report active nocturnal animals. At Wildcat Camp, a reviewer cautions: "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." Similarly, at Pantoll Campground: "Lots of raccoons at night, so lock everything away."

Tips for camping with families

Short backpacking options: For introducing children to backpacking, Sky Camp offers accessible terrain. "It's only a 1.5 mile hike in from the parking lots so it's great for beginners or kids," notes one camper. The moderate elevation gain makes it manageable for young hikers.

Educational opportunities: Bootjack Campground provides learning experiences with natural features. "Each campsite had a table and bench, wood grill area, and easy access got the restrooms, potable water, and trash cans (that are inside wooden boxes to deter wildlife)," writes a visitor. These facilities help teach children about responsible camping.

Group-friendly facilities: For larger family gatherings, special sites exist. "Alice Eastwood group camp has a fully covered dining area, fully plumbed sinks and bathrooms, and a plethora of hiking options in the Muir Woods and Mt. Tamalpais," shares a family camper who adds, "Group A holds 50 people. There is a kitchen area with a huge grill and a large canopy covering a dining area."

Tips from RVers

Parking challenges: Since most campgrounds near Greenbrae are tent-only, RVers should plan ahead for parking. At Pantoll Campground, one visitor observed: "Just know that it can be impossible to find a place to park on busy weekends (you'll need to drop your stuff off, find a place to park along the road, then come back to park in the evening when the parking lot clears)."

Weather considerations: Weather affects RV access roads significantly. A visitor to Mount Tamalpais noted: "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."

Frequently Asked Questions

Which is the most popular tent campsite near Greenbrae, CA?

According to TheDyrt.com, the most popular tent campground near Greenbrae, CA is Steep Ravine Campground — Mount Tamalpais State Park with a 4.7-star rating from 15 reviews.

What is the best site to find tent camping near Greenbrae, CA?

TheDyrt.com has all 42 tent camping locations near Greenbrae, CA, with real photos and reviews from campers.