Best Glamping near Gualala, CA

Manchester Beach / Mendocino Coast KOA houses an array of upscale glamping accommodations along the scenic California coastline. The resort-style camping setup includes well-appointed deluxe cabins with modern amenities while maintaining a natural outdoor atmosphere. Guests enjoy heated accommodations with comfortable beds, electricity, and convenient access to clean facilities including showers and toilets. Located within walking distance of Manchester Beach, this glamping destination serves as an ideal base for exploring the Mendocino coastline and Point Arena lighthouse. The campground features a heated swimming pool, hot tub, and community gathering spaces with modern conveniences not typically found in traditional camping settings. One guest shared, "The basic cabin was just that, but spacious and the heaters worked very well. Nice, well kept campground with plenty of activities and access to a coastal trail."

Several miles inland, visitors find additional glamping options at River Bend Resort and Duncans Mills Campground, where comfortable accommodation alternatives provide resort amenities in natural settings. The campgrounds maintain picnic areas, fire rings, and scenic views while providing the comfort of proper beds and climate control. Activities in the region include coastal hiking, lighthouse tours, beach exploration, and wildlife viewing. The seasonal climate affects camping experiences, with summer offering warmer temperatures and winter bringing coastal fog and cooler evenings. A recent visitor mentioned, "We enjoyed having a full kitchen available and the community entertainment like s'mores around the campfire." Most glamping sites in the area require reservations, especially during peak summer months when coastal camping with amenities becomes particularly popular.

Best Glamping Sites Near Gualala, California (17)

    1. Manchester Beach / Mendocino Coast KOA

    17 Reviews
    Manchester, CA
    17 miles
    Website
    +1 (707) 882-2375

    "we enjoyed having a full kitchen available and the community entertainment like s’mores around the campfire. bocce ball courts definitely needed some TLC."

    "The beach is about a mile hike, you can ride your bike though on the road outside the KOA or drive and the beach is closer. Point Arena lighthouse is a close drive away."

    2. Manchester State Park Campground

    8 Reviews
    Manchester, CA
    17 miles
    Website
    +1 (707) 882-2463

    $35 / night

    "Bathrooms were not usable in my opinion but I have a bathroom tent with potty so it didn’t bother us."

    "I would recommend the sites in the high 30's as they are more secluded."

    3. Bodega Bay RV Park

    15 Reviews
    Bodega Bay, CA
    39 miles
    Website
    +1 (707) 875-3701

    "Best friendly and helpful staff. Very clean sites and restrooms."

    "With a good location you can take some walks to the Salmon River. The pull thru was long but is very narrow. Time you are setup, the camp side of the site is very small."

    4. Johnson's Beach

    6 Reviews
    Guerneville, CA
    34 miles
    Website
    +1 (707) 869-2022

    $50 - $100 / night

    "Great spot in the middle of town. walking distance from all shops and bars while still on the river. Friendly staff, friendly neighbors."

    "There is an access to the river and few steps away from an old small town feel. Lots of local shops and bars right outside the campsite."

    5. Duncans Mills Campground (Membership)

    2 Reviews
    Duncans Mills, CA
    34 miles
    Website
    +1 (707) 865-2024

    "Beautiful river along with campsites surrounded by tall tress. Nice place to relax,hike, fish and or kayaking. full hookups and well maintained campground along with a decent rec center."

    6. River Bend Resort

    4 Reviews
    Rio Nido, CA
    36 miles
    Website
    +1 (707) 887-7662

    $79 - $360 / night

    "Great restaurant just outside the property, well stocked general store, arcade, park, and oh yes beach front access where the river does a nice bend."

    7. Mendocino Redwoods RV Resort

    9 Reviews
    Willits, CA
    45 miles
    Website
    +1 (707) 459-6179

    "We were just a few steps from the pool, which was clean, but pretty cold. It didn’t seem like it was heated. If it is, it’s not heated well."

    "The Mendocino redwoods RV resort just outside of Willits on CA-20 to Fort Bragg, California, was 3 years ago a KOA resort."

    8. Narrows Lodge Resort

    4 Reviews
    Upper Lake, CA
    39 miles
    Website
    +1 (707) 275-2718

    "It’s a short walk from anywhere in the campground down to the lake. The water is crystal clear and there’s a little dock for jumping off of."

    "We received a key to our own bathroom and shower! They had a sink to was dishes in and a place to clean our fish. We rented a motor boat for a few hours to explore the beautiful lake.  Pet friendly."

    9. The Aurora RV Park & Marina

    7 Reviews
    Nice, CA
    44 miles
    Website
    +1 (707) 274-5531

    $22 - $75 / night

    "She answered all our questions and showed us around. We feel in love with this place! 💕 You can fish right from your camp spot if you get a spot right on the water."

    "This park has two parts: most is across the street from the lake but some spots are lakeside. The lakeside spots are very tight together-and require backing in."

    10. Dunlap Campground

    5 Reviews
    Comptche, CA
    40 miles
    Website

    "3 sites are currently closed due to COVID to encourage social distancing; sites fill up quickly on weekends; no on-site camp host, but Cal Fire does come through to write receipts and pick up trash."

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Glamping Reviews near Gualala, CA

88 Reviews of 17 Gualala Campgrounds


  • Msmetoo48 S.
    Jun. 19, 2022

    Bodega Bay RV Park

    Great location, lots of campers

    Clean and well laid out. Laundry has 3 washers and 3 dryers. Prices are high but normal for CA. It’s a bit of a walk to the nearest beach, but you can drive if you want to. Sites are all gravel with a picnic table and divided by a fence. It’s a packed place with no real views. Staff is very nice. Dogs were wondering through our site and quiet hours were not enforced.

  • R
    May. 31, 2024

    Glamping in the Redwoods 🐶🐕💃🕺🏼

    A Sunny, Inground Solar Heated Pool in the Redwood Forest! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️🏕️🚐

    Jeanne and Roberts treehouse is a luxurious Wonderland of a campground! We had total privacy, a pool, sauna and hot tub and a cool little treehouse to sleep in (with real stairs, leading up to it), Our dogs had a great time because they were off leash… The place is completely private and fenced! We highly recommend, the treehouse… You won’t be disappointed!

  • Donna M.
    Apr. 11, 2019

    Middle Creek Campground

    Oh heaven or peaceful tranquility

    Middle creek campground was as close as we could find to free camping in Upper Lake CA. At the time of our visit 90% of the Mendocino National Forest was closed as a result of fires the past year as well as landslides due to rains.this is normally a ohv area but since all trails are closed it is quiet and peaceful.you can hear the creek running along the camp, as well as the wild turkeys . There must be over 15 different species of birds as well. Each campsite has a picnic table , fire pit as well as a bbq grill. They do have vault toilets and running water. It was $8.00 a nite but offered a discount with a America the beautiful pass

  • H
    Jul. 5, 2025

    Johnson's Beach

    Good location but mediocre camping

    Just got back from a 2 night stay at Johnson's Beach campsite. We found the camp grounds to be so-so and not the most maintained. While we were there, we saw more than a few families come for a night and leave earlier than expected because of complaints of their sites. 

    If you are interested in Johnson's Beach, I'd rather do one of their glamping tents or bungalow instead.

    Pros:

    • Good location to the beach; 2 minute walk from camp site to the beach.

    • Nice clean and well maintained bathrooms and showers.

    • 5 minute walk to downtown / Safeway

    • Host (Chris) was nice and did his best.

    • Outlets at each site.

    • Well shaded by trees (although is also a con).

    Cons:

    • Camp sites too cramped/small, especially from 20 - 25. Hardly any breathing room.
    • Camp sites are right behind a bar (?) and homes so we heard a lot of partying, singing, dog barking well into the night
    • Road next to the camp sites used by cars to reach the beach. Cars would stir up dust. 
    • A lot of trees but frequented by crows. The crows can be very noisy and loved to poop all around the camp grounds.
  • D
    Aug. 7, 2020

    Jackson Demonstration Forest

    Secluded and peaceful

    Jackson State Demonstration forest is about 6 miles from fort Bragg on hwy.20 Campground is about 3 miles down a dirt road down into the forest from the highway.

    Beautiful, clean and peaceful. Plenty of trails to explore and Noyo River meanders through the center. It was self pay upon arrival and the whole place was welcoming. Nice day use area with tables and creek for playing in. No water but fire pits and grills, and picnic tables in campsites. At the sites , Trash and pit toilet areas seemed cleaned regularly and cal fire was seen a few times through our stay so it’s out there but doesn’t feel far away.

    There was a massive group site that would be gorgeous for a family gathering too!

  • L
    Aug. 27, 2020

    Dunlap Campground

    Great FCFS sites close to coast

    3 sites are currently closed due to COVID to encourage social distancing; sites fill up quickly on weekends; no on-site camp host, but Cal Fire does come through to write receipts and pick up trash. Not sure if there's water (we brought our own). Good option if needing first come first serve sites since all of the state parks are reservation-only currently. All sites have fire ring and picnic table, also some access to the creek/river bed below to explore. Really convenient to Fort Bragg (30 min away) or Willets (30 min away). No cell service. Only possible complaint would be that you can hear the road noise, but get used to it after awhile.

  • Cassidy Y.
    Aug. 2, 2021

    Jackson Demonstration Forest

    Pretty good spot

    I’m bad about planning ahead and couldn’t reserve a campground at my usual spots also was trying to avoid the smoke in the valley from all the forest fires. This area was recommended because they are all first come first serve. I drove up on a Friday in July and was able to get a spot at Dunlap campground. The campground filled up by 5:00 Friday night and stayed full the rest of the weekend. Each camp has a picnic table, fire pit and a bbq. Dump lap has 17 spots and a vaulted toilet. There was a small creek behind the campground which was nice. It was about a 30 minute drive to fort Bragg made for an easy day trip. The campground is maintained by cal fire $20 a night. No camp host on site, cal fire crew came in once a day to check the campground. Fellow campers weren’t too loud, the birds were worse in the morning. I’m

  • R
    May. 31, 2024

    Glamping in the Redwoods 🐶🐕💃🕺🏼

    WOW! AWESOME, PRIVATE, BEAUTIFUL WITH EXCLUSIVE USE OF HOT TUB! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

    Jeanne and Robert’s Hipcamp is amazing. We had such fun there. Their treehouse site has a solar, heated pool, a sauna, and a hot tub! The Vancamp site has total privacy, and a hot tub in the redwoods. We could not have found a better place to hang out and chill! Our dogs even got to be off leash because it is all fenced!

  • Mary L.
    Aug. 11, 2018

    Manchester Beach / Mendocino Coast KOA

    quick stop

    we enjoyed having a full kitchen available and the community entertainment like s’mores around the campfire. bocce ball courts definitely needed some TLC.


Frequently Asked Questions

Which is the most popular glamping campsite near Gualala, CA?

According to TheDyrt.com, the most popular glamping campground near Gualala, CA is Manchester Beach / Mendocino Coast KOA with a 4.3-star rating from 17 reviews.

What is the best site to find glamping camping near Gualala, CA?

TheDyrt.com has all 17 glamping camping locations near Gualala, CA, with real photos and reviews from campers.