Best Equestrian Camping near Gualala, CA

Recent Equestrian Reviews in Gualala

77 Reviews of 7 Gualala Campgrounds

• 

  Shari G.

  Legend

  

  Oct. 8, 2024

  Bodega Dunes Campground — Sonoma Coast State Park

  Quiet Spot Along the Spectacular Sonoma Coast

  Have you been over to Bodega Bay?  I think you'd like it there.  Our friends sure know us well!  While the town doesn’t look much different than when it appeared in Alfred Hitchcock’s “The Birds”, the cafes in the village have definitely upped their game. 

  Bodega Dunes State Park is a great way to experience the area without the same activity and noise in the camp grounds down closer to the water. The campsite loops wind through the coastal Live Oak and Bishop Pine trees and provide some privacy in between sites in some areas, though some sites are right on top of each other.

  They are generally smaller pull-in sites geared more toward tents, vans, and small travel trailers. There are just a handful of sites that can accommodate bigger RVs.  Many of the sites have decent open sky resources for solar power and satellite internet, though many in the lower areas had standing water and torn up asphalt pads from the heavy rains the last couple of years.

  The bathrooms were clean and comfortable with flush toilets and warm showers (coin operated). My only complaint about the bathrooms is that there weren’t quite enough for the demand, in my opinion, but a few port-o-potties might help offset that during the busy season. 

  Hiking among the sand dunes and along the beach provide some really stunning scenery. Reaching the beach, you’ll find as much coastal sand as you can handle with miles and miles of it to yourself. The water, which is normally pretty cold year round, can also be pretty rough for swimming.

  A short drive away is the gorgeous Bodega Head Trail which winds up along the headland and offers amazing scenery. It’s sort of like a small Point Reyes National Seashore, but much easier to get to.

  Bodega Bay has a couple of small grocery stores, gas stations, and more than a few restaurants to meet nearly any craving.  The area is known for its Dungeness Crab Harvest, so be sure to check that out when it's in season!

• 

  Laura M.

  Legend

  

  Sep. 30, 2024

  Doran Regional Park

  Big and Busy

  Great (and big) park in Bodega Bay with several separate campgrounds. We got lucky and snagged a last minute spot for 2 nights in August. Easy access to the beach, lots of day use areas all around this park, and bonus: a dog beach that was available on a trial basis when we were there- dogs got to run free on this little patch of enclosed beach- wonderful. Hope it becomes a permanent feature! 

  Showers were $2 for 5 minutes, there’s recycling here (a separate bin for propane cylinders too). 

  This campground has a lot of in and out traffic and day use visitors and overall more activity than the Westside campground across the way. We enjoyed both of them.

• k

  ken K.

  Scout

  

  Sep. 25, 2024

  Bodega Dunes Campground — Sonoma Coast State Park

  Clean campground

  There is upward of 90 sites, many are for just tents and are on sand with fire pit. I have our travel trailer there and are the site # in the 70's and are on a asphalt pad, which makes it cleaner and level. Down side would be close to a road and traffic during day, but at night very quiet except for fog horn which is no big deal. The beach walks and adventuring the coast and local fair makes it all worth it. Water and dump station available, not at campsites but at entry of park

• B

  B C.

  Traveler

  

  Jun. 23, 2024

  Russian Gulch State Park Campground

  Surprised in Mendocino

  Serene, Beautiful, clean bathrooms, spacious Tucked away off the hwy we were surprised by the sound of babbling creek and the little bridges that meanders through this campground

• 

  Michelle W.

  Ranger

  

  Jun. 17, 2024

  Doran Regional Park

  Amazing location

  I loved my spot right by the ocean. The bathrooms were nice and had hot water.
  Stay in the Cove campsites!

• 

  Mark E.

  Scout

  

  Apr. 3, 2024

  Doran Regional Park

  Great Place but impossible to get into anymore!

  It sucks that so many people go here now. Allowing people to book so far in advance takes away from people trying to camp that have to travel from great distances that cannot risk arriving for the first come first serve spaces!!!

• 

  Lee D.

  Legend

  

  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.

• j

  jessica

  Traveler

  

  Sep. 14, 2023

  Russian Gulch State Park Campground

  Good location, - a little pricey

  Location is great but $45 for no hookups is a bit much. Not sure why Dyrt is saying there are any hookups, only one I saw was at the camp host. I agree with other reviews that state some sites are super close together with little privacy. Lucky I got #22, it was perfect for an 18’ van. There is NO cell service, bathrooms are clean but you have to pay for showers. Hiking trails along the coast are really nice.

• 

  Chris N.

  Guide

  

  May. 31, 2023

  Doran Regional Park

  Lovely water access

  This campground is lovely. Easy access to potable water. Helpful hosts. Access to both the cove and ocean. For us the downside is that we were surrounded by large RV’s, which is not our preference. After 8 when they generators turned off it was lovely.

  If I returned to this campground my preferred spot would be 75 or 76 as they are private and have bay access.

• h

  harry S.

  Guide

  

  May. 11, 2023

  Doran Regional Park

  Nice

  Nice campground, no hook ups is one downside, but would stay again. Employees are very nice and helpful. Bathroom showers clean. Verizon cell service 5g strong coverage.

• 

  Ivette D.

  Scout

  

  Apr. 18, 2023

  Bodega Dunes Campground — Sonoma Coast State Park

  Beautiful!

  Stayed at this campsite at the tail end of a storm so not many folks pitching a tent. The campground was quiet and met some lovely people every now and then. The sites were distant enough to give each camper privacy. Bathrooms and showers were really clean compared to other places. You had to pay for hot water, but $20 got 3 of us enough hot water for 3 days. 

  The trail to the beach was a nice walk and easy to follow. The beach itself was quiet and only a few folks were out there after the storm.

  Overall, a beautiful campground, I'm hoping to go back again and stay in the same spot.

• 

  Neil T.

  Legend

  

  Apr. 1, 2023

  Bodega Dunes Campground — Sonoma Coast State Park

  Nice Setting - hope you like foghorns

  We got a great workout hiking in the dunes to see the sunset over the ocean.

  Lots of cool and funky trees.

  Bathrooms could be updated/cleaner.

  Nice place to eat in Valley Ford called Rock Oysterfeller.

  There is a foghorn that sounds off every 10 seconds or so. I didn’t notice it when we set up camp…maybe the wind and waves. But in the middle of the night it woke me up. I thought it was some Tsunami warning or something. I managed to read what it was and after a while managed to sleep through it.

• G

  George K.

  Scout

  

  Feb. 3, 2023

  Doran Regional Park

  Great winter get away

  Walks, birds, great sky, no hookups but nice

• J

  Joshua H.

  Traveler

  

  Oct. 18, 2022

  COE Mendocino Lake Bu-Shay Campground

  Great spacious campground

  We had a great time when we stayed a night here in October.  The campground is nice and has a lot of availability- even on weekends!

  The camp facilities are fine.  The sites are spacious and there are a mix of shady and sunny sites.  The flush bathrooms are fine, and there are free showers.  Our young kids had a great time playing on the playground which was an unexpected bonus. 

  We stayed on a Saturday night and there weren't that many other people in the campground.  I'm not sure why it's not busier, as it's just as nice as the state park campgrounds we've stayed in.  The town of Ukiah is pretty close as well, so you can get food or supplies easily.

  We had OK cell coverage with Verizon- we could usually browse the internet but streaming videos were difficult (you could download and watch them pretty quickly, but just streaming was hit and miss).

• 

  keith B.

  Guide

  

  Sep. 29, 2022

  Doran Regional Park

  Perfect

  Great campground to visit with the family and get away. Fires are allowed most of the year. The campground has coin operated showers and flushable toilets. As well the day use area allows fires in designated fire pits of course. Restaurants and bars are about a 10 to 15 minute drive away. Highly recommended the best campsites are near Cove camp

• C

  Colleen

  Scout

  

  Aug. 26, 2022

  Doran Regional Park

  Not for privacy or quiet

  There's a loud boat horn, all day and night. Miwok is set up as a group campsite so there is no privacy or space between neighbors. There is no view other than other campsites or the parking lot at most of the Miwok campsites. Prepare for cold wind and wetness (fog, humidity) at your camp. The facilities are safe, clean, and monitored.

• 

  Lisa C.

  Guide

  

  Jun. 28, 2022

  Bodega Dunes Campground — Sonoma Coast State Park

  Small location, amazing proximity to quiet beach

  This location has no hookups but does have a dump station, vault toilets and small bbq grills available. Beautiful sunsets just a short walk away in the dunes. Day use is also available

• 

  Bill F.

  Traveler

  

  May. 20, 2022

  Doran Regional Park

  Beautiful views for days!

  Beautiful spot to spend a little time. Take in some coastal wildlife and walk along the beach. There’s no hookups at RV camp sites so be prepared. There’s potable water connections to top up in the site areas and there’s a dump near the entrance. Generator hrs while I was here were 8-8 but with the wind noise I never heard one. It was windy as heck (mid May) but ymmv. Cell service is spectacular. I carry AT&T, Verizon and T-Mobile and it’s some of the best service I experience camping anywhere.

• c

  cami R.

  Guide

  

  May. 15, 2022

  Bodega Dunes Campground — Sonoma Coast State Park

  Lovely campground

  Nice campsites that are surrounded by greenery, not too close together. Well-sheltered. Unfortunately not good beach access from this campground (you have to drive).

• j

  justin

  Ranger

  

  May. 8, 2022

  Bodega Dunes Campground — Sonoma Coast State Park

  Seashore

  This campsite is centrally located on the peninsula. Access to several roadside dog friendly beaches within minutes. The bay and the beach are within walking distance to campground. The bathrooms are clean and the showers are coin operated. Sites are flat and semi private. The staff is friendly and campground is large.

• 

  Lori A.

  Scout

  

  Oct. 26, 2021

  Bodega Dunes Campground — Sonoma Coast State Park

  Basic Bodega Dunes

  It covers the basics: fire pit, picnic table, flush toilet, and shower. You can buy firewood onsite and you're close to amenities in Bodega Bay.

• 

  BRIAN O.

  Guide

  

  Oct. 6, 2021

  Bodega Dunes Campground — Sonoma Coast State Park

  Good experience

  We stayed here on a whim. We read good things about this campsite and kind of assumed it was close (walking distance) to the beach from our campsite. It wasn’t, but it’s just a short drive to the beach parking lot (about 3-5 mins). The site was nice. Bathrooms were clean and the showers (purchasable tokens) had good water pressure and warm water. We had a minor issue when we tried to book a second night, but it ultimately worked out.
  We visited Wrights Beach which is nearby, and we think we would rather book there on our next visit as it’s much closer to the shoreline.

• 

  Marcia M.

  Traveler

  

  Oct. 2, 2021

  Russian Gulch State Park Campground

  Gorgeous Location

  This is a lovely, peaceful campsite with so many positives. Great hiking trails, a small protected beach, helpful camp host, and well-maintained showers and flush toilets. Larger beaches and the postcard town of Mendocino are just a couple miles away if you want a change of scenery.

  There are a couple things I wish I’d known in advance. The sites are on the small side, and most don’t have two trees large enough to string a hammock or a run line for a dog. Some of the sites aren’t as private, so it’s worth checking a map before booking. I stayed in 27, which was a beautiful spot, but the sites on that side of the creek get almost no sun during the day, so everything was a little damp all the time.

  Those were all small things I can work around the next time I visit, which I absolutely plan to do again.

• D

  Debbie M.

  Guide

  

  Aug. 30, 2021

  Bodega Dunes Campground — Sonoma Coast State Park

  Camping in the sand

  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.

• T

  Taylor L.

  Guide

  

  Aug. 19, 2021

  Middle Creek Campground

  Hope someone sees this

  I’ve been camping cross country for the last month with my husband. We’re from New York, and like to think we’re not easily rattled or intimidated. This was the first time on our trip that we were both scared.

  The forest service website says this campground is not open for camping, just dirt bike and horse riding, so I had found a campground further into the National Forest to camp at. When we drove by Middle Creek, we could see the sites from the road and a few of them had tents and we could see some folks, the campground was pretty clearly operating to some extent. We just wanted somewhere to stay overnight on our way into SF so we doubled back and found a site, paid the $8 and had a snack. We explored our corner of the campground a little- pretty clean, a fine campground. No visible host.

  Lots of wasps and flies, like standing right next to a dumpster. There was a woman who seemed to be experiencing homelessness and/or mental illness occupying multiple sites. She pretty clearly was stealing from sites people weren’t present at, right in front of us. She also had a dog that didn’t seem to be hers.

  The man at the campsite next to us didn’t have a tent or anything, just paid then sat in his truck screaming and cackling and breaking stuff loudly and pounding beers.

  We left without spending the night. The police need to go take a look out there.

• 

  Cassidy Y.

  Legend

  

  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

• 

  Michael

  Ranger

  

  Jul. 4, 2021

  Bodega Dunes Campground — Sonoma Coast State Park

  Perfect stop along Hwy 101

  My partner and I stopped here on a road trip along 101. Campground was beautiful and provided a nice walk to the beach through shallow dunes. Lots of beautiful desert succulents in the area.