Gustine is an ideal place for camping adventures of all kinds. Aside from great camping spots, you'll find hiking and many more outdoor experiences. Thinking of traveling with kids? You're in luck—Gustine is surrounded by family-friendly activities. At The Dyrt, campers like you share their favorite spots, plus tips and photos. No matter where you're headed in Gustine, you'll find the best spot for you and your camping crew.
$30 - $200 / night
"over night & day sites, hot showers and indoor restrooms surrounded by beautiful nature."
"There's something for everyone here, RVers, tenters, and those who want to rent tent cabins. There are plenty of trails to hike, as well as equestrian trails. No bikes on trails though."
"While it was nice to hear the other campers having a great time with their families and friends, the noise level from it was extraordinary.
The campground in the forest and beautiful."
$34 / night
"The lake is closed to any and all water-craft because the water level is too low. It is very clean and well maintained for the most part. Cell phone service for Xfinity/Verizon is spotty at best."
"Campsites are along the beautiful Coyote lake. The lakeside sites are mostly shaded as are the sites along the road. Sites 43, 44 and 45 would be the most secluded."
"Always stop by and get fresh fruit, but have camped on site. Great place with lots to do during the day."
"I saw lower sites that looked like tent sites, it is perfect if you want less highway noise. There are some“permanent resident” sites in the back of the park. Bathrooms are kept clean."
"Nice trails there. Gilmore was a distance for us to restock on supplies. Pool was open but not heated. Hot tub was closed for the winter season. You are out in the sticks so no cell phone service."
"Typical TT resort park off the beaten path, far out but nice place, we enjoyed our stay. At the time we were there a lot of the riverfront sports were out of order."
$30 - $40 / night
"My family and I stayed at Lake McSwain Campgrounds for a weekend during a mountain bike race at Exchequer."
"There are free warm showers and the bathrooms are fairly clean. If you are staying in a tent make sure to layer up and bring lots of blankets because nights can get very cold."
"We got a nice spot close to the dump station near front. Their pool is huge and very very well kept. The spot was 30amp and back in however they have 50amp/pull through also."
"Got propane filled, nice staff. No full hookups but dump station was convenient. Lots of nice activities going on."
"For starters, the staff is wonderful. So friendly."
"It is just off Highway 101 but the noise is not distracting. Mostly the park is concrete with little patches of beautiful landscaping. Campers are pretty close, but quiet and privacy rule."
$34 / night
"This is a great spot for people looking to get away and camp but not trying to drive for 3-4 hours to do so."
"A nice small campground nestled in the eastern side of Santa Cruz Mountains, west of Morgan Hill, easily accessible off of Highway 101."
TravelerMount Madonna County Park has 4 campgrounds. I've been camping in this park since the late 70s. I've seen some changes over the years...ahem...decades. There's something for everyone here, RVers, tenters, and those who want to rent tent cabins. There are plenty of trails to hike, as well as equestrian trails. No bikes on trails though.
There are several micro climates in this area and temps can vary, besides our weather varies from day to day.
There are trails offering views of the Santa Clara Valley, and trails offering views of the Monterey Bay. The park is above the fog line (most of the year). We don't get rain in the summer here. The park is situated at the County lines of Santa Clara County and Santa Cruz County and is part of the Santa Clara County Parks system.
No stores or markets in the park, but you can easily run into town, either Watsonville or Gilroy. It's slightly closer to Watsonville where you will find a gas station/market on 152 (Currently a Valero), or go into Gilroy on 152 for Safeway and more.
There's a small cabin (ranger's station) with a history exhibit and the white reindeer up from the kiosk. My favorite campground in the park is the Tan Oak campground at the top and through the day use area. There are plenty of Geocaches on the trails.
The bathrooms are generally clean. I say generally because I prefer the off season when I have the campground to myself and the bathrooms are super clean, but when the campground is full, like any public bathroom they can need more attention. (Or maybe people just need to clean up after themselves) I've never used the showers, nor the tent cabins. I like the sites because overall they are separated by trees so you don't feel as crowded as more open campgrounds.
Despite signage warning of mountain lions, I have never encountered a single one in all the years of camping here. I've had raccoons and skunks (so lock up your food and belongings), turkeys and deer.
Weekends, especially a holiday weekend such as Memorial Day weekend, can be full. (Not my favorite) I have also stayed for the 4th of July when it fell midweek and had the campground (Tan Oak) literally to myself.
Leashed pets are allowed (2 per site) and 2 cars and 8 people per site.
GuideWe happened upon this RV Park as a drop in when our other park was not available. What a pleasant surprise! We’ll be making this our go to spot when traveling through the Gilroy area from now on.
For starters, the staff is wonderful. So friendly. Just an FYI, if they have open spots after the office closes they put out packets for up to 2 pull thru and 2 back in spots for late arrivals without a reservation.
Pros
Cons:
TravelerIt was a nice campground to go to. Lots of wildlife and hiking. Dogs are allowed. The lake is closed to any and all water-craft because the water level is too low. It is very clean and well maintained for the most part. Cell phone service for Xfinity/Verizon is spotty at best. There is weak wifi.
However, here's where it loses a star:
I arrived on a Friday late afternoon. Set up my tent. People were fairly loud until about 11pm. Bathrooms were really nice and clean…at first. Saturday, in came the crowd. Loud, obnoxious, and inconsiderate way past midnight. There was no reinforcement of quiet hours past 10pm. The toilets were clogged by 9pm at both restrooms. Men's restrooms have ONLY ONE STALL. And they were clogged beyond belief. I cannot understand why people do not know how to flush a toilet in public. Do they do this crap at home? Anyway, Sunday morning past 9am, still clogged up. Lines waiting to use the compromised restrooms as well. Ridiculous. Unfortunately, that's what ruined my experience. People just being completely selfish in a public campground and staff not be able to keep up with their antics. Maybe there shouldn't be so many sites for so few facilities. Just a thought.
For SUV tents, check out campsite pics on other sites before booking. SUV tents are usually limited to one entrance/exit point on the tent. Usually the driver's side. Each campsite is different. The one I reserved had only one pic that basically showed me nothing. I only could back in to set up my tent on the grass. Both the picnic table and firepit were facing the passenger side way far from the parking spot (as you can see in the second pic) opposite the entrance to my tent. So something to consider.
TravelerThese were quite decent campgrounds, kind of close together but decent sized sites. We were lucky to have a spot at the dead center of the top of the mountain looking out at the lake (site 13) with a big shade tree. Since we got there on a Saturday night, we were surprised to see that the campsite directly to our left and directly to our right were empty. By Sunday night, every campsite within sight was vacated so we had a lot of freedom to do what we wanted without having to worry about disturbing other people. Deer are fearless & majestic, several “packs” walked through our campsite all throughout Sunday night when everyone else was gone. They walked up to us to smell our campfire & our food (we were making s’mores). There’s a campfire spot, a water source, a picnic table, & a grill set up at each site (for the most part), with trashes nearby.
The Lake was nice! We went swimming in the swimming area and there were a surprising amount of people there via Covid. We went in the little shop briefly but from what I could tell they had a lot of useful things campers may need varying from firewood, ice, snacks. fast food, alcohol, & camping/fishing supplies. You can have 2 cars at your campsite but we only had one, the second would be an additional charge. You can bring pets but also for a charge. If you have campsites like 1-20 you’ll have to walk clear across the campgrounds to get to the water or make a quick drive down with your party. We just drove which was better for us after having swam.
Only complaint is the porta-potties. We went from Saturday to Monday & by the end of Sunday there was no more toilet paper, high-piled waste, & when I called to try to inform them to restock the toilet paper no one answered. I brought my own toilet paper so that wasn’t the worst situation but definitely bring some just in case! Master that sumo squat to hover over that thing!
GuideWe camped here on Easter Eve, 2019. It seems everyone else did, too! While it was nice to hear the other campers having a great time with their families and friends, the noise level from it was extraordinary.
The campground in the forest and beautiful. The bathrooms were well maintained. And the fire pits were large and had grills.
I don't think we'll camp here again except in the dead of winter when there might not be as many people.
GuideThey have nice facilities and a heated pool although a hot tub would be nice also. The sites are a little small but very mature trees and they keep it clean. Some of the back in sites for tent trailer are a pain to get into but very nice setup with private dishwashing station and cook space. Bathroom is. Lean and nice club/game room and clean washing facility. Close to the highway with a fairly easy on and off the although it's a little confusing at first. All day/night highway noise but it starts to become white noise after a while. Staff are friendly and accommodating and quick to respond to any issues. Its got a grocery store nearby and the camp store is fairly complete as well. Not a lot of outdoor activities other than the pool and bags and the K9 trail, but pleasant to walk though. It is very hilly and steps are around to get between levels. After being here for 4 days, I would consider coming back again.
TravelerWe had a HUGE campsite. Not sure of the number. The fire pit and picnic table were up near the camp road, but our site had a huge "dish" that was shaded by large trees where we pitched our tent. We camped in November, and it was cool, but not cold. It had been raining and things were damp, but we were comfortable with jackets and a fire in the evenings. Jackets came off during the sunniest part of the day. We did a short hike. Mostly, we stayed in our site and played tabletop games at the picnic table. We really so no other campers or park workers while we were in our site as it was quite secluded.
ScoutMy family and I stayed at Lake McSwain Campgrounds for a weekend during a mountain bike race at Exchequer. We showed up with our 24' trailer on Friday, and even though it was February, they brought on staff to get us all checked in since it was so busy because of the race. There was a short line to get in to the campground, but we didn't wait long and the staff was helpful and friendly. The site was a good size for two trucks and the trailer. The site was not too close to the water, not too far. The bathrooms had showers which we used since our site didn't have a sewer hookup. The site did have water and power though. The marina isn't normally open in February, but they opened due to the volume of campers that weekend. They stocked up on the basics and even had hot coffee and breakfast burritos in the morning and sandwiches at lunch. On Sunday, we moved over to a full hookup site and it was level and felt private. We camped next to some friends and stayed up around the campfire and made smores. The kids rode their bikes around the campgrounds alllll day. They had a blast! Thanks, MID!
GuideThis is a great spot for people looking to get away and camp but not trying to drive for 3-4 hours to do so.
Made a reservation night-of on a Friday, wasn’t going to make it there before sunset, so I called and they gave me a gate code in case the gate is closed by the time we arrived.
There’s 25 camp sites, and some are quite close together. We camp in a roof top tent and wish we had been more selective on our site, as parking space and the incline at each site are different. We were on a bit of a slope and quite a ways away from the fire pit and picnic table at our spot. The bathrooms, shower, and water access are great. Garbage cans will be super close by your site no matter which spot you pick.
If you have a roof top tent, we scoped out a few sites which are more flat, and also have the picnic table near the parking spot. They are: 4, 6, 7, 9, 10, and 12.
I highly recommend the Creek Trail by the campsite if you are here in Fall, it’s magical!
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