Best Equestrian Camping near Lake Sonoma

I've been to Liberty Glen 3 times, and even in peak season the campground is never full. If you talk to the the ranger at the gate, most of the time they will let you drive around the grounds and pick any open site. This is great for groups, especially if you have a few loud people in the mix because you can pick a more secluded site. Check their website for the latest update on if they have potable water on site, it can vary from year to year. Bathrooms are decently clean, with access to paid showers. Bring everything you need, the closest store is in Cloverdale, 20 minutes away. Overall the campground is scrubland with scattered oak trees throughout, the area near the amphitheater has more tree cover than the outer sites. There is also a playground on site, with multiple trails. When hiking in the area be aware of the local wild boar problem. Due to overpopulation, bow hunting of wild boars in the Lake Sonoma area is legal most of the year. There is also an archery range at a nearby area of the Lake. Check their website for the latest check in information, sometimes they want you to check in at the ranger station across the street from the Fish hatchery, sometimes you check in at the booth at the campground.

It is always windy and therefore cold on the beach. That is why there are such big sand dunes.

Regardless, a beautiful place to visit and camp. There are also equestrian trails, so you can book a horseback ride from a local ranch as well!!

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.

This is such an incredible area to camp! The California coast is hard to beat. This campground is in the sand dunes, with a short walk to the beach. This is absolutely one of the best places to see the sunset. The campground had showers and full bathrooms! 10/10 would recommend.

I like this campground. There are some cool hikes to the dunes and to the beach. Go to the wharf near by to pick up some live crab to boil over the fire. Overall a great campground for adults and kids. Go with a group or a romantic getaway. Experience northern California Coast and see where they filmed Hitchcock's "The Birds."

Great place to explore the California coast. Good level campground with reasonable amount of privacy. Showers cost $1 and you need a token. The token machine was broken and the camphost was kind and gave me a free token.

This was a lovely place to relax with a friend. We explored the area, including eating at the famous "Birds" restaurant. 

the sites are nice with picnic tables. Some more level than others. Nice big trees. Great hosts.

Great spot for cheap and restful accommodation while Visiting wine country. Yurts, and campsites, pull thru and rv sites. Not super cheap cuz you are in California but way more affordable than any hotel and 5 minutes from Calistoga, thru vineyard lined lanes. Lots of hikes for a hike level. Mosquitos started coming out but tolerable. Nice trickling river and peaceful pondering spots. Great bathrooms but bring lots of quarters for showers, helpful staff! Rico you are the best for giving me firewood!

Great place to stay at when visiting the Napa wine valley that is halfway between St Helena and Calistoga, two nice tourist towns. There are nice hiking trails in the park though they are closed currently (Dec 2020) due to the fire in the area. There was no damage to the campground even though the fire burned into the grounds. The weekends usually are full, it clears out Sunday evening so during the weekdays it is really nice. Staff are really nice. Be careful of the poison oak, it is prevalent there as it is so anywhere in Northern California.

I've camped here more times than I can count.  I remember camping here during several wine-soaked weekends with large groups of friends, back in my younger days.  We rode our bikes through the Napa valley, stopping at multiple wineries along the way.  Then, after a day of riding and wine tasting, we retired back to our campsites for an evening of grilling and drinking of local wines (of which there are many, many excellent choices). I've only tent camped here; I've not brought my Airstream because I don't think there are spots that are large enough for it.  However, I do recall seeing trailers and RV's here in the past, so it can accomodate rigs of smaller sizes.

There's nothing dramatically beautiful about this park, but if you like California country living - oaks, madrone, rolling hills, and lots of sunshine - than you'll enjoy it here.  It's a short drive from the San Francisco Bay Area, and is quite literally in the Napa valley, on its northern end, near Calistoga.  You'll easily be able to get to all the restaurants and wineries in the valley. You won't be disappointed with a couple of nights camping at Bothe-Napa.

One important note: I have not been here since the fires that have ravaged Napa and Sonoma every year since 2017.  There has been at least one fire that burned very near this park, causing it to close temporarily.  I don't know how bad the impact to the park has been, as I've not seen it first hand.  As I write this in summer 2021, the campground is open, so hopefully the fire and smoke damage was minimal.   As I've mentioned in many of my other posts, the sad reality of the ongoing drought in California is that summer camping is not the experience it used to be.  It's still fun, but I would argue winter or early spring is now the best time to visit places like Bothe-Napa.  The creeks will be flowing, you'll be allowed to have a campfire, and the vegetation will be greener and lusher.

Per my rating system, I give this 4 stars as it's not a place you'd plan a trip to from out of state, but it is a place you should consider visiting as part of a larger trip to Napa/Sonoma.  For locals, this is a top tier spot.

The campground is really nice. Sites were nicely bushed in so as to have a bit of privacy. The walk down to swim in the lake was a significant downhill but the dip was worth it! Funny dead trees sticking out of the lake were fun to climb on. We statyed mostly in smaller sites, but attended a wedding at the group site (D), which was LOVELY- there was a roofed area with picnic table seating for ~50- and another roofed area for the dance party. All infrastructure at that site looked fresh and new.

When I booked a “hike in” campsite I didn’t really give it much thought...I highly recommend that if you do get a hike in site you really like to hike!! It is quite the journey. I wasn’t prepared for it so I didn’t have a good time but it is a beautiful site and the lake is absolutely gorgeous, even with all the fires going on.

Ive been to this campground twice.  Both times were fairly full, but never totally full.  You can make a reservation, but you cant pick your spot until you get there.  Better to get there on the early side.  Some sites aren't great, so you dont want to be stuck with those!  There were sites with decent shade, and I liked there was a hiking trail down to the lake.  Also a pro that it isnt too far out of the bay area.

Great location, close to Spuds for the best red chowder on the planet

We had a nice time camping in this large and well-maintained campground. We found a beautiful spot tucked up on an embankment on the first loop and managed to squeeze in 4 tents. A bit windy and cold being so near the shore, but definitely worth it. The bathrooms and showers were clean and had plenty of hot water. The Pacific-side beach was only a 10-minute walk away.

I absolutely fell in love with the campground that’s nestled in the sand dunes surrounded by the most gorgeous beaches. We didn’t have a reservation and just showed up and didn’t make the best choice with our campsite because it was shady which looked stunning but we were absolutely frozen the entire time! I can’t wait to go back this summer!

we didn’t like this campground that much. The price is quite high compared to usual state park campgrounds $35/night, the toilets are old and dirty without soap or towels. Camp is busy and full of people. It was actually pretty quiet considering the camp was full, I guess the cold weather made people go to their tents earlier. Camp sites are quite big. We had three tents and three cars comfortable fitting one normal campsite.

Campsites are spread out

This place is right on the water with great views. We were passing through and only stayed one night. We had a Late check in and there was no person in duty. The confirmation email stated that we would receive a campsite assignment upon arrival and expected an envelop left for us w/ our site number. However, we received no direction as we arrived after 8pm and actually had to drive by the camp host who told us we could stay at one of two sites that would fit our trailer. Aside from this slight checkin issue, the campsite was good. No washer, but shower facilities available for tokens (50cents for 2 mins). Mostly tent spots, limited RV/pull thru sites. Great views of the bay though!

really nice site, so close to the water. REAL BATHROOMS!!

This is a nice well maintained campground. It's situated in a wooded area so there is a lot of shade on hot days and its inland enough that it's blocked from the wind.

The bathrooms have flush toilets and are well maintained. Each site has a food lockbox and use it because the raccoons are fierce! We had our cooler on the picnic table and they knocked it over and tore apart and ate all our food. Lock your cooler in your car.

The beach and dunes are a trail or a road walk from the campground. Dogs aren't allowed on the dunes but, they can be on the trail and beach.

Has everything you would need: bathrooms, showers, etc. Nothing that exciting but very good for kids.

If you do make it up here, check out the Mendocino Coast, just the drive alone is worth the trip without even taking into account any of the lovely food, art, or events in the Mendocino and Russian River area.

Very nice simple campground with everything you need. Great for kids. Close to Mendocino coast

Some of the sites are very spacious and wide open and some are less spacious and have shade. Short drive into the south beach of salmon creek for the most part. Great campground and fun beach day for the whole family. Showers are available in campground to rinse of the salt and the sand!

Close to downtown Guernville and the Russian River Brewery. Access to the Salmon River Beach, which has great surfing and fun for the whole family. Beautiful campsites with clean bathrooms and showers.

This campground is in the heart of Bodega Bay. There are many sites with various amounts of privacy. The sites include long paved driveways, tables, and fire pits in the sand. Each site is a short walk from bathrooms, trash bins, and the beaches. The bathrooms have flush toilets and sinks, and pay showers that take quarters. Given that the campground is on the water, it can get very chilly at night and the wind tends to pick up. It is nearby the town of Bodega with great chowder and various shops to visit.