Best Tent Camping near Manchester, CA

Tent Camping Reviews near Manchester, CA

548 Reviews of 19 Manchester Campgrounds

• 

  Lee D.

  Legend

  Nov. 13, 2023

  Gualala Point Regional Park

  Small but beautiful county campground

  General: 19 general and six walk-in campsites among giant redwood and Bay Laurel trees on the Gualala River. Sites 17 & 18 are a double site. 

  Site Quality: Level sites with bear box, picnic table, and fire ring. Site One’s camper pad fit our 18-foot camper van, but it would not accommodate anything much larger. Several other camper pads looked short as well. No hookups. 

  Bath/Shower house: Three individual units with toilet, sink, soap, and paper towels. One shower that takes quarters – three minutes for $2.00. 

  Activities: There is a trail that leads through the walk-in sites, under Highway One, and to the beach, approximately 1.5 miles. You can also drive to the day-use area for a shorter walk. We were there on a weekday but there were many activities scheduled for the upcoming weekend including kayaking on Bodega Bay, outside yoga, and healthy hustle circuit training – I was sad to miss all of these options. 

  This campground is beautiful and peaceful. But note that although we did not encounter any, several other campers experienced over-eager raccoons while eating dinner. There was also a sign warning of mountain lions but we did not encounter any. Shout-out to the ranger who shared a lot of good information about the area.

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• 

  Michi P.

  Guide

  Apr. 24, 2025

  Middle Creek Campground

  Great place for dry camping

  Beautiful location, campground was easily accessible going up Elk Mountain Road. Camped in Site 11, pull through, no hook ups, nice picnic table, grill and fire pit. Vault toilets, no showers. There is potable water close to the campsites. Very quiet during the week, it did get noisier on the weekends, but everyone settled down for the evening.

• 

  MarinMaverick

  Legend

  Aug. 14, 2020

  Russian Gulch State Park Campground

  Great Spot

  I like this a little better than Van Damm down the road because of the small private beach which never appears crowded. You do have road noise but it really is not bad.

  Great little tent camping spots and a fabulous group tent camping spot.  From the small beach you can play in the waves and launch protected kayaks into the small bay.  On the right day there are some tidepools (not a lot).  A stream runs through camp and empties on to the beach.

  Great Fern Canyon trail and waterfall trail back in the gorge.

  You can explore all the Mendoconio Coast from here.

  Sites are well spaced and protected. Tables, fire rings and food storage.  Nice rest rooms with showers.  I like the lower loop along the creek and thes sites at the end, near the beginning of the fern canyon trail are choice.

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• A

  Adam

  Traveler

  Aug. 1, 2016

  Manchester State Park Campground

  Stars!

  Second time I've been here. Five years ago, I thought it was pretty bare-bones but just what I wanted: first-come, first-serve tent spot within 3 hours of San Francisco and within a walk of the ocean. No city lights to speak of = incredible stargazing. Oceanside = fall asleep to the sound of crashing waves. Did I mention first-come, first-serve? Nearly all the other campgrounds on the CA coast require a reservation 6 months in advance for weekends, with weekday availability not much better. This small campground had a number of empty spots available at 8pm on a Saturday.

  This year, it was nearly the same story. Park funding cut back, so no host = no firewood (KOA up the road sells bundles for $8). And it's only open on weekends until further notice. The vault toilets had plenty of TP, and the sites were well maintained so clearly someone is looking after the place. In fact, the overgrown grass and coastal scrub that previously lent some extra privacy to sites was cut down, a bit of a bummer. Go for the spots on the northern loop. The trees there offer some wind protection and the views over the valley toward Alder Creek are worthwhile. I wanted to set up my hammock, but tree-less sites closer to the road render that a non-option. For site variety, spaciousness, privacy, and amenities, I'd say Manchester is more like 2-2.5 stars. But last-minute availability bumps it up to 3.

  There is still a pasture full of cows across the street and the Pt. Arena lighthouse just beyond to greet you in the morning, and the ocean still crashes within earshot. Salt Point and Gualala campgrounds are warmer and woodsier. Mackerricher and Russian Gulch offer much more to do. But in a pinch, Manchester will continue to be my impromptu coastal road trip stopover.

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• 

  Lee D.

  Legend

  Nov. 2, 2023

  Van Damme State Park Campground

  Close to the ocean but dark and damp

  General& Site Quality: 74 campsites; 1-13 in the lower loop and the remainder in the upper loop. Each site has a picnic table, fire ring, and bear box. No hookups. Camper pads are dirt. 

  Bath/Shower house: Self-contained units, some with toilet and sink, and some with just a toilet. NO soap but paper towels and a hook for toiletries. Showers take tokens; each $1.00 token gives you a five-minute shower. Didn’t use the shower. 

  Activities & Amenities: The day-use area and the Fern Canyon Trail accessed from the campground are currently closed due to storm damage. You can drive a short distance south to walk on the Pygmy Forest boardwalk (about a quarter of a mile) but there is very limited parking (about 8-9 spaces). You can extend the hike on the Fern Canyon trail but cannot hike to/from the campground. There is a dump station, but it costs $10 to use. There is a Visitor Center but it had limited hours during our stay. There is easy access to the ocean just across Highway One (you can even camp in the parking lot for the same rate as long as you are out by 9 a.m.)  The park is close to the town of Mendocino with great restaurants and shopping if that appeals to you.

  We arrived around dusk and left fairly early the next morning to walk on the Pygmy Forest boardwalk. I didn’t explore too much (including the upper loop) as there was a black bear sighting the day we were there. Even though it was a sunny day, the campground felt dark and damp.

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• 

  Lindsay

  Traveler

  Oct. 13, 2020

  Hendy Woods State Park Campground

  Convenient, clean, chill

  Location • state park located north of Sonoma and an hour south of Mendocino • in the Virgina redwood forest • closest town: about 6 miles away

  Facilities • Bathrooms & showers easily accesible for all sites - cleaned regularly • some bathrooms updated very recently • Spigots every few sites with good draining • campfire theatre • firewood sold on premises • about 70 campsites • some cabins • day use picnic area • wheelchair accesible trails

  Ambiance • quiet hours 10pm - 8am • mostly families • dogs allowed on leash

  Sites • Small to medium, close together • More open than private; good for groups who need multiple sites • Most hace at least part shade throughout the day • ring fire pits with grill • wooden food locker at each site • wooden picnic table at each site • enough space for 3-4 cars

  Things to do • Variety of easy hikes/walks • drive to Mendocino • wine tasting in town

  Beware • Poison oak

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• 

  MarinMaverick

  Legend

  Aug. 12, 2020

  Navarro Beach - Navarro River Redwoods State Park

  Closed For A While - Sweet Spot

  So this has been closed for a while, but hope with funding it will re open.

  It is sweet spot just before you reach the coastline.

  A little stretch of redwoods on the Navaro River.  Sites are along the river. Defnse redwoods and ferns.  SHaded. Good swimming holes and good fishing.  Great access for kayaks and canoes.

  Sites have tables, fire rings and some have food storage. Primitve rest rooms.

• 

  Norma Y.

  Guide

  Jun. 13, 2018

  Navarro Beach Campground — Navarro River Redwoods State Park

  Primitive and great!

  There is no source of fresh drinking water. There are portable toilets, but they are often lacking toilet paper, and at times the garbage cans are overflowing and the toilets are a health hazard. The 10 campsites are small, and except for #1, there is no privacy or space between sites. The picnic tables are rotting away. It's ridiculous that the camping fee is $35. And yet, this is one of my favorite places to camp. The Navarro River flows into the Pacific here, and this is a great site to watch seals in the ocean and otters in the river. People build incredible driftwood structures on the beach.

• 

  Maddy S.

  Traveler

  Apr. 1, 2022

  Bushay Recreation Area

  Exceeded all expectations

  Since my friend and I decided to plan a last minute camping trip, reservations were hard to find anywhere. I'm from Santa Cruz and hardly ever make it north of San Francisco so Bushay Campground sounded like a nice getaway. However I was a little hesitant since there were so many open sites here and no reviews anywhere but it really was just too perfect.

  We stayed Sat-Mon and it was pretty much empty by Sun (workweek + predicted rain). Everyone else staying the weekend was very friendly and helpful. The rain only made the campsite so much more lush and beautiful and luckily we were prepared for the rain. The sound of frogs and turkeys added a nice touch and we also saw tons of fascinating birds (including a bald eagle!!). I'm used to camping on hard dirt so the cushion of the grassy campsites was really nice, plus the dead grass served as decent tinder. 

  Also, I accidentally left my camping chairs behind :( and an employee reached out to me to let me know! I wish it wasn't a 3+ hour drive for me because I would love to already head back lol.

  Anyway, here are the takeaways:

  • Easy to access, right off the 101
  • Free firewood all around the campgrounds
  • Free showers (no need for quarters)
  • Super clean and well lit bathrooms
  • Ranger patrolling often (we are 2 young women, this helped us feel a little safer)
  • Standard campsite setup (bench + fire ring) but also included a pole with a hook - perfect for hanging lights, a tarp, drying dishware, etc.
  • Heads up! Advanced reservation is required

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