Best Glamping near Mendocino, CA

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

We've spent most of our twenty years of camping together off the beaten path, avoiding the likes of anything KOA, but for our RV's maiden voyage we thought we'd start with the Machester Beach KOA, and we were very glad we did. We arrived early evening as camp activities were getting underway, setting up to the soundtrack of Beetlejuice showing nearby. The site was clean, KOA's office and service staff were very friendly, not that corporate-disengenuous-give-us-a-good-rating friendly, but real, authentic hospitality. Everything quieted down after 10:00p. We stayed for four days, enjoying everything the area has to offer from Mendocino to Point Arena and had one of the best camping experiences of our lives, and it wasn't just the RV that made it that way. 

One little-known secret about this site is that the beach (a moderate walk away) is the home of the Manchester Cable Station, built by AT&T in 1954 on the United States’ closest point to the Hawaiian Islands, where the internet backbone starts its journey across the Pacific.

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!

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.

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

I have been camping here for 20 years and have always had a great time. Camp sites are spaced out, so you're not on top of one another like some of the other sites around the lake. Also has a nice beach and direct access to the lake. Campground hosts change from year to year and have been good people. Since Lake Pillsbury is more secluded compared to Lake Mendocino, it tends to get a lot less traffic from campers (except around holidays). People who come are generally experienced campers or families on vacation and not 20-somethings looking to party. Noise normally isn't an issue, even when all the sites are full. Bring your own seat gaskets and toilet paper though. No seat gaskets are provided in the vault toilets, and the toilet paper is sometimes just 1-ply.

On the positive side, the people that work there are very hospitable and friendly.  We had reserved 2 days.  But for $70 per day for 2 people (they charge by the person per day) there are not enough amenities and the grounds are not well kept.  Check in is not until 4pm.  First, there is no place to put garbage.  You have to take it with you.  Bathrooms are just blue porta-potties.  There is a map of the property, but almost no signs on the property, so it's hard to know where you are in relation to the map.  The campsites are numbered on the map, but not at the physical campsites.  Although the property is in the mountains and there is a reservoir for swimming and boating, (a big plus), there are tools and equipment in various stages of disrepair at several places on the facility that are not screened from view of the camping areas.  The RV hookup areas are too primitive compared to typical campsites.  (again, the price is too much for what you get)  There are canoes and kayaks available for use at the reservoir, (a very nice amenity) but various boating equipment litter the shores and spoil the views.  I was told this facility caters mainly to group events, like weddings and there are nice glamping tents available.   But it looked like they just didn't pick up after the last party.  We left after one day.

It's a KOA. It's pretty much exactly what you might expect. It's beautiful hinder the trees, with an excellent location to make beach access pretty convient too. Being so close to the beach though, it gets COLD at night. We usually rent a cabin. The cabins have heaters with is definitely nice. They also have beds, but the beds are really uncomfortable, it's just a pad on top of a slat wood frame, remember to bring a foam topper. Store/pool/hot tub. Perfect location to set up and use as a base of operations while you explore up and down the mendocino coast.