Best Dog-Friendly Camping near Monterey, CA

This park has mostly long-term residents. It was super quiet, though there was a somewhat noisy road next to us. We were on the first site next to the road, so I suspect it would be a non issue for most of the sites.

The dog park is extremely well-maintained. Beautiful grass, very nice fence, a bench to sit on, water for your pets and plenty of space to run.

There a really nice stream to hike along. And underneath a bridge there are bat houses. We went under there at sundown and watched the bats come out. Strongly recommended!

The lady who runs the place was extremely nice and helpful.

Full hook-ups and relatively large, gravel sites with some shade. However, I needed to raise one wheel about 5 inches and another 2 to get level.

Short drive to downtown Morgan hill or Gilroy. And there’s a Camping World as well.

After being on the road for 2 1/2 months this place was just what we needed for a stop over on our way NORTH on 101. Clean everything, perfect level cement pad, large very nice dog park with room for the pups to run and play and a friendly helpful staff. This would be a perfect place to explore Pinnacle National or Hearst Castle. There is nothing near buy, except a Shell station with the lowest diesel prices I’ve seen in California. We ordered dinner from Luigi’s (located in Gonzales) they delivered for free and the food was fantastic. We will definitely stay here again.

Medium sized campground. Huge roomy sites. Busy little park with lots of vehicles going in and out all the time. Nice walking trail by creek for you and your furry buddy. Dog park was large and ours loved it. Close see to Morgan Hill which is a quaint friendly little town. We made a booking mistake and they were actually able to move some people around to accommodate us. Laundry room was extremely small but clean and functional. They have propane available. Friendly and very helpful staff. Would stay again if in area.

We had a very nice stay for a long weekend. The pull through spaces are extremely tight to the point that our slide out was hitting vegetation and our neighbors awning was about two feet from our Rv. But, if you expect that, it’s a great place to stay. Very clean, well maintained, and about a 20 minute walk to the ocean. Decent takeout from the restaurant and great cocktails! Very convenient dog park. We had almost the entire row to ourselves after checkout on Sunday. We will definitely return for the full experience when all restrictions are lifted, but will leave our two big dogs at home as there wasn’t much space for them.

We visited the first week of December 2020.  The staff was helpful and the grounds were well maintained.  Flat easy pull through with full hook-ups.  Definitely in a canyon around the corner from Thousand Trails.  You can see the stars at night and it is a very quiet campground.  We were surprised at all the high-end rigs there, some full-timers.  A nice dog park area and a stroll along the creek - our dog loved it.  They recycle and are very environmentally aware. No pool or playground but lovely nature away from the hustle and bustle of silicon valley.  It is about 6 miles to shopping and many restaurants.  A very easy drive off the highway if you take the Tennant Road exit.

High priced. Nice people at desk. Damon who helped us park was very friendly. Almost entirely high-priced big rigs, some of whom seem settled here but it's clean, 'orderly,' very quiet. Rigid rules keep the order; nice that no political flags/signs allowed. 2 dog parks and lots of grassy areas to take for a walk. Showers in locker-room/bldg, bathrooms nice and clean. Green grass. Also has laundry with 2.50 wash and.25 dry for 8 min. Skunk wandered by site in the night. Cool train sounds from nearby tracks at night. Was probably the most convenient to San Jose, otherwise we likely would've been in mtns. and too far away from town for our needs at the time. Would not be a regular choice for us.

No matter what site you reserve, all the site are amazing! We had #108. Near the bathroom, wash room, garbage dumpsters. The only con was the windy road! I eat sour patch kids to help with getting car sick. Easy to find. The site is pet friendly. You can only walk the dogs at paved areas, no trails. Our dogs still had fun. The redwood trees were amazing! Definitely an experience you will never forget!

this KOA has everything you need. the streets are wide and the pull-ins are easy to access. the Wi-Fi here is good enough to check email but not for streaming or anything intensive. however you can get a good starlink connection and over 100 megabits per second. it is pet friendly and has a store filled with pretty much anything you would need. they also give cookies to guests and treats to dogs.

Lots of activities for kids, convenient location for area attractions, pet friendly. Local roads to the KOA were in pretty bad condition.

We stayed here with our 2 dogs last November as a nice winter getaway from L.A. We got one of the tent cabins, which are just adorable and so cozy. The sites are nice and distanced from each other, bathrooms were in great shape and it was pet friendly. We got a package with the tent cabin that came with bedding, cooking utensils and firewood, so were pretty much set once we got there. The beds are comfy and the wood burning stove (photo attached) is the only source of heat. It is neat but BE WARNED...it gets COLD on those winter nights so make sure you a) have enough wood; b) are good at keeping fires going throughout the night; and c) have lots of dry wood. The wood that was left for us as part of our package was really wet and wouldn't burn so we had a very chilly night even with loads of sleeping bags and blankets. Other than that, we had a great experience and got to take the dogs for a great walk on the paved trails in the State Park. Can't wait to go back!

Nice spot right near downtown Monterey. I live in the area, but when friends or family come into town, we usually stay here. Sites are first come, first serve, so get there early if you want to camp on a weekend in the summer. Dog friendly, and there is a big lawn area they can run on off leash, as well as a small playground for kids. There is access to a few hiking trails as well.

One thing to note is that in the dry season they do not allow campfires. If that's a deal breaker for you, call ahead of time and double check whether or not they ate allowed when you want to camp.

Overall, it's a fun, cheap alternative to the overpriced hotels in Monterey and only about a 10 minute drive from downtown.

Mount 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.

Campground is military/DOD/veterans only. Great location near Monterey. Full hookup and fully paved. Restrooms were fairly clean. Great for a stopover or if you’re visiting Monterey.

VMCG was recommended by a friend as we were passing through Monterey. We really enjoyed it’s location, nice facilities and friendly host, and appreciated the hike up the stairs right next to the campground. Wonderful place to stay for a night, or even a few days if you’re exploring the Monterey and Carmel area.

An inexpensive way to stay & vacation in Santa Cruz.

Many ways to explore nature (Hiking, Biking, Train Ride through redwoods down to the ocean & beach, camping, leisure easy walk through old growth redwood trees, zip line through the redwoods - just down the road, etc)

Short beautiful drives & motorcycle rides, in the Santa Cruz Mountains & to San Francisco & Monterey/Carmel/Big Sur - only a few hours away in either direction

Dog friendly

Kid friendly

Great Surfing Areas nearby (learn to surf at Cowell’s Beach - a great long board & beginners spot)

Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk (free concerts on Main Beach in the summer months)

Santa Cruz has a huge selection of super awesome food & restaurant choices!!! Brekkie, Brunch, Lunch, Dinner, Ice Cream, Candy. Unbelievable food!

If I missed something, just ask. Although, I don’t live there now. I grew up there & lived there for 30 years. When I go back to visit, I camp at Henry Cowell.

The best part of this campground was its proximity to everything in Monterey. While I had no real attraction to the campground, I also had no complaints.

The campground: Located uphill from the rest of Monterey, the campground has lots of trees and deer. The bathrooms and showers were clean. Fires were prohibited when I visited. The staff were friendly.

The area: There are multiple roads you can use to access the campground; if you have a large RV I'd recommend looking at them ahead of time, because one was curvy and narrow. I had no difficulty navigating it in an SUV. It's a quick trip into downtown Monterey from this campground, and not much longer to the ocean. I really enjoyed driving down to the coast and sitting on a rock watching the sea otters float over the waves. Monterey is a lovely town with plenty of things to do.

Booking: In November, I showed up here pretty late in the evening and had no trouble getting a spot. Just stop at the front and pay once you know where you're staying for the night. It's a little pricier than I'd like for car camping, but I couldn't find anywhere else nearby.