Best Tent Camping near Nice, CA

Wasn't very private, but is good for tent camping in a safe family environment.

Brought my trailer her for the first time as an adult after many times tent camping at nearby Gerstle Cove as a child. Had a FANTASTIC time. Woodside campground is BY FAR the more beautiful of the two Salt Point campgrounds. Plenty of flat parking pads for rv campers, yet sites are thickly wooded and appropriately spaced to have an awesome tent camping experience as well. Take note that many of the nearby beaches have dangerous rip currents and aren’t exactly great for swimming or water play.

The tent camping is full of roots, and low privacy, but it’s okay for a quick overnight stop

Nice state park north of Napa, the few car tent sites are nicely situated near a creek. Good space between sites. Easy and fun camping.

Yurts and cabins available. Close to road so a little noisy. Great for a less expensive stay. Saves money for wine tastings...

Always windy. Great scenery, and many of the tent sites are tucked away in little nooks and crannies for privacy if you don’t want the more open outer ring sites.

This KOA has large tent sites and a HUGE kitchen with 3 electric stoves and several sinks and microwaves for camper use. They have movies each night and have lots of trees for shade. No sprint cell signal but good WiFi.

I tent camped here on a September weeknight. The campground is very spacious on a bluff overlooking the ocean. Very few other campers so I had plenty of options for sites. It was cool, sunny, and no wind-perfect weather! Stunning views all around, with a trailhead to Stillwater Cove. Very quiet and relaxing stay here!

Fuller grove was a nice little campground on Lake Pillsbury (our rented minivan just weathered the dirt road in from the 101). It’s a small loop with great options for multi-tent camping. Some of the sites far from the entrance and along the water are very nice with multiple pads and tables. The campground beach is beautiful, definitely recommend some late-night stargazing. There’s only outhouses in decent condition. We were there with only a few other campers, so it was a peaceful stay.

We’ve been travel trailer camping twice to this campground and love it! Beautiful, large sites under the redwoods and along the Gualala River. The campground offers partial hook-ups with a dump service for a fee (dump station on site as well). There is a little camp store for basic camping / RV needs as well as bathrooms, showers, and laundry. The camp is great for RV and tent camping. We’ll definitely be returning many more times.

Tent camped here several times before I got my trailer. Fantastically close to many great wineries, and minutes from Calistoga. The park has a great swimming pool that my kids enjoyed, and I heard there was a fun hike to the mill located elsewhere in the park. Heads up for RV campers- the park is hilly, and some of the parking spots aren’t flat, so make sure you check sites like campsitephotos first to make sure you get a spot that works for you.

Beautiful spot to go camping. First time here, tent camped in a halfdome 2+. Second day was so windy one of the poles bent! Saw several tents mangaled and in the trash.
Know how to anchor your tent! Lots of RV's. Quiet at night. Trails to the beach, and at low tide there was so much sea life for my son and I to explore.
We saw 1 shower building with 4 showers, $2.50 in quarters. Boat launch for med to small boats. Fish cleaning station.

We came Fathers day weekend, didn't have problem getting a site late in the day. $35 cash $40 credit card price for tent with 1 vehicle. The store has a good selection. Firewood is light weight, but a big bundle is Cash only $9.

I'd go back.

The good: The private beach is great for kids (and adults). Easy swimming without a strong current. Lots of shallows but a deep swimming hole are for adults too. The camp store is cute and there’s a brewery next door if you want a meal out. There are several playgrounds which are fun for kids. And an arcade.

The bad: super expensive and the actual sites aren’t great. We camped in our van in the rv area and it’s really just a big parking lot right by the highway. I think the tent sites are a bit better.

Other info: there are cabins and camper vans to rent so could be a good place to go with friends or family who aren’t campers and want a nice river day but again it’s $$$.

KOA is awesome for campers who aren't ready to be completely off the grid, which most people in my group were. Their bathrooms are clean. Hot shower (!!) and hot tub (but you have to sign-up early or the spots run out quick, each party has 30 mins slot due to Covid restriction).

I took off a star because of the price. We ended up paying $66/night for 1 regular tent site (no electricity or water hook-up). Even though the site supposed to accommodate up to 6 people, there was a $5 extra charge per person after the first 2 guests. 

It's ridiculous because they assumed we all will be using every amenities every day for that extra charge (which we didn't since we arrived very late on the first night and were out for most of the following day). I'd rather be charged individually for each shower use or kitchen use, etc.

This can get crazy in the summer but in the spring and fall it is still beautiful.  I like the Gerstle Cove side (ocean side) camping area rather than the hillside area across the highway.  Smaller loop.  There is no better place to watch a sunset!

Good sites with tables, fire ring and privacy. The inside loop sites are open. More shade on the outside of the loop. Visitor center and small harbor type area to launch kayaks. Lots of abalone divers.

Great hiking trail along the bluff. Hear the ocean crashing the whole way.  Great rock formations.

There is tidepool area which is fun to explore at low tide.

Great moutain biking nearby from the top of the mountain down to the sea.

Near the Rhododendron Grove which - if you hit it when they are blooming is spectacular.  A whole grove hidden on the hillside in the redwoods you can hike through.

Good surf fishing at the picnic area at Stump Beach.

The group tent site is on a bluff away from the other sites at Gerstle Cove. A great place to gather.

The Aurora RV Park & Marina is a work in progress. I can see what they want to make this campground into, but the reality of what it’s currently status is makes it difficult to stay there. I did get to try a couple of the different blends of Nature’s Coffee Kettle while I was there. Unfortunately I did have to cut my trip short as there was a mandatory evacuation order put into place due to wild fires.

Campground Review

First off this park is designed for RV use, but the owners have converted a few spaces for tent camping. During my visit I stayed in a tent. I booked the site through booking.com and paid $22.00 a night.

The Good

Each site has its own water sipget and two electrical outlets that work well. There was plenty of space at the site to setup two 4-person tents. The site is at the North end of Clearlake and you have some pretty spectacular views all day long. There is a beautiful public BBQ sitting area right next to the private beach. You can use the canoes, kayaks, or paddle boat all free of charge and they provide life jackets. There park does provide WiFi at no additional cost and it worked reasonably well. The mangers there are very friendly and approachable. They checked on me multiple times to make sure everything was okay.

The Bad

At the time of my visit the campground was undergoing renovations. The office area where the bathrooms/showers, laundry room, and community lounge were all at some stage of construction. THe bathrooms were clean, but only one shower and toilet worked. There was no mirror in the bathroom during my stay. I could not for the life of me get the shower to spray warm water at all so I had a week of cold showers, which wasn’t too bad given how hot it was. I did report this to the mangers, but the issue never got resolved. For tent camping the site were too close together and no picnic table was provided at the space I was at. If I had booked through AirB&B I would have been in a different area that had a picnic table.

Product Review

As a Ranger for The Dyrt, I get to test products in the field. At The Aurora RV Park & Marina, I tested two different blends of Nature’s Coffee Kettle. I tried the Colombian and Sumatra blend. Overall I would give this product a 4 out a 5 stars.

What I liked about camping with the Nature’s Coffee Kettle:

• Portable and easy to pack. It takes almost no space at all as it is completely flat when empty.
• Easy to make. Boil water and pour into the kettle and wait. That’s it!
• Easy to clean. Once you’ve had your coffee take out the coffee pod and dispose of it. Rinse out the kettle and your done.
• The kettle is reusable! You can re-order new pods and keep using the kettle
• Many different things you can brew. Currently they have variety of coffee blends and tea blends. They also have Hot Chocolate, but that comes in its own kettle.
• Some of the best coffee I have had while camping. The coffee was really good! Way batter than my normal percolated stuff.

THings to be aware of

• You have to be really careful when pouting the boiling water into the kettle. It is easy to still some of that water on yourself (I did this).
• The pouch is not insulated so if you want to drink hot/warm coffee you got to drink quickly.

Spring Lake is a local destination for summertime fun and cooling off. This regional park is located on the southeast edge of the city of Santa Rosa and is surrounded on three sides by neighborhoods. That being said, this park is nice and while you won't feel far from civilization, it's a nice spot to spend a weekend.

Connected to Spring Lake Regional Park to the west is Howarth Park, a small city park offering a train ride, carousel, jump house, petting zoo and pony rides. The park also has multiple tennis courts, some trails as well as Lake Ralphine where you can fish, SUP, or bring your own boat. If you are interested in paddling however I would recommend Spring Lake, which is much larger giving you more areas to explore.

Connected to the west of Spring Lake is Trione-Annadel State Park, a wildly popular spot for local mountain bikers. In fact, as a hiker I tend to avoid Annadel because there are so many mountain bikers, many of whom unfortunately ride as if there is no chance of them coming upon a hiker. That said, there are miles upon miles of trails in to explore Annadel State Park.

Camping at Spring Lake is fine, but reminds me of bit of a KOA with the way it’s set up. All campsites are in a couple of small loops centered around bathrooms and showers with most all of the sites being set up for RVs. There are a few tent sites, but it just doesn’t feel like camping to me personally.

Recently they have added cabins which look really cool, but I have not stayed in one yet.