Hiked in here from Bear Valley Visitor Center for a quick overnight to try out some new camping equipment. Most of the walk (less than 5 miles) is on the flat Bear Valley Trail, followed by some brisk uphill on the Glen Trail.
The campground is quiet, 12 sites arranged in the trees around a small bare field with toilets and a water faucet. When we visited, there was a notice that tap water had to be filtered.
Most individual sites are well-screened by shrubs and trees. There are some nettles and poison oak, but if you don't know what these look like, you probably should find out. We saw lots of wildlife and the stargazing was first-rate, even though you could see the distant glow of civilization in the night sky.
From Glen Camp, it's an easy hike down to the spectacular Coast Trail.
Super easy access and safe, in the city so close to wineries, restaurants and shops. We were here as a stop in our road trip so it was a perfect stay. They provide WiFi and hot shower. Very clean space. Lots of people were doing the trail but unfortunately we didn’t have time to do it. The only reason we didn’t extend one more night was the freezing cold at night (visited in late December). There’s no separation between campsites, you just choose a spot. In our case, we only had to share the lot with one more tent so we had a lot of privacy. However, don’t know how “crowded” it can be in a busier season.
Do this. “Hike in” means a paved lot with wheelbarrows to help you get your gear to your site which is less than a mile.
Yes these can be hard to get but the new “rolling reservation “ means dates are released 6months to the day not a whole month at a time. Be flexible and you can get a site. We have also stayed in the cabins which are a fantasy experience but the tent sites are cheaper and easier to get.
Tent sites have raccoons and are $25/night Cabins have mice and are $100/night
Site 2 is on the edge of the world. Several trees had been chopped down and there was little shelter but an unbelievable view! We camped for two nights in November and it was sunny and chilly.
Raccoons are abundant and brazen. They got into my lock top storage container but didn’t even try the flimsy food locker. Our bandit made off with a loaf of bread and the marshmallows.
Other tips: Site 1 is very exposed. Site 2 is ample for two tents if needed Site 3 ample for two tents with just a cedar fence between site 2 and 3 Site 4 is tucked down on the hillside with a great view south.
Beach access is via larger boulders. Have good shoes.
Firewood is available onsite for $7. Clean outhouse near tent sites. Clean bathrooms near parking lot- no soap or showers.
This place has it all. Great restaurant just outside the property, well stocked general store, arcade, park, and oh yes beach front access where the river does a nice bend. There is every type of camp spot, river front RV, tent, back your overland rig and camp off your tailgate. They even have cabins and a whole home you can rent on the property. I was there on a weekday during the summer so it wasn’t too busy but on a weekend I think it gets full.
This campground is less than an hours drive from San Francisco. It is along Sir Francis Drake Boulevard which takes you through a bunch of very cute tiny towns. It offers easy access to the Bay so plenty of beach access within a short drive. There is a fantastic grocery place at Pont Reyes Station so stop there for fresh bread, wine, cheese from Cowboy Creamery, then head to Hog Island for shuck your own oysters.
The campground itself is populated with families so it’s lively and full of children. Make sure you bring bikes as the bike paths run along Lagunitas Creek are great. You can walk along the fish spawning area but are forbidden from accessing the water November to June to avoid disturbing the spawning season. This campground is not good for dogs. Leave your fur babies at home.
The wildlife are clever and tenacious. Two squirrels worked together to break into my food locker and partied down on some magic mushroom chocolate. Bastards.
Try to score one of the creek side spots. They are small but the proximity to the running water helps to cover the road noise.
I have mixed feelings about this place. Beautiful surroundings and location, but actual campsites are meh. The campground is run by a non-profit that imposes very strict rules. Dogs are only allowed in the campsites (on 6’ leash) or on paved paths. There are sites kinda in trees up the hill that are very close together. Or sites near the pond that are very exposed but more spacious. The pond is (obviously) full of bullfrogs so the sound is either annoying or a lullaby, depending on your attitude. Site 1 is the best. It’s at the end of the park, nestled under a crown a redwood trees.
The real selling point of this place is the location. It’s situated above a very charming summer escape town called Guerneville along the Russian River. Buy an inflatable at the 5&Dime and float down the river. Followed by a quiet night up at camp. The park is squarely in wine country so go wine tasting for lunch and get a shuttle back to camp.
Campground is in a beautiful location, large campground, lots of activities for kids, right on the Russian River. Friendly Staff. The entire campground is dirt !!! Sites were dirt !!! Looks like at one time years ago there might have been gravel. It rained one morning and the entire campground was mud. It was awful. Sites are close together and dirt !!! We will never camp here again only because of the lack of gravel or concrete pads.
This campground is magic! It’s also expensive so make sure you have a big group chipping in. There are two group spots. Group A holds 50 people. There is a kitchen area with a huge grill and a large canopy covering a dining area. Group B holds 25 and has more privacy. We had Group A and had a ton of day hikers invading our site. It isn’t clear that the site is private so I highly suggest that you show up with ways to indicate that it isn’t public. We ended up making“Reserved” signs for all the tables. After a family invaded our Camp Dinner to complain, we had to rope off the stairs to the site.
There is plenty of space to spread out and have some privacy between tents. The restrooms are well maintained. The area is gorgeous! So many trails. We visited during a rain storm so there were waterfalls everywhere.
great accommodations. the bathrooms and showers were always clean. there was some construction going on, since it was the off season. it looked like they were renovating some of the bathrooms and aisle end sites to add grass and decks. the location was close to the freeway, which was a positive and negative. you could hear some traffic from the freeway or nearby road at times, but usually not. no complaints.
We were able to snag this site last minute when we decided to stop for the sunset. The camp host was very accommodating and actually offered to move us to a better site before we even thought to ask when we realized our original site was right next to the road. The camp host and his dog were very friendly and helpful.
The site we were moved to had a small hazard that we were able to work with(a hanging branch) that he made us hyper aware of in case if fell in the night.
The sites were far enough apart where we didn't feel like we were on top of each other.
It is within walking distance of a beautiful ecological area where we watched the sunset.
The bathrooms were clean and well taken care of and there were water spigots everywhere.
The fog rolling in for the morning was beautiful and we wanted to stay all day due to the calm and quietness of the campground.
My wife and I spent two days there, full hook-up with cable TV decent TV reception too. Cell worked well. Close to restaurants and grocery.
Great place to stay, the staff were amazing with great suggestions for places to visit and eat!
This is a favorite for us. The park is clean, sites are average in size. Not much separation between sites, some bushes, but basically a gravel parking lot. A variety of site types, including many on the water.
The restrooms and showers are clean. Unlike some that show the Bay on their website, this one is actually right on the water!
There is a coffee/breakfast place, and a wine/beer/restaurant at the edge of the property. Very good and convenient!
Lots of nice walking opportunities!
I tent camped here and really liked it. There is also an RV section. It has flush toilets, showers and WiFi. For recreation you have the park behind the camp with great hiking trails and the whole Napa region. The people who work there are nice and do a great job keeping it up.
Tucked in the woods and yet minutes from the water! Great toilets, nice fire pits, family friendly
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.
We went this past weekend. Beautiful weather, not too hot. It was a hike-in camp site called sky camp. It was a 1.3 mile hike uphill so that was pretty rough. It was our first time going to a hike-in camp site. The site (003) was perfect. You couldn’t see the next camper, very secluded, you could hear them, but it wasn’t an issue at all. The site we had was a short walk to the restrooms and water fountain with potable water. We did a morning hike and the trails were absolutely stunning. It was quite a ways to be able to see the ocean, so we didn’t actually complete the hike but got very close. We probably won’t be doing a hike-in any time soon, because our kids are not fan of it (13,11 and 8) but for adults it’s doable. The seclusion and beauty you get is well worth it!
I'm your looking to explore Bodega Bay and the surrounding area this is a great camp ground to stay in. Clean, quiet and easily accessible. But you need reservations.
One of my favorite places to camp! The tent camp sites are kind of small, but very close to the beach. Beautiful sunsets. Campground is near bodega bay and shops. Fishing is allow but it’s pretty shallow. Rangers frequent the campground. Clean bathrooms and showers.
Nice, quiet, and secluded camground. They have 2 bathrooms and drinking water. The hike to the campgrounds from the Bear Valley Visitors Center is about 2-3.5 miles depending on the route.
For those of you that have been to Armstrong redwoods DON'T expect this to be you throwing up a tent under the redwoods. The entrance to the campground is located at the back of the park and you drive up a very winding, bumpy one lane road for about 10 minutes before you reach the campgrounds. There is a camp host at site 4 and the grounds are maintained quite well. Even the bathroom is a normal bathroom and kept clean. The site vary in size and many are on a hill so they are not exactly flat. Back to the redwoods, there are a few floating around but it is nothing like being in Armstrong redwoods.
This is a cool little campground right on the Russian. It’s kinda tucked away and not too busy, which made it perfect by my book. You sort of have to “hike” in about a quarter mile from the parking area and there are no real amenities to speak of except for a composting toilet and a faucet for water located by the path in. The stars at night are fantastic, and Jenner and Guerneville are close enough so you can run out and pick up anything you might have forgotten to pack in. Seriously, 5 stars.
Nice spot. Gotta either bike in or hike in.
Angel Island is a California State Park, but it's surprising how many visitors do not know of the 10 campsites scattered around the island! Regular campers probably appreciate this, though more and more people are learning of their existence. Campsites are all reservable on the reservecalifornia website and they are highly recommended due to the small number of sites available. Most visitors use the ferry from Tiburon or San Francisco to get to the island, though boaters and kayakers can make the trip on their own as well. A paved perimeter road surrounds the island and campers must hike into their sites, bringing everything they need with them. All of the sites offer differing views of the bay, with the three "Ridge" sites giving campers views that stretch from the Golden Gate Bridge to the Bay Bridge with the city and Alcatraz in between! Sites are pretty primitive but depending on your site choice you will have a vault toilet or modern bathroom at your disposal. Drinking faucets are available at each site as are trash cans and food lockers. Picnic tables are also present. No fires are allowed but the sites have a free standing small bbq, and charcoal fires are permitted within them. If you are looking for an exciting and unique place to pitch your tent then Angel Island is a must see!
Bullfrog campground is located in Armstrong woods (Guerneville, CA). It's on top of a rugged drive up the woods and they are first come first serve basis. It's a close drive to the Russian river, but more tucked away from all the tourists. You can do some tough hill hikes through the Oaks or easier hikes through the Redwoods which remind me a lot of Muir Woods (but less crowded than that).