The best camping near
Point Reyes National Seashore, CALIFORNIA

Just stayed here for 3 nights over 4th July weekend. Sites are nicely spaced apart, amenities are great - very clean, new and well looked after. The location itself is fantastic, just a few miles from Calistoga and St Helena. There is a creek which the kids enjoyed playing in and some good hiking.

There was some poison oak in the campground, but this was easily cleared (and not as bad as have seen in other locations). We also had some wasps and bought a trap at the local hardware store which largely solved the problem. Think both these issues are a result of the campground having just reopened following COVID-19 as the Rangers seemed very helpful.

Overall we had a great stay, and would go back.

Location location location…. The Schoolhouse Canyon Campground is located about 400 yards off the Russian River / 1/2 mile down the road from the Korbel Winery (amazing deli!!!) and about 5 miles from the town of Gurneville (Safeway + bakery's etc.).  Chris the owner runs the site and his family has had the propety for about 160 years starting when his ggg grandfather arrived during the gold rush of 1849.  

     Many lessons were learned over the years and Chris' attention to detail and meticulos vetting of potential disruptive guests make for a wonderful experience.   The campsite is divided into two areas, an  adults area (higher up the road) and a family area (just inside the gate when you first arrive) both areas allow for a adult friendly & a family safe visit to this canyon,  which is located under a 100 foot + high canopy of trees (see my photo below). 

     The campsites are large and include a fire ring with a flip down grill (see photo) a standard sized picnic table and most important  - it is very clean.  It is primarily designed for tent camping, but I did see several pop-up trailers.  With in a very short walking distance are hot showers ($1.25 for 6 minutes) and a place to wash your pots and pans. Also near by are spigots with fresh well water that you can safely drink and/or fill up your canister when ever you need water. Chris has fire wood onsite ($5 a bundle) and loads of inner tubes for use on the river ($5 a day).  The beach along the river is for the camps private use and their is a company the will rent you stand up paddle boards ($50 for two hours or $100 per day). 

            Chris can be difficult to reach by phone, but he will call you back - and if you don't answer his call you lose your opportunity to make a reservation as he does not have the time to call you again.

Nearly impossible to reserve, the five sites at Kirby Cove are large and spread out, giving the feeling of true isolation while being a two minute walk from the beach under the Golden Gate Bridge. It’s spectacular. You can Uber there if you have to. If you forget the salad at home, just go get it. SF and Marin are less than 15 mins away. The foghorns can be quite loud at night so consider earplugs. Good luck getting a weekend res!

The campgrounds are all on top of eachother by beach. We waited behind a dozen cars to check in, was not bad. But when we went to spot, another car there so back to the clerk we went… I didn’t want to wait 4 hours while they found the owner so landed at spot 24. It was nice and accommodating of them. Not too far from bathrooms, and a water spigot that no one used…by far the biggest tent spot and the only one riverside with shade in the afternoon. It was barely shade… but if you pull your tent alongside and not in the poison oak, it’s ok. The River is nice, ok beach with rocks but fun all in all. The store is great for last minute things and you can tell they try to keep it clean… bathroom were super clean and then trashed at night… all in all it was fine. Lots of families and dogs. Good little walks and the stars are great. In the dirt row of tent spots, it was a little too much like a festival when the sun goes down…

Basic outdoor setting near downtown Napa. Clean and well appointed bathrooms and showers. RV as well as tent camping in different sections. Recommend bicycles, if you have them, to ride into town, or on nearby backroads to view acres upon acres of vineyards. Park allows daytime use for mountain bikes, hikers and horseback riders. During current COVID times (eg 6/2020), wineries require appointments for visiting, as compared to many with “drop in” ability in the past, so plan ahead. Open 7am-7pm, with gate code given for late entrants. Recommend earlier check in (starts at 1pm).

Juniper Campground Campsite#16 

-Recommend Juniper Campground over Live Oak campground for close views at top. 

-It takes ~30-45 minutes to drive from the bottom of the mountain to Juniper Campground depending on the amount of traffic on the mountain. 

Pros: 

• Bathrooms: near JC Campsite#24- clean with toilet cover and toilet paper. 
• Diablo overlook: spacious- good views for sunset, sunrise, stargazing. 
• Food locker: 2x. We used the one beneath the tree- raccoon did not get inside. 
• Parking: vehicle fit on roundabot right next to campsite. 
• Privacy: secluded by surrounding bushes Spacious: can fit at least two+ tents Trash/Recycling bins: plentiful 
• Warm campsite at night - still felt like ~65F+ ~ 11pmPST. 
• Water spouts: plentiful

Minor cons:

-no shade at campsite until ~5pmPST near picnic table. 

-Flies/bees active buzzing at campsite.

-If sitting around picnic table at night, make sure snacks are not out on picnic table, but kept in lap. Raccoon was not shy about jumping on inactive stove top.

-minimal view from campsite#16, tall bushes provide privacy. better view from the overlook.

-windy - woken up ~3AM from strong winds.

This place was wonderful! We stumbled upon this place after wine tasting in Sonoma. This place had many sites and super family friendly. Very easy to find. There was lots of deer/wildlife which was cool to see up close. No phone service, we had a big fire and slept in our hammocks. Clean bathrooms and porta potties at each site. Many sites to choose from.

We were safe and enjoyed being in town close to my husband’s ortho while we waited to hear from the testing. That is the positive. The camp hosts here are about as lazy as I’ve seen. They wait until you’ve parked, leveled, slides out and set up until they inform you that you need to park your rig between the ( hardly noticeable) white lines. The sites have weeds, are gravel and most have no shade. But it’s close to Trader Joe’s and Costco. Sonoma county needs to find some camp hosts that would be helpful to the hook up process. Santa Rosa is a lovely town, and even through the COVID pandemic, everyone was wonderful. ( except the camp hosts) Beware.

Not much of a campsite. But RV spot, same location as BottleRock. In the heart of Napa.

Our favorite spot to take the kids to the lake. If your looking for something calm this is the spot at Lake Berryessa.