Best Tent Camping near Pope Valley, CA

The Upper Campground is a gem of a place to camp, nestled among the redwoods on the eastern facing side of a ridge (complete with hiking trails) and a creek.  The Madrone group campground is across Sir Francis Drake Blvd (I personally think it's less scenic but more open).  The only reason I took off a star is the campground's proximity to the road, which is not extremely busy but can be noisy if you are camping in a tent.  Were it not for the noise, we'd go back again and again and again.

In the coastal town of Bodega Bay California is a state/regional beach called Doran Beach. It is a beautiful place to go for a day trip or for overnight camping trips. Doran's campground is right on the beach with the bay on both sides of the road. There are several areas for RV's and also for tent camping. (This review is for the tent camping.)

As with many sites in California there is a parking lot to park cars in and you walk in to the sites. There are restrooms, water and drinking fountains. 

The sites themselves have tables, campfire pits and a lockable wooden storage box.  There is a bird sanctuary nearby which is great for birdwatching. 

The sunrise and sunsets are the most beautiful times of day and the beaches have emptied out. There is nothing like sleeping to the sound of rolling waves. 

The only downside to this as a tent camping spot is the incredible wind that blasts in from the ocean. 

I love this campground.

I stayed one night in one of the 2-3 tent sites, which was on the water. -It was quite expensive ($55/night) for a tent site. I didn’t request, want, or use them, but I did have a faucet and two 110-V outlets available; perhaps I was paying for that. -Office staff told me I had to sleep in a tent, not my car (I’m testing out a cot in my car; can’t do a tent any more). My thinking is, if I pay and take good care of the tent site, why insist on controlling how I sleep? I found this intrusive - and I set up a tent, but slept in my car. -The sites for RVs were very small. The campground was pretty much full and I felt bad for the RVers, who were almost on top of each other. -Additional notes: good, free showers (but $15 returnable cash deposit to get a restroom/shower key); tent site was on water and had privacy of bush on one side (unlike RVs); friendly office staff; not near town or residential areas, despite being so near an urban area.

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.

Tent camp here every year. It's small but great for families! Has a creek and many hiking trails!

Love this campground ... a great basecamp for easy access to everything that West Marin has to offer.  It has wonderful campsites nestled among mature trees with a stream that runs through it.  It's a bit too tight for large trailer or RV camping (unless you are an expert at maneuvering through tight spaces).  Also, if you're tent camping, the vehicle noise from the nearby Sir Francis Drake Blvd can be distracting if you are a light sleeper (and you are tent camping).  But all in all a great locale!

Not much privacy for tent camping. Fog horn goes continuously. Good hwy 1 access. Affordable. Walking distance to awesome beach.

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.

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...

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!

Pros: Has numerous amenities including hot (free) showers (cleaned daily), flush toilets, full hookup RV spots, laundromat, US Post office, fenced playground, dog park, drive in tent sites, and firewood for sale. Cons: expensive, sites are close and poorly defined and the after hours check in procedure doesn’t prevent overlapping.

While driving through Sonoma Valley, I found this hidden campground that was one of the most amazing campgrounds that I have stayed at. I was tent camping and easily found the perfect spot. Until this trip, I had never seen a banana slug which was HUGE! I stayed for just one night while continuing on my way up to the Redwoods. The hills were covering in the yellowing grass of the summer and combined with the tranquility of the rolling hills, I experienced one of the most calming sunsets of my life. Not far from this campground is the Jack London Historical State Park, which i highly recommend going to see. Overall, this was a fun little hidden gem in California.

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.

This KOA is pretty big with plenty of options for RV sites. Wide variety of full hook-ups or partial hook-ups. Like most (if not all) KOAs, you can also tent camp or tent cabins. Good size dog park for the pets to run and be free, as well as plenty of fun activities to entertain the kiddos. For us, this is a great spot to shoot down the highway and pull in for a few days to get away from the hustle and bustle of normal life! Close to downtown Petaluma with plenty of premium shops and restaurants.