Best Campgrounds near Port Costa, CA

Camping options near Port Costa, California range from established campgrounds to overnight parking areas within a short drive of this small Bay Area town. Skyline Wilderness Park in Napa offers tent sites, RV hookups, and cabin accommodations approximately 20 miles north of Port Costa. Anthony Chabot Regional Park provides tent and RV camping opportunities to the south in Castro Valley. Benicia State Recreation Area, just a few miles east, features limited self-contained RV spots designed primarily as overnight stopover locations rather than destination camping.

Reservations are essential at most developed campgrounds in the region, with many sites booking up weeks or months in advance, especially during summer and fall weekends. The area's Mediterranean climate makes camping possible year-round, though winter brings rain that can impact trail conditions. Campgrounds like Skyline Wilderness Park maintain fully developed amenities including water, electric hookups, and shower facilities, while locations such as Benicia State Recreation Area offer more limited services. Cell coverage is generally reliable throughout the region due to proximity to urban areas. "The parking space has a nice 'backside' corner that feels less open than at the frontside, but it's still facing a street," noted one overnight visitor to a parking lot camping option in the area.

Several campgrounds near Port Costa receive positive reviews for their accessibility to both nature and urban conveniences. Skyline Wilderness Park earns praise for its location just minutes from downtown Napa while offering extensive recreational opportunities. "A safe, beautiful, affordable property to spend outdoors time on. Convenient sites with complete hookup and also restroom/showers handy," shared one camper about Skyline Wilderness Park. Benicia State Recreation Area serves primarily as a quick overnight option rather than a destination campground, with one visitor describing it as a "great little first come first served stopover spots." Proximity to hiking trails, wildlife viewing, and scenic landscapes represents a common theme in positive reviews, while complaints typically center around crowded conditions, tight spacing between sites, and occasional noise from nearby roadways.

Best Camping Sites Near Port Costa, California (144)

    1. Skyline Wilderness Park

    29 Reviews
    Napa, CA
    17 miles
    Website
    +1 (707) 252-0481

    "A ton of great hiking and horseback riding trails. Literally 5 mins outside of the town of Napa. Ate at an amazing Brazilian Steakhouse and came to camp in just a short drive."

    "Nice, clean place with beautiful hiking trails. The garden is very cute, perfect for a quiet walk or meditation. Sites are close to each other. This place is a good getaway into nature."

    2. Benicia State Recreation Area

    5 Reviews
    Benicia, CA
    2 miles
    Website
    +1 (707) 648-1911

    $12 / night

    "The area is beautiful and lots of people come here to walk and exercise, and once I took my dog on a walk I saw why nobody brings their dog - TICKS! So many!  "

    "Near the freeway so there was road noise almost all night.

    Great option for when you just need a cheap overnight."

    3. Anthony Chabot Regional Park

    29 Reviews
    Castro Valley, CA
    23 miles
    Website
    +1 (888) 327-2757

    $25 - $200 / night

    "as usual some spots are better than others but most close to restrooms and/or water. lots of poison oak and star thistle right off trail. great deterrent for kids to stay out of tick areas but id worry"

    "Midweek in June the park, which is fairly large, is still nearly empty."

    4. Live Oak Campground — Mount Diablo State Park Campground

    17 Reviews
    Diablo, CA
    19 miles
    Website
    +1 (925) 837-2525

    $30 / night

    "This mountain has many of hiking trails for various levels of hikers."

    "Live Oak is the closest to the entrance (and town), and features some cool rock formations to explore, but it's colder, has terrible cellular data service, and doesn't quite have the sunset / sunrise views"

    5. Tradewinds RV Park

    3 Reviews
    Crockett, CA
    4 miles
    Website
    +1 (707) 643-4000

    $42 - $47 / night

    "Close to highway. Noise not a problem. Very friendly staff. Sites are close together but easy entry. Level sites with FHU’s. Would stay here again."

    6. Samuel P. Taylor State Park Campground

    52 Reviews
    Lagunitas, CA
    30 miles

    $35 - $225 / night

    "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."

    "Beautiful trees and wonderful California charm. The campsites were decently located. Above the Mendocino coast the mornings are wet and Cold. Loved this place"

    7. Tilden Regional Park

    4 Reviews
    Kensington, CA
    10 miles
    Website
    +1 (888) 327-2757

    $75 - $120 / night

    "Tilden is great for anyone looking for a close park right outside of the Berkeley/San Fran area. It is a rather large park area that overlooks Berkeley."

    "Tilden offers a lake in the middle to swim in and fish. The campsites have lots of fire pits. The weather is always great too!"

    8. Sunrise Campground — Angel Island State Park

    9 Reviews
    Tiburon, CA
    18 miles
    Website
    +1 (415) 435-5390

    $30 / night

    "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!"

    "Campsites are walk in throughout the island.  Remember there will be fog and there will be wind.

    We try to get what they call the "group" kayak site. "

    9. Briones Regional Park

    1 Review
    Pleasant Hill, CA
    7 miles
    Website
    +1 (888) 327-2757

    $75 - $200 / night

    "Good parking and turn around. Lots of opportunities for horse riders in area. Pets on leash."

    10. Kirby Cove Campground — Golden Gate National Recreation Area

    15 Reviews
    Sausalito, CA
    22 miles
    Website
    +1 (415) 331-1540

    $40 - $75 / night

    "The walk to the beach was 60 seconds and the ocean can be seen from the site. Cool ww2 structures. You get a code to open the gate uptop and drive down to park for your stay."

    "If you plan to leave your cooler outside of the bear box make sure it has a lock or secure latch. 3- you get a gate code and parking pass to drive down, but have to walk your gear the last 500-1,000 ft"

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Recent Reviews near Port Costa, CA

744 Reviews of 144 Port Costa Campgrounds


  • yThe Dyrt PRO User
    Sep. 5, 2025

    San Francisco North-Petaluma KOA

    Great area, safe, kid friendly

    I planned to stay here just one night and stayed like 4. Great spot, I loved downtown Petaluma and enjoyed the safe feeling and convenience of this location. Great amenities for children too.

  • SThe Dyrt PRO User
    Sep. 4, 2025

    Sugarloaf Ridge State Park Campground

    Feels much more remote than it is

    Great campsite, awesome staff. Tucked away off highway 12 in wine country it feels much more remote than it actually is. It's a great fast getaway from the northbay, but it can be hard to reserve a site ahead of time but they do have first-come first serve sites too. Excellent hiking with both fairly flat trails, to challenging trails with lots of elevation change. It's often very hot in the summer, and there can be lots of rattle snakes sunning themselves on the rocks. This is one of my favorite camping spots.

  • HThe Dyrt PRO User
    Aug. 30, 2025

    Anthony Chabot Regional Park

    Lovely site, really close to San Francisco!

    On visiting San Francisco we were looking for a site that wasn’t a car park. This really met the mark! Beautiful place with great sites. Nice picnic tables & fire pits! Was very quiet

  • S
    Aug. 28, 2025

    smittle creek

    Hidden Gem

    This sweet little spot is a paddle boarding and fishing dream. Primitive site where Smittle Creek flows into Lake Berryessa.

  • T
    Aug. 24, 2025

    Anthony Chabot Regional Park

    Nice location and activities, but a bit cramped

    I just needed/wanted a short getaway without driving hours from home. Since I'm used to this place for mountain biking, I figured I'd try camping here for a couple nights. 

    I did a recon ride previously on my mountain bike, so knew which spots I'd prefer and booked site 35 for a Thursday and Friday night. 

    Arrived at about 5PM and found my spot. The ranger booth was closed, but I didn't feel the need to chat with them anyway. The place was largely unoccupied at this point. Maybe a dozen or so spots appeared taken. 

    The weather, though hot in the Bay Area at this point, was quite nice. The breeze and shade of the park made for a very comfortable setting. I believe it was 88 in Castro Valley, but felt about 78 at the campground. I don't have AC for the van, but didn't feel I needed any. 

    I got setup and then headed out for a short ride, followed by a warm shower, cold beer and dinner. It was quiet that evening and I slept well. 

    I worked through the morning Friday, though the Starlink suffered some interruptions due to the tree cover. Early afternoon more people started to show up, as I expected. I went for a long ride and when I returned the place was much more occupied and people were setting up tents, starting their bbq's, etc. Though a bit close to the neighbors, none of them were obnoxious. 

    My advice would be to know the spot you're selecting and know that in the summer months the grass isn't green :) 

    I'd score the individual aspects as follows (1-5):

    Bathrooms: 4

    Location: 5

    Activities: 5

    Privacy: 3

    Cleanliness: 4

  • g
    Aug. 16, 2025

    Olema Campground

    Nice spot, little privacy

    Lovely large meadow with scattered trees. RC/van spots are arranged in cul de sacs, tent spots on the edges of fields.

    Somewhat noisy - kids, dogs, radios - but settled down by 9. Friendly vibe. Expensive at $83/nt but good showers. Wifi was slow when I stayed.

    Decent backup option for the area if Samuel Taylor is booked.

  • g
    Aug. 12, 2025

    Samuel P. Taylor State Park Campground

    Small and lovely

    Lovely site in redwoods. Sites are close, but have some privacy. Stream is accessible shallow. Beautiful trees.

  • PThe Dyrt PRO User
    Aug. 3, 2025

    San Francisco North-Petaluma KOA

    Best KOA

    Paid a premium price for a Saturday one nighter, but it certainly is a great VIP campsite. The host says they will come around in the morning and empty our tanks! No need to hook up our sewer hose!

  • Patrick J.The Dyrt PRO User
    Jul. 29, 2025

    San Francisco North-Petaluma KOA

    Great for Families and groups, but not for just one night.

    Check in was fine. Got wrong direction how to get to the site. After looping around to approach the site, I found the streets all very tight for RV maneuvering. The place was packed. Had a pull through FHU site. Pretty narrow. Seems like a common theme. Great things for kids to be entertained by and enjoy for sure. We were passing through and I think we would have been better served elsewhere. Our site was patches of grass and looked like it needed some TLC. Tested the water-Water tested as acceptable tap water after running it through an external filter. 21 elements checked, all within range. Dissolved solids were 251...pretty high. The worst water in our 6 week trip. Must be a California thing.


Guide to Port Costa

Camping areas near Port Costa, California feature mostly hilly terrain with Mediterranean climate conditions and elevations ranging from sea level to about a thousand feet. Cell service is generally strong in these locations due to proximity to Bay Area towers. The region's forests consist primarily of eucalyptus, oak woodlands, and some redwood groves in certain locations, creating distinct camping experiences depending on which direction you travel from this small Bay Area town.

What to do

Hiking the Manzanita Trail: At Mount Diablo State Park, trails transform with the seasons. "It's like a fairy wonderland on the Manzanita trail" in winter when everything is green, according to Adam B. The park has many trails for various hiking levels with elevation gains providing sweeping views.

Beach access at coves: Kirby Cove Campground offers a unique coastal experience near Port Costa. "The camp has its own beach and is right by an old missile sight you can check out," notes D.J. P. The beach is accessible via a short trail from the campsites.

Wildlife viewing: Several parks in the region host diverse animal populations. At Skyline Wilderness Park, campers regularly spot "Wild turkey, deer, wood peckers," as Adam B. reports. Early morning and dusk offer the best wildlife viewing opportunities when animals are most active.

Biking options: Paved paths provide cycling opportunities for all skill levels. Samuel P. Taylor State Park features "a paved path that runs for at least a mile or so along the creek, that used to be the old railroad line through that area," according to Joseph F., making it suitable for family biking outings.

What campers like

Proximity to wineries: Skyline Wilderness Park receives praise for its location near wine country. "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," writes Letícia I., highlighting the convenience for those looking to combine camping with wine tasting.

Quiet despite urban proximity: Campers appreciate the sense of seclusion despite being near urban areas. "Paradise an hour from the city. It is great for laid back camping! Karl the fog even likes it!" writes Kyla M. about Anthony Chabot Regional Park.

Historical exploration: Several camping areas near Port Costa feature historical sites. At Samuel P. Taylor State Park, "They have informational signs all over the place providing historical or ecological information," notes Joseph F., allowing campers to learn about the area's past while enjoying nature.

Uncrowded weekday camping: For those seeking solitude, midweek camping offers a different experience. "Midweek in June the park, which is fairly large, is still nearly empty," Ryan W. notes about Anthony Chabot Regional Park, suggesting Tuesday through Thursday reservations for a quieter experience.

What you should know

Gate closure times: Some parks lock campers in after hours. At Mount Diablo State Park, "they lock you in at sunset; if you want to leave you have to call the fire department to open the locked gate," warns Blake H. Check specific gate closure times when making reservations.

Frequently Asked Questions

What camping is available near Port Costa, CA?

According to TheDyrt.com, Port Costa, CA offers a wide range of camping options, with 144 campgrounds and RV parks near Port Costa, CA and 1 free dispersed camping spot.

Which is the most popular campground near Port Costa, CA?

According to TheDyrt.com, the most popular campground near Port Costa, CA is Skyline Wilderness Park with a 4.2-star rating from 29 reviews.

Where can I find free dispersed camping near Port Costa, CA?

According to TheDyrt.com, there is 1 free dispersed camping spot near Port Costa, CA.

What parks are near Port Costa, CA?

According to TheDyrt.com, there are 18 parks near Port Costa, CA that allow camping, notably Golden Gate National Recreation Area and Point Reyes National Seashore.