Best RV Parks & Resorts near Portola Valley, CA

This campground is beautiful and at 50% of normal capacity even better! The campground is set among a grove of eucalyptus trees that offer shade, which would be really nice during summer, and a calming aroma. 

There are dry and full hook up sites. 

$35 for dry

$45 for hook ups

$8 reservation fee

$2 fee per day for each dog which is not stated when making reservations, you  are expected to pay when you arrive.

We have 3 dogs and the ranger came by and mentioned the fee though he never made us pay it. Also they do not allow visitors at this time due to Covid, campers only. There was some type of maintenance going on which had trucks frequently driving up and down the road but overall quiet. Strict rule of no check in prior to 2pm, but there is a day use area nearby to park in and hike around if you arrive early. The road up to the campground is winding with a lot of cyclists. Cell service was spotty on the way up and weak at campground but usable with our WeBoost. The road in the campground is narrow with tight turns into the sites so if you have a big rig be aware.

Other amenities:

Recycling and garbage

Bathrooms and showers

Tons of hiking and biking trails

Water and dump station available for dry campers

Fire pit, firewood for sale at kiosk for $10/bundle

Picnic tables

30 amp only

Paved parking pad, mostly level

Overall would definitely come again!

We happened upon this RV Park as a drop in when our other park was not available. What a pleasant surprise! We’ll be making this our go to spot when traveling through the Gilroy area from now on.

For starters, the staff is wonderful. So friendly. Just an FYI, if they have open spots after the office closes they put out packets for up to 2 pull thru and 2 back in spots for late arrivals without a reservation.

Pros

• Great central location!
• Roomy spaces, by RV park standards.
• Water, sewer, electric, WiFi, and trash.
• Propane on-site for purchase.
• Laundry mat on site. Prices more reasonable than going to a laundry mat off site.
• Showers and restrooms.
• Truly dog welcoming, with multiple dog poop baggy bins and a dog run so your best friend can run leash free. They even gave my dog premium dog treats upon arrival. Wow!!
• A really nice pool.
• Wide back in spots, with wide roadways. Even a novice RVer can back it up with out concern.
• This place can accommodate truly large rigs, there were quite a few of them during our visit.
• There are likely long term rentals, but I couldn’t point them out because all the sites were neat and clean with flowers and landscaping. The park was super quiet.
• Open, lush grassy area.

Cons:

• It’s an RV park, so there is a lot of smooth new concrete and the sites are close together. If you want natural turf and more space, you’ll need to give up the amenities and go to a State Park or Forest.

You are probably thinking "Parking lot? Why did you give it 4 stars?" Because of the location! We stayed here for three nights in our 34 foot travel trailer. We barely fit into the back in site, and had to park our truck in visitor parking a short walk away. Other, smaller trailers had enough room for their vehicle to fit in alongside. The facility has full-hookups and they functioned fine. The harbor itself has trails but no other facilities for campers. No wifi but Verizon had good signal. The weather is perfect and we loved walking to the beach, to get coffee in Seabright, and driving into downtown and the boardwalk.  It's fairly quiet at night, but you do have to watch your stuff. The first night we stayed here we got woken up at 5:30 in the morning by a rattling noise. Open the door and someone is walking away from our trailer. A look at our bike rack revealed that our ties had been cut. I guess the would-be thief didn't notice that the bikes were locked to the rack. Either way, you have to be careful, because this is Santa Cruz and there are a lot of weird folks about. So yes, there are some downsides. But we love Santa Cruz and it was great to be in such a central location.

We rarely make reservations to camp in California Beach Parks, as they are usually filled up weeks or even months in advance. While meeting up with some friends in Half Moon Bay we happened along the campsite and simply enquired if they had an open site for the night. They did, and we ended up staying for 2 nights due to a cancellation.  It never hurts to ask!  

The campsite is a nice quiet stretch of grass, live oak trees, and beach shrubs about 30 vertical feet above the Pacific beach shoreline.  While you get away from the blowing sand, you get to hear the pounding ocean at night. I can’t imagine a more gentle lullaby, frankly. The sites themselves are a little close quarters, but all provide just about enough space for a long camper and a tow/towed vehicle as well.  For a small camper like us, there’s even enough room to have a friend visit. 

The sites offer electrical and water hookups, additionally there is a dump station just as you exit the camping area. Showers and flush toilets are available, but also used by all the beach goers in the area, so you know what they look like....never clean.

The town of Half Moon Bay offers pretty much everything you need in terms of restaurants or grocery stores. Riding your bike, or walking along the path toward town for a well-earned brunch should definitely reach the top of your to-do list while you’re there.  We had brunch at Mavericks Creparie and dinner at the Half Moon Bay Brewing Company.  Both are absolutely fantastic!

Beachcombing, sunbathing, swimming, horseback riding, and skim boarding during the warmer months also are great ways to fill up the day. The beach path goes for miles in either direction so you can get some exercise off of the main roads.

Level, concrete pads. Spacing is tight. We had an end space with a nice patch of grass. Small space to walk dogs.

Campground is directly adjacent to the parking lot and marina from which multiple boats sail for whale watching trips. You can also rent kayaks nearby to kayak in the calm waters where you will almost certainly see sea otters.

Easy in and out, but tight turns if you have a big rig. Our 30’ class C had no troubles and there were a lot of much larger trailers and class A’s so maybe tight but definitely doable.

You can easily walk to Phil’s, but expect very long lines. They were not allowing dogs even in outdoor seating area.

It was very quiet at night, but very loud during the day. Everyone there was very friendly. Very nice and helpful people running the office.

I would definitely stay here again, especially if going whale watching or kayaking with the sea otters.

The streets are lined with homeless living in RVs etc leading up to the RV park and after, it smells like sewage. When arriving I was moved to 3 different sites, all of which I couldn’t fit into. The guy running the park blamed me for not telling him I have a tow vehicle... he did however know the length of my trailer and every spot he put me in wasn’t long enough for the trailer alone. I may have been able to back into the spaces but would’ve been hanging out a bit which I could’ve tried to deal with if it weren’t for the fact that I could not maneuver to back into any space because everyone that’s there has been there very long term and is living there. They all have garbage and debris overflowing their sites preventing me from backing in properly. The place is incredibly run down and dirty, it didn’t feel safe. I requested my money back which he did and then I left. I can’t believe that even being in the city, though the bad side of the city at that he’s charging $125 a night! I’ve been all over the country and I have to say that $25-$30 a night would be an extreme stretch realistically. Stay far away from here, it’s not safe, it’s not clean.