Best Cabin Camping near Rio Nido, CA

Cabins are perfect. The location is surrounded by a lot of fun things to do. The site has 2 parks, trails, pool/hot tub, and so much more. You never have an opportunity to be bored even if you just stay at the camp grounds the entire time.

Normally I wouldn't think of myself as a KOA sort of camper. This campground is enough to change my mind! There are some weekends you need to get away, but there's no time to pack the long list of stuff needed for camping. So we tried out one of these little cedar cabins. It was fantastic!!

We loved the quiet, laidback campground, with lovely old pines giving a sense of being in the forest -- even while being walking distance from the water. You're literally close enough to hear the surf, and see the Point Arena lighthouse.

It's dog friendly, with pool, hot tub, hot showers, full bathrooms, and also extensive Camp Kitchen facilities with sho-nuff gas grills.

We absolutely plan to return!

It's a KOA. It's pretty much exactly what you might expect. It's beautiful hinder the trees, with an excellent location to make beach access pretty convient too. Being so close to the beach though, it gets COLD at night. We usually rent a cabin. The cabins have heaters with is definitely nice. They also have beds, but the beds are really uncomfortable, it's just a pad on top of a slat wood frame, remember to bring a foam topper. Store/pool/hot tub. Perfect location to set up and use as a base of operations while you explore up and down the mendocino coast.

Jeanne and Robert’s Hipcamp is amazing. We had such fun there. Their treehouse site has a solar, heated pool, a sauna, and a hot tub! The Vancamp site has total privacy, and a hot tub in the redwoods. We could not have found a better place to hang out and chill! Our dogs even got to be off leash because it is all fenced!

Jeanne and Roberts treehouse is a luxurious Wonderland of a campground! We had total privacy, a pool, sauna and hot tub and a cool little treehouse to sleep in (with real stairs, leading up to it), Our dogs had a great time because they were off leash… The place is completely private and fenced! We highly recommend, the treehouse… You won’t be disappointed!

We stayed here for two nights. The campground is very large and very clean. Most spots are pull-through and ours was super clean and had a good amount of space. We stayed in row D but I’d recommend row A as the spots were a little more tucked away.

Pool and hot tub was super nice and they even have a food trailer open on the weekends

We chose this campground for its amenities and full hookups. It was our first time camping with a little pop up tent trailer. The sites are shady and the campground it is only a short walk to the beach (not a swimming beach). The pool and hot tub are great, the bathrooms could have been cleaned better. It can be loud during the day since some of the campers are showing off their equipment but it gets very quiet at 10pm.

KOA is awesome for campers who aren't ready to be completely off the grid, which most people in my group were. Their bathrooms are clean. Hot shower (!!) and hot tub (but you have to sign-up early or the spots run out quick, each party has 30 mins slot due to Covid restriction).

I took off a star because of the price. We ended up paying $66/night for 1 regular tent site (no electricity or water hook-up). Even though the site supposed to accommodate up to 6 people, there was a $5 extra charge per person after the first 2 guests. 

It's ridiculous because they assumed we all will be using every amenities every day for that extra charge (which we didn't since we arrived very late on the first night and were out for most of the following day). I'd rather be charged individually for each shower use or kitchen use, etc.

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.

How is it possible that I am the first to review this place, the number one most difficult to reserve spot in all of California (and therefore presumably all of America)?!

So the cabins are not only notoriously difficult to reserve -- you need to be ready to click "reserve" on the website at no less than 5 minutes before the window opens for your dates of interest, which was 6 months ahead of time when I reserved -- but kind of expensive for what they are, at $100/night plus reservation fee.

For that, you get your own seaside cabin with million dollar views just 30 minutes north of the Golden Gate Bridge. Sleeping platforms for about 6 people split among 3 semi-private rooms. Flush toilets at the parking lot and an honor system for buying firewood bundles with kindling. A full-time host lives in the house at the parking lot. There are dish washing spigots scattered among the cabins. There are wheelbarrows for schlepping your stuff to the cabins and campsites; more on that later. And charcoal grills outside each cabin. A couple general use picnic tables scattered about. So those are the basics you can read anywhere.

Various thoughts and recommendations, based on my solo weekend visit in mid-March 2018, staying in Cabin 7 at the bottom of the hill closest to the little beach:

• It's a classic, twisty ride on Highway 1 to get to the entrance, and then another steep, curvy ride down to the campground. Campers sensitive to motion sickness or vertigo be warned.
• Mice. There were several brand new mouse traps provided at the entrance to my cabin. You'll need them. You'd think staying in a cabin would elevate the camping experience a bit, but frankly, this brought things down a couple notches. In two days, I caught three and actually had to buy more traps. Removing any hint of food every night might work, but that's a pain. Experienced cabin-stayers will probably have better advice than mine.
• Views. The campground and all cabins have incredible views. Bring binoculars and your good camera. Bolinas, Stinson, The Farallon Islands, fishing boats, the night sky, raptors, seals, all manner of water fowl…that's why you're here. The views. And…
• It's about a mile into Stinson Beach if you need provisions or restaurants, and you can hike right onto the Steep Ravine / Matt Davis trails and climb all over Mt. Tam from the campground. It's also a great base camp for exploring Bolinas and the Pt. Reyes area by vehicle.
• Wind! It's typically windy in this area most afternoons from May to September. Between those months, there's always a chance of rain, so being inside the cabin with the woodburning stove does have a major advantage over the campsites.
• Seating. Bring your camp chairs. The cabins have fixed sleeping platforms, a built-in table, and two hard wooden benches. If you want to sit close to the wood stove or just lounge comfortably inside or out, it's DIY.

My advice? If you're a small party that just wants a couple days with the gorgeous oceanfront views and location, stay at the tent sites, not the cabins. You won't sleep with one eye open waiting for the mousetraps to pop, and it's a flat, easy portage from the parking lot to the campsites. Easier to keep clean, and I find cooking outside to be less of a hassle and easier to clean up than doing it inside the cabin where there isn't any water, sink, or spillage containment solution. Cheaper and (barely) easier to reserve a tent site, too.

If you're intent on having the cabin experience, or if you're staying in winter, or staying for more than a couple days, or have kids and really want to set up house, then go for a cabin, and I'd recommend choosing a cabin close to the parking lot. They're actually more private and you can use the wheelbarrows to move your stuff from car to cabin. The cabins further away from the parking lot are further down the hill; wheelbarrows are not an option, and footing is iffy when carrying large, heavy items up and down from the parking lot. Views are the same from all cabins so you're not losing any benefits. I'll try for CB04 next time.

But take whatever cabin you can get, and check "Steep Ravine Cabins" off your camping bucket list.

Finally got lucky and got a semi weekend reservation in Cabin 5. Bring something to hang over windows if you need privacy. Wood is for sale to heat up the cabin in the wood burning stove which you need especially during the colder months. Other than that the cabin is basic. It had the main area with the stove and there is 1 single platform there for a shorter adult to sleep. A tiny room with 1 single platform for a kid to sleep (it’s short). And then a bedroom with a single platform for a shorter adult and a double platform for shorter adults. Tall people beware. You can probably get by sleeping diagonal or with your feet hanging off.

Views are epic and you can walk down past the cabins in front of you and down to the beach mostly during low tide. The windows in the main part of the cabin open up to let air in. Lots of flies too.

Make sure you get a gate code to get in and a cabin code to unlock your door.

They have wheelbarrows to haul your stuff to and from your cabin

We’ve been lucky enough to score one of these cabins twice by checking in every so often to see if someone cancelled a reservation.

wood burning fireplace (you can buy wood on site) keeps the cabin warm. Smoke detectors work too!

Unlike Big Basin or other cabins that neighbor tent camping, the SPT cabins are secluded. Here are my disorganized bullet points:

• Cabins are incredible. They have electricity, outlets, and heating. All you need are sheets, pillows, and blankets.
• Great for families.
• Drinkable water
• Dish washing station at the restrooms
• Showers!
• 15 mins from the nearest store, so you don't need to bring much (or can pick things up if you forgot)
• 45 mins from Pt Reyes

Be aware of the tons of poison oak, and bring a yellowjacket trap to hang. There's not a lot of flat ground in the campground for kids riding bikes, so you'll need to go hike the trails or go down to the other main area for that. But this is like 2% negative and everything else is 98% positive.

Overall I think these are perfect for the mini-vacation style "let's throw a few things in a bag, low effort" camping trips.

Senior camping at it's best. A heated cabin and pad on bed that was comfortable. Got showers and a family vibe. Great location for scouting Mendocino coastline and Pt Arena. No wifi though so don't bring work.

The basic cabin was just that, but spacious and the heaters worked very well. Nice, well kept campground with plenty of activities and access to a coastal trail. The community fire pit was a nice place to hang out at night.

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...

These cabins are well worth the cost. There is a separate bedroom, you could sleep 2 couples on beds easily with extra floor space and a small individual bunk for larger families. No electricity but the wood burning stove provides some light. Bring candles and lanterns and some fabric for curtains for privacy.

Incredible views, hiking, and hot springs, BUT:

bring layers of functional clothes since the weather on the coast of the SF bay can be anything from roasting to foggy frigid cold during the day and night year round. Don't just look at weather online and go.

Be ready to ACTUALLY camp, not just clamping drive in, unless you have one of the cabins. Many people have less than stellar experiences due to being underprepared.

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 campground is only an hour from home for us, and it will be a regular frost. The prices are a little bit high, but that is to be expected with a KOA. The pool was so clean and warm, we were told it was 85°, and I believe it. The sites are all decent sizes. With walkways between so that people hopefully don’t walk through your site. The restrooms and showers were impeccably clean. There are RV, tent, and cabin sites. We will definitely go again. Highly recommend.

The campground is your typical KOA. there's a store, pool, pond, bathrooms, cabins, disc golf etc. The electric scooters are pretty fun, and the paddle boats too. The ground themselves arent really anything special though. It's open, very little privacy. Honestly it's kinda like a massive group site. No real walking trails or anything. Getting to the campground is easier in the summer because there is a bridge that goes over the river, making it a shorter drive. In the winter, the bridge is removed, so you have to go through the town of Cloverdale and back track, adding about 15-20 minutes to your trip.