Best RV Parks & Resorts near Rio Nido, CA

Checked in a little later in the day- they had our name and spot on a sheet tacked on the bulletin board at the check-in area-

Our spot was very close to the entrance – mostly level a little angle downhill so bring some blocks.

First made the mistake of trying to back in- it turns out these are pull in spots, so make sure if you’re not in a pull through that you read the sheet and determine if you should pull in or back in.

Fairly quiet on a Saturday night close to town and a very comfortable stay.

Only electric and water hook ups but 50 amp is really nice and they have a dump here at the park. You can use when you check out.

When I did have a chance to meet them in the office, they seemed really nice at the front desk, and kind of surprised that we would check in our second vehicle :) maybe most people don’t. ;)

This was some “glamping” for us. We’re in a van with no consistent onboard power or water, so we do a night or two out and a night at a site with more amenities. This was a perfect stop driving south on the 1 after the previous night remote on the coast and a planned need for StarLink with power source. Park is clean and well-organized, if tight, and the bathrooms are super clean and door-coded, with included hot showers. Right on the marina, fun if you enjoy harbor/boating scenery, and good food within walking distance. No way - that I found - to reserve online, but a phone call at 9am on a Saturday was returned within 10 minutes and got it done. Range of big rigs to camper vans, easy access and enough room to negotiate into spots. Very welcoming, safe, laid back environment.

First, you stay here for the views. Great views from the first two rows closest to the water. There are very few plantings between spaces. No hook ups at all, but water is available if you fill before you park. Seven dollar dump station. Each campsite has a fire ring and a wooden picnic table and grass. Since there’s no hook ups between the hours of 8 AM and 8 PM, you will always be listening to somebody’s generator running. Always. No privacy at this campground. I did not check out the bathrooms for the campground, but I did look at the bathrooms for the large boat launch area next-door. No showers in that bathroom, but it was clean. A bit spendy for no hookups. Safe. Zero long term campers when I was here. There are no first come first served campsites at this location. All camping spaces had a reserve sign on them, even though the place was about 40% full. Completely dark at night, which was great.

I've camped here about half a dozen times over the years and while each experience has been different, they were all enjoyable and I would easily return again.

There are a variety of campsites, and they are many - we camp as close to the ocean as possible in the meadow area. There are port-o-potties on site but they're not always super close to your campsite. You typically do have to hike the ocean from the dunes, and while some consider it a light and easy walk, for others it could be difficult. There are other sites closer to the waterfront, but I haven't personally camped there yet and can't testify to the ease.

The weather is GREAT, and you can usually count on some light wind daily. It's amazing kite weather. The sites are in full-sun, so plan for shading yourself. I suggest a pop-up canopy, and double suggest staking it down.

We've run out of firewood on occasion and bartered with other campers (some have kindly donated some for the night and we reimburse their wood in the morning). There's a lovely general store and restaurant nearby with delicious clam chowder. There is also a day-area beach, a really cool pier where folks crab, and loads of fishing. Pet friendly, sand dunes where you'll see lots of action, and just a lovely area. Camping is year round, and the weather is typically PERFECT.

The campground at Sugarloaf Ridge State Park offers a range of decent sites. There are certainly some that are better situated than others regarding size, shade, and other amenities--but the entire campground is nice. Well maintained, and located in a State Park that is run by a non-profit "Team Sugarloaf". Sonoma Creek runs along the campground and there is a waterfall a short hike away. There are showers for a quarter per minute, if you want to freshen up after a big hike like to the peak of Bald Mt. Visitor's Center has educational displays, maps, and a variety of items for sale. Ice and fire wood available. Each site has a table and fire pit. Great little get away spot that feels farther in the wilderness than it is at all. Close to Sonoma and Santa Rosa. Year-round camping--beautiful in all seasons.

There is also an observatory in the park, one Saturday night per month the hold "Star Parties" and for just $2 you can spend the evening looking through great telescopes and learning about space from experts. Kids are free! It is walking distance from the campground. If you have flashlights that have a red night-vision setting, those are recommended to use there--otherwise they'll give you red cellophane to cover your light so that it doesn't interfere with star viewing.

Such a gem here! Less than two hours from Oakland.  We'll return soon.

Highlights: 

1. Sites 13 and 15 of the Bodega Dunes loop are by far the best sites.  The others had uneven tent pads or awkward orientations.  The pull-throughs are barely off the road and very sandy.  Take extra blocks if you go because our site was uneven tip to tail.

2. Easy to maneuver big rigs, we saw some 5th wheels, and 25+ footers in here. 

3. This smaller loop of Bodega dunes is so quite, the other loops are sandy and crowded close together.  It was a very different vibe.  It was Memorial Day weekend but our site was out of chaos down below, kids running all around.  Great if you have a gaggle and want to let loose, but if not, stick to the loop with sites 13 and 15. 

4.  A very short drive to the water.  

5. A little trial behind the site connects you to a Sunday farmers market and a Mexican restaurant.  That's about a 10 minute scenic walk.  

6. The dump station and water fill up spigot were excellent.

7.  It's 10 minute drive to Fishermen's cove. A FANTASTIC restaurant. Everything we ate was excellent. 

8. Nice people. 

9. The fire bundles are small for $10 so maybe (gulp) bring some with you. 

Bad: nothing I can think of.  We didn't use the facilities.