Best Tent Camping near Ripon, CA

great campsite! be careful driving up the windy road and watch for the many cyclists. going up/down with you. 

driving in was very easy; parking is right next to the site. the campsite itself was beautiful - panoramic views of the east bay area. i could recognize walnut creek, lafayette, danville and san ramon through the binoculars. site was clean, but the ground itself was very rocky. irritating that there wasn't really any level spots to set up the tent, so sleeping on a slant was a real treat (sarcasm). weather was very mild during the day; not too hot, nor too cold. nights were bearable in the high 50s, and by late night (cuz i kept waking up because of slanted sleeping), but felt like low 40s and slightly windy. make sure you bring thermals and a warm sleeping bag. sleeping pad is a definite must on the sharp rocks; be careful when stepping around in the tent with just socks on. 

drought meant that flushing toilets were all locked.. as were the showers.. but from what i heard the "chemical toilets" (aka porta-potties) were an adequate substitute. water access had been shut off as well, so make sure you bring plenty of your own for washing and drinking. 

critters - we didn't encounter any during our stay. no racoons, bears, mice, rats.. nada. just a ton of pincher bugs everywhere. not even many flies! we had those spinning fly deterrent things, though. maybe those really DO work? 

ALSO because of the drought - NO WOOD FIRES ALLOWED. total/complete bummer to camp without a campfire. gas stoves and lanterns were permitted, though.

We hiked up to Juniper campground from the Clayton side. The sites in the teens have less overhead shade but more privacy than those of higher numbers. The sites closest to the driving road/entrance/overlook will have the potential to be downwind of the bathroom, unfortunately.

The campground is a dry campground - as in no alcohol.

That said, we loved our site #15, and enjoyed the privacy it provided, plus the views (if you stand on the table or are tall). We didn't encounter critters. We had some trouble staking down on the rocky dirt. 

This is a good campground to explore the rest of the summit areas, plus Rock City.

Henry Coe State Park is easily accessible from the San Francisco Bay Area for a weekend getaway or short camping trip.

The Coe Ranch campground has several tent-only campsites that can be reserved online ($8 transaction fee, $20/night), and the campground has parking for vehicles in a small parking area ~20-100 feet from the campsites. Campsites at this campground are aesthetically pleasing, with oak and pine trees around the perimeter of the campground, and there are scenic views of oak woodlands and the valley below. The picnic benches are conveniently located and provide a nice space for eating while camping at the site. Toilets are easily accessed from the campsites. Campfires are allowed in the fire rings only during non-fire season (no campfires during summer months). Dogs are allowed at the Coe Ranch Campground.

Henry Coe SP has many great hiking opportunities, with beautiful wildflower displays in March and April, and also numerous opportunities for enjoying the beauty of the plants and wildlife seen along the hiking trails which are very accessible from the campground. Near the Coe Ranch campground there is a camp book store, which has some items for sale, including many field guides to wildlife and plants in the park. When the store is open, there is often a ranger available to answer questions about the park.

My only compliant is that at the site we stayed at (CR005) the ground is quite compacted, so if you do not have an adequately thick sleeping pad, the ground may be uncomfortably hard to sleep on. Normally I have no trouble sleeping on the bare ground at campsites with a thin sleeping pad, so this was surprising. Bringing an extra pad may be a good idea if you are prone to sleep problems when the ground is too hard.

We (party of 4) were there primarily because we rented a boat from their Marina. That went well! This is an RV campground & full-complement resort on Bethel Island, San Joaquin River Delta. Many RVers appear to be long-term or full-time residents.

The tent-area was a clearing, fully backed up to the levee, with some shade and a water spigot. Appears to be only 4 “sites,” which are defined by picnic tables, GENEROUSLY spaced, no fire rings AND the Delta is h.o.t.! It’s also on the far edge of the property, so car traffic was MINIMUM — and NO generators were heard, even though the RV section is huge!!!

The rest rooms were in the Marina building, a short walk. We would DEFINITELY return for boating and tenting!!!

The location and weekend was amazing and beautiful. The 105 daytime temps were quelled by dunking ourselves in the lake and taking excursions to some of the other local wonders. We had a great view of the lake and the stars overnight were amazing. It was extremely easy to socially distance from others at all times.

We spent the weekend camped out here but when we arrived, our location was filled with trash. The previous occupants had left garbage strewn everywhere and a garbage bag that was torn into by the wildlife. We cleaned for about half an hour and filled a large black yard waste bag with garbage before we could start to settle in.

The other big issue is that the site says “all facilities are open” but in reality all the restrooms are closed and locked with a solution of putting portable toilets in front of the restroom areas. This is in no way better for dealing with bathroom needs.

Also, the camp host location was marked but no host appeared or was available. The rangers drove by maybe 6 times total.

Be aware when coming here that many sites do not have shade or places to set up hammocks.

Don’t let my negative points turn you away, many of these things were going to be situational and we would love to go back (just not in the midst of a heatwave like that).

Came here from SF Bay for 2 nights on a weekend.  Obtained permit from the ranger station and had to pick a district I would camp in the first night (to limit amount of campers in a region per night).  Hiked about 8 miles southwest to a lake the first night and camped in my hammock by the lake.  Second day backpacked about 12 miles northeast to another lake and was able to grab a spot to set up my hammock next to some picnic tables and a restroom.  Saw plenty of wildlife (lizards, snakes, birds, fish).  It was fairly hot in mid-spring, and there is not much shade on the trails, especially the dirt roads.

We stayed here for the night prior to a Hetch Hetchy backpacking trip. We arrived in the dark. We had reserved a site with a small two person tent already set up for us. It was a bit hard to find in the dark, but the camping area is fenced in under an oak grove so eventually we found the stump with our name on it next to the tent. In the future, I think I’ll just bring my own tent and deal with the small hassle of setting it up—the tent provided was fine, but definitely would not have been a good choice if there had been rain. And you could tell it is essentially set up 24/7—some tiny insects living inside etc. The campsites themselves were sufficiently spacious and the host has nice fire pits with fire wood provided for each site, plus picnic tables. Basic portapotties plus some running water for bathrooms. Fellow campers were an interesting mix of folks from all over, though I wish the owner had quiet hours posted and communicated—our immediate tent neighbors sat out chatting and laughing until nearly 1am which was annoying. The coyotes and owls at night were lovely.

General: 132-site Corps of Engineers campground on New Hogan Lake. No hookups. 

Site Quality: Varies. Most are back-in, but some are pull-through. Most sites are generous in size, providing some privacy. More than a few are not level (do not pick Site 107 if you need anything close to level!). We had reserved Site 80 but ended up taking Site 100. Pads are all paved but narrow; large RVs might be challenged navigating these driveways. A picnic table, lantern hook, fire ring, and grill complete the site. 

Bathhouse: They really could use some TLC. No soap or towels and not all the showers were functional. I chose not to try the functional one as it had seen better days!

Activities: We saw several boats on the lake and there is fishing. Not sure about other activities as we just enjoyed relaxing at our campsite by the lake! 

We were there on a Thursday in early May, and it was fairly quiet. No ranger or other camp host that we saw. However, on the weekends and in the summer, it looks like it would be a much different story (but we prefer the off-season!). Yes, the bathrooms may have been janky, but who are we to complain when it costs just$10 (with the Golden Access Pass). Beware of goose poop– it is everywhere! And while you definitely won’t hear road-noise, you will hear honking geese!

Getting there: Super easy, look for the tallest mountain in the area, drive towards it, boom you're there. It was expensive to enter the park... I think around $10 per vehicle, someone correct me if i'm wrong.

Campsites: The campsites are a decent size and fairly spaced out. All the campsites provide a old broken down picnic table, a bear box, a grill, and a fire pit. There are shared restrooms with plumbing to use.

The Park: Awesome. Big. Crowded. No dogs allowed.

What to do: Hike Diablo there are TONS of trails. Go rock climbing or bouldering in Rock City. Drive, hike to the top and check out the observation deck.

*will add my pics later.