Rutherford, CA is a great camping destination for adventurers of all types. There's so much to see and do, from exhilarating hikes or bike rides to exploring the local dining and shopping. Get the dirt on all the best camping near Rutherford. Browse campgrounds by amenities, site types, and more.
Sugarloaf Ridge State Park is nestled in the heart of Sonoma County. We offer camping for Tents and Rv’s, two luxurious glamping sites, and tent rental if you need a tent or an extra one for the kids. Visit our website for reservations - and our reservable instantly available - no more requirement to make reservations 48 hours before arrival day.
We release first-come, first-serve sites over the phone at 10 am. We typically have room Sunday-Thursday, but fill up on good weathered weekends from April through October.
You can enjoy camping year-round at Sugarloaf Ridge State
$35 - $45 / night
Located in the heart of the beautiful Napa Valley wine country, the Park offers Napa valley camping, picnicking, swimming, and hiking trails that go through stands of coastal redwoods as well as forests of Douglas-fir, tanoak, and madrone.
Park is open year round.
A few drop-in sites are available on a first-come-first-serve especially during the off season.
$43 / night
Creekside Loop (sites 1-25)
$35 - $225 / night
Bodega Dunes (Sonoma Coast Camping) has a potable water fill station and a dump station that service both campgrounds . There are no potable water filling areas at Wright's Beach. Do not use spigots for your filling needs. Fill up your water tanks at Bodega Dunes prior to you arrival. Maximum trailer length is 27' and hook-ups are not available. Each site has a picnic table, fire ring and a paved parking spur. Running water and flush toilets are available in the bathrooms. Max occupancy is 8 people and two vehicles per campsite. All vehicles MUST stay on paved parking spurs. Any vehicles that do not fit may be taken to the overflow parking lot in the day use area. Wright's Beach does not offer group camping. When the campground is full, the overflow area on either side of the kiosk may be used for self-contained vehicles on a first come, first served basis. Reservations are recommended, especially on the weekends, holidays and during the peak season.
$45 / night
Lawson’s Landing is a fishing and boating resort and campground situated at the mouth of Tomales Bay, California. Generations of families have visited the area to rest along the shores of the Pacific Ocean. Lawson's Landing is located about 50 miles north of San Francisco and 20 miles west of Petaluma at Dillon Beach. The Landing was first established in 1929 and the family-owned and operated campground has been running since 1957. From camping to clamming to boating, there are so many activities to enjoy. Come discover what generations of visitors have long enjoyed. Bring your family and friends to experience the great outdoors along the beautiful Pacific coast.
The Spring Lake Regional Park campground is open daily May-Sept and on weekends and holidays Oct-April. The group campground is open year round by reservation.
$35 / night
Doran Beach Camping has more than 120 RV and tent sites that are open year-round.
Doran Regional Park features a wide, 2-mile stretch of beach on Bodega Bay and is ideal for walking, picnicking, playing in the sand, flying kites, surfing, and bird-watching.
A boat launch provides access to Bodega Harbor and Bodega Bay for sport fishing, kayaking, stand-up paddling, and kite surfing. A rock jetty on the west end of the park is a popular spot for fishing and exploring sea life.
Doran Regional Park features campsites for tents, trailers and RVs. Reservations are required and can be made up to 12 months in advance.
The park includes five campground areas: The Shell, Gull and Cove campsites are located between Bodega Harbor and Doran Beach Road while the Jetty and Miwok campsites are between Bodega Bay and Doran Beach Road.
Electrical hook-ups are not available. Generator hours are 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Potable water is available throughout the campgrounds. Restrooms feature flush toilets, coin-operated showers and electrical outlets. Dogs on leash are allowed with a fee. Dump station fee is $7.
We are a family friendly, pet friendly, nature filled, amenity rich campground in the Russian River Valley, offering a variety of accommodations in the quaint Sonoma County town of Duncans Mills, CA. One mile of river runs along this 110 acre part of the ranch, offering campers a memorable, get back to nature camping experience.
With extensive activities on our property, and much to do in the surrounding area, you are sure to enjoy your stay at the ranch.
Ranger
RV campsites are close together and semi-level. Bathrooms could use some TLC. But the park is nice with lots of hiking, views and close to Napa.
RangerRV Campsites are nothing fancy and close together. But the park itself is nice...hiking trails, views, nature, and close to Napa.
Ranger
I can't think of a better place to camp on or near Mt. Tamalpais than Pantoll in terns of the access to trails and the various parks in the area. From Pantoll you have very easy access to the summit of Mt. Tamalpais, easy access Stinson Beach and the coast, plus you can even skip the long lines and shuttles to get into Muir Woods. There are literally days worth of great hiking accessible from Pantoll!
That said, the campground, while nicely maintained and well-equipped is right next to a relatively busy road and during daylight hours, especially in the high-traffic times of the year, the sites themselves are very exposed to all the day visitors.
Speaking of day visitors, I don't recall if you get a dedicated parking space with a campsite or not, but parking can be a challenge here due to the popularity of the various trailheads, and the limited parking.
Guide
This campground is great. If you're looking for a coastal place to stay that has showers and bathrooms readily available. There's no hookups but there's water spigots that are potable all over the place which is great. But it still is definitely very much dry camping.
The hard part about this campground is the weather potential, there's a lot of fog, a lot of wind, but that should be expected anytime you're spending time near the coast.
Doran Beach is great, especially during the summer for kids because it's a well protected cove and the waves don't usually get very high.
One thing to mention is that this place is very not dog friendly when it comes to them being off leash. They're very aggressive about protecting the wildlife in the area and it can be difficult if you have dogs that want to be off leash and want to run.
There's a market not far away that has just about everything you could possibly need, lots of restaurants not too far away as well so there's plenty to do and see.
The campground itself is kept really clean by the staff, patrolled heavily by park service, and there's a lot of fishing opportunities and crabbing opportunities. Plenty to do with kids!
Scout
This was a nice place had a good time the site was a bit small. I would say you can’t really tell how big the site is the pictures are a bit hard to tell. They are taken sideways from the road not straight on for all the campsites. It was nice and quiet and beautiful area and not far from the beach. But if you aren’t careful you can really get a super small site.
ScoutOverall the campground was good. Close to the water and relatively quiet and not busy. However, when booking online they don’t do the best to describe how your site is set up. Based off the picture I was expecting the site to be fairly spacious, with a large driveway for parking and area for setting up tents. I was wrong. The parking for most spots is a small pullout alongside the road barely big enough for two relatively small vehicles. The usable space on the site was pretty limited as well. There was almost zero level area to set up a tent, and sites were really small. With that being said, if you do your research and know what to do expect/plan accordingly I’d say it’s worth staying.
Traveler
Insanely hot in the summer, I would recommend not going in July like we did. It was 104° or something and I was just drenching my clothes in water to stay cool.
The hike is pretty nice to the summit from there.
Lots of free water and there's free showers too which is awesome, but don't use the stinky toilet at the top there's way better ones around the bottom area.
They have food lockers, not bear lockers, and ours was broken one time so have a solid backup plan, the raccoons are very intelligent and they come out at night so be prepared for that.
BRING SHOWER SHOES AND SOAP UR GOING TO WANT IT
Scout
Reasonably priced campground off I5 between Yuba City and Sacramento at the 505 split. Full set ups and dry camp. Very friendly staff. Mixture of residents. Well maintained park.
Traveler
Visit was for 11/19/2024 found the gates locked, no entry. Seasonal? No signage to tell.
Scout
Good spot to spend the night. Rocked up at around 8pm, pretty busy at least 10 other vans and rvs there for the night. Couple of food vendors, great view of Golden Gate Bridge and Alcatraz. Weren’t hassled at all, left around 9am.
Scout
Gosh - this area just doesn't seem to like dogs much!
ScoutNice spot close to the Golden Gate Bridge
Traveler
Great camping, hiking, boating. Lots of nature trails. Super friendly staff
Traveler
This is an excellent and straightforward country park. It feels like a state park.
They have hookups and also dry camping. The better spots are near the water.
Contrary to other posts, they take walkups. It is just on the website it requires 2 weeks out.
Scout
we used to go hunting up there in the 8os, you should have seen the campground then. really nice, had picnic tables fire pits great place to camp. i was up there a few years ago still looks kind of the same but they took all that out of the campground years ago.. road going in still looks the same..there is an old tree in the campground, people who have neen there will know the tree i mean, looks old low hangin branches, thats where we used to camp..more trash atound now. in 1987 it was clean.. still nice place
Scout
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.
ScoutBeautiful view we were in campsite 40. A beautiful view of vineyards and the sunset and people riding their horses. So calm and beautiful and so many activities here to do. Also there is showers, bathrooms, and hookups, we love this place. Only 8 mins from downtown Napa
Scout
We visited this park earlier this spring. Yes it was wet, but we didn't mind. Liked the spaces and layout so much...we are going back this fall. Plus we love that whole area.
However, DYRT got some info wrong. While there are plenty of full hookup spaces for RVs, there are no pull thru sites. Only back in for trailers and drive-in for coaches. Many tent camping spaces and RV spaces w/just water and power. The folks are friendly and helpful.
M.R.
Legend
Have you been over to Bodega Bay? I think you'd like it there. Our friends sure know us well! While the town doesn’t look much different than when it appeared in Alfred Hitchcock’s “The Birds”, the cafes in the village have definitely upped their game.
Bodega Dunes State Park is a great way to experience the area without the same activity and noise in the camp grounds down closer to the water. The campsite loops wind through the coastal Live Oak and Bishop Pine trees and provide some privacy in between sites in some areas, though some sites are right on top of each other.
They are generally smaller pull-in sites geared more toward tents, vans, and small travel trailers. There are just a handful of sites that can accommodate bigger RVs. Many of the sites have decent open sky resources for solar power and satellite internet, though many in the lower areas had standing water and torn up asphalt pads from the heavy rains the last couple of years.
The bathrooms were clean and comfortable with flush toilets and warm showers (coin operated). My only complaint about the bathrooms is that there weren’t quite enough for the demand, in my opinion, but a few port-o-potties might help offset that during the busy season.
Hiking among the sand dunes and along the beach provide some really stunning scenery. Reaching the beach, you’ll find as much coastal sand as you can handle with miles and miles of it to yourself. The water, which is normally pretty cold year round, can also be pretty rough for swimming.
A short drive away is the gorgeous Bodega Head Trail which winds up along the headland and offers amazing scenery. It’s sort of like a small Point Reyes National Seashore, but much easier to get to.
Bodega Bay has a couple of small grocery stores, gas stations, and more than a few restaurants to meet nearly any craving. The area is known for its Dungeness Crab Harvest, so be sure to check that out when it's in season!
Legend
Along the forgotten coast of Central California along Hwy 1, this small state park offers a great way to explore the area.
The upper campground is relatively small and was still heavily impacted by 2023-24 winter storms, many downed trees still had some campsites closed in the spring of 2024. Most of these sites would accommodate smaller rigs and tents only. The campground is tucked in between the remaining coastal pines and live oak. The bathrooms were small but tidy with flush toilets and running water, no showers. We drove through here and then headed to the overflow lot...
If you are in a self-contained vehicle, the most stunning place to camp in this park is the “overflow” camping lot closer to the beach. Here you can camp with a 180 degree view of the ocean and the rolling hills leading to the beach. The lot is completely open to the sky, so solar and satellite internet work great. The only downside is that the closest bathroom and fresh water spigot is either in the day-use area down toward the water, or back uphill at the campground. But the view and scenery were more than worth the minor inconvenience.
If you’ve got a solar powered system, you could have the most inexpensive California beach vacation around. The rocky beach area is great for wildlife viewing, we saw sea lions, seals, and even the occasional spout from migrating gray whales. While not necessarily good for swimming, the beach area is great for fishing. Hiking is right from the campground and leads to the north or south from the headland area.
Come prepared with food and gas! Supplies will be difficult to come by, as there are only a few small convenience/ general stores and restaurants, in nearby Jenner. The larger grocery outlets will be inland in Santa Rosa about an hour away. This is the price you pay to have a stunning California beach vacation without the normal crowds.
TravelerGreat location overlooking the city, has facilities like toilets and drinking fountains. Very busy when I was here on a Saturday night with locals, tourists and Mexican street vendors. Can’t complain because it’s free and close to the city
LegendSalt Point State Park has 3 separate camping areas: Woodside Campground, Gerstle Cove Campground, and Gerstle Cove Overflow. The overflow is a lot that overlooks the ocean, and you don’t have to wait for the campground to be full to be able to camp here. You can ask to stay here when you arrive at the ranger station at the entrance.
The overflow is for self contained RVs only. No tents or car camping allowed. There is a trash bin in the center of the lot but no other amenities. It seems to be mellow during the week and busy on weekends. We’re glad we were just paying day by day because it got too crowded for us when the weekend hit, so we decided to leave.
There are beautiful hikes in this area, and a trail straight from the lot to the ocean. You can also see whales from the lot!
Dogs ok, cell service is good, the lot isn’t very level but it isn’t too bad. No designated spots so just come down and figure out a good place to set up once you get there. This is a beautiful place to camp and we do love it, even at $30.
LegendGreat (and big) park in Bodega Bay with several separate campgrounds. We got lucky and snagged a last minute spot for 2 nights in August. Easy access to the beach, lots of day use areas all around this park, and bonus: a dog beach that was available on a trial basis when we were there- dogs got to run free on this little patch of enclosed beach- wonderful. Hope it becomes a permanent feature!
Showers were $2 for 5 minutes, there’s recycling here (a separate bin for propane cylinders too).
This campground has a lot of in and out traffic and day use visitors and overall more activity than the Westside campground across the way. We enjoyed both of them.
Legend
This is a mellow, low key, beachy Sonoma County campground in Bodega Bay. It’s got that vibe that so many beach campgrounds do, a little run down, no frills, open layout, and happy friendly campers. We stayed here for a couple of nights and had a great time.
There’s hiking all over this area, lots to explore and see. Cell service was good. Showers here are expensive at $2 for 5 min, quarters only. There’s a host on site who’s been hosting here for something like 15 (maybe 30) years. There’s a boat ramp adjacent to this campground, lots of boats in and out for fishing.
There’s a dump station for a $7 fee (though the website says $10, so maybe it's actually $10), honor box at the station to deposit your money. Water fill available here as well.
Recycling available, as well as a separate bin for green propane canisters. Camping is $35/night, plus $2 fee per dog per night (boo), plus whatever online reservation fee ($8?). Reservations must be made online. Hosts obviously do not handle that and there was nobody in the entrance shack when we arrived- though a ranger swung by later to collect the dog fee (that fee can’t be paid online when you make the reservation). Anyway, confusing process but just go with it and have a great time.
ScoutThere is upward of 90 sites, many are for just tents and are on sand with fire pit. I have our travel trailer there and are the site # in the 70's and are on a asphalt pad, which makes it cleaner and level. Down side would be close to a road and traffic during day, but at night very quiet except for fog horn which is no big deal. The beach walks and adventuring the coast and local fair makes it all worth it. Water and dump station available, not at campsites but at entry of park
Traveler
Lovely campsite with very sweet camp hosts. Always waved when they drove by.
Chose site 17 because of the beautiful tree seen in another review but was felled prior to our arrival, so no big tree. We did however get a beautiful view of the stars.
Two things to note, some of the sites (didn’t look like all of them had this issue) have an incredibly fine dusty dirt that gets on absolutely everything, it made our feet, legs and sandals completely beige from the dust and we had to wipe them with wet wipes before going into our tent and tracked a fair amount into our car upon leaving.
The other thing we were disappointed with was that we had to pay for showers on top of already paying over $50 for our site for one night, we felt that was a pretty big con and that it should be included in the fees.
Overall, you can’t get closer to the wineries and it was an otherwise lovely site.
Scout
I got there after they closed (closes at 5pm.) But there's a number to call that was posted for after hours. A camper in front of me had already called and someone arrived within minutes. They were very helpful and friendly. I got a beautiful spot secluded from everyone. I loved it! Just me and nature. I played some music dance by myself as if nobody was watching.
Camping near Rutherford, California, offers a mix of beautiful landscapes and fun activities for everyone. Whether you're a family looking for a weekend getaway or an RV enthusiast seeking a peaceful retreat, there are plenty of campgrounds to explore.
Camping near Rutherford, California, has something for everyone, from families to seasoned RVers. Just be prepared for the crowds and plan accordingly!
Frequently Asked Questions
What camping is available near Rutherford, CA?
According to TheDyrt.com, Rutherford, CA offers a wide range of camping options, with 167 campgrounds and RV parks near Rutherford, CA and 6 free dispersed camping spots.
Which is the most popular campground near Rutherford, CA?
According to TheDyrt.com, the most popular campground near Rutherford, CA is Sugarloaf Ridge State Park Campground with a 4.1-star rating from 29 reviews.
Where can I find free dispersed camping near Rutherford, CA?
According to TheDyrt.com, there are 6 free dispersed camping spots near Rutherford, CA.
What parks are near Rutherford, CA?
According to TheDyrt.com, there are 21 parks near Rutherford, CA that allow camping, notably Bankhead National Forest and Chugach National Forest.
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