Searching for the best camping near San Bruno, CA? Discover secluded campsites where you can reconnect with nature. Or maybe you like to bring your family and friends along. Either way, there are San Bruno campgrounds just for you. At The Dyrt, campers like you share their favorite spots, plus tips and photos. No matter where you're headed in San Bruno, you'll find the best spot for you and your camping crew.
$30 / night
"Angel Island is a unique backpacking experience, one I'd gladly do again."
"Angel Island is a California State Park, but it's surprising how many visitors do not know of the 10 campsites scattered around the island!"
$25 - $100 / night
"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."
"And charcoal grills outside each cabin. A couple general use picnic tables scattered about. So those are the basics you can read anywhere."
$25 / night
"this is an excellent primitive campground with 3 sites."
"3 sites, very close to each other/nothing separating them. Sites were clean."
$92 - $140 / night
"Looked like there was easily room for at least a dozen small tents at each of the sites and nice restrooms accessible via combination punch pad."
"Pitch tent on wood chips. Level. Fire pits, water. Nice and close, yet feels a ways away. Accessible to many trails."
"From booking until leaving, we had a positive experience. Our site was a little tight, that would be the only thing I wish was better."
"The site was a pull through as well as our friends who were able to face the opposite way to have a common camp side with us. Of course the utility sides were in great position for that."
$7 - $25 / night
"Pantoll is a pretty campground located adjacent to the entrance to Mount Tamalpais. You can hike to, bike to, take the bus to, or even drive to this campground. "
"Pantoll would be one of my favorite campgrounds of all time if not for the noise levels. One would think that quiet time would be respected in a backpackers campground, but not here."
$25 - $75 / night
"Theses are limited (5) hike in tent sites. Not far in - less than a mile. You are on your own here. Bring your own water. No fires."
"A hike-in campground in Tennessee Valley, a short 20 minute drive from the Golden Gate Bridge and the hustle and bustle of the City. My family of three stayed here for one night in mid March. "
$25 / night
"Loved this spot tucked away in the Marin Headlands. Great views of the golden gate or Pacific in the far distance. Sites spread enough apart that no one was too close."
"The location is amazing, however you need to make reservations through recreation.gov for one of the three sites up there. Also, it’s $25 as listed on the site."
$35 / night
"It is a smaller park than many of the other redwoods parks in Northern California, so it was very nice and peaceful. Butano is a bit off the beaten path to get to, but so worth it."
"The campsite has car camping and walk-in sites. I had sites 5 and 6. The map for the campground is deceiving as they looked close together and connected but they were separate."
$110 - $225 / night
"Group B holds 25 and has more privacy. We had Group A and had a ton of day hikers invading our site."
"Per my rating system, I usually reserve 5 stars for those parks that are worth traveling to from long distances (i.e. out of state)."
LegendPantoll is a pretty campground located adjacent to the entrance to Mount Tamalpais. You can hike to, bike to, take the bus to, or even drive to this campground. If you choose to drive, just know that it can be impossible to find a place to park on busy weekends (you'll need to drop your stuff off, find a place to park along the road, then come back to park in the evening when the parking lot clears). We hiked in. On a weekend night in March, only four of the 16 sites were taken so we had no problem nabbing a spot. The campground is situated across a steep-ish hillside. Water spigots are spread out among the sites, but all the bathrooms are located down the hill near the parking lot. Each site has a fire pit, picnic table, and a flat spot to pitch a tent. Sites are fairly close together in bunches (for example, 2, 3, and 5 were close, 6 and 7 were close, but there was a bit of space between the groups). Firewood is sold at the ranger kiosk but they have limited hours. Some spots are larger than others, and very few can accommodate a house-size tent (you know what I mean - and no judging, I have a house-size tent for car camping). We had our 3 person backpacking tent with us and it would have fit in all the sites. Sites up the hill require a bit of a hike-in but are farther from the road noise and busy parking lot. There is one dishwashing station near the bottom.
Pros:
- Location. You can hike anywhere from this campground. Down to Muir Woods in less than 3 miles. Up to Rock Springs, Bolinas Ridge, and Mount Tam. Down to Stinson Beach. I could spend a week here exploring all the trails.
- Amenties. Dishwashing sink, many water spigots, food storage lockers, fire pits, toilets that flush. And Wifi from the ranger kiosk (squee!!!) which we appreciated to check the weather and bus schedule (very poor Verizon signal).
Cons:
- Noise from Panoramic Highway.
- Busy parking lot with lots of people potentially moving around the campground (especially the lower sites).
- No reservations: FCFS only.
Overall I'm really happy I finally got to chance to camp here and would recommend.
Scoutgreat 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.
LegendTheses are limited (5) hike in tent sites. Not far in - less than a mile. You are on your own here. Bring your own water. No fires. You get a picnic table and a food storage locker, nothing else.
Meadow sites against a row of trees. There is very little privacy between sites but the couple times I have been here it was not full. It can get windy - there is some shelter under the tress.
Here you can strike out hiking through Tennessee Valley to the beach and beyond!
Great for a close get-a-way and seclusion.
GuideWe 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.
GuideThis was a long family camp trip in an amazing location. Our campsite was a walk-in, fairly secluded spot partially up a steep hill. There were only a handful of spots on that pathway, so there weren't many neighbors. Camp had a picnic table, fire ring, bear box, & lots of nearby trails & paths for exploring. Toilets with showers, and dishwashing stations were nearby as well.
The highlight of this campground is the ample opportunity for wandering. There are many trails, easy walks through ancient redwoods, moderate trails to beautiful waterfalls, and tougher trails for dedicated hikers.
At the lodge area, there's a store, restaurant, and gift shop, plus educational programs, family events, and community campfires. The kids went on a guided hike to become junior rangers, which gave the parents some free time in the afternoon.
It's an amazing place to be, and we definitely need to spend more time there.
TravelerI liked the trees, picnic tables, and fire rings at the sites. The sites were spaced nicely to allow for privacy. Frog Flat seemed a bit more secluded than the main camp. There was no water running at the site when I stayed there, but vault toilets were available. There is a nearby shooting range and you can hear the gunshots during the daylight hours.
TravelerA few low spots. Cleared 12' barely with minor scrapes. Good parking and turn around. Lots of opportunities for horse riders in area. Pets on leash.
TravelerA 5 mile hike from the Bear Valley Trailhead leading to a small campground with 12 sites. We stayed at #9. Potable water and vault toilets are available, with each site also having a picnic table, charcoal barbecues and bear boxes. Wood fires are not permitted. A stream runs beside the campground and there are hiking trails leading to the sea.
LegendA hike-in campground in Tennessee Valley, a short 20 minute drive from the Golden Gate Bridge and the hustle and bustle of the City. My family of three stayed here for one night in mid March. It was a Sunday night, and three out of the five sites were occupied.
The tent pads (a flat sandy area surrounded by wood beams) were fairly small - maybe 10' x 10'. Each site had a picnic table and a large metal food locker. The sites were well spaced and did not feel cramped. Two vault toilets, fairly clean. The campground was located at the end of a 0.5 mile dirt road, which was about a quarter of mile down an old paved road from the TV parking lot. A few folks walked into the campground that weren't staying there, but they weren't a bother, just going for a walk. The campers we saw varied from families, a solo bike-packer, and a couple just starting out camping. I was worried that being so close to the city and the parking lot, it would be party central with groups hauling in a bunch of alcohol, but it wasn't the case at all. Neither the parking lot nor the campground had running water, so come prepared unless you want to drive into town.
Pros:
- Very quiet and peaceful. The night had beautiful stars with no artificial light. No road noise.
- Small number of sites with great spacing.
- Decent toilet facilities.
Cons:
- No water. We backpacked in from the Golden Gate Bridge. There was no place nearby to fill up on water, and had to be extremely conservative in our use. No springs or creeks running nearby this time of year either.
- Would have been nice to have a fire.
Overall, we had a pleasant camping experience and would recommend.
Tent camping near San Bruno, California, offers a variety of scenic locations where nature enthusiasts can enjoy the great outdoors while being close to urban amenities.
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According to TheDyrt.com, the most popular tent campground near San Bruno, CA is Sunrise Campground — Angel Island State Park with a 4.9-star rating from 9 reviews.
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