Searching for a campsite that allows pets near San Mateo? Camping is an adventurous and unique way to escape the city—and you can bring along your furry friend. Each pet-friendly campsite offers quick access to one or more of San Mateo's most popular destinations.
Francis Beach has a campground with 52 individual sites, some suitable for tent camping, others for trailers or recreational vehicles. Some campsites have electrical hookups. Water and sewer hookups are not available, but there is a dump station ($10 fee) and a water filling station. Rental RV’s are not allowed to be dropped off or picked up from the park. Coin-operated hot showers are also available. (approximately 2 minutes per quarter)
$35 - $165 / night
Anthony Chabot Family Campground, overlooking Lake Chabot, is a year-round getaway only 35 minutes from downtown Oakland and Oakland International Airport. The campground features 53 drive-to tent campsites, 10 walk-to tent campsites, and 12 RV/trailer campsites with full hookups (sewer, water, and 30 amp electrical). All sites have a picnic table and fire ring with grill. Restrooms include hot showers. Firewood and charcoal are available for purchase. The campground provides access to miles of hiking and mountain biking trails, along with fishing at nearby Lake Chabot.
Anthony Chabot Regional Park features seven group camps ranging in capacity from 35 to 300 campers, reservations required (a minimum of 9 people to use the group campsites). All group camps include picnic tables, BBQ, fire ring, water, and chemical/vault toilets. Equestrian camping is available by reservation at Bort Meadow Group Camp. For reservations, call 1-888-EBPARKS (1-888-327-2757), option 2. Group campsites cannot be reserved online.
CAMPGROUND CLOSED DUE TO FIRE:
Public access to Big Basin has been severely impacted by the 2020 CZU Lightning Complex Fire and ongoing fire recovery work, but the park is now open for limited day-use access. Reservations for parking are not required, but are encouraged due to the limited amount of first-come, first-served parking available. Reserve a parking space. The parking fee is $6 per vehicle plus a $2 reservation fee or $10 per vehicle without a reservation. No reservations or fees are required for visitors arriving by foot, bike, or bus. Read the FAQs for more information on the reservation system and visiting Big Basin.
Established in 1902, Big Basin Redwoods is California’s oldest state park. In the heart of the Santa Cruz Mountains, Big Basin camping's biggest attractions—literally—are its ancient coast redwoods. Some of these giants are more than 50 feet around and as tall as the Statue of Liberty. At 1,000 to 1,800 years old, some may predate the Roman Empire. The park also offers spectacular views of the Pacific Ocean, lush waterfalls, and a fascinating natural and cultural history.
The park has more than 80 miles of trails. Some of these trails link Big Basin to Castle Rock State Park and the eastern reaches of the Santa Cruz range. The Skyline to the Sea Trail threads its way through the park along Waddell Creek to the beach and adjacent Theodore J. Hoover Natural Preserve, a freshwater marsh.
The park has a number of waterfalls, a variety of habitats (from lush canyon bottoms to sparse chaparral-covered slopes), many animals (deer, raccoons, bobcats) and lots of bird life—including Steller’s jays, egrets, herons and California woodpeckers.
$35 / night
Creekside Loop (sites 1-25)
$35 - $225 / night
Ben Ries Campground
$35 / night
$7 - $35 / night
Just 15 miles from the Golden Gate Bridge, Half Moon Bay, Fisherman's Wharf, Alcatraz, and many of the SF Bay area's other favorites, Encore's San Francisco RV Resort's great location can't be beat! San Francisco RV Resort is situated on a 60ft bluff overlooking the Pacific Ocean with amazing sunset views. The Pacific Ocean is ideal for surfers, tide-pool adventurers, and loungers alike! At this oceanside SF Bay area RV campground, our knowledgeable staff is eager to make your stay as comfortable and enjoyable as possible. Whether you would like help getting settled or want advice about planning a day-trip, San Francisco RV Resort is at your service
$33 / night
Located within Coyote Hills Regional Park and next to the eastern shore of the San Francisco Bay in Fremont, Dumbarton Quarry Campground on the Bay is the Park District’s first full-service campground, complete with 63 campsites, a camp store, an amphitheater, a playground, Wi-Fi, and picnic areas.
Drive-in family campsites are available by reservation year-round for tent camping, walk-in camping, bike camping, and RVs. Sixty sites are paved and have hookups for water, sewage, and electricity (50 amp). Three sites are water only and unpaved. The campground has restrooms, hot showers, picnic tables, open areas, and connections to park trails. Camping reservations can be made up to 12 weeks in advance, and at least 48 hours in advance.
$45 - $60 / night
$100 - $200 / night
Guide
We stayed here for 12 days while visiting relatives in the Bay area. This campground, while in the heart of Fremont, feels remote and safe in spite of being close to town. Sites are not huge, but arranged in such a way as to feel private. It is in the Coyote hills regional Park. There are many many trails for hiking and biking, and wildlife is plentiful. Our RV is small and we used the showers and bathrooms quite a bit. They are cleaned daily and we're always in great shape. The laundry is run by an outside organization, and the change machine was always empty, but everything worked well.
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.
ScoutNice spot close to the Golden Gate Bridge
Traveler
I’m very confused by the boojie negative reviews, what do you expect?
This is an absolutely great spot! Restrooms and showers are clean and the staff is great. Will be back often.
Not a far drive to the city either. Price is higher than other places but this close to the city with all of the amenities a pretty good deal.
ScoutThe staff was amazing. Tent site was spacious. Not too crowded. Clean bathroom and shower. Several trails to walk. Close to town in case we forgot something.
Traveler
Location is great. Easy access. Noise from the freeway. Heard sirens.
Scout
The coordinate given are Not valid. It is a residential area and not an RV nore an campsite! Reservation per phone with none refondable possibility. Be carefull! Dont book!
Scout
Beautiful 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.
Ranger
High priced. Nice people at desk. Damon who helped us park was very friendly. Almost entirely high-priced big rigs, some of whom seem settled here but it's clean, 'orderly,' very quiet. Rigid rules keep the order; nice that no political flags/signs allowed. 2 dog parks and lots of grassy areas to take for a walk. Showers in locker-room/bldg, bathrooms nice and clean. Green grass. Also has laundry with 2.50 wash and.25 dry for 8 min. Skunk wandered by site in the night. Cool train sounds from nearby tracks at night. Was probably the most convenient to San Jose, otherwise we likely would've been in mtns. and too far away from town for our needs at the time. Would not be a regular choice for us.
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
LegendThere are a ton of reviews for this place already so I will try to keep it short and only add info that I didn't see mentioned in previous reviews.
Showers are $0.25 per min ($0.50 min to start). You don't get to adjust water temp, but it was pleasantly hot. Showers are non-gendered and individual.
Dump station is no longer free; all California State Parks are charging $10 to dump now, even for campers. You pay at the dump site with a credit card. There are 4 dump holes and a potable water fill as well.
We love staying here as it's so convenient to Capitola. We were able to park our RV in Capitola and walk to the shops. We got last minute reservations (it's really hard to book a site here in the summer), but had to move sites in between days, and so we used that 2 hour block between noon checkout and 2pm checkin to drive the RV to Capitola. It seemed like it would have been too much of a hassle to try and get to move to the new spot before checkin, so this worked out fine.
We love all the state parks along the beach in California, and I'm sure we'll be back at some point.
TravelerI’m not sure that this can be considered established or even legal camping since it is a rest stop. The location is awesome considering it’s right beside of the Golden State Bridge, but it also makes it a popular spot for a lot of people to hang out at and watch the sunset and other tourist attractions and even local activity.
Guide
Feels very off grid. Camp experience was smooth and the sun was shining.
Guide
Nice bathrooms no tokens needed, hot water, clean sink for dishes. Lotsa shaded oak spaces. Good trails.
Scout
The pictures here are very deceiving. Driving in, the first 4 campsites are occupied by broken down trailers, an overturned couch and broken BBQ pits. We stayed in site #6 which was probably one of the best sites. Great shade and car was able to be parked nearby (you walk down non-maintained "stairs" with rotted tree branches as the steps).
Overall, I had high hopes based on the description here especially reading: "Our onsite staff will go around and enforce the rules." but this is clearly a non-maintained campground that was probably very nice 45 years ago. No hiking trails are maintained, the bathrooms are "rustic" which is fine--nice to have running water when you've got little ones to clean. But the floors were rotted and I was afraid we'd step through the floorboards.
If you are a true car camper who can lock your doors at night, this is probably the spot for you. Running water, showers and washing machine. If you are a tent camper with small kids like me, this is not where you want to stay. I'm disappointed I paid the price I did to stay here, I'd pay $25/night because this is essentially a parking space in a poorly maintained campground.
ScoutCold. Foggy. No amenities. Don’t go there.
-Coastside Local
Scout
We love to camp here for barbecuing, mountain biking and hiking. We always do it during 7/4 holidays except for this year when the park canceled our reservation due to high heat. So we booked for the Labor Day weekend. Temperature was perfect and biking and hiking were enjoyable as usual. This year we had two new types of visitors to the the site. A couple of wild turkeys came to pick up the dropped food on the ground. We were able to take a closeup look at them and they were beautiful birds with big eyes spotting tiny bits of crumbs. They come and go from one site to the next quietly and gently. Very cute and we took pictures with their presence. Then came the aggressive yellow jackets. We never had yellow jackets in our previous 7/4 outings here. Oh boy, they fought for the meat relentlessly. At the end of the outing, both my finger and my wife’s were stung. We reported the experience to the attendant at the gate when leaving. She said the park is looking for a solution. In the meantime, she suggested contacting them early on so they might be able to provide another site. Hopefully, next year, we won’t encounter so many nasties.
Traveler
Everything about the campground is GREAT. The location is CLASSIC. West Marin is BEAUTIFUL.
And for families who want a quick trip over Golden Gate Bridge to introduce their children (or adults!) to the great outdoors, their first camp, nowhere is more convenient and instantly gratifying.
However! You are going to probably experience some of the most ridiculous first-time campers with no sense of camping etiquette you have ever met in your life. I put up with it, for kids—- and now I have great stories— but I’d never go back as an experienced camper.
Example A: Finally things quiet down and everyone is asleep, 2 or 3 am. A woman starts SCREAMING BLOODY MURDER, every single headlamp comes on, other people start screaming too, thinking it’s a bear attack. The ranger, where the F are they?
We literally WALKED OVER toward the screaming banshee, that went on for a few bloodcurdling minutes. Do you know what we found? This complete nincompoop was surprised when we stooped down to her tent and said, “What’s going on?”
She was defiant, and her “companion” looked dazed. She said, “I just had a bad dream, what’s the big deal?”
I said, “Well, you can’t do that here, if that’s what it is. You’re going to have to stay up the rest of the night, to make sure you’re not screaming, or leave now. You just devastated about 200 people, and children are crying everywhere, thinking there’s a bear.” (Not).
I think Sam T should have a big sign that says, “This is not Spring Break. This is not a place to work out your family trauma. This is not a garbage fight. This is not your narcissistic b.s.”
You might think, “oh just one bad time.” Well, that was the ultimate, but no, i went there dozens of times because the Kidds loved it, and we could live in SF and start camping in about a half hour.
Okay, now I feel like a curmudgeon. More good people who know how to camp SHOULD camp here, because peer pressure and good community is the only thing that works. I did my time ! now it’s up to you!
TravelerOk, I was originally hoping for a cabin, which is included in my search, but this CG is either tent or RV only. Luckily, I also brought a tent.
I was there 2 weeks ago. It's a fairly large area and flat. Lots of space for kids to play including a play area.
Sheep roam freely in one area towards the back.
It's a great place for families. Showers are great. Includes a small shop for goodies.
I love it there. Only negative is there are only portapotties. Except for a couple that are constantly in use.
ScoutAfter weeks on the road, we were so grateful to find a last minute spot a short, beautiful, and whimsical walk away from the beach!!! The campground itself is simple but full of good vibes with FREE showers and ice cream two minute stroll away!
Guide
Nothing fancy but very nice park for tent camping, RVs. Electric and water included in price. The park gates are locked at sundown but they give you the combination (the combo changed routinely). Free open WiFi is provided but recommend a security app just to be safe. The Mountain Winery is 2 miles from the park, fantastic views and they host concerts all the time.
Legend
This is just a perfect spot for when you just need a spot for the night. To be very clear, it's not a campground. It's just a safe and legal spot to sleep. We stayed here 3 years ago and nothing much has changed, including the $12 fee.
The area is beautiful and lots of people come here to walk and exercise, and once I took my dog on a walk I saw why nobody brings their dog - TICKS! So many! Just from walking along the path, not even going into the grass, my dog got 6 ticks once and 5 ticks another walk.
My previous review is still accurate, except that now all 3 sites are open. Glad this place is under the radar, it's nice that there's been room here for us when we've needed it.
Scout
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Legend
This is a gorgeous campground! It's big and it's busy, but the sites are mostly very private and lush and green. Each site has a different configuration, but this place books up fast, so you have to look at photos online and the dimensions of the site and hope it works out.
We were a little worried when we arrived in our 26ft class c, we worried that we wouldn't make it through the narrow roads and overhanging trees, but we were ok. Not sure that this place would be good for giant rigs though. Getting into our spot was a bit tricky, and when coming out a ranger truck was blocking our road (he was cleaning the bathrooms, I believe), which made leaving very tricky as well.
There are beautiful hiking trails all over this campground, but there is so much poison oak - everywhere. All over the camp sites, trails to the bathroom, hiking trails, etc, it was everywhere.
Showers and toilets looked clean, showers are coin operated, $0.50 for 2 min.
If you arrive before checkin they will have you wait at the day use area several miles away - heads up.
GuideThe rest area was surprisingly quiet given its location. There was ample parking, and thankfully, the parking spots weren’t illuminated by bright street lamps, which was a nice touch considering we stopped her to sleep. However, the bathrooms were filthy during our stop, which was quite disappointing. Another downside was the lack of vending services; if you’re in need of caffeine or snacks, be sure to bring them along.
An important point to note is that you can only access this rest area when traveling northbound off the bridge. If you miss it, you’ll have to cross the bridge again, which costs $9-10 each time you head south into San Francisco. This is a significant consideration for those planning their stops carefully.
Also, cold here in the summer. Pack for fall weather.
GuideDespite the website showing every site booked, we drove in about 4 pm to a decent number of sites. Entry ranger was available pretty late. Site was $35 I believe, and has paid showers and restrooms. Site had a fire pit, paved parking for a larger vehicle, table and decent amount of shade. Lots of families and lots of kids. Cool weather along the beach, can't ask for much more.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which is the most popular dog-friendly campsite near San Mateo, CA?
According to TheDyrt.com, the most popular dog-friendly campground near San Mateo, CA is Half Moon Bay State Beach Campground with a 4.2-star rating from 25 reviews.
What is the best site to find dog-friendly camping near San Mateo, CA?
TheDyrt.com has all 86 dog-friendly camping locations near San Mateo, CA, with real photos and reviews from campers.
