Best Tent Camping near Sausalito, CA
Tent camping near Sausalito, California provides access to several walk-in and hike-in tent-only sites within the Golden Gate National Recreation Area and Mount Tamalpais State Park. Haypress Campground in the Marin Headlands offers primitive tent camping with five hike-in sites less than a mile from the parking area. Bicentennial Campground, also in Sausalito, provides walk-in tent sites with basic amenities. Just north in Mill Valley, Pantoll Campground features 16 walk-in tent sites across a hillside with access to numerous hiking trails, including routes to Muir Woods and Stinson Beach. Bootjack Campground in Mount Tamalpais State Park offers additional walk-in tent camping options with year-round availability.
Most tent campgrounds in the area require campers to pack in their own gear from designated parking areas. Haypress Campground has no potable water, requiring tent campers to bring their own supply. According to reviews, the tent pads at Haypress are approximately 10' x 10', with each site featuring a picnic table and food storage locker. Pantoll Campground provides water spigots throughout the campground, fire pits, and picnic tables at each site. Fire regulations vary significantly between locations, with some sites prohibiting all fires while others allow them seasonally. The coastal climate brings fog, wind, and temperature fluctuations, particularly at exposed sites like those on Angel Island State Park, where campers report needing extra tent stakes for wind protection.
The backcountry tent camping experience near Sausalito offers remarkable proximity to urban areas while maintaining a sense of wilderness. One visitor noted that Haypress Campground was "very quiet and peaceful with beautiful stars and no artificial light or road noise" despite being just a 20-minute drive from the Golden Gate Bridge. Tent campers at Pantoll Campground recommend sites higher up the hill for greater privacy and less noise from the Panoramic Highway. Wildlife encounters are common, with raccoons frequently investigating campsites after dark. For those seeking more remote tent camping, Point Reyes National Seashore offers several backcountry tent campgrounds within a 30-45 minute drive from Sausalito, including Wildcat Campground, which requires a 5-6 mile hike to access.