Best Campgrounds near Tracy, CA

I just needed/wanted a short getaway without driving hours from home. Since I'm used to this place for mountain biking, I figured I'd try camping here for a couple nights. 

I did a recon ride previously on my mountain bike, so knew which spots I'd prefer and booked site 35 for a Thursday and Friday night. 

Arrived at about 5PM and found my spot. The ranger booth was closed, but I didn't feel the need to chat with them anyway. The place was largely unoccupied at this point. Maybe a dozen or so spots appeared taken. 

The weather, though hot in the Bay Area at this point, was quite nice. The breeze and shade of the park made for a very comfortable setting. I believe it was 88 in Castro Valley, but felt about 78 at the campground. I don't have AC for the van, but didn't feel I needed any. 

I got setup and then headed out for a short ride, followed by a warm shower, cold beer and dinner. It was quiet that evening and I slept well. 

I worked through the morning Friday, though the Starlink suffered some interruptions due to the tree cover. Early afternoon more people started to show up, as I expected. I went for a long ride and when I returned the place was much more occupied and people were setting up tents, starting their bbq's, etc. Though a bit close to the neighbors, none of them were obnoxious. 

My advice would be to know the spot you're selecting and know that in the summer months the grass isn't green :) 

I'd score the individual aspects as follows (1-5):

Bathrooms: 4

Location: 5

Activities: 5

Privacy: 3

Cleanliness: 4

Midweek in June the park, which is fairly large, is still nearly empty. The sites are fairly close to each other, which matters because one of the other campers is right next to mine (46) and doesn't understand basic camp etiquettes like not using generators all night or letting their dog wonder through other sites and the bathroom areas off-leash. Still the campsites all have decent views–though best ones abut the lake on the map. They look close to the lake on the map but they are actually way up high above it. There are trails running throughout the park and around the lake that are a mix of wider open trails and narrower, through the woods, but groomed trails with plenty of up and down to make for a good hike.

Lots of birds and wildlife–beware says the sign...all the signs, but I mostly only saw turkeys and a few water birds. Because the camp was empty, I moved over to site 56 when it was clear my neighbor was a camp d-bag. It was a pull through with a downhill slope in the site but not in the drive. The views and solitude over here were great with the setting sun through the trees, and the knowledge that the Bay in the distance.

There were a few other weird vibes in the park, namely some e-bikers charging up phones at the bathroom drinking 40s and smoking joints, while watching very loud sitcoms on the charging phones. They seemed mostly harmless, and were gone well before dark.

The warm waters* of Lake Chabot was beautiful and tempting as a siren, but don't touch it, or let your dog touch it, unless you want to get mutated like the Ninja Turtles...

Actually, that is a bad example. That would be awesome. The water will make you sick or your (or your pets) skin break out in a real not fun way. It is toxic. It will not make you a Ninja Turtle.

The showers were great. Hot and FREE!

Finally, this is a well-kept park with proactive rangers only limited by their working hours, and despite it being quite accessible to Oakland, the park felt like camping in the wilderness, even though I could hear cheers echoing through the canyon from a graduation somewhere below.

The road in is fairly winding with a bit of a drop down the cliff. If you're heading in at dusk or dawn, go slow. You will see deer stepping through the road.

*I don't know if it was warm. I didn't touch it.