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kelly E.
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TravelerNapa County Fairgrounds
Great location, clean bathrooms, great water pressure and temperature in the showers. Very nice sunrise and sunsets here thru the trees.
Tent Camping near Vallejo, CA
3 campgrounds with availability next weekend
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Tent camping options near Vallejo, California include several established tent-only campsites within an hour's drive, primarily in Marin County and the East Bay Regional Parks. Mount Tamalpais State Park offers walk-in tent sites at Pantoll Campground, while Angel Island State Park provides tent-only camping with scenic Bay Area views from the Sunrise Campground, accessible only by ferry from Tiburon. Several sites in Golden Gate National Recreation Area, including Haypress Campground and Bicentennial Campground, accommodate tent campers seeking proximity to natural areas while staying close to urban centers.
Most tent-only campsites require advance reservations through specific booking systems, with Angel Island sites being particularly competitive due to limited availability. Walk-in tent areas like those at Mount Tamalpais require campers to carry gear short distances from parking areas to campsites. Drinking water is available at most established campgrounds, though Haypress lacks this amenity. Fires are prohibited at some locations including Angel Island and Haypress, while others permit fires in designated fire rings only. Most tent camping areas provide basic amenities such as picnic tables, toilets, and food storage lockers to protect supplies from wildlife.
Tent campsites throughout the region offer varying degrees of seclusion and access to natural features. The Sunrise Campground on Angel Island provides unmatched panoramic views of San Francisco Bay, the city skyline, and surrounding bridges. According to one visitor, "After the last ferry leaves, you have the island practically to yourself." Mount Tamalpais sites place tent campers in close proximity to redwood groves and seasonal streams, with Bootjack Campground offering tent pads near a creek. Tilden Regional Park's tent sites feature tall eucalyptus trees surrounding grassy camping areas. A recent review noted that "the upside of being patient with how far out you make your reservation is that once the last ferry leaves, you have the island practically to yourself."
Best Tent Campgrounds near Vallejo (37)
1. Sunrise Campground — Angel Island State Park
"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!"
Check AvailabilityCampground full next weekend
Get a text when availablefrom $30 / night
2. Pantoll Campground — Mount Tamalpais State Park
"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. "
"All sites are a small walk up on a hill kind of steep. Ranger station at parking lot that sells firewood. Water faucets, bathrooms. No showers. Bear lockers."
Check Availabilityfrom $7 - $25 / night
3. Tilden Regional Park
"Tilden Park is perfect for anyone whose interested in wildlife and hiking in perfect climates. Tilden offers a lake in the middle to swim in and fish. The campsites have lots of fire pits."
"Tilden is great for anyone looking for a close park right outside of the Berkeley/San Fran area. It is a rather large park area that overlooks Berkeley."
Check Availabilityfrom $75 - $120 / night
4. Steep Ravine Campground — Mount Tamalpais State Park
"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."
Check AvailabilityCampground full next weekend
Get a text when availablefrom $25 - $100 / night
5. Briones Regional Park
"A 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."
Check AvailabilityCampground full next weekend
Get a text when availablefrom $75 - $200 / night
6. Wildcat Campground — Point Reyes National Seashore
"A very cool spot for backpacking in with 6-8 miles to hike in, depending on the trails you take. The tall grass gave some privacy between neighboring campsites. Nice to have a water spigot on-site."
"in an open meadow on a bluff overlooking the ocean with a short walk to the beach and a 3.2 kilometer (2.0 miles) round-trip walk to [Alamere Falls](https://www.nps.gov/pore/planyourvisit/alamere_falls.htm"
7. Alice Eastwood Group Camp — Mount Tamalpais State Park
"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)."
1 Site AvailableAvailable next weekend
from $110 - $225 / night
8. Haypress Campground — Golden Gate National Recreation Area
"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. "
Check AvailabilityCampground full next weekend
Get a text when availablefrom $25 - $75 / night
9. Bicentennial Campground — Golden Gate National Recreation Area
"this is an excellent primitive campground with 3 sites."
"3 sites, very close to each other/nothing separating them. Sites were clean."
Check AvailabilityCampground full next weekend
Get a text when availablefrom $25 / night
10. Sibley Volcanic Regional Preserve
"The Sibley backpack camp is a small, primitive hike-in site for a maximum of 15 campers (although this would be super cramped in my opinion, unless it a bunch of small kids), a moderate 0.2 mile walk from"
Check Availabilityfrom $15 / night
Drive Time
- 16 min from Napa, CA
- 37 min from San Francisco, CA
- 39 min from Santa Rosa, CA
- 51 min from Sacramento, CA
Recent Tent Camping Photos near Vallejo, CA
57 Photos of 37 Vallejo Campgrounds • uploaded by The Dyrt campers
Sunrise Campground — Angel Island State ParkR
Alice Eastwood Group Camp — Mount Tamalpais State Park
Hawk Campground — Golden Gate National Recreation Area
Bootjack Campground — Mount Tamalpais State Park
Haypress Campground — Golden Gate National Recreation Area
Pantoll Campground — Mount Tamalpais State ParkS
Bicentennial Campground — Golden Gate National Recreation AreaC
Steep Ravine Campground — Mount Tamalpais State ParkJ
Steele Canyon (formerly Lupine Shores)J
Glen Campground — Point Reyes National SeashoreL
Wildcat Campground — Point Reyes National Seashore
Tent Camping Reviews near Vallejo, CA
896 Reviews of 37 Vallejo Campgrounds
- D
David R.TravelerYolo County Fair RV Park
Nothing fancy. Looks like they are building a fence and trying to improve the place. A lot of street noise and free roamers walking through the camp sites.
- jjacqueline P.
ScoutPelican Point RV Park
Has hot showers & laundry room! A 5 min walk to the ocean as well. Super peaceful
Laura K.ScoutCalifornia Delta's Snug Harbor
This campground needs a lot of work including docks, boat births and sites need pads and less weeds, stickers, burs.
- ttom S.
GuideSugarloaf Ridge State Park Campground
Excellent campground
We arrived and looked at our site and needed sun to recharge our batteries so the attendant let us pick one from the available list. A bit dusty but well worth it for the amenities.
T T.GuideDumbarton Quarry Campground on the Bay
Great safe place in sourh east bay
Great location with spaces in safe SE bay area location and reasonable prices New development small young trees limited natural shade
Tom T.ScoutDumbarton Quarry Campground on the Bay
Open sky great starlink users.
Very quiet campground at night. See stars clearly. Use the fire pit after 730pm when the wind has calmed down.
- TTwindaddyGuide
Del Valle Campground — East Bay Regional Park District
East Bay Parks - IYKYK
Like most/all east bay parks, this is well appointed for the masses. It’s also surrounded by rolling hills and close to suburbia. For many, these are positives. As an east bay resident they are for me as well. Del Valle is a bit more removed than many east bay parks. From my location in Fremont, it’s a one hour drive. A pleasant drive for the most part. I camp to get away for a bit and almost always to mountain bike. As such, I seek parks that have trails. Del Valle has a map of many trails. They also appear on many of the mapping services used by mountain bikers. Review those and digest them if this is also your intention - these are east bay parka style trails. In other words, mostly steep and loose fire roads, with many “social trails” sprinkled between. If you are compelled to stay legit/legal trails, bring an ebike. Now on to the camping. I picked a spot as far removed from any booked spot on the map. I triple checked this up until the day before I arrived. I want solitude! When I arrived Thursday afternoon, I was surprised to see the sites just 3 spaces away, on both sides, occupied. This is a fairly compact area. And while I’m sure they’re lovely folks, this isn’t what I expected on a Thursday. Saturday? Sure. Anyway… be aware that these reservation services aren’t completely reliable in that regard. The bathrooms and showers are amazing! Clean, smell good, cared for. Noteworthy is the hot showers in the camp grounds are free and your one push of the button provides water for two minutes I'd guess. Very nice! The space, 135 for me, is okay. A couple trees for shade, a nice table and fire pit. It’s now dark and the noise is minimal - mostly from the group campsite just down the hill. I’ll update this with more details in the coming days since it’s a 4 day visit.
Update 1: it’s my first morning here. Using starlink as there is no cell signal to be found. What I noticed last night was that this park is directly below the flight path to the local airports. Every couple minutes last night, a plane would fly overhead. According to flight aware, they’re at about 10,000 feet. If this will ruin your getaway, you’ve been warned.
Update 2: On Friday night, the majority of the spots were filled. Many large groups of people with varying degrees of consideration, but to their credit almost all (except the barking German Shepard) were quiet by 10PM. It was a bit more crowded come Saturday morning. Some friends came to visit for a mountain bike ride, and we set off at about noon. I had been complimentary of the facilities and bragged that I'd be taking a nice shower after our ride. Unfortunately, upon our return, there was no hot water and no lighting in the showers. And, sadly, someone decided to remove the tags and hangers from their TJ Maxx haul and leave them all over the floor of two of the showers.
Verdict: I'd only come back here in the springtime when it's likely to be green and have some water in the arroyo and only during the week. The density and composition of the people here was akin to being at Costco on a Saturday, and I only did that once.
Dawn S.GuideMarin RV Park
Great to see the City
We came in around 9pm. There's a board with names and site numbers on the office building. These are snug spots but we have enough room to put the slide out. It is a level gravel parking lot. There's not alot of places in San Fran to even day park. This is just fine. They do fill up fast. Called the next day to extend through Sat, they are booked solid.
Dog walk is through the gate at the back of the lot where abandoned railroad tracks are. There's a pond with some ducks and a walking path.
Guide to Vallejo
Tent camping near Vallejo, California requires proper preparation for coastal weather that can change rapidly between day and night. Located at the northeastern edge of San Pablo Bay, Vallejo's surrounding camping areas experience temperature swings of 20-30 degrees between afternoon and nighttime hours. Several campgrounds within an hour's drive offer tent camping options with varying access requirements and seasonal limitations that attract Bay Area residents seeking quick outdoor escapes.
What to do
Hike to waterfalls: Wildcat Campground in Point Reyes National Seashore provides access to Alamere Falls just a short beach walk away. A visitor noted, "The six mile hike to reach the campground is stunning. The hike changes drastically over the course of the six miles ranging from lush forests to grassy fields to breathtaking coastal views."
Explore urban hiking trails: Sibley Volcanic Regional Preserve offers tent camping on a dormant volcano just outside Berkeley. The 31-mile East Bay Skyline National Recreation Trail traverses the preserve. "The site has basically 360 degree views of Mount Diablo, Vollmer Peak and Tilden Park," explains one camper.
Beach access: Camping at Steep Ravine Campground puts you near secluded beaches. "We hiked around the island and explored a couple cool areas... Lots of old buildings to explore, in addition to the awesome views of the San Francisco Bay Area from the various vista points and beaches around the island," writes one camper.
What campers like
Ferry access to campsites: Angel Island State Park offers a unique camping experience that requires a ferry ride. "You have to take a boat to get out to Angel Island so you have to drive up to Tiburon and park your car and get onto one of the Ferry Boats," explains one visitor who recommends budgeting for both parking and ferry costs.
Night sky viewing: Bicentennial Campground provides excellent stargazing opportunities. "Pretty peaceful. Lapping sounds of the ocean below," notes a camper who enjoyed the site's quiet atmosphere and natural soundtrack.
Trail connectivity: Tent campers appreciate Haypress Campground's access to multiple hiking routes. One camper explains, "Here you can strike out hiking through Tennessee Valley to the beach and beyond!" The campground's strategic location makes it ideal for backpackers looking to create multi-day routes.
What you should know
Reservation challenges: Securing a tent site requires planning months ahead. For Steep Ravine, "This is a California State Park, but it's surprising how many visitors do not know of the 10 campsites scattered around the island," explains a camper, who also notes you'll need to be ready to book exactly when the reservation window opens.
Limited facilities: Many tent sites have minimal amenities. At Haypress, a camper notes: "You are on your own here. Bring your own water. No fires. You get a picnic table and a food storage locker, nothing else."
Weather considerations: Coastal fog and wind affect camping conditions year-round. At Pantoll Campground, a recent visitor shared, "Currently no fires or stoves allowed so it's rough without any source of warmth. The wind chill is real at night!"
Tips for camping with families
Accessible hikes: Pantoll Campground offers family-friendly trails with varying difficulties. "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," explains one camper.
Wildlife viewing opportunities: Tilden Regional Park offers nature programs suitable for children. "It is a rather large park area that overlooks Berkeley. It is great for biking (but be weary of the hills). It also has a great lake/pond area for anyone to relax at," notes a visitor.
Storage solutions: Campgrounds provide food storage lockers, but additional measures may be needed. For Wildcat Camp, one camper advises: "One thing to be aware of with Wildcat Camp is the small field mice that can get into the food storage boxes. Bring some steel wool or a critter-proof container to keep food safe, even inside the locker."
Tips from RVers
Vehicle access limitations: Most tent camping near Vallejo involves some walking from parking areas. At Bicentennial Campground, "You have to park at the top of the hill and bring your stuff down which isn't very far," explains a camper, noting this accessibility factor when planning equipment needs.
Alternative camping styles: While primarily tent-focused, some sites offer unique accommodations. The cabins at Steep Ravine provide a hybrid camping experience: "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. No electricity but the wood burning stove provides some light."
Frequently Asked Questions
Which is the most popular tent
campsite near Vallejo, CA?
Which is the most popular tent campsite near Vallejo, CA?
According to TheDyrt.com, the most popular tent campground near Vallejo, CA is Sunrise Campground — Angel Island State Park with a 4.7-star rating from 10 reviews.
What is the best site to find
tent camping near
Vallejo, CA?
What is the best site to find tent camping near Vallejo, CA?
TheDyrt.com has all 37 tent camping locations near Vallejo, CA, with real photos and reviews from campers.
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