Located just 15 miles (30 minutes) west of San Rafael on Sir Francis Drake Boulevard, rests 2,882 protected acres of land known as Samuel Taylor State Park. This central-California landscape hosts a mild climate, with daily weather varying from dense fog and rain to full sun. Subsequently, summer and spring are usually a bit cooler than other neighboring regions. The same is true during fall and winter, with overnight lows dropping to freezing, resulting in freezing rain, sleet, hail, and even snow.  The park itself is a haven for hikers and campers all over California, thanks to the numerous trails, viewpoints, and towering Redwoods overhead. 

Visitors will love camping among the Redwoods, biking along the creek, and exploring a number of diverse hiking trails. Relax and find peace within while watching salmon spawn underneath the cool shade of an antiquated redwood tree. The Wheelchair-accessible South Creek Trail winds 1.5 miles through a fern-filled forest on the banks of Lagunitas Creek. In the rainy season, you might see spawning salmon and flowers such as fetid adder’s tongue, giant trillium, and redwood sorrel along the way. More fun awaits with beach activities and wildlife spotting over on Point Reyes National Seashore. After a full day of fun, the comforting embrace of the Redwoods can lull the restless to a deep sleep. There’s really no better place to escape for a weekend or more, and luckily there’s plenty of accommodations to do so. 

Fortunately, Samuel P. Taylor State Park has numerous sites available to accommodate a range of group sizes. This includes sites for 5, 10, 15, 20 and even 50 people. Moreover, most of the park’s campsites lie beneath majestic redwoods, with a few (at Devil's Gulch and Madrone) under oaks and bay laurel at the bottom of Barnabe Peak. If tent camping isn’t your preference, there’s also a limited number of newly built cabins available for rental. Dogs (except for service animals) are permitted only in campgrounds, picnic areas, and on paved trails/roads.  That said, you can't bring your furry friends to the hike and bike campsites, or in the cabin area. Furthermore, all pets must be on a six-foot or shorter leash and kept in a tent or vehicle overnight. 

Reservations are highly recommended for regular campsites every day during peak season and on weekends year-round. Reservations are also recommended year-round for group sites and cabins.

Camp Taylor — Samuel P. Taylor State Park

Raised in West Marin I have a special place in my heart for this campsite, but I will keep it fair!

Pro's: Close to the road and town for easy access and supply runs, lots of swimming holes, trail access to the entire Mt. Tam watershed for hours or days of expeditions.

Con's: close to the road :) Very booked, you should make reservations as soon as possible since it can be booked for entire seasons.

Check out the Ink Wells swimming hole a few miles up Sir Francis Drake Blvd, Kent Lake, and Devils Gulch hiking.

Pt. Reyes Station is a great spot to get outstanding food, a great saloon bar downtown, as well as great souvenirs of all kinds!  

Be sure to go to Bovine Bakery if you are in town, as it is one o the best in the state!

Great spot to stop while checking out West Marin! 

Our tent is 10" by 8" and we barely fit this thing in the site.  We were in site 9 (the one next to us looked really nice like you could set it up under the trees!).  I learned the hard way to check size of the camp site to make sure your tent fits!  We did it but it was close!  That's probably my fault really, but none of the sites seemed particularly big. It was nice that it was right by the creek so you could hear that in the tent. Sites are separated by trees side to side, but there's a road down the middle and the sites across the way are very visible as there is just downed trees as a barrier. There is a little trail you can walk up through the campsite - but you never really get to see the creek!  The chipmunks here were super aggressive.  My daughter was eating a fig bar and we were all at the table too.  She put the bar down on the table to take a drink of water and the chipmunk jumped on the table and grabbed her bar and ran.  I've never experienced that brave of a chipmunk before!

Samuel P. Taylor

I will never forget staying here for my first camping trip 4+ years ago! It was very welcoming for a complete noob. Easy to find. Lots of families yet still quiet and peaceful.   

Downside: kind of cold and dark since it is surrounded by tall trees. This was nice in summer, but less desirable in the winter.   

Also we were awakened in the night by the sound of some animals -- woke up the next morning to find our trash bags destroyed by raccoons!! use the food lockers!!

first camping trip

We stayed 4 nights in site 23\. It is on a seperate small stub street with 4 other sites. 21, 23,24,and 25 are all awesome sites. 22 is ok but not as good as the other 4\. These 5 sites are all great for car camping. Other sites in the park require parallel parking and a short hike with gear. The redwoods and other foliage provide a ton of shade and are beautiful. The creek is fun for kids to play in, but there are only a few good access points. The campground earns only 3 stars because of the lack of maintenance. For the price of $35 per night, we expected better maintenance of the restrooms. We paid less than half of that price in Arizona and got impeccable restrooms and showers. At Samuel Taylor, there is no soap in the soap dispensers and there are no hand dryers. The showers are supposed to cost money for hot water, which is crazy at the price paid per site, but fortunately the ones we used must have been broken because we got hot water without putting quarters in. Even the rangers we talked to mentioned that many of the showers we broken and would work without money. The campground has a big racoon problem. The first night we were fine with our garbage tied up but the other nights the raccoons got through the 3 mil bags. The last night they even managed to open our cooler and get some food out of it. This is another California state campground that has so much promise but fails to deliver. They should take notes from Arizona on how to do it right.

Beautiful campground, but needs improvement 

Camp sites include fire ring and flattened areas with picnic table. Fresh water is available, as well as, bathrooms and showers. Nice level sites for RVs. Great Verizon and AT&amp;T cell service.

Magical forests

I loved the quaint feel of our campsite. The only downside was that the main road runs alongside the grounds. Our site was small but my eyes were pleased by how it looked. Site had a fire ring, picnic table, and a stone grill. The grounds had running water, flush toilets and quarter showers.

Camped here at night and explored point reyes during the day.

Quaint 

Unlike Big Basin or other cabins that neighbor tent camping, the SPT cabins are secluded. Here are my disorganized bullet points:

*   Cabins are incredible. They have electricity, outlets, and heating. All you need are sheets, pillows, and blankets.
*   Great for families.
*   Drinkable water
*   Dish washing station at the restrooms
*   Showers!
*   15 mins from the nearest store, so you don't need to bring much (or can pick things up if you forgot)
*   45 mins from Pt Reyes

Be aware of the tons of poison oak, and bring a yellowjacket trap to hang. There's not a lot of flat ground in the campground for kids riding bikes, so you'll need to go hike the trails or go down to the other main area for that. But this is like 2% negative and everything else is 98% positive.

Overall I think these are perfect for the mini-vacation style "let's throw a few things in a bag, low effort" camping trips.

Barely camping, and 100% incredible

HUGE redwoods and lovely campsites (not a huge place) there are a few RV sites and a couple of group sites and several day use sites. these is an 8 mile bike trail to Olema. this park also has a tiny outdoor ampitheatre. must book early- this campground does fill up. 


One of the most beautiful parks in Northern California

Samuel P Taylor is clean, family-friendly, well situated for a variety of fun day trips, and picturesque. The sites are a bit small and close to one another, but otherwise we had no complaints.

Redwoods and great location

This spot off the 1 in Marin County is gorgeous. You’re close to the beach, but deep enough in the redwoods to get your fill on the forests within the Bay Area. I highly recommend this spot and the sites here are coveted so make reservations if you can! There are also no lotteries here.

Redwoods and Beach Magic

Rolled into this campground with no reservations 
The campground was pretty much empty.
Park ranger Lynsey was great to work with after a long drive.
The camp spots were pretty clean despite people being disrespectful to the park.
I stayed in lot 44 which backed up to the beautiful forest. 
Great place to stay

Nice and quiet 

Wonderful campground! The restrooms are clean and efficient, there are even coin operated hot showers! There are potable water taps close to every 4 or so camping spots. Dedicated fire pits and bbq stands. 

Would definitely return again!

Perfect Getaway!

Had to check out this spot. I pass it all the time and have been dying to check it out. Glad I did.  Level pad for camp trailers. Fire pits updated and bbq on every site.  Site 49 is a nice site.  

Tucked in the woods

One of the easiest accessed and most beautiful campgrounds in the state and it is literally just outside the city. Campsites are well maintained and under beautiful and huge trees. The bathrooms are well maintained and the camp host was incredibly nice! 

  

It was lovely to wake up in the morning and not have to go far to spend time in Point Reyes or Mt. Tamalpais. We got lucky and had a quiet spot but this campground was really popping at the other end. 

  

Being that it is so close to the city, I would avoid this spot on major weekends or holidays. But middle of the week and not during the Summer is ideal. 

  

Lots of hiking and biking usually but the bike trail is under construction now.

Tall Trees and Trails

We loved it. So relaxing, our campsite was very spacious. All the park was very clean, restrooms and showers not the best but it’s camping. 
Hiking trails at it’s finest. River was nice to relax. 

Enchanting 

This can be very busy in the campground area in the summer.  Better in the fall. The sites along the creek (not on the hill) are the best.  Also great shared creekside spot for bikers and hikers.There is a great swimming hole about 3/4 of a mile down the creek. Good hiking trails - one along the creek and one along the hillside that are mostly shaded and not widely used.  Also to the top of Mt. Barnabe which is a longer harder climb. The Cross Marin trail is great for biking.

Get A Tent Site On The Creek

Honestly one of our favorite campgrounds. Scenic, quiet, dog friendly and close to awesome swimming holes. We booked the MG2 group site and worth the $. It was tucked away and heaven. Close to the coast if you want clams and not far from SF day trip.

Prettiest Campground 

I love how the campsites are all nestled in the huge cypress trees. Water spigots just a few sites away and plenty of bathrooms too. Lots of families around, made it the perfect Summer outing.

Good for biking and long dog walks.

One of the best campgrounds in and near the bay area! Some sites are small but good enough for small family. All if not most sites have a picnic table grill and a fire ring. Great campground for bikes!! Not too far from city but close enough. 

CAMP TAYLOR!!!

It’s a very pretty scene. The campground for the most part is quiet. Lots of trails to explore. Camping spots are very close together. You can hear traffic from the highway. We had to dry camp. 

So so

Great spot to camp with kids. Lots of kids on bikes, trails, cool trees and big shady campsites.

Fun under the redwoods

Relaxing environment, multiple great trails nearby with easy access from the campsite. Spots are well spaced and a nice size. We hiked to Kent Lake, even though the water was low at the lake which was to be expected, it was still a nice hike with beautiful scenery. 

Lovely Campground and experience

We have previously tent camped and car camped here and we really enjoy it. It can get warm in the summer, but the cool moist ocean fog comes in and blankets the area in the evenings, which can really cool it down. On our first visit, there was no running water or showers, but they did have portapotties. On our second visit, water was available, but it was not potable, and the showers and toilets were still not working. Not sure if that is a Covid related issue or a temporary maintenance issue. It’s worth a drive through prior to staying, in order to find a site that fits your needs, they have many different sized sites available, and we like the sites in the high teens (18 &amp; 19), as they seem a bit larger and are right along the creek. The sites appear to be your standard state park equipment with a fire pit, a picnic table and a lockable pantry. The parking area for our site was large enough to accommodate our SUV and another vehicle. There is firewood generally available with the camp host or at the gate. Good cell signal with Verizon. Because of the amazing redwood canopy, it might be hard to get good sun for solar in most of the sites. There are all kinds of trails available, as well as a paved path that runs for at least a mile or so along the creek, that used to be the old railroad line through that area. They have informational signs all over the place providing historical or ecological information. Access to the creek is seasonally restricted for spawning, and I believe that goes from spring to about mid June or July. Also, lots of poison oak in the unmaintained areas and off the trails, so be aware. 

Nice shady retreat in beautiful redwoods.

An excellent place to camp that's just minutes away from San Francisco. Trails are well kept and maintained. 

Camping w/ Family 

Giving this campground 4 stars instead of 5 because the some of the sites are very close to each other. Our site (31) was separated from the one next to us by a fence. Luckily, we never got neighbors but they would have been VERY close. Also, the showers take tokens which are inconvenient to go buy from the camp host. After all that effort, the water was ice cold even after letting the sinks run per the suggestion of the camp host. The location is a little off the beaten path (we were on a PCH trip). Many of the sites are not level at all which is another reason I'm giving it 4 stars. You can also hear some of the road traffic from the campsites.

Orchard Hill Loop

We stayed here on a whim and did an overnight with a morning hike.  We got a last minute spot right near the bathroom and showers. 
Beautiful redwoods are all around and the sites and trails are maintained well. Price was $35 for our van which was reasonable for last minute.  

Nice for overnights/hikes

Overall a great place to stay nestled in the redwoods. This spot got very busy on the weekends with family’s. If you are looking for a quiet place to stay this might not be your spot. Despite the noise it was still a lovely stay. 

This campground has first come first serve but you can only check in after 2pm….not 1:58…. You’ll get turned away. I was told not to “linger” around or I would not get priority, and to “be an adult about it, come back at check in time at 2pm”. A very aggressive response for just inquiring if they offered FCFS. 

The campground hosts the rest of the time I was there were very lovely, there are also some amazing volunteers at the front. 

Great Place to Stay during the week 

Lots of shade, nice creek, clean. There is some buffer between sites,  but they are packed together pretty tight.

Lots of newbie campers because of its proximity to SF, which is nice to see but also means you many have neighbors not up to speed on camping etiquette.

 Pretty camp close to a lot of things 

If you are looking for a camping spot that’s quite, but still close to the road this spot is for you. The amenities are decent, and I recommend testing your shower first before you fully commit since it might be freezing cold (most work but some don’t). The wood cost is high here so I recommend getting some before you arrive. Also, the staff is very helpful and there is great local food and market shops just down the road.

Very peaceful 

Loved our time here. It was quiet and peaceful. 


Great spot, reccomend for tent and van campers

As the title says! Due to a cancellation at another state park, we booked a site at Sammy P. last minute, 2 days prior to our check-in date. It rained during our trip which we knew about beforehand. 

 We stayed at campsite #56, which was a surprisingly small lot. Keep in mind, not all campsites at Sammy P. are the same size, but I noticed the handful that we saw were smaller than what I’ve seen at other state parks. Not much space to pitch a larger size tent - we used our Big Agnes Big House 4 person tent and barely had enough space to set up the tent’s guy lines, however, a 2-3 person tent would fit just fine I think. Don’t plan on pitching more than one tent though, if you book site #56. I’d like to add that the area designed for you to deploy your tent was on a slope; you can tell there was an effort to make the area flatter but there was still a slope. This was a little problematic during the rain because the rain runoff would pool up in that area. We didn’t actually take on water inside our tent, but the footprint and lower outside area of the tent body were extremely muddy. 

The site’s accompanying picnic table was positioned oddly close to the fire ring and was sitting on top of wooden planks to keep it level. I guess you could move the table away from the fire ring if you wanted but you might end up with a wobbly picnic table (also remember: not much space). The food locker onsite is made of wood. Make sure you bring a pad lock as there is no locking mechanism on the door. Also, most of our goods got wet from the rain so the food locker is definitely not waterproof. Keep your eyes peeled for wild life and your food no matter what time of the day it is. We were harassed by cute little chipmunks and birds that didn’t seem too intimidated by humans. The bathrooms were about what you’d expect to see at a public facility, nothing fancy and clean enough to use. The sinks had hot water and good water pressure. We never ended up using the showers because we were deterred by the rain.

Enough of the “bad”, the local trails and creeks were breathtaking. We hiked Pioneer Tree Trail which was the perfect length for a novice hiker. Hiking through the forest felt like you were walking through a scene from Fern Gully. The various runoff creeks that you hike alongside were so neat to see. We would like to visit again, it was definitely a great last minute trip.