Established Camping
Camp Taylor — Samuel P. Taylor State Park
About
State Park
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.
Access
- Drive-InPark next to your site
- Walk-InPark in a lot, walk to your site.
Stay Connected
- WiFiGood
- VerizonGood
- AT&TGood
- T-MobileGood
Site Types
- Tent Sites
- RV Sites
- Standard (Tent/RV)
- Group
- Cabins
- Tent Cabin
- Equestrian
Features
For Campers
- ADA Access
- Trash
- Picnic Table
- Firewood Available
- Phone Service
- Reservable
- Showers
- Drinking Water
- Toilets
- Alcohol
- Pets
- Fires
For Vehicles
- Pull-Through Sites
Decent Camping with Great Hiking & Views
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.
- (14) View All
Great spot, reccomend for tent and van campers
Loved our time here. It was quiet and peaceful.
- (5) View All
Very peaceful
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.
- (9) View All
Location
Camp Taylor — Samuel P. Taylor State Park is located in California
Address
8889 Sir Francis Drake Blvd
Lagunitas, CA 94938
Coordinates
38.01947545 N
122.72958182 W