Mount Madonna

Late August after school starts is a clue… Either way, the VERY cleanest restrooms, with the added convenience of handsoap!! Plenty of hiking trails through the Redwoods & more! Also 6’ max leashed dogs are allowed everywhere, incl the substantial trails — HUGE plus…

4 separate loops gives tenters/teardrops sites where the #BigRigs don’t go AND you can park your smaller footprints wherever you can at any site — not restricted to pavement, etc. Big Props for that!!!

We’ll come back.

Mr Madonna is my favorite camping site. The site has a lot of space. The bathroom is clean. There are also lots of trails to explore.

We first visited in Feb at site 126. It has some privacy, we liked that it was in between two yurts away from others. The trail does go right behind the site but it wasn’t super busy. In April we got site 405 and it was absolutely beautiful and isolated in a ring of redwood trees with lots of other trees to use for hammocks, etc. I will warn, it gets very cold at night always better safe then sorry when it comes to layers.

This is a great campground for hot weather (if you can get a site). Almost all the sites were fully shaded by the big redwoods. Site 211 was listed as 30' trailer but that was definitely not the case as it was a weird triangle parking area. We made it work and enjoyed the park. Nice hikes right from the site or you can drive up to where the old homestead was and see some ruins. Great campground for the kids to bike at but there are a few big hills so make sure they know how to use their brakes.

Tall woods, great facilities, and great vista point.

The sites are a little close to each other, and we met a group of boy scouts.

Loved tall red woods here. And some banana slugs!

Enjoyed tent camping at mount Madonna. I was able to reserve a drive in tent campground one month out . Many miles of trails and excellent facilities.

Cozy clean campsites easy to navigate. Valley view point was pretty nice will make a good painting spot next time. Bathrooms were clean but didn’t use the showers, assumed they worked just as well. Archery ranged looked like a great trail I’ll have to bring my bow next time.

The park is a on beautiful forested hilltop. Some areas are redwood, other parts mixed with other kinds of trees. This is the only place I’ve seen the redwood trees harvest the fog and make their own rain, which is pretty cool. In the morning it’s raining under the redwood trees but not under the madrone or tan oak trees, which is wild.

It is a lot colder here than on the valley floor. Prepare for it to be 40deg colder than Gilroy or San Jose. We weren’t prepared & had to drive into town & buy more clothes! Also, sometimes the fog whistles through on a stiff breeze so not only is it cold but also clammy wet.

The park has some unique features. Near the ranger station there are pens with white fallow deer. They are descendants of the exotic zoo at William Randolph Hearst’s mansion down the coast. The park used to have hundreds of them, but a number of years ago the park service stopped allowing them to breed because they’re an introduced species. So now they’re down to just two white deer and when those die that’ll be the end of that.

There is an archery trail with 28 targets on a trail through the woods. We were there 3 days in a row and did 20 of the 28. It’s really pretty and a cool challenge. Now my daughter’s asking to put a target in the back yard.

The campgrounds are really well maintained. Bathrooms have soap & TP and kept clean. “Tan Oak” campground seems to have bigger sites than the others, but we drove through all the campgrounds and none of them are awful. Our site (418) was huge and private. There is a large vacant campsite across the road that’s reserved for docents but it was empty when we were there so we had the cul-de-sac all to ourselves. Sites 416 and 417 are also big with hidden spots back off the road for pitching your tent.

Well maintained campground. Some smaller and uneven spots but worth it. Next to great hikes.

Bathrooms are great.

First time and definitely not the last. Loved the grounds. Clean and beautiful!

We stayed in Valley View #1 (campsite 115 specifically), which is nestled in the redwoods with plenty of room and privacy. This park is well maintained with staff that care.

Perhaps the best part of this less known campground and park is the quiet nature of it with no major crowds. Trails were good and not much to complain about other than the parking slab being fairly unlevel.

Good nearby trips once you’re done hiking include fresh pies at the Gizditch Ranch, all the fresh produce you could want at the local stand and of course a beach trip.

Great place to stay!

Fun all year round

This was always a favorite

We camped for two nights in April at Tan Oak. We had a lovely experience. Because of COVID they are only reserving every other site, so it’s pretty quiet. Bathrooms were clean and easily accesible. We loved our spot (#405) because it’s surrounded by a ring of redwoods, absolutely gorgeous and a lot of privacy. Although the morning dew falling from the trees made it pretty wet. Many trails from easy to difficult. Our group ranged in age 15-65 and everyone enjoyed themselves.

My husband and I are not big fans of Campgrounds and prefer boondocking, but Mount Madonna was a pleasant surprise. There are several loops in the campground, and we stayed in Valley View 1 which had electric and water hookup for RV camping only. We were happy to have the electric hook up since the redwood and oak tress surrounding all the sites are huge and block out the sun. It would have been difficult to get sun on the panels especial since we had fog every morning as well. The bathrooms included flush toilets and were cleaned several times a day. The park has showers however, due to Covid-19 they were closed during our visit. Some of the campsites were closed as well to help comply to social distance rules. Valley View loop is close to the main road, some street noise is heard during the day but is limited at night. You are allowed up to two dogs and they are allowed on the surrounding trails. While walking through the trails we say several deer as well as a Turkey Vulture hanging out in a tree looking for a meal. There is a dump station with water in the campground. The drive through horseshoe shape makes it easy to pullup, dump and pull through to the other side where you will find potable water to fill up your tanks if you desire. Overall, we enjoyed our visit and are considering using one of the group sites for a family reunion once we can get together in big groups again.

How have I never heard of this place before?! Super easy to book, and “last minute” (3 weeks before) compared to 6 months out for a state park. Beautiful redwoods around although 15 mins away is regular houses. Campsites are small, I luckily got 301 which was bigger. There’s a fire pit, picnic bench, trees for shade, potable water, clean bathrooms with soap. Super dark at night with awesome star gazing. What more can you ask for! I did see a bobcat one night at 2:30 am so beware. I can see it getting loud because of close proximity, but honestly wasn’t bad. You can hear the kiddos screaming and having a grand time in the morning though.

We love Mount Madonna and have camped here often. It has a few RV sites with water and electric but the dry campsites are a little bigger and very nice. Great hiking trails. Flat looks for kids to bike on. Don't miss the deer pen and the historic house hikes. One of the best local campgrounds near San Jose, Morgan Hill, Gilroy and Watsonville area. Close but very much a camping experience. Some fog can creep in so be prepared for it to get cold and wet some nights. Camp sites can be close together if in one fo the electric water sites but not too bad. Nice for families. Showers are clean.

We camped here on Easter Eve, 2019. It seems everyone else did, too! While it was nice to hear the other campers having a great time with their families and friends, the noise level from it was extraordinary. 

The campground in the forest and beautiful. The bathrooms were well maintained. And the fire pits were large and had grills. 

I don't think we'll camp here again except in the dead of winter when there might not be as many people.

Good family camping. Restrooms and showers were clean and available. Enjoyed a nice hike, there is poison oak on the trails but they are well maintained.

Mount Madonna County Park has 4 campgrounds. I've been camping in this park since the late 70s. I've seen some changes over the years...ahem...decades. There's something for everyone here, RVers, tenters, and those who want to rent tent cabins. There are plenty of trails to hike, as well as equestrian trails. No bikes on trails though.

There are several micro climates in this area and temps can vary, besides our weather varies from day to day.

There are trails offering views of the Santa Clara Valley, and trails offering views of the Monterey Bay. The park is above the fog line (most of the year). We don't get rain in the summer here. The park is situated at the County lines of Santa Clara County and Santa Cruz County and is part of the Santa Clara County Parks system.

No stores or markets in the park, but you can easily run into town, either Watsonville or Gilroy. It's slightly closer to Watsonville where you will find a gas station/market on 152 (Currently a Valero), or go into Gilroy on 152 for Safeway and more.

There's a small cabin (ranger's station) with a history exhibit and the white reindeer up from the kiosk. My favorite campground in the park is the Tan Oak campground at the top and through the day use area. There are plenty of Geocaches on the trails.

The bathrooms are generally clean. I say generally because I prefer the off season when I have the campground to myself and the bathrooms are super clean, but when the campground is full, like any public bathroom they can need more attention. (Or maybe people just need to clean up after themselves) I've never used the showers, nor the tent cabins. I like the sites because overall they are separated by trees so you don't feel as crowded as more open campgrounds.

Despite signage warning of mountain lions, I have never encountered a single one in all the years of camping here. I've had raccoons and skunks (so lock up your food and belongings), turkeys and deer.

Weekends, especially a holiday weekend such as Memorial Day weekend, can be full. (Not my favorite) I have also stayed for the 4th of July when it fell midweek and had the campground (Tan Oak) literally to myself.

Leashed pets are allowed (2 per site) and 2 cars and 8 people per site.

Beautiful county park in the redwood forest of the coastal range. Varied sites and multiple campgrounds make for a choice option for everyone. We’ve stayed here twice and enjoyed it both times.

This campground is tucked away between Watsonville, CA and Gilroy, CA in a small stand of second growth redwwoods. They have one loop of rv sites and three other loops of gorgeous tent sites. They have redwood trees, showers, restrooms, archery, hiking trails, Henry Miller's vacation home ruins, camp fire programs and a pen of exotic white deer.

I've been camping here my entire life in every season and I never get tired of it.

This campsite offers a variety of amenities.With running water faucets and fire rings, you are sure to have a wonderful time away from civilization.Some events are held at this location,and ypu do have to pay to camp and park,but the quietness of it all is what makes this location unique.This location also offers equestrian activites, an archery range, and oppurtunites for large groups to gather in one of their many beautoful group sites.

The campsites are nice but very close together. There are tons of hiking trails. The miller house ruins are really cool and you can find ghost stories about them if you do some googling.

We had a HUGE campsite. Not sure of the number. The fire pit and picnic table were up near the camp road, but our site had a huge "dish" that was shaded by large trees where we pitched our tent. We camped in November, and it was cool, but not cold. It had been raining and things were damp, but we were comfortable with jackets and a fire in the evenings. Jackets came off during the sunniest part of the day. We did a short hike. Mostly, we stayed in our site and played tabletop games at the picnic table. We really so no other campers or park workers while we were in our site as it was quite secluded.

Mount Madonna County Park is located in the redwood covered hills between Gilroy and Watsonville. The towns Watsonville/Freedom are both located a short drive away for supplies, as well as many restaurants, fruit stands, and gas stations. It feels very rural when you are in the campground, however civilization isn't far away.

Campground Review: Part of the Santa Clara County Parks system, this year round campground is available to reserve online - https://www.sccgov.org/sites/parks/parkfinder/pages/mtmadonna.aspx - sites are a bit on the expensive side at $34 per night when I booked, but the amenities sort of justify the cost. The park itself contains miles of hiking trails that wind through the redwoods and along the ridgetops, RV hookups and a dumping station, group campgrounds, an amphitheater, horse back riding, showers (free), day use picnic/bbq areas, and multiple campground areas. We stayed in Valley View 3 - site 325. Initially, the plan was to camp the weekend before, but bad weather made us change our plans last minute. The parks service was helpful in getting the reservation changed to the next weekend, and the weekend went off without a hitch. When booking campsites here, I recommend taking some time to research the campsites as they vary in size and privacy. I would recommend 301, 320, 323, 324 in the Valley View 3 area. They offer large sites and privacy. Road noise is minimal, as the park gates are shut at 8pm, so there is no through traffic coming through at all hours. Campsite 325 was right next to the bathroom, which was convenient but made things noisy around bed time and in the morning. Wouldn't recommend this site if you like to sleep in while camping. All the campsites had the basics, table, firepit/grill, food storage locker and potable water was spaced out about every third or fourth campsite. They are some critters here, I saw a few skunks and one wandered right into our campsite at night, so keep an eye out for them. The facilities were very clean and it was pretty dog friendly. In the summer it might get a bit too hot and there are no rivers or lakes to jump in to cool off. The ocean is about a 30 min drive away. Overall it was a great trip, with only the various campsite sizes and privacy being an issue. If you get a good sized site away from the bathrooms it is a wonderful experience. Overall the campground/park as a whole gets 4 stars with cost and varying campsite sizes being the only cons.

Product Review: As a Ranger for The Dyrt, I get to test products. At Mt. Maddona Park I tested the Cotopaxi Uyuni 46L Duffle from Roanline.com - https://www.roanline.com/cotopaxi-uyuni-46l-duffel-in-del-dia/ - Overall this duffel bag worked great, although it may not be as much of a camping duffel, as more of a weekend travel/flying or work/gym duffel. It worked just fine as a camping bag however. It has multiple spaces to stash gear, one pocket on the front that could fit phones, sunglasses, etc, a padded laptop sleeve, and two large inner pockets separated by a nylon barrier so you can keep clean and dirty clothing separate. It easily held two days worth of camping clothes as well as sweatpants and a large jacket, so space isn't an issue on a long weekend trip. The fabric is tough and any spills or dirt can be wiped away easily. It only has one strap so carrying it while hiking is cumbersome. I see it more as a travel bag than a camping bag. If it isn't fully stuffed, you can easily get away with using it as a carry-on when flying. The materials and multiple separate pockets make it great to keep you gym clothes away from your laptop, other clothes, work stuff or to use as a beach bag to keep things from getting sandy while also being easy to clean. Hands down the best feature of the bag is the one of a kind color scheme. It really stands out, so your bag will be easy to identify in crowded areas or at the baggage claim. I would give the bag 4 stars as a car camping bag, but I don't think that is really its designed purpose. It gets 5 stars as a duffel for short trips or to use going to and from the office/gym.

A beautiful spot in a redwood forest. Zero cell coverage or Internet. Handy to Sunset Beach and to legendary farmlands. Nice roomy campsites.