Tom and Marianne H.

Littleton , CO

Joined October 2019

Wide Open Spaces

The BLM land on the way up to the Notch Peak Trailhead campground is a wide open desert area that is best suited for off-road vehicles.  No facilities, but scenic skies.  Can be hot in the summer, no shade.  When I found no available spaces at Great Basin National Park, I made the additional 90 mile drive to find this area, thanks to The Dyrt!

Nice quiet campground

Stayed for one night in early June. Campground is in full operations mode. Quiet and scenic sites are available. Well-placed sites (30) not too close together. Most sites are currently reservable but 10 are first come first serve when I stayed there. $8 per night; $4 with Senior Pass.

In the forest but very noisy

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.

A small parking lot campground right on the beach

Not far from Solvang and right on the beach. It's a "parking lot" campground so you're right next to other campers. The bathrooms were okay and there were showers available. The sinks for washing dishes were not working. The train goes by right next to the campground, but we like that sound and it didn't bother us. The camp host was very friendly and even had a "little free library"!  Nice touch.  

The person at the pay station gave us a map of the sites that were still available so we could drive through and choose the one we wanted, then return to pay for it. Unfortunately, we found that the map was not accurate, but we did find a site. 

There were large fire pits. 

I imagine this campground fills up quickly on weekends in summer, as it's not far from populated areas. I think we were lucky to find a spot on a Friday night without having a reservation.

Mostly a parking lot but the location is good

It's pleasant but mostly a parking lot for RVs with spaces right next to each other. We camped here in October 2018 and it was quite crowded. We were lucky to get a spot on dirt under a tree, so we weren't in the parking lot, but right next to it. You pass vineyards on the road to the campground and can see them from the campground, as it's on a hill.  You're also pretty close to town so it's easy to get meals or groceries.  We arrived early evening and left early in the morning the next day so did not get to explore the area. We were pleased, though, to see that there's a nice archery range right next to the campground.

The fee was very reasonable. I can't quite remember what it was, but I think it was $12. There was wifi but with so many people in the area, it wasn't a strong signal. There were DVDs available to borrow at the check in station. 

We would stay here again.

Lovely location...unreliable reservation system

We stayed here in our roof top camper in October 2018. The campground itself was nice as it was immersed in forest. We made a reservation online as we were on our way to the campground. I don't recommend doing this because their online system did not sync in a timely fashion with their in-person system. Meaning, when we arrived, the spot we had reserved was being used by someone else. Fortunately, there was another spot still available that the camp host was able to direct us to.

The absolutely best thing about camping here was being a short, short walk from the shore of Lake Tahoe.  This lake is breathtakingly beautiful and is at its best in the early morning hours, with a cup of something hot to drink in your hands as you stand on the shore and gaze at the amazing colors and clarity of the water against a back drop of the Sierras. And in October, I can almost guarantee you'll have the beach to yourself. :)

It was extremely cold the night we stayed, with temps hovering around freezing, but once tucked inside our sleeping bags in our camper, we were plenty warm.

It was one of the pricier campgrounds we've stayed at, costing $39/night. 

It was very near town, so you could easily go to a restaurant to eat if you want to (we went to a pizza place.)  It's also very near a Catholic church.

Nice in winter

Not a pretty campground, just a gravel parking lot, but not crowded in winter when the weather is very pleasant. Can be very windy at night. Only $12/night. Walk to nice shops and restaurants. Bathrooms clean. Nice view of valley. Mostly RV sites. One row of tent camp sites with fire pit grills. If you have a roof top tent you’re considered an RV here so can’t use a tent site.

Walk to Fisherman’s Wharf

Pros: Secluded yet within walking distance of popular tourist areas. Can hear taps played at nearby Fort Ord at 10 pm. It’s magical! Pretty nice sites. Showers available. Cons: No reservations so need to arrive early if camping outside of winter. Bathrooms not the best but convenient and decent.

Convenient to San Jose. Crowded.

Pros: Lots of sites. Pretty area. Facilities well maintained. Cons: We stayed here several times because of its proximity to San Jose. Almost every time time, though, it was crowded and noisy. Also there are lots of wild pigs! In my opinion, it’s a last resort campground.

The first time here, we put a table cloth and some small items on the picnic table at our site, then left to run an errand. When we returned, someone else was camping in our spot. :0/  Luckily, there was another spot available so we moved and all was well. Still surprised that someone would do that, though.

Lovely area

During less crowded times (winter) this campground is one of the best. Extremely beautiful & peaceful surroundings. Lots of trees. Rock walls heavy with moss. Facilities well constructed and maintained. Off the beaten path. Once we were the only campers there. Heaven! However when the campground is filled, it’s noisy and there’s no privacy.

There are hiking trails that we haven't yet had time to explore.