Forest meets the beach equals Magical!!!

This beautiful campground mixes in both the beach and the forest. The drive down to the beach can be quite bumpy so make sure to have an SUV, but get there early claim a spot right on the beach and enjoy a beer in this hidden gem of a campsite!

A Piece of heaven

This little piece of heaven is a first come first serve campsite, but it's right next to the beach so who can complain about that! The drive into Golden Bluffs is a rough one with windy turns and bumpy roads, but you do get a nice view of the redwood forest! The area itself is just a breathe taking combination of towering redwood trees with a mix of the calming waves and the beach!

I went in early April and got a little bit of rain, so definitely make sure you prepare for that. But the great thing about going in early April is that the campground was pretty much empty so you can enjoy the beach without it being over populated! Also they have the standard amenities you would expect from a campsite (fire ring, food locker, bathrooms). Being that it is first come first serve, I would suggest getting there early setting up your campsite and then hit the trails!

Best view of the city

There are only 10 campgrounds on Angel Island, so permits are limited! I had the flexibility to go during the week and luckily there were permits available. 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! One of the great things about the island is they have a Immigration museum (think Ellis Island but for the west coast!)

The island itself is about a 5 mile hike from one end to the other with a very modest elevation gain so it's definitely worth doing. Try to get a campsite towards east ridge so you can get a view of Alcatraz and both the Bay and Golden gate bridge. I would definitely suggest this as a tourist many locals tried to show me the best view of the city (Coit Tower, Golden gate bridge and Marin headlands) but in my opinion the best view is to camp out and see the view at night and in the early morning!

First come first serve

I went to Visit Joshua Tree in late March and it was during spring break for all the college students so it was very difficult to find an available campsite, you definitely want to get their early and start asking around if people are going to leave their campground. Most people will leave a sign at the front of their campsite saying when they will leave which is helpful. Luckily I found a campsite at Ryan Campground and it is a wonderful campground that has a trail that leads down to keys view. Also there are plenty of rock formations to do some rock climbing.

Also the trail is close to the Boy Scout trail which leads to Indian Cove. Definiely a great site to stay at, which I would highly recommend.

Average Campsite

The Holbrook KOA is conveniently near Petrified national forest, which makes it an easy place to set up camp because of it's proximity. The campsite was somewhat under construction and it looked like they were adding some additional campsites which is exciting. They offer plenty of amenities (running water, electricity, wifi and playgrounds for the kids.

All of the tent campsites are right next to each other, so you will get to know your neighbors pretty well. When I went I was the only person tent camping which made it great for privacy. My only issue with the campsite is the location of where the tent camps are set up, it is really close to the I-40, you will hear truckers and other cars drive by while your sleeping at night which made it difficult to fall asleep. I think it would be better if they moved the tent camping to the other side of the park that way your farther away from all the highway noise.

Desert Tortoise

We camped out at desert tortoise and it was amazing to see burros! The campgrounds were clean and everyone was very friendly!!