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California Camping

We have a 34' motorhome. I'm looking for reviews on best RV parks in San Francisco, and also near Yosemite NP. Also would welcome input re: northern California and in San Diego.

Thanks!

Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by VIRGINIA RICHARDSON on January 24, 2010 at 6:42pm

If you go to Yosemite NP when school is out I would recomend having reservations. We drive all the way from SC and all the campgrounds in the park were full. There were too many people and cars.

Permalink Reply by Chris on January 24, 2010 at 8:30pm

I have spent alot of time in the central California area. I spent some time at the Delta KOA and at first it looked like it wasn't very good but it actually was really nice. Check it out. Strawberry, California is another good place bt reserve early. 49ers campground near Columbia, Cal. is a good private campground and near a great old gold mine town. That's about it for now.

Permalink Reply by Scott Snider on February 12, 2010 at 8:10pm

Its a state park called Richardson Grove and its great but not many hook ups but a great park in the summer and even has a creek that you can swim or play in. Its up on 101 in N Cal. Have fun.

Permalink Reply by Laurene on February 16, 2010 at 5:28pm

We live in Northern California and do most of our camping here. If you go to Yosemite NP I recommend reservations. We go once or twice a year, with reservations. Reservations for The Valley are easiest to get in spring or fall, winter too, but only Upper Pines is open then. If you haven't tried to get reservations for Yosemite before, it MUST be done online. Most sites are gone within the first 5 minutes for summer, which makes trying to get through on the phone a waste of time. (make sure you've already created an account in Recreation.gov too) As you can probably imagine RV sites are high demand. Anyway, if you can't get into The Valley, there's a nice RV park called Yosemite Pines. We stay there when we can't get reservations in the park. It's nice, clean and about 20 minutes from the entrance to Yosemite. (It's about another 20-25 minutes down to The Valley).

I have a list of RV parks we stay at here in Northern California, Marina Dunes RV Park, just outside Monterey. This park is clean has full hook-ups, about a 100 meter walk from the beach, and a 15 minute drive to the Monterey Bay Aquarium. (If you don't have a car there is a car rental company who will come pick you up and you can leave the car at Marina Dunes when your done) We also enjoy Gualala River Redwood Park in Gualala, CA off of HWY 101 about 100 north of San Francisco. They only have water and electric hook-ups, but it's a beautiful park, full of Redwoods and they have river view sites. (If you go to their site map and click on the site you can see the view from the site.) The sites are also quite large. We also stay at Seacliff State Beach which is literally on the beach (full hook-ups) and New Brighton state beach, which is on a bluff (mostly no hook-ups but some sites have water and electric). You need reservations before going to these campgrounds. (They also sell out the day the sites become available). Further North we've stayed at Benbow State Recreation Area and Richardson Grove State Park. No hook-ups, but they're both great places to hang out by the water all day. If you plan to sit by the water be sure to bring something to shade yourself with, there is no shade down there. (I've reviewed all these campgrounds on Campster.com, if you go to my profile, Pelepua, it'll show my reviews if you're interested). Let me know if I can help with any additional information.

Permalink Reply by Sandra on July 8, 2010 at 6:54pm

Laurene -- could you post some of your campground reviews here, in the California group or else as a blog post? I know a lot of people would be interested in them.

Permalink Reply by Laurene on September 16, 2010 at 1:22pm

Sandra, I'll see if I can copy and paste the reviews I've done.

Permalink Reply by Laurene on September 16, 2010 at 1:25pm

SEACLIFF STATE BEACH
I can't say enough wonderful things about this place. All the sites are lined up along the beach with full ocean views. The ocean is a stones throw away. Every morning we awoke to see pods of dolphins playing in the surf as well as seals. It is absolutely beautiful and has full hook-ups! There are 4 drawbacks, 1) the weather is unpredictable, so it can be foggy or clear and beautiful, it's the luck of the draw. 2) When the fishing boats come by there is a strong fish odor 3) There is no tent camping allowed and 4) It is VERY DIFFICULT to get reservations; not enough to keep my family away. I highly recommend a trip to Seacliff SB!

Permalink Reply by Laurene on September 16, 2010 at 1:27pm

YOSEMITE NATIONAL PARK - Valley campgrounds
We love camping in the Valley. We go once a year and reservations 5 months in advance are a must, especially in the summer or if you want river sites. The Restrooms in the campground are kept very clean in the off season and the showers in Curry Village are quite nice. One of the major benefits of camping in the Valley is all the programs that are offered for adults and children. (The Yosemite Guide on the NPS website will give you information on these programs.) Also, the bike roads through the Valley are great as well as a dip in the cool river on hot summer days. Note: I believe the longest trailer length allowed in the Valley is 32 feet, motorhomes can be longer, but I'm not sure of the maximim lenght (each site description notes maximum length of trailers and motorhomes allowed. There's also a Yosemite NP page that is dedicated to stating the lengths of trailers and motorhomes allowed in each site in the Valley.)
This is the page for Upper Pines Campground in the Valley...
http://www.nps.gov/yose/planyourvisit/upsites.htm

Permalink Reply by Laurene on September 16, 2010 at 1:46pm

YOSEMITE PINES RV RESORT AND CAMPGROUND
My family has stayed at Yosemite Pines many times in the past. The campground was a great place for the kids, they enjoyed the petting zoo and gold mine tour. They also have a pool. To get from Yosemite Pines to Yosemite Valley is honestly about a 45 minute drive. They say it's a 25 minute drive, but that's only to the gate, a bit deciptive. We pull a fifth wheel so we throw the bikes in the back of the truck and head on in, park in day use parking and spend the day there. It's always a good time. (When we do get reservations in the valley we spend the night before in Yosemite Pines so we can get into the valley as early as possible. It works out great!) The bathrooms and laundry areas were clean and they have a small general store at the entrance. The town of Groveland is less than 10 minutes away and you can stock up on groceries there.

Permalink Reply by Laurene on September 16, 2010 at 1:53pm

MARINA DUNES RV PARK - Marina, CA
We really enjoy staying at Marina Dunes RV Park. We come to this park quite often because we live in the SF Bay Area and enjoy going to Montery for the weekend. Since we tow a 5th wheel we have transportation once we get there which is necessary since there's nothing really within walking distance except the beach. The beach is about a 100 meter walk from the RV park, and it's about a 15 minute drive to the Monterey Bay Aquarium. (If you don't have a car there is a car rental company who will come pick you up and you can leave the car at Marina Dunes when your done)The park is very clean and the staff is wonderful. Also, they now have wi-Fi. (Note: They do have a grass area for tent campers.)

Permalink Reply by Laurene on September 16, 2010 at 1:56pm

BENBOW LAKE STATE RECREATION AREA
Benbow Lake State Recreation Area is a small campground 2 miles south of Garberville. Though it is small we had a blast when we were there. We spent our days by the water and evenings by the campfire. The beach is not shaded so you'll need to bring your own cover. The only drawbacks are the showers are not only cold but coin operated. (I think there are 2 sites with hook-ups the rest of the sites do not have hook-ups. Not sure what the maximum vehicle length is)

Permalink Reply by Laurene on September 16, 2010 at 1:58pm

RICHARDSON GROVE STATE PARK - Just outside Garberville, CA
In the past, during summer, I have camped at Richardson Grove State Park. I prefer Oak Flat Campground to the other campgrounds in the park because you can walk to the river from your campsite. The other campgrounds, with exception to the group campground, are on the west side of the Highway and a long walk from the river. It's not a large park, but the facilities are clean and well kept. We hiked, swam and went to the visitors' center and nature store which is where you'll find a fallen Redwood. On the fallen tree you will find lables on the rings noting important dates in history giving a unique perspective on the awesomeness of the age and long lives of Redwoods. If you like camping in the Redwoods, you'll enjoy camping here. Note: At the end of summer the water level in the river drops and you may find yourself wading in the water instead of swimming. Also, in the winter campers can fish for salmon and steelhead.