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Kimberly Kradel posted an update in the group
San Francisco May 6, 2016 2:02 pm ·
The Bay Area's top 50 places for camping – SFGateWhen it comes to matters of taste, there are as many opinions as people. When it comes to the matter of rating campgrounds, the public votes with its reservations, bookings and tents. Reservations for all dates in a month can sell out within minutes when they become available online, according the California Department of Parks and Recreation. In the greater Bay Area, the most desired campgrounds are those with big-water views that provide the feeling of wide-open spaces, and also where your camp provides a launch point for great hiking or mountain biking. All campgrounds are open this week for the season, with the last sites opened Sunday in the Santa Cruz Mountains. The campgrounds on this list were ranked based on public demand, views, recreation options and special qualities. Steep Ravine Cabins, Mount Tamalpais State Park: 10 primitive camping cabins overlook the ocean at Rocky Point, with a secluded cove and beach below. Just across Highway 1 is a trailhead for the stellar Steep Ravine Trail, with access on foot to the Dipsea Trail, Stinson Beach and Pantoll. Campsites are nestled amid vegetation for privacy, set on a terrace above a wilderness beach, a mile from a full frontal of Alamere Falls. 5.6-mile hike one-way. At night, you get a spectacular panorama of the lights of San Francisco, the Golden Gate Bridge and Bay Bridge. With a full moon, the trek to the summit can be surreal (three campsites available). The main site is a group campground set in eucalyptus in a secluded valley. Nearby, you’ll find four tiny tent sites on perches above Kirby Beach, just west of the Golden Gate Bridge, with world-class views of the entrance to the bay and the Golden Gate. Tent cabins, Big Basin Redwoods State Park: A campground loop with 35 tent cabins with camping equipment available for rent in the greater Bay Area’s biggest redwood park. Juniper Camp, Mount Diablo State Park: Kayak Camp, Angel Island State Park: Wilderness-style campsites are set near the western shore of Angel Island where you get an amazing view of the Golden Gate Bridge from your tent door. To get here, paddle from Sausalito across Raccoon Strait. Sky Trail Camp, Point Reyes National Seashore: A 1.4-mile hike with a short climb leads to Inverness Ridge and Sky Camp, where sites are either secluded or open. Nearby is Berry Creek Canyon (one of the prettiest canyons anywhere), its three waterfalls and links to a vast backcountry trail network. Sunrise 7-9, trail camps, Angel Island Sunrise State Park: Sunrise can bring a spectrum of colors from the east (three campsites available). Pantoll walk-in, Mount Tamalpais State Park: Gorgeous campsites are nestled under a forest canopy where you walk 100 to 500 feet, providing easy access or seclusion. Precious few campgrounds are available at lakes in the Bay Area, and this is the best, with RV sites, tent sites, both open and wooded sites, and nearby launch points for hiking, biking, fishing and boating. Yurts with bunk beds provide the answer for people who haven’t figured out how to sleep in comfort in a tent. In the foothills east of Santa Rosa at Spring Lake, this is a pretty spot and best known among anglers for occasional giant bass. Eastbay 1-3, trail camps, Angel Island State Park: Three campsites in an area shielded from winds out of the west. Campsites are set on a terrace overlooking the southern end of the lake. Brannan Island State Park, Sacramento River Delta Mississippi Lake Trail Camp, Henry W. Coe State Park Wilderness Butano State Park, drive-in, walk-in China Camp State Park, walk-in Coast Camp hike-in, Point Reyes National Seashore Trail Camp, Castle Rock State Park hike-in Coit Lake Trail Camp, Henry W. Coe State Park Wilderness (seven others in area) Junction, Mount Diablo State Park (five others nearby) Sky Camp hike-in, Sunol Regional Wilderness (seven others in area) Chabot for self-contained RVs and tents, Anthony Chabot Regional Park Stewartville Trail Camp, Black Diamond Regional Preserve Stewart Springs Trail Camp, Ohlone Regional Wilderness (four others in area) Golden National Recreation Area: Big Basin Redwoods State Park, (831) 338-8860, http://www.parks.ca.gov; Rancho del Oso Nature and History Center, (831) 427-2288, http://ranchodeloso.org. Reserve drive-in sites at http://www.ReserveAmerica.com or (800) 444-7275; reserve wilderness sites at (888) 327-2757, option 2.