We were aiming for Salt point State CG along the California coast but decided against it when we drove through. Sites too close together, no view from the sites and it really looked run down. $30/night.
Next we checked out a Sonoma County Regional Park. $6.00 day use (to dump), and $26 or $28 for a site with no hookups that we could see. We kept going.
North of Jenner, CA we came around a sharp bend and there on the side of the road was a tiny grocery mart with a $20/night sign posted. I wasn't expecting what we got. A view from the cliffs worth a million bucks with a fire ring and a picnic table. They've got 120 RV sites that are spread out from one another...hard gravel roads. Grass sites.
(Group reservations okay). Water is available (not at the site). Porta Potty's (I use my own in my camper.) But there is a beautiful park right next to the campground with sandy areas around the rocks and foot trails that go on and on.
Plenty of campers with scuba gear.
Stillwater County Park: clicky
the link I posted for Ocean Cove Store & Campground does not do it justice. I'd go back there in a heart beat.
No. There's no electric. Generators can be run from 8am to 10pm here.
(The State Parks that we stopped at did not have electric either and had rules posted that generators could not be turned on until 10am. )
The sounds of the wind and waves carried all the generator noise away. I think we ran ours 20 minutes to make coffee and that was it. Summer might be a different story but being that close to the ocean, I don't think you'd need the a/c. Half the sites are out in the grassy open area and half are in the trees where there's shade.
Btw... most of the CA state parks that we checked out were closed with "FLOODED" signs at the gates. No telling when or if they will open soon. They all looked really beat up but then, the storms the last few weeks have brought lots of rain and plenty of wind damage.
Looks like an awesome CG, thanks for sharing Kathy. We often stay at state CGs up and down the Calif coast and this one looks like a hidden gem. Never heard of it before, but I know now!
You're welcoome. I'm glad to help someone find good spots. I'm really concerned about the condition of the state parks all along the Oregon and California coast. We drove from Lincoln City, Oregon to Bodega Bay, CA and found many state parks closed due to storm damage.
Between Leggett, OR and Ft.Bragg OR was really bad. We could see quite a bit of coastline had caved in. What was parking areas or overnight camping areas were roped off and closed due to buckled pavement or sinkholes.
We thought the prettiest stretch of our drive was between Jenner, CA and Bodega Bay, CA and this particular campground was the best one in that stretch.
oh, and talk about a rough road. Hwy 1 was cracked up so bad we really got bounced around.
due to state budgets, they'll wait to repair things, when the camping season gets closer.
they're having to delay a lot of stuff until the last minute.
heck, many Calif. state parks are being handed over to volunteer groups, to run and maintain so they won't be closed.
so you can bet that there's not going to be much maintenance going on.
Dan- Firefighter, Shawn- Musician/Entrepreneur, Zoe- Faithful Golden Retriever, 2007 Chevrolet Avalanche LS, 2007 Rockwood Roo 23SS w/Equalizer and Prodigy, and 5 Mtn. bikes and 2 Road bikes
Rocky2 wrote: This sounds really interesting. What would be the best route to get there from San Francisco?
Best route... depends on what you are driving. To be safe, I'd tell you to go north on hwy 101 to Santa Rosa and then take hwy 12 west to Bodega Bay and then hwy 1 North past Jenner, CA to the camp ground.
I'm not looking at a map right now... but I'm pretty sure I've got those hwy numbers right.
when you drive north of Jenner, the road is two lane. Narrow. No shoulders to speak of. Lots of nice homes. Could be VERY congested in the summer. There's a 90 deg curve in the road before and after the CG store/office. the camp ground mini mart/store/cg office is just a small building between two curves. you have to be ready to pull off the road the moment you come around the curve. Park ACROSS the road from the mini mart/cg office because that's where the entrance into the camp ground is.