Check out the Mendocino Coast. Van Damme State Park and Mackerricher State Park are both fantastic and right on the ocean. It may be still possible to get reservations this year since the salmon season will be closed and many sports fisherman may change their plans about coming over and camping. The coast is about 2.5 hours North from Petaluma (Route 101 to Cloverdale then Rte 128 to the coast). Enjoy!
Jacques, Denise, and Wolf
2004 GMC Sierra Denali (AWD/6L/4:10/Quadrasteer)
2005 Crossroads Cruiser 27RL
Manchester Beach has a great KOA its south of Fort Bragg about 45 Minutes on Hwy 1. They have a great beach and a light house tour is close. Fort Bragg has a train that goes from the ocean up into the redwoods. Its called the Skunk Train. Great area.
Krause wrote: I just read someone's comment about the Avenue of Giants...I too think you won't be that far north. That is by Eureka if I am not mistaken. We stayed at the Petaluma KOA which was very nice and we took a nice long day trip north of the city to Armstrong Redwood Park (I don't know if that is the exact name) and found it incredible. On the same day trip you can travel through a bit of wine country and other farms where they have various little markets where you can buy fresh produce. On the way back to Petaluma you will run along the ocean and there are lots of beaches to stop at.
We took the tour from the Petalumn KOA of San Fran...it was well worth it (maybe a little pricey). At least we didn't have to park and try to navigate a city we didn't know.
We stayed at the KOA in San Diego...it was a typical KOA so pretty decent.
The one place we loved but paid a fortune for was Malibou RV Resort. We sat up on a cliff facing the ocean and could watch the dolphins every day. It was a 15 minute drive to Santa Monica which we loved! You can bike or walk along the ocean, go to Venice Beach (which was very cool!) or just relax in the sand. That was the best part of our trip.
Avenue of the Giants is about 30-45 minutes north of Leggett......If your staying at the c2c resort in Leggett, walk across the street to Confusion Hill...A hokey little tourist trap, but CHEAP admission....3 weeks ago, I took my 11 y.o. daughter and 10 y.o. niece there and they are STILL talking about how they walked "up" the walls and water and marbles rolled UPHILL....Also, you will LOVE Avenue of the Giants....Be sure to take a ranger led hike, they are easy and not too long..
I recommend getting a S.F. "city pass".......Last time I got them was 3 years ago so it might have changed.......But it included 5 MAJOR attractions, INCLUDING Alcatraz, (my then 8 y.o. daughter LOVED the tour), unlimited cable car rides and admission to the Exploratorium, (A MUST SEE for KIDS of ALL ages!).....Also the aquarium by the bay (on pier 39) is one of our favorite stops, but I don't remember if tix are included in the "city pass" package..?
On edit.....c2c Resort is called Redwood River Resort......And "city pass" no longer offers Alcatraz as part of the package, however, Aquarium of the Bay is included, along with an "option" of the Exploratorium...Those 2 attractions alone are worth the price of the "pass"
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On edit.....c2c Resort is called Redwood River Resort......And "city pass" no longer offers Alcatraz as part of the package, however, Aquarium of the Bay is included, along with an "option" of the Exploratorium...Those 2 attractions alone are worth the price of the "pass"
We just did a little trip altering, and I booked three nights at the Redwood River Resort. I'm glad to hear someone has stayed there and enjoyed it. We are really looking forward to it. Thanks
On edit.....c2c Resort is called Redwood River Resort......And "city pass" no longer offers Alcatraz as part of the package, however, Aquarium of the Bay is included, along with an "option" of the Exploratorium...Those 2 attractions alone are worth the price of the "pass"
We just did a little trip altering, and I booked three nights at the Redwood River Resort. I'm glad to hear someone has stayed there and enjoyed it. We are really looking forward to it. Thanks
I have never actually stayed there...I did drive up there a few weeks ago to see if the reviews actually matched the campground......They were in the process of cleaning up after the winter so there was a lot of debris about (leaves, tree branches, that sort of thing), so I had to look beyond that.....It's a smal park with dirt sites, no grass that I could see...The bathrooms were clean and the lady in the office was extremely nice. I will be staying there this summer.
On edit.....c2c Resort is called Redwood River Resort......And "city pass" no longer offers Alcatraz as part of the package, however, Aquarium of the Bay is included, along with an "option" of the Exploratorium...Those 2 attractions alone are worth the price of the "pass"
We just did a little trip altering, and I booked three nights at the Redwood River Resort. I'm glad to hear someone has stayed there and enjoyed it. We are really looking forward to it. Thanks
There is a visitors center in the Ave. of the Giants that has lots of interesting displays and information-a truck made out of a redwood log! Make sure you go to the Founders Grove. It's a very easy short loop but you can see some awesome examples of true giants both standing and felled. The roots on these things are so amazing and the whole experience will take your breath away-especially if you have never seen/experienced these trees. I also recommend the Newton B. Drury trail a bit more north of the Founders Grove. Feel free to pm me if you'd like to see some photos. We have been through twice in the last couple years. We stayed at Benbow rv once and it was nice too. It was not 'in' the redwoods, but near them and had a pool and it was blazing hot so we really enjoyed that! The place you are staying looks nice.
03 Chevy Tahoe 5.3l v-8, prodigy digital brake controller '04 K-Z Frontier 2505qss-finally!! Hubby, me and our two dynamite kids-6 and >4
You'll love Meeks Bay. They redid their RV section 2 years ago, and it is really nice now. This area reminds me of the Lake Tahoe I first encountered with my parents back in 1954. Very rural, and quiet. The on site store has limited selection, but the Tahoma Market is only a few miles away...much better selection, and great meat section! Great beach just a short walk from your campsite. Enjoy!
Hearst Castle is worth the trip, there's a total of 150 steps, but not all at once; the suggestion of a backpack for your one year old is a good idea. Stop at the elephant seals overlook about three miles north of the castle immediately adjacent to Highway 1, there are good signs advising you of the place. Two SP's that I'd recommend in the central coast area are Morro Bay and El Capitan, both are nice spots. Carpenteria SP just north of Santa Barbara is not that good IMO. Solvang is a neat town to visit if you've never done it.
I can't thank everyone enough for all the amazing information. I am rethinking Hearst Castle at this point. The backpack is a really good idea. I know my older kids would think that was really a cool place. We are also really looking forward to Meek's Bay. It should be a great trip
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.And "city pass" no longer offers Alcatraz as part of the package, however, Aquarium of the Bay is included, along with an "option" of the Exploratorium...Those 2 attractions alone are worth the price of the "pass"
