Best Campgrounds Near Marina
20 hand-picked camping destinations curated for families visiting REI Marina. Each campground selected for quality, scenery diversity, and memorable experiences.
Showing 20 campgrounds
Featured Picks
Henry Cowell Redwoods State Park Campground
Top nearby choice for Marina families: classic redwood forest camping with the San Lorenzo River, swimming holes, and trails plus bike access, all with strong reviews and full amenities.
Manresa State Beach Campground
Premier close-to-home oceanfront option with easy walks to a wide sandy beach, great for sand play, beach walks, and surf fishing; complements the forest experience at Henry Cowell.
Limekiln State Park Campground
Big Sur standout where a redwood canyon, Limekiln Creek, and a pocket beach all meet; highly rated and ideal for families wanting dramatic scenery and short waterfall/creek hikes.
Dorabelle Campground
One of the best-reviewed Sierra lake campgrounds, offering pine forest shade right above Shaver Lake with easy access for swimming, paddling, and fishing—great as a first mountain-weekend from Marina.
Morro Bay State Park Campground
Versatile coastal basecamp on Morro Bay’s estuary with bird-rich wetlands, nearby beaches, and mellow biking and hiking—an easier, often milder-weather alternative to exposed ocean sites.
Kirby Cove Campground
Iconic hike-in cove beneath the Golden Gate Bridge with coarse-sand beach and cypress groves; combines adventurous feel with world-class views and great access to Marin Headlands trails and bike routes.
More to Explore
New Brighton State Beach Campground
Bluff-top camping above Monterey Bay with stair access to a broad sandy beach and all four core activities; an excellent backup or alternative when Manresa is full.
Trail Campground
Short walk-in trail camp at Andrew Molera that lets families try backpack-style camping with Big Sur River access, open meadows, and trails leading down to the beach.
Portola Campground
Shaded redwood-basin campground with creeks and swimming spots, offering a quieter, more tucked-away feel than Henry Cowell while still within comfortable day-trip range.
Main Campground
Castle Rock’s main campground sits amid dramatic sandstone formations and mixed forest, making it a great choice for families who love view-filled hikes and beginner-friendly rock scrambling.
Basalt Campground
San Luis Reservoir’s Basalt Campground offers open-sky camping with oak-dotted hills, shoreline access, and good birding—an inland, warmer option with easy fishing compared to coastal sites.
Plaskett Creek Campground
Extremely popular Big Sur family campground across from Sand Dollar Beach, pairing forested sites with one of the largest sandy beaches in the region and strong reviews from hundreds of visitors.
Francis Beach Campground
Half Moon Bay bluff-top camping with direct access to sandy beaches and a paved coastal trail, ideal for families wanting easy bike rides, tidepooling, and nearby town amenities.
Steep Ravine Campground
Spectacular cliffside cabins and walk-in sites above a pocket beach and Webb Creek, blending redwood groves with rugged Marin coastline for a very memorable, small-footprint family getaway.
Bodega Dunes Campground
Sonoma Coast option with sheltered sites among cypress and dunes, expansive beaches, and cool summer weather—great for a farther-afield coastal road trip that feels very different from Monterey Bay.
Lower Billy Creek
High-elevation Huntington Lake campground with fir and pine forest, lakeshore access, and cooler temperatures; excellent for families seeking a more alpine-feeling lake trip than Shaver.
Summerdale Campground
Creekside campground just outside Yosemite’s south entrance, surrounded by meadows and mixed conifers; works well as a quieter base for families visiting Yosemite Valley and Mariposa Grove.
Spring Cove
Bass Lake campground woven through oak, pine, and cedar with quick access to a swim beach and boat ramp, offering a lively lake scene and plenty of nearby trails for active families.
North Grove Campground
Calaveras Big Trees’ North Grove puts campers among giant sequoias, with easy interpretive trails and a nearby creek—offering a distinct big-tree experience beyond the coastal redwoods.
Sugarloaf Ridge State Park Campground
High-rated Sonoma foothill park with oak woodlands, canyon trails along Sonoma Creek, a small waterfall, and good stargazing, giving families an inland-mountain alternative to the coast and high Sierra lakes.
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