Best Campgrounds Near Santa Rosa
20 hand-picked camping destinations curated for families visiting REI Santa Rosa. Each campground selected for quality, scenery diversity, and memorable experiences.
Showing 20 campgrounds
Featured Picks
Sugarloaf Ridge State Park Campground
Closest high-quality mountain park to Santa Rosa with an excellent rating, family-friendly creekside exploring, and a big network of hiking and biking trails, making it an ideal first or repeat local camping trip.
Bodega Dunes Campground
Short drive to the Sonoma Coast with a large, well-rated campground tucked in sheltered dunes; great for beach walks, coastal trails, and wildlife watching, while cold water and strong surf naturally steer families toward play on shore rather than swimming.
Liberty Glen (Lake Sonoma)
Best close-to-home lake experience, with ridge-top views over Lake Sonoma and strong reviews; combines hiking, biking, fishing, and lake access, giving families an easy base for full days of paddling and water play.
Pantoll Campground
Classic Mount Tamalpais redwood and fir campground within day-trip range, with direct access to a huge network of trails toward Muir Woods and Stinson Beach, offering cooler summer temperatures and big views for families.
Mackerricher State Park Campground
High-rated north-coast destination where families can mix long beach walks, tidepools, seal and bird watching, and easy rides around Lake Cleone, making it a standout weekend trip with lots of kid-friendly outings.
Gerle Creek
One of the best-reviewed Sierra campgrounds in the list, offering true mountain scenery, a clear creek and nearby reservoir for swimming and paddling, and plenty of family-friendly hiking once you are ready for a longer drive.
More to Explore
Wright's Beach Campground
Small, highly rated Sonoma Coast campground with sites just steps from the surf, ideal for sunset walks, storm watching, and surf fishing, though strong waves and rip currents make it mostly a look-but-don’t-swim beach for families.
Samuel P. Taylor State Park Campground
Closest true redwood campground to Santa Rosa, with towering trees, Lagunitas Creek, kid-friendly trails, and a paved bike path, making it a go-to family classic even with a slightly lower rating.
Steep Ravine Campground
Dramatic cliffside cabins and campsites above the Pacific with redwood groves nearby; its unique setting and strong reviews make it a bucket-list coastal option for adventurous families.
Kirby Cove Campground
Iconic hike-in campground with Golden Gate Bridge and San Francisco skyline views from a sheltered beach, offering a memorable blend of city backdrop and natural cove for families with older kids.
Kelsey Creek Campground
Clear Lake shoreline camping with easy access for warm-water swimming, paddling, and fishing, giving families a more traditional big-lake and boating experience than steeper Lake Sonoma.
Navarro Beach Campground
Spectacular small campground where Navarro River meets the Pacific, combining redwood groves, river play, and a broad beach in one relaxed, highly rated weekend spot.
Russian Gulch State Park Campground
Mendocino coast favorite pairing a sheltered cove and headlands with redwood canyons and a waterfall hike, ideal for families wanting varied short outings and bikeable roads from one basecamp.
Van Damme State Park Campground
Fern-filled redwood canyon camping within walking distance of a protected cove and the popular Fern Canyon trail, giving families an easy way to mix forest hikes, beach time, and Mendocino village exploring.
Henry Cowell Redwoods State Park Campground
High-rated Santa Cruz Mountains campground offering classic redwood groves, San Lorenzo River swimming spots, and bike-accessible trails, great as a first big redwoods weekend beyond the North Bay.
North Fork (Ca)
American River canyon campsite with waterfalls, clear swimming holes, and strong reviews, best suited for families with confident swimmers who enjoy exploring along a wild river corridor.
Black Miners Bar Campground
Small campground on Lake Natoma and the American River, offering warm-water paddling and swimming plus nearby bike paths, providing a flatter, lake-focused alternative to coastal and high-mountain water trips.
Portola Campground
Quiet redwood basin with creeks and permitted swimming areas, delivering a more secluded, back-to-nature feel that complements busier Santa Cruz–area redwood campgrounds.
Bushay Recreation Area
Large, flexible campground on Lake Mendocino that is still relatively close to Santa Rosa, with plenty of shoreline for boating, fishing, and casual swimming when Lake Sonoma or Clear Lake campgrounds are full.
Carnegie State Vehicular Recreation Area Campground
Off-highway vehicle recreation area that caters to families with dirt bikes and OHVs, adding a motor-sports-focused camping option in rugged canyon country to round out the overall mix.
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