1. Cloverdale KOA
1166 Asti Ridge Rd.
Cloverdale, CA 95425
Phone: (707) 894-3337
RESERVATIONS: (800) 368-4558
Very nice campground with great views of the hills and vineyards.
 Pro: Less tha 45 minutes away from Santa Rosa. Nice campsites with 30/50amp power and water. General store, game room, large swimming pool, fishing pond, mini golf, 2 nice playgrounds for the kids and laundry facilities. There is also a coffee stand for specialty coffees & take-away waffles on the weekends.
 Con: Some sites are very small and hard to get into with a trailer. Also, some sites are bordered by heavy bushes with lots of poison oak!
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 Visit the website for current pricing and more details.
 See pics from our camping trip. May 2010 June 2011 September 2011 April 2012 May 2012 May 2013
August 2013 August 2013 May 2014
2. Casini Ranch
22855 Moscow Rd
Duncans Mills, CA 95430
Phone: (707) 865-2255
Our first visit to Casini was in March. It was still a little chilly, but the campsites we got were awesome. We stayed with friends so we had two joined campsites right on the river. We had a lot of privacy in our site, except for the people walking nearby to go to the river. There were a couple nice playgrounds for the kids, a pond with lots of ducks, and a general store.
Pro: This is a great campground for us in Sonoma County because it is only about 40 minutes away! They have water and electric hookups, and the campground is right on the Russian River.
Con: The sites near water have no sewer hookups. Also, the upper sites away from the river are a lot smaller.
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Visit the website for current pricing and more details.
See pics from our camping trip. March 2014
3. Collins Lake
Collins Lake
7530 Collins Lake Rd.
Browns Valley, CA 95918
1-800-286-0576
Beautiful campground with pretty spacious sites. A lot of the sites have nice views of the lake and are only a quick walk away. There is a nice playground for the kids.
Pro: they rent boats for the lake and it is a blast to take a boat out exploring the lake. You can also rent a boat to go fishing if you have a fishing license.
Con: No sewer hookup at most of the nicest sites. A longer drive than we prefer (160 miles), and can be really bad when there is a lot of traffic. No WiFi or cell reception! You can get free WiFi outside the general store, but it didn't work well for us.
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Visit the website for current pricing and more details.
See pics from our camping trip. October 2012 February 2013 February 2014
4. Willits KOA
1600 Highway 20
Willits, CA 95490
Phone: (707) 459-6179
Clean campsites and lots of activities for kids. There is miniature golf, a waterpark, swimming pool, fishing pond, volleyball court, and petting zoo. They have Ice Cream Socials, hula hoop contests, and lots of other things planned during the summer months. There are also premier capsites with some privacy fencing and even a few hot tub sites. Nice open area, but enough trees for shade.
Pro: Willits is an easy drive and less than 2 hours away with no traffic. Most sites have water & power and some have full hookups. They also offer cable & Free WiFi.
Con: Not all sites have a sewer hookup. Some of the spots are small and pretty packed in together.
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Visit the website for current pricing and more details.
See pics from our camping trip. July 2005 June 2009 June 2010 July 2011 June 2012 April 2013
5. Lake Solano Campground
8685 Pleasants Valley Road
Winters, CA 95664
Solano County
800-939-PARK
Reservations: (800) 939-PARK
Very pretty campground with lots of trees and a nearby river. There are peacocks everywhere, and they come right into your campsite!
Pro: Close to Sonoma County. Only 89 miles away from Santa Rosa -- a 2 ½ hour drive in traffic, 2 hours without heavy traffic. Only used half a tank of gas. Easy drive, no hills. River onsite, lake close by, Hiking trail, boating, biking, store close by, fire pits, open sky for satellite, power 30 amp, water and dump stations.
Con: Gates close at Dark (which means 7pm in October). There are no exceptions, so if you don't make it before the gates close, you will have to park in the overflow parking lot and wait for the gates to open at 8:00am.
Click here for map of campsites.
Visit the website for current pricing and more details.
See pics from our camping trip. October 2003 August 2006 August 2007 May 2009 June 2013
6. Redwoods River Resort
75000 Highway 101
Leggett, CA 95585
Phone: (707) 925-6249
Fax: (707) 925-6413
Absolutely beautiful campground. Campsites are under the redwoods.
Pro: Feels like your in the middle of nowhere. Fire pits, 30 amp power, water and sewer at all sites. River down small hiking path, lots of nearby attractions. Only 130 miles away from Santa Rosa -- 3-hour drive. Heated pool, large sites, horseshoes, volleyball, club house and general store.
Con: A little harder drive with some hills. Not much gas left when you arrive.
Click here for map of campsites.
Visit the website for current pricing and more details.
See pics from our camping trip. October 2003 July 2012
7. Brannan Island KOA
922 West Brannan Island Road
Isleton, CA 95641
Info: (916) 777-5588
RESERVATIONS: (800) 562-9105
There are lots of beatiful places to see along the Delta Loop. Brannan Island KOA is a little over 90 miles away from Santa Rosa. We had traffic on the way so it took us over 2 1/2 hours, but we made it home in under two.
The camgpground is nice and has a pool. There is also a private fishing dock for guests only, and a general store across the street. Very friendly staff.
Pro: Great scenic areas all around for picture taking. We also liked the private fishing dock.
Con: Unless you get an early start, the traffic can be really bad. We left after work and were stuck in traffic.
Visit the website for current pricing and more details.
Click here to see pics from our camping trip.
8. Jenkinson Lake (Sly Park Recreation Area)
4771 Sly Park Rd.
Pollock Pines, CA 95726
Phone: (530) 644-2545
Fax: (530) 644-1003
RESERVATIONS: (530) 644-2792
Another beautiful campground under the redwoods, and along Jenkinson Lake.
Pro: Real camping with no hookups at all. Nice big lake, large camp sites, satellite reception possible, lots of hiking trails, lots of biking trails, dock for launching boats, store nearby, very peaceful. Lake is very close to campsites.
Con: Hardest drive of all up in the mountains. 130 miles from Santa Rosa. Hard to make it on one tank of gas. 1 dump station on the way out. No hookups of any kind.
Visit the website for current pricing and more details.
See pics from our camping trip. August 2003 September 2004
9. Dutcher Creek RV Park
Dutcher Creek Village
230 Theresa Drive
Cloverdale, CA 95425
Info & Reservations: (707) 894-4829
Only a little over 30 miles away from Santa Rosa. We made it there in a little over half an hour. This campground is very different. It is like camping in a friend's backyard. We went in the off-season when it was extremely quiet, and we only saw a few other people all weekend. The views are great, and there is a nice, clean pool.
The campground is only minutes away from Lake Sonoma. If you want to go wine tasting, there are many wineries nearby.
Pro: Full Hookups, Sewer & Free WiFi
Con: No fire pits. Not as many things for kids to do in the campground besides the pool.
Visit the website for current pricing and more details.
See pics from our camping trip. September 2009 May 2011
10. Auburn Gold Country RV Park
Auburn Gold Country RV Park
3550 KOA Way
Auburn, CA 95602
Phone: (530) 885-0990
Nice, clean campground with paved sites.
Pro: Full hookups. Nice pool and swings for the kids. Very quiet.
Con: More of a nice campground to stay at while passing through the area. There is not much to do at the campground, but a lot of stuff to see in the area. (Empire Mine, gold country, old town Sacramento, Grass Valley, etc.) No fire pit.
Visit the website for current pricing and more details.
Click here to see pics from our camping trip.
11. Benbow Valley RV Resort & Golf Course
7000 Benbow Drive
Garberville, CA 95542
Phone: (707) 923-2777
Very clean RV park with clean, paved sites.
Pro: Full hookups with water, power, cable and sewer at every site. On golf course with a club house, golf shop and grocery store. Lake across the street. 139 miles from Santa Rosa -- about a 3-hour drive. Hard to make on one tank of gas. Pool, 18.00 golf all day.
Con: Some hills along the drive. Nice, but more like a trailer park than campground, no fire pit.
Click here for map.
Visit the website for current pricing and more details.
Click here to see pics from our camping trip.
12. Dolphin Isle Marina
32399 Basin Street
Fort Bragg, CA 95437
Phone: (707) 964-4113
Fax: (707) 964-7136
Right on the Marina. Lots of fisherman.
Pro: Water, 30amp power and cable. Close to Fort Bragg, Seals on pier, paved sites.
Con: No sewer on site (honey wagon 2 times a week). This is definitely a trailer park and not a campground! Sites are very close together. 125 miles from Santa Rosa -- about 2 ½ hours. Very curvy access on Hwy. 20 (Heidi didn't like it). Cold & foggy coastal climate. Paid for 3 nights, left after 2.
Visit the website for current pricing and more details.
Click here to see pics from our camping trip.
13. Canyon Creek Resort
Note: This would have rated higher up, but Canyon Creek Resort is a membership-only resort ($3,500.00 today-only special). You have to sit through a 90-minute presentation, and they are very pushy. They schedule the appointment in the middle of the afternoon, so it can really ruin your plans for the day. After we returned home, we received multiple calls with lower prices and better offers on the membership, which was still way overpriced.
22074 State Hwy. 128
Winters, CA 95694
Phone: (877) 926-3800
Pretty campground with trees. Beautiful creek right across from the campsites. Some sites right along the Putah creek.
Pro: Great fishing, gated park, power and water hookups. 92 miles from Santa Rosa -- a 2 ½ hour drive in traffic, 2 hours without heavy traffic. Only used half a tank of gas. Very easy drive. Just past Solano Lake Resort. Store, pool, clubhouse, satellite reception possible.
Con: Hard-core sales tactics. Must be a member.
Click here for map.
Visit the website for current pricing and more details.
Click here to see pics from our camping trip.
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