Surprisingly, we have fallen in love with camping! Last year was the first year that we began our love affair with the outdoors. I guess it’s the smell of the fresh air mixed with the smoke from the fire pits, the sound of the crackling sticks and leaves underfoot, and the feeling of being one with the land that keeps us going back for more. Who am I kidding…it’s the food!!! There’s nothing like enjoying the outdoor scenery and eating a meal cooked on our propane stove or lil’ smokey while throwing back a few beers and diet pepsis! Don’t forget about the s’mores with Nutella…yes…Nutella! Once you go Nutella…you will never go back to Hersheys!! We can guarantee the food will be good….BUT…picking a campground is always a gamble. To ensure that we don’t make the same mistake twice…we’ve decided to start blogging about our camping adventures. We have to catch up from 2009 so here goes…
PS: As the saying goes…a picture speaks a thousand words…so check out pics from our camping trips by clicking on the Trips and Vacations link to access our photo albums
Dillon Beach (Lawson’s Landing) – August 2009
Rating: 2.5 out of 5
Location: 50 miles north of San Francisco and 20 miles west of Petaluma
Amenities: Portable toilets
Pets: Allowed at no additional charge
Pros: The campground is located a short walk away from Dillon Beach and is in meadows surrounded by sand dunes. Individual sites are not designated so the campground is perfect for group camping.
Cons: Because the campground is so close to the ocean and in an open meadow, unfortunately, the morning fog and mist will blanket everything! Everything left outside will be moist!!! Since individual sites are not designated, you have to go on a scavenger hunt for fire pits and picnic tables. Hopefully, you can find ones not being used; otherwise, you have to have a back-up plan.
Big Sur (Riverside Campground and Cabins) – September 2009
Rating: 4.5 out of 5
Location: 22 miles south of Carmel-By-The-Sea and 68 miles north of San Simeon
Amenities: Flushing toilets and showers
Pets: Allowed at no additional charge
Pros: The campground is located amongst the redwoods and the Big Sur River runs through it. The ground of each campsite is lined with woodchips, which make the sites clean. You feel like a hamster in a hamster den though! The trickling sound of the Big Sur River is soothing and it’s fun to take your folding chairs to the river’s edge to relax. There are lots of things to do around the campground, such as, taking a short drive to visit Julia Pfeiffer Burns State Park to see an 80 foot waterfall that drops from granite cliffs into the ocean. You can also visit Andrew Molera State Park where you can see where the Big Sur River merges into the Pacific Ocean. Dogs are not allowed at this park.
Cons: The campground is fairly compact so individual sites were pretty close to each other. Hopefully, neighboring sites respect the 10 pm quiet curfew. The camp manager usually walks around to remind campers of the curfew.
Sly Park (Jenkinson Lake) – October 2009
Rating: 3.5 out of 5
Location: Located in Pollack Pines
Amenities: Vault toilets
Pets: Allowed for an additional fee of $5/day
Pros: The campground is located a short walk from Jenkinson Lake. Individual sites were fairly big and spread out. You can take a mile hike from Hazel Creek Meadow near the entrance of the campground to see the Park Creek Waterfall (we didn’t do this). The site was great for group camping…especially if you reserve adjourning sites.
Cons: The campground tends to get a lot of traffic so the grounds of the individual sites are mostly dirt. Everything was covered with a layer of dust…poor Dusty was filthy! Meat bees are out for the kill so you have to make sure you throw some bacon on a plate away from the campsite. It’s interesting to check back on the bacon from time to time to see the progress the bees make.
Sugarloaf Ridge State Park – May 2010
Rating: 4 out of 5
Location: One hour away from San Francisco and seven miles east of Santa Rosa
Amenities: Flushing and vault toilets
Pets: Allowed at no additional charge but are not allowed on some trails
Pros: The campground is located near wine country, so you can visit nearby wineries and go wine tasting. Just outside the campground is a 25 foot waterfall that you can hike too. Within the campground, you may see deer and wild flowers along the trails. In the middle of the campsites is an open meadow, which makes it perfect to see the stars at night. A small creek runs through the campground so it’s relaxing to take your folding chairs to enjoy the calm waters.
Cons: The campsites were fairly small especially if you have two vehicles. Consider getting adjourning sites even for two couples. The campsite was pretty expensive taking into consideration the size of the site.
Stumpy Meadows – June 2010
Rating: 3.5 out of 5
Location: 17 miles east of Georgetown
Amenities: Vault toilets
Pets: Allowed for an additional fee of $2/day (the camp manager let Dusty in for FREE)
Pros: Each of the campsites were adequately sized and spaced apart. The campsites were fairly clean and within walking distance to the Stumpy Meadows Reservoir. Dogs are pretty much allowed everywhere so it was a great spot to take the fur child.
Cons: The Stumpy Meadows Reservoir is a great spot for fishing but not so much for swimming. There are no sandy beaches or areas easily accessible for the kids to play without disturbing the people casting their fishing lines. To get to the lake, you have to walk downhill on uneven ground so it might be hard for the young ones to master the hike. Going back to the campground is all up-hill so you better pack light. There really isn’t anything to visit nearby so bring lots of games to play at the campsite. No cell service within a seven mile radius so make plans with your party beforehand. Also, bring lots of bug repellent! The mosquitoes are relentless!!