California Campground Ideas Requested - Lake/River/Beach

Lake casitas has a nice CG...

Pismo Coast Village, pismocoastvillage.com

Ocean View resort... between El Capitan and Refugio Beaches if I remember.. they have a website

Buy the book by Tom Steinstra on California Camping - excellent guide and he keeps it up to date with frequent revisions. Unlike Woodalls and the other guides it is organized by area and not by town which makes it infinitely easier to use for trip planning. I have lived in CA all my life but still use his book for planning travels in the state.

We enjoy Gualala River Redwood Park. It's one of our favorite campgrounds. We go every 4th of July and get a river view site. They only have W/E and the hook-ups aren't always on the correct side of the rig. The site we reserve has this issue so we bring an extension cord for the electric and extensions for the hose. The facilities are old but well kept and the campground is nestled among redwoods. (If you're interested call for reservations, don't use the online reservation system.) We also like Seacliff SB, but you can save that for another trip. We've gone to Lake Tahoe and stayed at Zephyr Cove RV Park. You can't really see the lake unless you're site is near the road, but then you get road noise. It's better to be higher up in the park and walk down to the beach. (If you have pets they don't allow dogs on the beach in most places in Tahoe.) The facilities were immaculate when we were there and they have FHU's. The sites are narrow, paved and tiered up the hillside. You can't request a specific site.

Mission Bay RV Resort in San Diego. It's more parking lot than resort, but they have a few sites overlooking the water and you can walk right onto the bay/beach (or kayak right from the area). Also *right* next to an excellent bike trail that goes all the way around Mission Bay and to the beach (Ocean Beach, Pacific Beach). They take Passport America Mon-Thurs for 50% off.

Lake Tahoe is a nice place to visit with lots to do. We prefer dry camping so I can't comment on hook ups. Look up lake Tahoe in RV park reviews for CA and NV should tell you what you need to know.

Cachuma Lake County Park just above Santa Barbara and Ocean Mesa RV Park just north of Santa Barbara are two that come to mind.

Sequoia RV Ranch near Three Rivers California and Sequoia Natl Park.
Best private campground we've been to in that area you can get spots right on the river.

Shaver Lake- Edison campground has full hookups. Some sites have water view for the other sites the lake is close and has a great beach with picnic tables for day use. There is another campground on the lake I think it's called Dora Belle....check www.rvparkreviews.com Note: you climb from 500 feet elevation to almost 6000 feet in about 17 miles of switchbacks 6 to 10% grade. Keep in mind you have to go back down when you're through.

Chula Vista RV Resort- It's at the south end of San Diego Bay some sites back up to the bay so you get a view. It's a good base camp for doing the tourist stuff in the San Diego area.

Rincon Parkway, Ventura- You park parallel to the beach on a bluff 10 feet above the beach. Great ocean views and sunsets. It's boondocking limited to 5 days and first come first serve spots. You need to arrive on Wednesday to get a spot through the weekend. Or Sunday to get a spot for the week.

California Hot Springs- east of Ducor, CA. It's a very rustic campground with hookups. There is a large hot springs pool and creek.
The pool is from the 1900s when this was a health resort. It's all been remodelled and is fun for a couple of days. Nice mountain setting with hiking trails. Before you get to California Hot Springs there is a private campground next to a large creek/small river.