where to stay on roadtrip LA to medocino, RV.

[persian_farmer]

Hello new friends. We just changed our plans from flying to SF to RVing the coast line and go on 2 weeks road trip, from LA, to north of SF. We like to stay in open less congested areas. (1 night north of LA, 3 nights close to San Mateo, La Honda,... and 3 days around Gualala, rest on the road.)

It seems the state parks are all gone(reserved) and many of private parks have a minimum of 3 nights stay and they also look packed. I do not mind the fees, and prefer open places, even without facilities, hopefully, woodsy, lake side, river side,.... Any recommendation is appreciated.

[Francesca_Knowl]

Per availability in The Jackson:

I have to disagree that it's crowded, at least based on my experiences in the summers of 2011 and 2012. I was surprised it was so little used, especially given how crowded the State Parks were and how pleasant the surroundings in the Forest camps are.

I was there for two weeks in August both times, and the campground I was in was never full, even the first year when there was still no charge. Last year, I was one of two or three occupied sites, except for on the weekends when the CG was maybe half full. This was at Dunlop Campground in the Eastern (Camp 20) part of the Forest.

I cruised around and checked out the other CG's in the same Forest, most of which are in the western (Camp One) section. I saw about the same occupancy levels there despite its proximity to Fort Bragg.
link to map

Be warned, though: There's no potable water at ANY of those CG's, and the only place I could find some was at the State Park north of Fort Bragg.

[bikendan]

unfortunately, if you want a state park campsite, you'll have to be lucky enough for a cancellation.
even in NorCal, coastal campgrounds are booked 6 months in advance.

Jackson Demo Forest will be difficult also, since it's first-come, first-served, no reservations. and everyone up there knows about the few campsites that are there and are almost always taken in the summertime.

other than private parks, don't have much i can suggest for this time of the year. that's why we don't camp in California in the summertime.:(

[persian_farmer]

thanks all. Ocean cove looks great. I could not find anyone at calfire to give more info on dem forests, but I keep trying. Redwood Park @Gaulala booked as of last week, but I'll try again.

Any one know of similar palces by La Honda, felton. I've never been there, but I need to be close to san Mateo for couple of days. Thanks again

[lmsteck]

We used to go to Gualala River Redwood Park every 4th of July, but have not gone in the last several years. It was great when we went, but have noticed mixed reviews in the last few years. The campground is in a Redwood grove, we always stayed in their river view sites. They have W/E hook-ups.

[Francesca_Knowl]

Here's something I stumbled on a couple of years ago:
Calfire has jurisdiction over some areas called "demonstration forests", and there are campgrounds in some of those areas. They used to be free, but beginning last year they started charging small fees. Strictly first-come-first served, and few amenites.

I camped in the Jackson Forest near Fort Bragg. There are some really nice spots pretty close to town. Better-than-the-beach, in my opinion, because they're just far enough from the ocean to be outside that dratted fog belt that never seems to lift from the coast...

It sounds like you might not be going that far north, but there may be others in the vicinity you plan to visit. Here's a link to Calfire's Demonstration Forests page.

[lfloom]

often the state CGS get last minute cancellations, so keep looking. Also, some of the counties have less well known CGs, so check the county park sites.

[Rocky2]

Summer is a tough time to find a place anywhere on the California coast. This might work. http://www.oceancove.org/store.html.