Season’s best campgrounds and lakes
At Sunset campground, you wake on a ridge in deep forest in the Santa Cruz Mountains, within minutes of the most beautiful spot in the greater Bay Area: the Golden Cascades that lead to the brink of Silver Falls and a mile below to Berry Creek Falls.
At Sky Camp in Marin, a favorite campsite towers over the coastal foothills for a view of Drake’s Bay, the Point Reyes Headlands and across the ocean to what seems infinity.
At Juniper Camp on the flank of Mount Diablo, you are minutes from the Diablo Valley Overlook, where you get a sweeping long-distance lookout by day, and then at night, some of the Bay Area’s best stargazing.
All three campgrounds make my top 10 lists for camping in the Bay Area and Northern California. With an early start to the camping season this year — temperatures hit the 80s at Tahoe this past week — I’ve spent much of the past month roaming and rating the best of the best for the coming season. For the Bay Area and beyond to recreation lakes, here are the winners:
Regional drive-in camps
These are the top drive-in campgrounds in the area:
1. Big Basin Redwoods State Park, Santa Cruz County: Sites for every kind of camper — car, RV, tent cabins, walk-in and trail — amid pristine old-growth redwoods and trailheads for sensational hikes make this the best. (831) 3388860, parks.ca.gov.
2. Del Valle Regional Park, Alameda County: Campsites are nestled within walking distance of the lake for swimming and fishing, with an excellent bike trail around the lake, and hiking trails into the wilderness. (888) 327-2757, option 3, Ext. 4524; ebparks.org.
3. Juniper Camp, Mount Diablo State Park: Perched near a lookout over the Interstate 680 corridor and trailheads, and a short distance for a drive to the summit. (925) 837-2525, parks.ca.gov.
4. Butano Redwoods State Park, San Mateo County: Cool, shaded sites in redwoods, where you can take off on a mountain bike to Butano Rim or hike through gorgeous cathedral redwood stands. (650) 879-2040, parks.ca.gov.
5. Half Moon Bay State Beach, San Mateo County: An excellent staging area for coast adventure, with a bike trail extending north to Pillar Point Harbor or south past Ocean Colony. (650) 726-8819, parks.ca.gov.
Others of note: 6. Anthony Chabot Regional Park, Alameda County; 7. Samuel P. Taylor State Park, Marin County; 8. Portola Redwoods State Park, San Mateo County; 9. Coyote Lake County Park, Santa Clara County; 10. Sunol Regional Wilderness, Alameda County.
Note: The Bay Area region has 50 drive-in campgrounds.
Regional wilderness camps
These are the top walk-in, hike-in, bike-in or boat-in campgrounds in the Bay Area:
1. Sunset, Big Basin Redwoods: A 6-mile hike to campsites located deep in the Santa Cruz Mountains, yet a short walk below to Berry Creek Canyon and its waterfalls. (831) 338-8861, parks.ca.gov.
2. Sky, Point Reyes National Seashore: Sites are perched on a ridge for an amazing lookout across the coast and ocean, with Sky Trail providing access to Inverness Ridge and beyond. (415) 4645100, nps.gov/pore.
3. Angel Island (Sunrise sites 7, 8, 9 near East Garrison): Have the experience of a lifetime by making a short climb at night to the Mount Livermore summit at the center of the bay to see Bay Area lights sparkle like diamonds. (415) 435-5390, parks.ca.gov.
4. Tomales Bay boat-in: Boat-in sites are nestled along the western shore of Tomales Bay, shielded from west winds, and offer the option of a hike from your campsite to see elk and take in ridgetop views. (415) 464-5100, nps.gov/pore.
5. Kirby Cove, Marin Headlands: Stunning blufftop sites are set just above a gorgeous beach west of the northern foot of the Golden Gate Bridge. (415) 331-1540, nps.gov/goga.
Others of note: 6. Wildcat, Point Reyes National Seashore, Marin County; 7. Pantoll, Mount Tamalpais State Park, Marin County; 8. Anthony Chabot Regional Park, Alameda County; 9. Sunol-Ohlone Regional Wilderness, Alameda County; 10. Uvas Lake by bike, Henry W. Coe State Park, Santa Clara County.
Note: The greater Bay Area region has 137 trail camps.
Recreation lakes
These are the top 10 campgrounds at lakes in Northern California:
1. Emerald Bay boat-in, Lake Tahoe: Twenty-two sites are nestled in pines on the shore of Emerald Bay. Camp should be open, but in a script I call “Revenge of the Rangers,” they won’t open sites until July 1. (530) 525-7232, parks.ca.gov.
2. Green Creek boat-in, Shasta Lake: Sites are hidden amid hardwoods in a cove below a towering limestone ridge on Mc cloud arm; the lake is 95 percent full. (530) 275-1589, www.fs.fed.us / r5.
3. Mary Smith, Lewiston Lake: Gorgeous water sites require a short walk at one of the north state’s prettiest lakes; the lake is 93 percent full. (530) 623-2121, www.fs.fed.us / r5.
4. Jackson Point, Jackson Meadow Reservoir: A beautiful Sierra lake in the Tahoe National Forest, 6,200-foot elevation; camps at the lake opened last weekend, and this spot has intimate sites at the end of the peninsula. (530) 994-3401, www.fs.fed.us / r5.
5. Garden Point boat-in, Bullards Bar Reservoir: Campsites are tucked in mixed pine and hardwood forest at the water’s edge on shoreline point. The lake is 98 percent full. (530) 692-3200, bullards bar.com.
Others of note: 6. Almanor north, Lake Almanor; 7. Arbuckle Flat, Shasta Lake; 8. Lake Oroville floating camps; 9. Juniper Lake (campground opens in June), Lassen Volcanic National Park; 10. Lake Sonoma boat-in, Lake Sonoma.
Note: California has 300 recreation lakes with campsites you can access by vehicle.