Easily Book Campgrounds and RV Parks in San Francisco, CA

San Francisco, California is much more than the sum of its Victorian architecture, historic sites, and technology company headquarters. Get outside of the city, and the surrounding area moves at a slower pace. The quiet and beautiful landscape outside of the inner city makes for an excellent environment for camping, hiking, bird-watching and sightseeing. While you're planning for your trip, be sure to pack layers since San Francisco can experience chilly temperatures even in the summer because of the cool currents coming off the Pacific Ocean. San Francisco is popular as a camping city because of its breathtaking sites and expansive natural environment, so get ready for a unique experience.  

 

Attractions 

San Francisco is home to a wealth of excellent California attractions, and is known for excellent day trip opportunities, historic sites and tours. Angel Island is one of the city's most popular spots for day trips, offering excellent historical tours, hiking, biking and even a cute café by the water; The Hop-On/Hop-Off Big Bus is one of the best ways to get to know San Francisco and see all the top sights, including Fisherman's Wharf, Coit Tower, North Beach, Chinatown, Haight-Ashbury and especially the Golden Gate Bridge, and most buses have a professional guide on board providing live commentary; you can even take cruises on the bay and glimpse sea lions and seals at play, scope out Alcatraz from the water's edge, and learn all the secrets of the fascinating City by the Bay. 

 

You can also do the Muir Woods and Wine Country Tour which provides roundtrip transportation from Fisherman's Wharf to both Muir Woods and wine country via the Golden Gate Bridge. At Muir Woods, you can fall in love with the majestic redwood groves, home to some of the world’s tallest trees, then walk through the towering redwoods and through the scenic Sonoma Valley towards wine country for an afternoon of sipping and sampling some of the world’s best wines. 

 

For water enthusiasts, there's several great options for outdoor fun by a calming lake or riverside. Shasta Lake is known as the “Houseboat Capital of the World,” offering the largest rental houseboat fleet in the world and more than 360 miles of shoreline. Serene Whiskeytown Lake is a serene expanse of water ideal for kayaking, rowing and fishing. Eastward in Butte County, Lake Oroville is a hub for boating and fishing enthusiasts and there's also Trinity Lake which remains largely uncrowded even during peak summer months. Lake Shastina offers another option for powerboats, houseboats, chartered boats and jet skis, and the area's frequent gusty afternoon winds also make this the perfect spot for windsurfing and sailing.

 

For outdoor enthusiasts, the city offers a long list of options for adventures under the sun or over the water. Ocean Beach is a favorite among locals and is the area's most reliable surf spot, but whether you're a surfer or not, this 3.5-mile stretch of sand and shore is one of the best places to spend a sunny afternoon. Join the locals with their skimboards, fly kites or just bike and skate along the esplanade, and stroll on the dunes. Land's End is another great spot, offering some of the most varied vistas, and an opportunity explore the ruins of the Sutro Baths, a Victorian bathhouse that burned down in 1966. You can also wander through the adjacent tunnel and watch as waves crash against the rocks below the cave's mouth, then hike along the untamed headlands. Be sure to keep an eye out for wildlife since the are is home to more than 250 species of bird roosts, and sees species like Brandt's cormorants, brown pelicans, and red-winged blackbirds. If you're lucky, you might spot sea lions, dolphins, migrating grey whales, or a brave surfer in the water below. And there's Sigmund Stern Recreation Grove where thousands of San Franciscans gather every summer Sunday to spread out on picnic blankets and listen to live music at Stern Grove, home to the country's oldest free summer performing arts festival. Year round, people head to the park for lawn bowling, croquet, and tennis. And of course, no California camping trip is complete without catching the gray whale migration whether on its own, or as part of the annual Little River Whale Festival takes place in mid-March.

 

Events 

San Francisco is no stranger to excellent events, and locals and visitors alike can look forward to a continuing rotation of weekly, monthly and yearly events. The city and its residents love fresh foods, and that's evident in its abundance of farmer's market. Every day of the week, there is a farmers' market happening somewhere in the city, with fresh produce year-round and plenty of farms nearby, you can expect farm-to-table cuisine every day. Popular annual events include San Francisco Sketchfest, a national showcase including comedians from Saturday Night Live, discussions with Onion writers and Portlandia directors and local talent; Cherry Blossom Festival is popular not just among every residents of the city, but especially artists and photographers looking to capture the beauty of the festival. The event engulfs the usually sleepy Japantown for two weekends in April and is a splendid celebration of the arrival of spring accompanied by sushi and teriyaki, rice paper crafts, and drum performances to ward off evil spirits. Other excellent local events include the Earth Day Festival SF, San Francisco International Film Festival, Stern Grove Dance, Music and Theater Festival and San Francisco Jazz Festival.

 

Food

With a diverse city demographic, San Francisco boasts a truly international menu with influences from Burma, France, Italy, Thailand and even East Asian countries. Look out for restaurants like Gary Danko, Burma Superstar, Zazie, Cotogna and Nopalito. And of course the city offers excellent alternative food, vegetarian and vegan options to fit every preference. For a dive into the wonderful world of San Francisco brews and wines, there's a ton of world-class tours for you to take advantage of during your visit. In Napa Valley, wine is on everyone's mind throughout the year and, of course, no visit would be complete without a visit to one of the legendary wineries, and the area also has plenty to offer kids and teens in tow. The Old Faithful Geyser, is a roadside attraction which also includes a small farm, a geology museum and a picnic area, and the formation neighbors spas and hot springs for everyone to enjoy during days spend touring the well-known vineyard. There's also excellent spots like Bluxome Street Winery, Treasure Island Wines, Sol Rouge Winery. California is home to some of the best wines worldwide, and most of those excellent vineyards are concentrated in San Francisco, so camp in style, with great bottles of wine in your RV, and breathtaking views of the beautiful coastal city every morning.

 

Campgrounds and Parks

RVing gives you the chance to explore the City by the Bay without spending an arm and a leg on hotel expenses. The Candlestick RV Park is less than four miles from bay attractions such as Alcatraz Island, the Golden Gate Bridge, the Golden Gate Park, Chinatown, and the 49ers football stadium (Candlestick Stadium). At $89 a night, it might sound pricey for an RV spot, but it’s a bargain compared to any hotel in the vicinity.

 

Further away from San Francisco, near Lake Chabot, you’ll find the Anthony Chabot Family Camp. Located out in Oakland Hills, it offers all the lake-related activities you can imagine, such as boating, kayaking, and fishing. The majority of its spaces are no-hookup sites, but twelve of them do afford 30 amp electrical service.

 

Several public parks near San Francisco have full RV hookups, including the Sycamore Grove Campground at Mendocino National Forest which has 30 campsites with full hookups that can accommodate RVs up to 40 feet long. Angel Island State Park, located right in the San Francisco Bay, is perfect for its expansive views of the San Francisco skyline. Whenever you're ready to leave the quiet west coast wilderness and head back into the city, look forward to attractions like Union Square, home to one of the country’s largest assortments of department stores, restaurants, unique local shops and boutiques. 

 

For those who are still looking for an RV Rental in San Francisco check out Motorhome Republic.