7 Northern California Dry Campgrounds to Try in 2023

These are our favorite Northern California campgrounds this year. They are all dry campgrounds which means they have no electrical or water hook-ups. These campgrounds focus on nature instead of amenities. We discuss what we liked, what we didn't like, and how the campground was for our kids and our dog.
View the full review of each campground:
- Doran Park: roginaroaming.com/campground-r...
- Hendy Woods: roginaroaming.com/campground-r...
- MacKerricher: roginaroaming.com/campground-r...
- Nevada Beach: roginaroaming.com/campground-r...
- Russian Gulch: roginaroaming.com/campground-r...
- Spring Lake: roginaroaming.com/campground-r...
- Sugarloaf Ridge: roginaroaming.com/campground-r...
- Woodside: roginaroaming.com/campground-r...
- Wright's Beach: roginaroaming.com/campground-r...
View our solar upgrade: roginaroaming.com/jay-feather-...
OUR GEAR
Here is a full list of the gear we use in our trailer: roginaroaming.com/our-gear/
Skip directly to a section in the video:
00:00 Why camp at dry campgrounds?
01:30 Spring Lake
02:59 Woodside
04:44 Russian Gulch
06:42 MacKerricher
07:48 Wright's Beach
09:43 Doran Park
12:41 Sugarloaf Ridge
14:45 Nevada Beach
16:54 Hendy Woods
18:41 Conclusion

[@tglass0000]

This is very informative! Subbed!

[@RoginaRoaming]

Thanks!! So glad you found it helpful!

[@weazybeazy]

Wow, you do such a great job reviewing the camps! So nice

[@RoginaRoaming]

Thanks! I hope it helped 😊

[@mrc1539]

You seemed to miss a few important items , Flush or pit toilets ? Showers available ? Supplies nearby ? And most importantly was the cost at each campground . Nice video and don’t mean to pick on you ,but these are the things that I look for . Happy Camping 😊 !

[@RoginaRoaming]

Thank you for the feedback! It's hard to know what details people will care about since everyone camps differently so I left it pretty vague. I've been thinking next time I do a video like this that I should include more details and have been trying to decide what would be the most helpful. So thank you for the input! I took some notes and hopefully there will be improvements in the future. 😁

[@theangrycamper]

As someone that is not a dog lover, I really appreciate the places that dont allow dogs, makes for a quieter night lol

[@RoginaRoaming]

That makes sense. I like to be able to bring my dog. I do notice many people breaking the dog rules though so I'm always nervous there will be a time when dogs aren't welcomed at camp.

[@theangrycamper]

@@RoginaRoaming And sadly, people are what ruins it for the dogs :(

[@michaelmoss9191]

Great job. Awesome info!

[@RoginaRoaming]

Thanks!! Glad you liked it 😊

[@mystymoonlight3728]

Excellent video! Thank you!

[@RoginaRoaming]

Thank you so much! I'm glad you liked it 😊

[@Artnahc]

Sooooo nice. Very informative 👏👌👍

[@RoginaRoaming]

Thanks! So glad you found it helpful!

[@jonomichi2262]

Thanks for answering my questions. Just subscribed this very helpful channel.

[@RoginaRoaming]

Thanks for the sub!

[@dlf1601]

Love it

[@RoginaRoaming]

Thank you!

[@545flacker]

Thank you for the info. We like to go to Cherry Lake. Its just east of Tuolumne,ca. Windy roads to get there but completely worth it.

[@RoginaRoaming]

No problem! And thanks for the tip! I'll add it to my list of places we need to visit.

[@2156cynthia]

I see that you are plaing Camping with Sasquatch! We have that too!

[@RoginaRoaming]

We love that game 😁

[@fabiolopes9090]

Very good video, I also love state parks And I didn't know those place s, my favorite place so far is pinecrest you should try

[@RoginaRoaming]

Glad you enjoyed it! And thanks for the recommendation! I'm definitely adding that to my list of campgrounds to visit.

[@8188jlpc]

pinecrest is always too crowded

[@RoginaRoaming]

Good to know. Maybe fall would be better than summer.

[@TheRealVanDyke222]

Hello! New sub here. I so appreciate these recommendations as I am still fairly new to Van camping and live in Cali, good to know where I might want to try to go to. I sure do understand about HWY 1 and going up and down some of those narly curves lol and I'm in a Van, so good on you guys for doing it in a truck trailer pull! Oh and if you want to see Monterey, CA the Laguna Sega Raceway campground is pretty cool! The dry camping area is better in my opinion, with great views and garbage bins everywhere and outhouses near each campsite. There is a main bathhouse with showers and toilets AND if you are into racing, there are usually cars practicing during the day, or motorcycles, and also they have of course main events. The cost to dry camp is around 47.00-50.00 and dog friendly!

[@RoginaRoaming]

Welcome to the channel! And thank you for the recommendation! I will definitely add this to our list of places to try. And yeah, I have a love hate relationship with highway 1 lol. I don't love driving on it but there sure are some beautiful campgrounds all along that road if you're willing to make the drive.

[@TheRealVanDyke222]

@@RoginaRoaming I just want to say, thank you for responding. I realize how time consuming keeping up with a channel is, and it does mean a lot when a KZbinr takes time to do so. I would never hold it against someone for not responding though! lol, I have a bigger channel and have been guilty of not getting back to people in a timely manner. It's a lot of work! I look forward to seeing more videos, and wish you and you're family safe and happy travels!

[@RoginaRoaming]

Thank you so much for the kind words! I don't always respond as fast as I'd like but I really enjoy reading and responding to all of the comments here. I'm always amazed with how supportive and helpful this community is. It's fun to be part of it all. ❤️

[@billjones4986]

Like bodega bay for day trips with nice weather,but it’s usally cold and windy most of the year and then loud fog horn every 2 min.making last minute camping plans is hard am retired now and like being spontaneous,almost givin up.😢.

[@RoginaRoaming]

Yeah it's definitely difficult to be a last minute camper these days. And yeah, Doran Beach has been extremely windy on our visits. Recently we went to Bodega Dunes. Many of the sites there are further from the water but have some wind block from trees and dunes. It didn't feel too windy from camp.

[@082138able]

hi there! i thought you missed one: New Brighton state beach campground near Santa Cruz. Have you been there? And can you make a video about premium campsite (included with electric hook-up and potable water) in northern California? Thank you...

[@RoginaRoaming]

We haven't been there yet, thanks for the tip! I'll add it to my list and definitely put a video together when we make it there.

[@fabiolopes9090]

we are planning on going to Muir Woods National Monument ! which is the nearest dry Campground you recommend?

[@RoginaRoaming]

That sounds like fun! You might want to check out Samuel P. Taylor State Park. It's about 45 mins away. We haven't camped there but we've gone for a day visit. It's a pretty area, many of the sites are small but it could work. Spring Lake Regional Park and Doran Regional Park could work as well but they are about an hour away. All of the closer dry campgrounds seem to be tent only. It isn't a dry campground but there is also a KOA in Petaluma. That would be about 45 minutes away. Hope this helps! Have a great trip!

[@festerhairball6588]

If you choose Samuel P Taylor park, pick "Orchard hill" it farther from the main Blvd ( quiet).

[@Srorsprimitive]

If I have most money will go to California

[@RoginaRoaming]

Hope you make it someday! It's definitely worth seeing.

[@goldie74]

What number campsite were you at, if you don’t mind sharing

[@RoginaRoaming]

In the video description we have links to full videos at each of the mentioned campgrounds and the campsite number is included in each title. Which campground were you interested in? I'd be happy to share the campsite with you here as well.

[@goldie74]

@@RoginaRoaming Thanks so much!!! got it👍🚐

[@jonomichi2262]

So are these 7 campground good for tents

[@RoginaRoaming]

We've taken our 20 foot trailer to all of them. In the description I have links to our trips to those campgrounds if you want to see some footage of how the trailer fits in the various sites.

[@jonomichi2262]

@@RoginaRoaming thanks!

[@RoginaRoaming]

No problem! And I might have misunderstood the original question. If you have a tent they would be great for tents as well. The only ones I would be hesitant to tent camp in are Doran Beach and Wright's Beach because they are so windy.

[@jonomichi2262]

@@RoginaRoaming great! Yes, your answer is very helpful. Nice channel. Best!

[@terrennavonekn6uka984]

Apparently you dont know what northern california means

[@RoginaRoaming]

😆 I actually had a similar thought when I released the video but felt like Northern California is still the best way to describe the region. It made me realize that we have so much more of Northern California to explore.

[@glennsprague8535]

Every campground she listed is North of San Francisco . 100% Northern California.

[@ourodysseylife]

With the exception of the honorable mention in Nevada these are all in Northern California, all being at minimum 1-2+ hours north of San Francisco.

[@timbunting4398]

Time to update your maps… all of these are in Northern California. I’ll even give the one in Nevada since it’s right on the border.

[@teallen69]

WIth one or two exceptions, none of these are in North northern calif, they are most all in the central part of the state. Siskiyou, Shasta, Plumas, and Trinity, all offer amazing campgrounds, Mt. Shasta area topping my list, altho that may cause me to be bias.

[@RoginaRoaming]

True, Northern California encompasses a pretty large area. We definitely have a lot more to explore. Are there any campgrounds you recommend in those areas further north?

[@ourodysseylife]

Actually, they are most definitely in Northern California being at minimum 1-2+ hours north of San Francisco.

[@teallen69]

Not one of these is actually in No. Calif, altho maybe one is close, but the rest of central california!!! Not one of your picks is remotely parralle to Redding, which is still 100+ miles from the Oregon BRD! Hogwash video!

[@RoginaRoaming]

Northern California encompasses a large area. These are all North of San Francisco. Though, I definitely hear what you're saying and we tried to go further north this year. We found some great additions to add to the list in Humboldt and Del Norte counties for an updated video that will be released soon. We were trying to find some good spots around Shasta too but we haven't found a place we feel comfortable recommending quite yet. We plan to keep searching and trying new places 😁

[@troystud]

I've lived in Northern California for 50 years and yes these are all considered Northern California. No one calls Northern California Central California. Has nothing to do with in line with Redding. Thanks for the video have been to most of these campgrounds, but thanks for the reminders about the others 😊

[@RoginaRoaming]

Thanks for the kind words, so glad you found it helpful! 😊