Rated Campgrounds near San Francisco

Point Reyes is the only designated national seashore on the West Coast. It encompasses a sprawling coastal peninsula approximately an hour drive north of San Francisco. No car camping or RV camping opportunities exist at Point Reyes National Seashore, but the park does offer four hike-in campgrounds.

Angel Island State Park encompasses the largest natural island in the San Francisco Bay and is only accessible by ferry or personal boat. The island is sparsely populated and has 13 miles of trails, making for a day hiker's dream. The routes include one up to Mount Liverpool, the highest point on the island.

Twenty miles from downtown Oakland in the East Bay, the family campground at Anthony Chabot Regional Park features 53 standard sites and 12 RV sites with full hookups. An additional 10 walk-in campsites are available exclusively for tents.

Rob Hill Campground is one of the few campgrounds in the city of San Francisco. It's situated above Baker Beach and Crissy Field in a stunning location on the highest point in the Presidio on the city's northern tip. Only group camping is available at the campground.

Mount Tamalpais also offers two first-come, first-served campgrounds, each with 15 sites available. They both are on Panoramic Highway, less than six miles from Muir Woods. Overnight visitors must make a short walk from the parking area to either campground. Potable water and flushing toilets are available, and firewood is also available for purchase.

The summit of Mount Diablo is home to one of the best hikes near San Francisco and features a view that stretches for hundreds of miles across the East Bay. And the Juniper Campground, near the Summit Visitor Center, has 32 campsites that make it easier to enjoy the sunset from this stunning vantage point.

Half Moon Bay State Beach is 45 minutes south of San Francisco on Highway 1, and it offers a good reminder of why it's nice to live near the Pacific Ocean. The coastal atmosphere at this state beach spreads out over five white, sandy beaches with calm surf and the feeling of a tropical getaway.

China Camp State Park is on the Marin County coastline adjacent to the city of San Rafael. It entices beachgoers, history buffs, and overnight campers. Indigenous cultures of the region first settled here and this coastal site later became a major Chinese fishing village following the California Gold Rush. Visitors today can see remnants of this once-bustling era at the historic China Camp Village within park boundaries.

North of the Golden Gate Bridge in the Marin Headlands, the Haypress Campground has five hike-in campsites within the verdant Tennessee Valley.

This tucked-away campground is in the Marin Headlands at historic Battery Kirby, on the immediate north side of the Golden Gate Bridge. It's a relatively hidden gem of a campground, unknown even by some locals of the city.