Dharmamooch

Check out the California State Website for more information at Sonoma Coast State Park

Another fantastic camping destination in Northern California. There are two campgrounds – Gerstle Cove and Woodside

Gerstle Cove campsites (on the west side of Highway 1) are on a bluff overlooking a marine reserve. They have no protection from the elements. An RV or trailer is recommended for camping. We actually saw a Grey Whale in the cove!

Woodside campground is on the east side of Highway 1 and much more protected from the ocean wind and fog. Many sites are set back from the campground road in thick vegetation. Deer come into the campground regularly at dawn and dusk.

I recommend Woodside for tent camping and Gerstle Cove for spectacular views. Realize that in the summer (June, July, August) it is very foggy on the north coast but can be beautiful temperate weather in the winter as long as a storm isn’t coming in.

Best times to visit the coast are April, May, September and October. The fog is usually gone and it is less likely to rain.

North coast ocean beaches are NOT recommended for swimming. It is rough and there are a nasty rip waves. Many people drowned up there every year. So watch your kids!

Stump Beach is a couple miles north of the campgrounds on Highway 1 that has a sandy beach and some neat places to explore. There is a sign and parking area. It is a steep climb down a path though. See the photo. We ate a picnic lunch and spent a few hours there. It is in a cove and fairly protected from wind and safe for wading.

Try driving on Highway 1 north or south of Salt Point and be wowed by the views. You can also check out the official state page at: Salt Point SP

If you must visit don’t go alone, be careful and go during the day.

JS Park is a regional park in the foothills of the Sierra Nevada Mountain Range. There is a creek that meanders through the back of the park in the “natural” area. Some of the park is landscaped and some left to its own devices. The entire park is scattered with huge Valley Oak trees as well as other varieties of Oaks. The creek has wild blackberries growing in spots and can easily overflow its banks with the winter and spring rain. It has a city owned skate park, 18 hole (?) disc golf course, tennis courts, large BBQs with a covered pavilion can be reserved for large gatherings. The county library, city park and rec offices and preschool are on the property. It is well maintained with several playgrounds, baseball, softball and soccer fields.

Each year on the saturday before July 4th the Rocklin Jubilee Community Celebration is held here. Fireworks, live music, food, games, etc. are the big draw but the people watching is great fun as well.

There is a lot to do here for all ages.

This is my family’s favorite place to camp and we have done a lot of camping! We are tent campers and like to have a little room to spread out and still have a choice of activities in the area. The campground as a whole is on fairly flat meadow land between Lake Tahoe and Fallen Leaf Lake. There are large trees all over and most sites have shade much of the time but not a thick canopy.

Most of the sites are far enough apart to allow for privacy. There is a long looping road at the southwest side that has sites on both sides up to 200 feet apart that are on the edge of an alpine meadow. It is a huge campground with large sites. The bathrooms and showers were recently renovated and many are new. The bathrooms having running hot and cold water, sinks, flushing toilets and private (quarters needed) hot showers.

It is patrolled day and night, bear/raccoon proof boxes are at every site and must be used to store food and any items that had an aroma such as shampoo, deodorant, etc. Our was big enough for two medium-large ice chests and a food box.

Lake Tahoe is a bit too far for young kids to walk to but Fallen Leaf Lake is 100 to 500 yards over a small hill depending on your site. The water is shallow for 20 feet from the shore which is small pebbles. There ar a few large rocks in the water that the kids love to walk out to and sit on.

Fallen Leaf Resort is at the opposite end of the lake and can be accessed by a narrow (one way in some place) road around the south side of the lake. Watch for bicyclists! There is a restaurant and boat dock there. Keep following the road past the resort to the waterfalls. Kids love the falls but careful in the spring – there can be a lot of rushing water!

Camp Richardson Resort is a 5 minute drive and they have a nice restaurant at the beach and live music on the large deck in the summer afternoons and evenings. We sit on the beach and listen to the music while the kids play in the water. It is that close. There is an ice cream “store” on Highway 89 run by Camp Richardson that is quite popular.

There is so much to do in the area I don’t have room to write it all here. Go. You’ll enjoy it. Reservations are a must!