Gualala River Redwood Park

I have been coming to this park for 4 or 5 years now. I agree with the positive reviews and cannot understand some of the negative ones. I have never had a problem with any of the staff and people are normally very helpful. It is a small park, if you are the type of person who needs someone to respond to you in 2 minutes with a solution for any problem, rethink the «camping» experience. Sites are generally large and most have decent separation by tree’s and such but not all. I normally stay over Fathers day weekend and while busy, I have had no issues with the facilities or amenities. I will agree that they do charge for extra vehicles, kids, pets and so on… but if you look around the area, that is the standard for the north coast. I do prefer the staff to enforce the rules in place, such a no loud noise after bedtime and dogs must be on a leash… what concepts people… courtesy towards others. I will continue to come camp in the tree’s each year for a long time.
As an end note, the mosquito’s can be bad. You are in the redwood forest in a damp area. If you have a solution to large amounts of mosquito’s in forest land near a river please market it, buy the park, and stop flaming on Unilocal about the down side of being in nature.

Worst camping experience of my life (and I camp A LOT). First off, went Memorial Day weekend when bathrooms exploded. There’s only one main bathroom with 5 stalls and 2 showers. There are Porto potties as well. The septic tank ruptured and forced everyone to use the Porto potties which became so full there was sewage overflowing from them! My friend who works in public health definitely thought this was an issue so bad in fact we decided to leave after our 2^nd night after we were left with no bathroom for over 10 hours. The front office manager «Sarah» (I believe that was her name) was unapologetic. She was sarcastic and rude stating «I’ll let my septic unit know to not go out on me.» And even said, «what did we cost you one pee?» I didn’t know what to say at such a rude remark but being that two of our guests were on their period, I think it’s safe to assume we were very inconvenienced. She also overcharged us by $ 60 for people and «fees» we didn’t have or use. They nickel and dime you for EVERYTHING here. Plus, they are extremely discriminatory and (no wonder) are not credited with the BBB. We were a party filled with Latin, Indian and LGBT folk. Sarah told us to «Get out of her office.» «To not return.» «To check out their competitor in Guerneville where we would be more welcome.» If you’re an American who believes in a welcoming environment for all this is definitely not your place. It’s pretty sad in California we have face such discrimination. I hope such prejudice and racism are not part of this institution as a whole, but it’s very clear this staff member needs to take a course in multicultural competence and customer service.
One star for Tom!

This is our third time coming here, this time due to complications with our tent trailer we stayed in a tent. We love this place, it is exactly as described by other reviewers. The water this time was the clearest and deepest i have seen in all three of our trips. Customer service remains strong here and the staff is very friendly. Yes, you do pay more and it is an ala cart price menu, but it isn’t a state park, it is very clean and there is water and power in each site. Try going to a KOA thats along a river with it’s own beach for the price they charge.
My three stars are based on the bathroom situation. there are only two showers and three stalls per side and one main restroom area for the entire 200+ site park. They do clean it quite often, but when you go on a busy weekend it is a wreck 10 mins after. Memorial Day weekend is always crowded here, and this time the bathrooms backed up which required the entire campground to use port-a-potty’s which quickly went from semi gross to putrid overnight. The restrooms were locked up for about 12 – 14 hours and you can imagine what 1K plus people using 5 port-​a-​potties was like. I will say that the staff did work to fix it as soon as they could but this was a bad situation on top of an already challenging restroom shortage. There is almost always a wait for the showers (which are reasonably priced), this is my only complaint, and since bathrooms are a big deal, the camp ground got a two star bump.
Like I said, this place is beautiful, safe and clean. I will return. Not on memorial day weekend though. It is jammed packed with folks from a church in Fremont.

Very relaxing setting. You are camping among the coastal redwoods and you have a crystal clear river to enjoy along side the camping spots. There is a convenience store, a playground, bocce ball, horse shoes, outdoor movie, ping pong tables and trails to explore. Bathrooms and showers are always a plus unless you have the luxury of a trailer. Pet friendly and of course family friendly. Highly recommended! Will come back to stay again.

We just had an amazing long weekend, just my honey & I in the trailer. So excited about this birthday trip and had planned it since January… I’d called back then to get our pick of campsites and chose the sunny river side of the campground at #36. (If you are doing RV hookups, make sure to bring an extension cord in case the electrical box is on the opposite side you need it like ours was.) The beach side of the park was also very convenient to put our tandem kayak in the water, which we did a couple of times to paddle up and down the river. I regretted not bringing our wet suits and goggles, because the river was so clear — but cold indeed!
We found the staff to be so friendly and warm; Tom greeted us with «how was your trip?» when we arrived. Sarah was also very sweet and welcoming. The park is also very well maintained and clean. We tooled around on foot and on our mountain bikes… there is not a bad spot to camp and each was beautiful and unique with lush greenery & trees making for nice privacy. Granted, there were only perhaps 6 — 7 other campsites being used over the weekend (unbelievably) so I can imagine the campground gets full but it is still gorgeous.
Very convenient having a water spigot in each campsite. Although we had come with our own water in the trailer, the water out of the spigot tasted better and was the perfect drinking temperature. We left our dogs at home but they are dog friendly («dog parking» lol over by the recreation area, outdoor ping pong, horseshoes, swings & slides, etc.) When exploring the park, don’t miss the Cathedral Tree. Miraculous & majestic!

Another nice park.
Take a look at the park map and choose a spot that gets sunny or close to the river.
$ 35 per night. $ 6 per day.
$ 5 per night for hikers and bikers, look for signage that says: B/​H. This is a shared area.
Bathrooms: toilets are clean.
Our spot had the kayak launch at the back of our camp site; be sure to call and inquire!
Park helpers are polite and courteous.
Tip: lot’s of raccoons these days. Bring a slingshot and marbles — J/​K.

My Significant Other and I spent our 8^th Anniversary here and it was spectacular. The whole place was ridiculously well maintained and unbelievably clean. There was no trash, no bottle caps, in fact, my SO and I spent most of our time in our campsite barefoot. The bathrooms are cleaned twice daily and where perfectly spotless every time we used them, the other campers where quiet and polite, and since we stayed here in the off season, the end of August 2015, and we stayed there mid-​week, the entire place quiet and sparcly populated. The gentlemen who worked there where very polite and fun to chat with, they even do little drive bys in the morning and the evenings and you can flag them down for more firewood. It was more like camping in the middle of nowhere than like staying in a campground, but with fully outfitted bathrooms and polite service people. We loved it so much that we’re already planning our next trip up sometime this winter. If you’re looking for someplace to stay that’s well maintained, well appointed, and as quite as an untouched forest, this is your place.
I have two small complaints, and they are very small. One is that their racoons are too smart for their own good and a warning about them upon checking in would have been nice, as they made off with some of our food, made a mess, and even got into our salt! We have safe, clip-​lock, waterproof tote boxes that we camp packing supplies in that the racoons managed to open. This was solved by simply sticking the toteboxes in the car overnight. The other is that the bathroom stalls are so old and have been sanded down and painted over so many times that the stalls have very little privacy. There’s a good quarter of an inch gap between either side of each door and the walls of the stall. My SO reports that the men’s stalls also are so short that when a guy of average height stands up anyone walking by can look them in the eye.
Like I said thought, these where VERY minor complaints that can be fixed with a little planning or all-​together ignored if you just know that they’re there.
We’re already looking forward to our next trip! Thanks so much to Tom in particular, you all have an amazing, special place there in the woods, don’t let it change.
ETA: I am disabled and have a Service Dog. We had zero issues with the campsite or staff or other campers and their dogs. Anyone with an SD knows that people who «respect the vest» are to be valued, and this place fits the bill. We kept our dog on a long lead most of the time we where in our campsite [and off-​leash at night in our tent] and on a normal length leash when walking around the campsite with her. She was treated with respect and left alone most of the time, the rest of the time we where always asked before anyone bent down to pet her. I know traveling with an SD can be a stresser, but I wouldn’t worry about it here.

They counted our party in the middle of the night!!! We had three riverside spots & a lot of people so we thought it was someone’s guest joking around but it was the new ownership ensuring they were getting a good count of tents and campers for maximum profit! (No one was sneak camping) Maybe 1am, & this is after they cruised around the campgrounds all day counting cars and questioning everything. By day 2 we were livid!!!
For generations since the 70’s my family has been camping here and making wonderful memories.
We have three generations of our family who live in Gualala and they would bring firewood, the family and then visit — but NOW they have to practically sign affidavits & sell their soul to obtain a visitors pass as a local. Mismanaged, over-​charging, constantly counting campers, cars, dogs & tents, only to question anything not on their clipboard was tiring. Pisspoor ownership coupled with subpar management equals no fun. DO NOT CAMP HERE UNLESS YOU ARE HAPPY WITH BEING OVERCHARGED (per tent, per car, per dog, per RV) AND CREEPED ON BY BAD MANAGEMENT. ANCHOR BAY IS NICE & ACROSS THE RIVER IS GORGEOUS TOO!

Really beautiful private camping park along the Mendocino coast with nice amenities. Sites for both tents and rvs. I think all sites have electrical and shared water service. In the years we have been coming here, the staff has always been super friendly and helpful. We’ve camped here three times now and the bathrooms are the worst thing about this place. All sites are served by one set of bathrooms which are usually filthy and too small for the size of the park. I limit my showers when staying here due to the muddy and waterlogged nature of the TWO showers available. Toilet stalls are tiny and frequently run out of paper on the weekends. The lone soap dispenser in the ladies room is prone to running out of soap as well. The only other issues we have come across are loud noisy large groups, which are in excess of the two-​tent per site rule and that aggressive –breed dogs are allowed although their rules state otherwise.

I can’t put into enough words how spectacular this place is. It was my fourth visit and this time (after four incredible visits) I felt compelled to write about it.
The campground: It’s beautiful, enormous, perfectly located by a river and near the beach. There are tons of sites, showers, bathrooms, trash cans (that are emptied by staff) easily found and picnic tables!
It’s reasonably priced for what you’re getting and it’s beautiful all day long. The trees shade you from the heat and wind and you’re only a skip away from a sun shiny day.
The staff is super friendly as well.
I’m taking my Young & Active group back in August to use their new group site! I can’t wait.

I camped it here last night and had a great time. The hike-​to spaces are lovely, it’s a one mile walk to the beach, and the park hosts were super friendly. I expected to see a few mosquitos, since it’s near the river, but there were much less than what I have at home in the Russian River area. I would totally recommend staying here and am already booking my next trip to stay. I’d suggest bringing a lock for the food locker and quarters if you’d like a hot shower.

I would give it 5 stars, except the drive there is terrifying! This review is from our maiden voyage in our trailer, two years ago.
Staff was very nice and helpful. We walked around the grounds several times a day because it was so beautiful and relaxing. Redwood trees, river, walking trails, fish cleaning station (where we watched a guy clean a fish with blue meat). It was amazing to watch, especially the unusual color.
Bring lots of bug spray! This place is right next to the river, so there are swarms of mosquitoes. We were attacked the minute we got out of our truck to unhook the trailer. I had to unlock the trailer as fast as I could and put on bug spray.
We haven’t been back since, only because I’m terrified of driving the trailer on the narrow windy (cliffs edge) Highway 1 along the coast. If there was a safer road to travel, we would have been back several times already.

The location is decent, staff is nice and the bathrooms were clean. However, I would still not recommend coming here because of the insane amount of raccoon and mosquitoes. I would say the only factor that makes up for the crazy wildlife is the beach, which is a 30 minute walk from the campground. It is truly beautiful and the «huts», the structures made out of beach wood, are lovely. It must be noted that you can’t swim at the beach because of the dangerous surf, but it looked like swimming up the river is possible.

We recently stayed here on trip we were taking along the coast. I checked out their website and read a few reviews and thought this would be a great place to stay. Unfortunately it was the WORST place to stay. We had reservations for 3 nights and ended up checking out early. The only reason I’m giving it 1 star is due to Tom the security guy who welcomed us on our first night. He was friendly and very informative.
CONS: this place is mosquito land. The Mosquitos here are so bad you can not even step out of your trailer or tent without being attacked and swarmed. We were there for two days and used two full bottles of bug spray due to all the Mosquitos. We also paid for a premium river site and it was very disappointing. You couldn’t even get to the river from our site or hardly view it. (Site #74) We had to either blaze a trail down unmarked cliffs or walk to the front of the campground to get on a safe trail to the river. Defiantly not worth the money. The general store was never open during our stay here so if we needed something you had to drive into town. None of the advertised amenities were available during our stay. The restrooms and showers were dirty and nasty with plugged toilets, trash on the floor, floods, broken showers and no one ever cleaned them during our stay here. And the restroom and showers were filled with Mosquitos as well so you couldn’t even use the facilities in peace. There is no cell phone or wifi service here which isn’t too big a deal but they only have one working pay phone in the whole campground which cost me $ 1.75 to make a 5 minute call. The office hours are sketchy and you never know when you will be able to catch someone in the office.
When you call this campground for reservations, they charge you your first nights stay on the spot and then make you pay your balance in full 15 days prior to your arrival date. I’ve never had a campground do that.
Our stay here was so miserable that we ended up checking out a day earlier than we had originally thought. I kept checking the office to see when I could find an actual employee in the office to talk to. I finally was able to have a face to face with an employee in the office at 10:45am. I told her we would be checking out early and would like to get refunded for one night. She said ok and that she would set it up in the computer to refund me when I checked out. The next morning at 9am we packed up and left the campground. We stopped at the office to check out but again there was no one in the office even though the posted hours said they opened at 9am. They had a sign that instructed us to fill out our car tag and insert it into the box provided if no one was in the office. So I did as instructed and also wrote a reminder note to the office staff regaurding our conversation about the refund and to please refund me. We left there and headed to our next spot. A week later I still did not receive a refund from them. I called 3 times before finally getting a person on the phone at 10:15am (again posted hours was 9am) When I was talking to the lady she remembered me and had my car tag with the note and said to me «well you didn’t come in to check out in person and a note on your car tag does not work so I’m not refunding you». This of course resulted in 15 minutes of arguing over the phone before I asked to talked to talk to a manager which was another 5 minutes on hold and 10 minutes rehashing the situation. Finally after all of that they agreed to refund me. I’m still waiting to see if I actually get a refund in my account.
This place is not worth the money of $ 49.00 bucks a night to have no amenities, get eatin alive by huge swarms of Mosquitos, no employees to help you, snotty service, and hours of follow up to get any help or refunds. Do your self a favor and drive 6 miles down the road and camp at Anchor Bay. We ended up there as well as 3 other couples who left Gualala River Redwoods.

We just completed our 2^nd visit to GRRP (7÷17÷13−7÷22÷13) and had another WONDERFUL TIME!!! This place is absolutely beautiful!!! The campgrounds, the forest of redwoods, the river, the people and even the staff (contrary to other comments) were very peaceful! I would recommend this to anyone looking to get away from it all but still have civilization just a short drive a way. There is no internet/​cell service however you can possibly get cell service in town and for WIFI there is a coffee shop called Trinks that allows you to be a guest. It’s an awesome and safe place for kids! There are many things for them to do from horseshoes, ping pong, bocce ball, playground and trails for bike riding. I just booked our trip for next year and can’t wait!
I would give a perfect score but I feel the bathroom facilities need to be renovated. They are functional but a little more room in the actual toilet area and a better shower configuration would be appreciated!

Where do you head when the weather is in the 90’s and low 100’s? You head out of the SF Bay area and into the Redwoods. I had seen the write-​ups on Unilocal and Gualala River Redwood Park campsites looked promising. At $ 42.00 a night it is higher then a state campground but these days it is impossible to reserve a site not unless you do it 30 seconds after they open the on-​line reservations. The drive up to Mendocino county is not for the meek, especially the two lane stretch by Fort Ross which can be a little treacherous. The campground is approximately 2 miles from Highway 1 so you can head to the ocean as an added bonus.
The campsites are not all small and there are some by the beach. Some are more shady then others and since it had rain three days before the mosquitoes were out in force, so bring spray and sintonella candles. I like the fact that generators are not allowed so you don’t hear them in your tent at night while you are telling your partner your best «In the woods» story. There is a little store to buy some smaller necessities plus firewood and the counter person even loaned me an electric pump to fill up air mattresses to float on the river. The facility has clean bathrooms and even showers… wait you are camping so get your body in the river. The river is perfect for cooling off, it is deep in some areas but close to the beach it is shallow for small children.
There is a big list of do’s and dont’s to keep the campground safe. They also have security workers at night just in case you have to make that 3:00 potty run. Two cars and two tents max per site and they charge extra for the tent. Dogs are allowed but no pitbulls or Rothweilers because they don’t want the dogs fighting in the campgrounds.
I’m definitely coming back this summer, I want to perfect my Smores technique.

I’ve been camping here for 30 years. My kids started off here running around in diapers and now as adults, return on their own. There is no prettier place to camp then this campground.
It’s safe, majestic and well maintained!
It is a kids paradise for sure.
These campsites are nestled in a deep grove of old growth Redwoods accented with beautiful ferns everywhere.
Cons:
Other bad reviews on Unilocal… Regarding the bathroom… Yes during the 5:00 — 6:30 pm rush — to– take-​a –shower time period, the ceiling will accumulate moisture because the showers are HOT!
That really wasn’t something to complain about. What you can get frustrated with are the «bandits that travel at night».
Be ready to battle the raccoons! They patrol at night with a platoon… And they don’t intimidate easy! Knowing that, just plan accordingly.
It can get windy on the coast but the trees protect you from it well. Bring layers because it does get cold at night.
I really can’t believe a guy (another reviewer) would complain about having to use a tree to relieve himself on because the bathroom is too far away: o Isn’t this what we look forward to do all year?

I have to admit that when I first checked out the reviews here on Unilocal in regards to this campground… I was a tad iffy and regretful that I had booked it without reading all the reviews people had left about the asshole security guard that supposedly lurked around the joint. So TRUST I was ready for his ass when My Family or should I say Entourage camped there this past weekend…
To my surprise upon arrival I was greeted by some sweet old folk who worked in the office. They were very kind and helpful as we checked in.
We never had a run in with the asshole guard, so I’m guessing that they gave him the boot for bringing them such negative feedback…
Overall I LOVED the camping experience here. My Family and I usually camp in Manchester which is about 14 Miles away from Gualala. but we opted to give this place a go for a change. So Happy that we did. We got three campsites «Along the River» which ran about $ 45 bucks a night. The only thing I was disappointed about was that the site wasn’t directly «ON» the river as I imagined [since I had picked those spots according to the map provided on their site]. There is a drop from the back end of our site so no direct access is granted… BUT there was a short trail that led there, so it wasn’t that big of a deal. The pebble beach that runs along the river is clean and untainted. Its surrounded by redwood trees and the water was surprising calmer than I imagined, so clean and pure. I found peace sitting alongside the bank embracing the purity of this nature-​istic experience.
Lots of people complained that the sites were small but I didn’t think so. Our site was a good size, equipped with a fire pit and a picnic table. The restrooms and showers were clean, and stayed clean throughout our whole weekend. Its surrounded by a park for children to play, a mass picnic table area, and a store. It seems like a safe place to camp as well, bc at one point I went to the bathroom at 3am and despite it being pitch dark, the lil old man who patrolled the campsites was still driving around making sure things were in order… put me at ease. because I was ready to crack someone over the head with my mag light if they tried anything funny…
Overall this place is great, Our kids loved it… I will most definitely be returning here again soon before Summer is up. Truly Northern California at its very finest.
P.S a word to the Non experienced camper… put your food away… at NIGHT and DURING THE DAY… we stepped out during the day to take the kids to Manchester and when we came back… Raccoons who I thought to be nocturnal ransacked our garbage! It was a complete mess… good thing I had about 3 Nephews to clean it up :) ahaha

We just returned from our first visit.
Great location, we selected a beach front campsite, and loved the view and being able to watch the kids on the beach.
AdventureRents will deliver AND pickup kayaks to your campsite, and has some special deals on multi-​day rentals for campground visitors.
Bring your bikes!
Campground was well maintained, they clean each campsite after you leave so its ready for the next visitor. Staff was nice, they delivered wood to our campsite the first night, very family friendly place. They do have rules, but park was quiet at night, everyone there was polite.
Bathrooms were ok, the deep shelf over the sink made washing up awkward, but the bathrooms were cleaned daily, showers were hot. Trading post store was well stocked, my kids enjoyed the playground, volleyball court and ping-​pong.

I was so thankful to find this place, because we had just escaped from a hellhole called the Anchor Bay Campground and didn’t have a reservation (see my review).
It’s true that the sites here are close together, BUT a staff member tells me they are taking out some sites in time for Summer ’09, so that means it won’t be as crowded.
We were here for 2 nights midweek in July and it was only around half full. We had plenty of privacy and breathing room. It’s great for kids, since it has swings, a slide, horseshoes, a boules game, and a volleyball court.
It’s right on a river (in the summer, a very shallow river) which is beautiful. It has 2 washers and 3 dryers, but no wifi.
Most of the fire pits are merely a circle of stones, with no grill, but that’s okay with me. I do believe that every site has an electricity hookup (sweet!).
The staff are all really helpful and sweet, and the store has everything you might need. We checked out a county-​run campground just on the opposite bank of the river, and we agreed that this one was much nicer, facility-​wise.
The surroundings are gorgeous, and it’s a mile from the beach; there are probably at least 5 pretty beaches within a few miles.
It can get very cold, though, and foggy, so be prepared.