Community Forums

macnut · 12-06-2015, 11:19 PM

Here's our trip report for our Thanksgiving at the Half Moon Bay State Beach in CA. I hope you enjoy it!
Al & Deb

https://macnut123.wordpress.com/2015...ng-rv-trip-38/

Bruce C · 12-07-2015, 03:26 AM

Nice report and very nice views out your windows. Great memories for the family.

macnut · 12-07-2015, 08:38 PM

Thank, Bruce. We feel blessed to live less than 50 miles from here.

Nomad Mike · 12-07-2015, 09:15 PM

I love going to Half Moon Bay, way less crowded than my area of Monterey.

Did you need to get a "Oversized Vehicle Pass sticker" in addition to the camping fees?

macnut · 12-07-2015, 11:16 PM

Just the camping fee is all that is needed. If you tow a vehicle behind your Motorhome there is no extra cost. If you drive it in, instead of towing it in, there is an extra $10 charge.

sbleiweiss · 12-08-2015, 09:56 AM

We are spending the winter in the Bay Area where our kids live, but where there really aren't any nice RV Parks. Everything here is either a parking lot with utilities or a beach with or without hookups. DW wants to take a side trip for a few days to somewhere else in California. Probably south since this time of year they have warmer weather. I don't want to go all the way to or through LA because of length of drive and traffic. If we are going to do this I at least want to get a pretty place. We like full hookup with trees, views, and not too tight quarters. Extras like pools and tennis are okay but not needed. A smaller park is preferred over a huge one. Any suggestions?

Nomad Mike · 12-08-2015, 12:24 PM

I have been to Big Sur and stayed in a cabin at Big Sur Campground. They have electric and water but central dump. Lots of trees and a river and short drive on winding road to the ocean and some very famous views. I have not been there in an RV so I can't speak to ease of use, parking etc. The place is very popular but it is the off season.

Thousand Trails/Encore Santa Cruz Ranch RV Resort - it's in Scots Valley a short drive to Santa Cruz. I've been to Santa Cruz many times including living outside of Natural Bridges, but not the RV resort. It looks like a parking lot, but has trees and all the resort amenities. Santa Cruz is a great place to visit, downtown shopping and street shows, the boardwalk with amusement rides and restaurants, and the ocean and beach. A long coastal area all the way up to Natural Bridges where the Monarch butterflies nest - probably the wrong time of year for that.

macnut · 12-08-2015, 07:03 PM

You might also like:

Lake Del Valle http://www.ebparks.org/parks/del_valle You can book online at Reserve America. There is a beautiful lake, plenty of trees. They only have a few sites with full hookups, but Reserve America can tell you when they are open.

Jackson Rancharia http://www.jacksoncasino.com/lodging/rv-park this is a beautiful park in the Sierra foothills. It's run by the casino, but is over a mile from it. It's very well done.

Both of these parks are here in Northern CA, and we are entering the cold and rainy season. If you want warmer weather, you might want to look in Temecula.

Best of luck to you!
Al

Sporty27K · 12-12-2015, 10:33 PM

Hello Macnut!
Thanks for the info on Half Moon Bay. We are staying there in mid January.
The other places I would recommend are New Brighton state beach, Sunset state beach (we stayed there Thanksgiving weekend and loved it, very quiet and super close to the beach), and the big sur area. Big Sur is more of a drive but we stayed at Plaskett Creek a couple months ago and it is very nice. We will be staying there again in a couple months. We also have reservations down in Morro Bay for the first time. Cannot beat camping at the beach this time of the year. In fact we will be staying at New Brighton for a week Christmas week. At least my wife and son will since I will be working the first part of the week but will commute over the hill to spend the night there. We like to take 129 from 101 thru Watsonville to get to the coast. No mountain to go over, short drive between 101 and 1 and just a more enjoyable drive.

macnut · 12-13-2015, 06:16 PM

Sporty27, those are great tips. Thanks!

Beach camping this time of year is awesome, though we tend to prefer the beach anytime! :-)
Since we like hearing and seeing the ocean, Sunset was not our favorite, but it is a quiet campground and away from the wind. Also, no worries about tsunamis, since it is on the bluff! :-)

To add to your list, we also enjoy the Moss Landing KOA because of the beach walks and great kayaking. Further south, about the farthest we'll venture on a three day weekend, is Pismo beach. We love the North campground for the large sites, beach access, butterfly grove, and short walk into town.

I'd love to hear about other great places you camp near to the San Francisco Bay Area.

Take care,
Al

macnut · 12-13-2015, 09:37 PM

Ok, here's another great place to RV in the winter my wife reminded me of....Seacliff State Beach. It on the same beach as New Brighton Beach, just south of there by the sunken concrete ship. There is a single row of RVs right on the beach, with a high bluff in back of you. You can walk into Aptos, and have miles of beach for strolls.
Al and Deb

Sporty27K · 12-13-2015, 10:20 PM

Seacliff is very nice also. We were there a month ago. If you don't get the regular hook up sites, the overflow is still decent (even though it is basically a parking lot-you are no more than 5 feet from the beach). Site 25 at Sunset is the best site. Pull in and you get a view of the ocean.

macnut · 12-13-2015, 10:47 PM

Yes, the overflow is basically a parking lot, but the spaces are fairly wide (much wider, for instance, than San Francisco RV Resort in Pacifica), and we actually prefer to pull in so our windshield becomes a picture window to the ocean. No hookups in the overflow, but we can easily stay three days without hookups. It's pretty hard to get into at certain times of the year, though!