I'm wanting to get myself and my family out it nature more. What are your favorite places to camp with kids. We prefer more primitive sites for tents (not RV camp sites) within about 2 hours of the Bay Area.
I would also like to start introducing backpacking to my five year old. Do you have any favorite walk-in sites (only a mile or two)?
We recently took our 3 kids (ages 7, 5 and 2 1/2) camping at Del Valle Regional park in Livermore. It was a nice area, complete with a shower/bathroom facility and near a lake.
In the past (pre-kids) my husband and I have camped at Colusa state park (Sacramento area). There are showers there too and nice areas to go walking.
K.
A nice mild walk for a beginning hiker is point Pinole regional park. There are a couple of trails. The one that hugs the water is longer but very pleasant. Out at the point there are picnic areas. We took the long way to the point, had a picnic and then took the shorter rout back. It was a nice way to spend a day.
Our favorite camp ground is Gualala Redwood River Park. It it off of Hwy 1, about 45 minutes past Jenner. It might be a little more than the 2 hour drive, but in my opinion, it is worth it. The do have RV compatible sites, however, they do not have full hook up which keeps the campground very pretty and tent camping friendly. These sites are generally located in one area of the campground. It is situated on a mild river which flows on down to the ocean. I grew up camping here, and have recently re-discovered it with my own kids. We just love it. It is very quiet and peaceful. Here's the website. There is not really a lot of hiking to be done there, but you can walk down the road about a mile to the town of Gualala. There are also some pretty nice beaches nearby. (You would need to drive to these, however, as they are all along the Highway).
Try camping in China Camp in San Rafael. Easy hike in and good access to easy hikes in Park. Also interesting to visit China Camp & beach.
