Ocean Cove Campground

There are many beautiful places to camp in this nation. This one blows all of them out of the water.
This HUGE campground offers a variety of camping sites, many of which literally open up to the Pacific Ocean. The price is definitely right for RV campers, and many campers bring their dogs (they do charge an extra $ 2/​per day for dogs). The camp store offers snacks, amenities, beer, and other camping necessities. The people running the store and extremely friendly and helpful.
Though you can’t make reservations to stay online, show up and it’s more than likely you’ll be able to camp somewhere in the most fantastic find on the West Coast.

This campground is a first come first serve campground which does reservations for big groups only. We came on a Thursday to get a campsite ahead of the rush. We set up in a lot where there were no signs of any reservation and by Friday afternoon we were kicked out because the lot we were on was reserved by a large group that apparently spent $ 480 for the weekend. Clearly the more money always wins. The only thing that is upsetting is that nobody checked in to make sure there was a sign saying the lot was reserved. You would think if a group spends $ 480 for a site you would have some hospitality and make sure they are being taken care of or the lot is to their liking. Since they decided to kick us out on a Friday afternoon we had to leave and there were no other campsites available. We drove 4 hours to get to this campsite and got to camp one night only. Pretty disappointing service with nobody willing to admit a mistake.

Such a great place to visit and camp. You have everything from the beach to the cliffs. Forest close by, great view and fishing! Fun times. I highly recommend this place. Perfect to go with family or even by yourself.

Wonderful first come first serve campground on the coast! It’s amazing! It literally sits on a cliff. Grant it all the good spots are rented out on a monthly basis but we scored a great campsite and just walked our picnic bench 50 yards to the cliff, posted up and enjoyed the view. I highly recommend this campsite. Keep in mind there is zero cell service if you have AT&T. But you’re camping, so who cares! At $ 24 per night, you won’t be disappointed!
Also, they have outhouses and coin op showers.

Great place to go camping on a budget. Right in the middle of beaches & fun touristy places to see. Has a place to take hot showers a boat dock great place for fishing. the only reason I didn’t give 5 stars is because the staff really needs to do a walk around to make sure all campers are following the rules of the camp grounds. Other than that great place to camp.

We decided to camp last minute and as usual, all of the reservable campgrounds were booked 6 months prior. The visitor center at Bodega Bay recommended Ocean Cove. For a last minute bind it’ll do and we had a good time: great location, cool walk into nearby trails, ocean access, etc.
However, this place does not give you the one-​with-​nature feel. You have $ 1M views covered with large RV’s using loud generators and blaring music. The camping locations are all very close together and you can see everyone around you (and hear their music).
It basically a large grass field with a few trees and mostly fire pits and picnic benches covered with large RV’s.
I’d go back if in a bind and really wanted to get outside but would exhaust my options elsewhere before choosing to go back.

You can tell the owners take pride in their campground. It is cleaner than anyplace I’ve been. Lots of views and trails to walk. Kids love finding hermit crabs and sea anemones in the rocks. Short drive from Fort Ross, too, if you want a quick history lesson.

My family has been trying to find a great campground on or near the ocean and this is by far the best. We had the most breathtaking views of the ocean and sunset from our site and the hiking was just as splendid. Some of the sites have pretty large dirt areas so either bring something to toss down on it or be okay with getting a little dirty ;) loved our time here and can’t wait for our next visit!

I don’t give 5 stars easily. This place deserves it. It was completely crowded and the sign said «FULL» which killed me because the drive there took an hour longer than it should have and i was exhausted. I went into the store and the guy says to go look for a place and if i found something to come back and pay. I did and found a spot WITH A VIEW of the ocean! Went back and happily paid. I have spent years camping in state campgrounds. Blah You can have them. Overpriced and too hard to reserve and so many rules. I went out and fished on my kayak and caught a couple fish including a keeper size lingcod. Woohoo!
The good: Flexible place — camp where you want to, beautiful views, great fishing, diving, the price
The bad: Hard drive from Jenner to there. If you drive fast people get car sick. A little too crowded — i think the secret is out.

Night one… Bedega Bay government campground… night two… Ocean Cove;-)
A million dollar view for less than $ 30 per night… such a deal! The only drawback to this location is it they don’t take reservations in advance. I’m not sure why they don’t take reservations in advance, but this is definitely a five star location and the views are out of this world!

We have been going here for years, literally. I have fallen in love here, went from dating to becoming engaged and returned back with our children; so needless to say there is a real special place in my heart for Ocean Cove. There’s a part of me that hates writing reviews for places I hold so dear, and partially because I don’t want the secret out!
Years ago this place would never really be that crowded. It was a great place to come last minute because the State parks with book up months in advance with reservations, our life has never been the kind where we can make reservations like that, so we usually end up doing things fairly last minute, there was a time when I could always rely on going to Ocean Cove and finding a spot last minute. That still rings true for the most part, but it has gained in popularity over the years making it a pretty crowded place on holidays, but what place on the coast isn’t?
Dillon’s beach used to be known for the younger rowdy crowd but it seems like Ocean Cove is getting a bit of that wrap itself. I might be able to blame this on the fact that I used to be one of the rowdy younger crowds, but now I am older with children. Our tent camping days are done, so this is our go to spot with our trailer. If you are tent camping you may be more exposed to the loudness of fellow campers.
This isn’t a place that has running water and fancy bathrooms, they have porta potties and water spickets with outside coin operated showers, but the VIEWS are to DIE FOR! It doesn’t get any better than this! This one fact will override any other complaint hands down. The owners do a great job of keeping a handle on things. The store is stocked with just about anything you can think of for its size, it’s small but mighty.
They have a fish cleaning station and a boat ramp. There is hiking and a small rock beach to check out tide pools. I will come here the rest of my life; you haven’t lived until you have seen a sunset from the bluffs at Ocean Cove.

This will be our third trip back to Ocean Cove. The best place we have camped. A true gem.

This was the best RV’ing experience so far… it’s all about the views… can be cold and damp so bring layers of appropriate clothing… the grounds were well kept and seemed to have a bounty of porta pottys and trash recepticals. The ocean cove general store has all your basic needs and some extras too… They sell firewood. I recommend three to four bundles a night and hey have a small boat launch for extra $$$ per day. They can accommodate large groups with reservations. otherwise it’s first come first serve… that being said, noticed Friday afternoon a lot of the pic’nick tables on some of the sites had stuff on them like they were being held. Dogs must be on a leash. Yet again people don’t follow the rules… and right by our camp site a dog fight broke out because someones dog was off leash looking for trouble while the owner was blissfully unaware watching the sunset… They ask for quiet between 2200 – 0800 so no generators or loud music between those times. Also a side note. Witnessed wildlife fish and game hanging out at the top of the boat launch busting people for illegal catches of fish and shellfish and catch limits and checking license. Lots of unhappy people that afternoon. law breakers.
Will definetly return.

Location & View: 5 stars — does NOT get better than this: D !
Store: 5 stars. Has a small variety of useful things.
THINGS TO KNOW:
(1) This location often gets very high winds. If tent camping, it may enhance your sleeping experience if you use strong tent stakes and add extra anchors.
(2) Not open during off-​season, which the website neglects to mention :(

Spent three days and two nights at this private campground with my girl friend. I honestly believe that they should not implement campsite reservation because it will take away from the spontaneity of staying at this place. At $ 20 per car per night the campground offers a lot — a store, picnic tables, firepits, showers, portapotties, and a wide variety of camp sites ranging from on the ocean bluff to deeper wooded area to just perfect.
We arrived the first week of august, staying Sunday through Tuesday — right at the start of abalone season. If you dont know what abalone is (I didnt!) in summary its type of of sea snail with a badass iridescent shell & even pearls… you dive to harvest them.
The first two days we had tcloudy, misty weather but it did not prevent us from exploring or having camp fires. We picked a sheltered spot by an old sprawled out pine right near the bluff which blocked the onshore wind rather well. Firewood bundles are $ 7 at the store… typically one bundle can last you just about two hours if you are conservative. There are trails leading north and south along the coast — some literally take you an inch away from a 30 foot drop, super cool!
Did not attempt to go swimming here as there are no beaches. Tried to go fishing off the cliffs but it was hard to find a spot without lots of seaweed. Making a steep decent down to the rocky shore I was able to find a decent spot — actually caught a seal on my line! For future visits Ill try to drive a bit up the coast… there are some coves that offer protection from the seaweed and thus lost rigs!
There is a boat ramp at this campsite (not sure on cost) and even a fish cleaning station with running water. There are also hot showers for which you will need quarters — the store has pre-​counted baggies for change. Luckily for my five dollar bill I got 6.25 $ in quarters!
If you are in need of something that the camp store does not have, you will drive about 35 mins north along the beautiful coastal route to the town of Gualala. If you had trouble pronouncing the town name — you are not the only one!!! Listening to Gualala radio was very entertaining :)
Overall a great camp spot in an awesome location — very remote. No service here so dont bother with your cell phone! Good spot to unplug.
Will try to come back here in the future.

Well. AMAZING view !
we haven’t been lucky and been there just after the reopening of the park. I guess it needed to be cleaned … mowed etc … but otherwise. what a magical view !

We’ve camped here a couple of times and loved it — the location, the camp sites and property, and the folks running the place are all great. We drove brought a westfalia (VW van) on our last visit and got a spot right on the bluff overlooking the ocean. We got lucky to have perfectly clear blue sky all 4 days on our visit so the setting was about as good as they come. The bluffs can get windy, but the little van provided all the protection we needed, and it was just fine eating and relaxing outside.
The small store across the street from the entrance has just about anything you’ll need food-​wise, along with wood for enjoying a campfire in the evenings. They don’t try to gouge by marking up prices, either.
Looking forward to our next visit!

So I just came back from camping at Ocean Cove and I had an amazing time!
I have read all the reviews here and I can say that this campground deserves a 4 or 5 stars and nothing less than that.
This is why this campsite is the best compared to other sites in the area:
*LOCATION: The view is mind blowing! You can camp right near the ocean bluff and watch the ocean from your tent.
* AMENITIES: Each camp site has a fire ring, picnic tables, potable water and potter potties near by. The potter potties are very clean and well –maintained. I took a can of disinfectant and sprayed it before I used it every time (I’m a bit germ phobic), always a good idea:). Showers are available, its timed. I didn’t use it.
* We camped right on the bluff, although it was pretty windy, inside our tent we were cozy and comfy and woke up to the beautiful view of the ocean every morning. Showers are available, its timed. I didn’t use it.
* Ocean Cove store is right outside the campgrounds. We forgot D size batteries and we ran out of wine by the next day but the store was right there to save the day! The store sells firewood on site for a reasonable price. $ 7.00 for a nice size bundle that will last you for at least 6 –7 hours for a nice fire. VERY fair price for what you might pay at other places. The wood fits the fire pit unlike some places where they give you woods that don’t fit the fire pit!
* If you like fishing, there is an area designated for fish cleaning. So you can plan a fishing trip if you would like.
* Campsites are pretty close to each other but there are so many sites, there ARE few camp sites on site where you can have a bit more privacy if you wish.
*The people who manage the site are on site as well and they are very nice and friendly. The campsite 25 – 30 min away from the town of Gualala.
* If you like to golf the camp site is 25 minutes away from Sea Ranch Golf Links, THE BEST KEPT GOLF SECRET IN NORTHERN CALI!!! right before you get to Gualala.
***, Ocean Cove is the right place to car camp. We managed to camp on the ocean bluff and wake up with the ocean view, play a round of GOLF, and go to Gualala to watch the NBA Heat Vs MAV’s Finals, Game #6, chill on a blanket on the bluff and stare at the ocean, check out nearby beaches all in one trip!!!**
Also, Kids and pet friendly!

This campground is just insanely awesome.
You can camp pretty much right on a giant bluff overlooking the ocean, if you like, or you can camp further inland or in a more wooded area. There are many different campsites here, and all have their advantages, depending on what you’re looking for. My husband and I knew it would rain, and thought it might be windy, so we camped at the top of a forested hill that had a gorgeous view of the ocean. You can also camp right next the the picturesque stream that runs through the grounds.
Some of the campsites are ridiculously close to each other, but since there are SO MANY sites here, I figure it rarely fills up. We had the whole hill to ourselves.
The campground has mostly port-​a-​potties, which are cleaned out once a week and were very clean when we were there. There’s a fish cleaning station and several water spigots for doing dishes. All the campsites have fire rings and picnic tables. The general store carries pretty much all the random stuff that you forgot back at home.
There is tons of stuff to explore without ever driving out of the campground. Below the bluffs along the ocean, there are big rocky outcroppings that you can walk out onto and watch the ocean. There were even seals sunning themselves close by one day. You can also walk down the boat ramp to the rocky beach – during low tide, you can walk all around the cove, and there was a waterfall on one side when we were there.
Abutting Ocean Cove Campground is Stillwater Cove Regional Park, which you can access for free from the campground. We hadn’t even entered the park before we saw a juvenile great blue heron! The whole park was full of gorgeous wildflowers and breathtaking views. We walked out on some bluffs and climbed down to a rocky beach, where we explored a very small cave in the cliff face.
This campground is very easy driving (or if you’re brave, biking) distance to Salt Point State Park, and a little further afield, there are a number of small towns and state and regional parks. Lots of stuff to do!

Vikki hit me up last minute for the last camping trip of the year… once she said OCEAN COVE, I didn’t even have to think twice… What better way than to end the summer the way we began it? We selected a different location in the park, but it was just as gorgeous and clean as the last camp site we selected. I also tried the outdoor showers for the first time at $ 2.00÷5 minutes. And this time around, I brought my dog!
I LOVE THIS PLACE and I am eagerly awaiting for our 2010 trip!
Be sure to read my review from June 2009 for more details!
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