Camping near Palo Alto

Palo Alto sits close to some of the best camping on the Peninsula, but you have to know which gate is actually open. The 2020 CZU Lightning Complex Fire closed every campground at Big Basin and knocked out the water system at Butano. Storms in early 2023 wrecked the campground at Seacliff on Monterey Bay. Some of those sites are still closed in late 2026. Meanwhile, the smaller county and open space campgrounds have quietly kept running.

This guide groups the options by agency, because each agency runs its own reservation system with its own rules. The details come from each agency's own pages as of late October 2026. Check again before you book, since seasonal campgrounds open and close on fixed dates and fire weather can cancel fires or stoves at short notice.

Quick guide

Black Mountain Backpack Camp

The closest campsite to Palo Alto is on Midpen land just up Page Mill Road. Midpen says the Black Mountain Backpack Camp in Monte Bello Open Space Preserve is the only campsite on its lands. It is a 1.5-mile hike from the Monte Bello parking area with a 500-foot climb. There are four single sites for up to four people each and one group site for up to 24, for one or two nights at a time, all year.

The rules from Midpen's camping page:

• A permit is required. The fee is $2 per camper per night, invoiced once your space is confirmed.
• Overnight parking is only allowed in the main Monte Bello lot at 4301 Page Mill Road, with the permit on the dashboard.
• Arrive after 2 p.m. and before sunset. Leave the site by noon.
• Campers may walk, not bike, to the knoll west of camp and the Black Mountain summit between 5 a.m. and 10 p.m.
• No campfires. Gas stoves only in designated areas, with none allowed during a Red Flag Warning.
• Water is not drinkable. Bring a filter or carry your own.
• No dogs anywhere in the preserve.

Midpen issues permits first come, first served and suggests applying at least a week ahead. Its calendar does not show real-time availability.

Santa Clara County parks

Sanborn County Park

Sanborn, above Saratoga, has two campgrounds and no car camping. The RV campground is open all year with electric and water hookups and a 30-foot length limit. The hike-in tent campground closes from the third Sunday in October to the third Friday in March, so it is closed now and reopens in spring 2027. Sanborn allows dogs in the campground on a leash.

Uvas Canyon County Park

Uvas Canyon, in the hills west of Morgan Hill, has a small family campground and a group area at the end of Croy Road. Sites are few, so book early. The county also requires a day pass reservation for every vehicle that enters for the day, even with an annual pass. County rules allow up to two pets per campsite, on a leash no longer than 6 feet. Follow the county's directions rather than a map app on the narrow roads in. Its creek has a string of seasonal waterfalls, covered in our waterfalls guide.

Both parks book through the county at gooutsideandplay.org or by phone at 408-355-2201, up to 6 months before arrival.

San Mateo County parks

Memorial Park near Loma Mar is the big family campground on the Peninsula side. The county lists 126 sites in two areas, Azalea Flat and Sequoia Flat, for up to eight people each, with some sites for RVs up to 35 feet and no hookups. Azalea Flat is open all year. Sequoia Flat and the dump station run from Memorial Day weekend to October 31. Reservations open online 6 months ahead and holiday weekends need a three-night stay. Huckleberry Flat is set aside for people camping with dogs and is booked by phone only. The reservations desk is 650-363-4021, Monday through Thursday.

Nearby, Sam McDonald County Park has no family car camping, but it has youth group camps, the Jack Brook Horse Camp from May 1 to October 31 and a Sierra Club hikers' hut. The county lists the Toyon group campgrounds at Huddart Park and the trail camps at Pescadero Creek Park as closed.

State parks in the Santa Cruz Mountains

Portola Redwoods

Portola Redwoods State Park has a 55-site family campground, four group sites and the Slate Creek trail camp in a deep redwood canyon. State Parks warns there is no cell reception, no gas and no store nearby. It also says mountain roads mean a drive of 1.5 to 2 hours from most of the Bay Area. Dogs are allowed in campsites and on paved roads, not on trails. The park page showed no upcoming camping reservations in late October 2026, so check it before you plan a trip. Our Portola Redwoods guide has more on the campground.

Butano

State Parks says the Butano campground is closed indefinitely because the 2020 fire damaged its water system. There is no drinking water in the park. The Butano Trail Camp for backpackers is open by reservation.

Big Basin

All campgrounds at Big Basin are closed while the Reimagining Big Basin project rebuilds. State Parks also lists all of the park's trail camps as closed because of fire damage. Day use is open 8 a.m. to sunset and State Parks says camping reservations are not available while every campground is closed. Parking reservations are highly recommended for day visits.

Castle Rock and the trail camps

Castle Rock Trail Camp has 20 sites with tables, restrooms and trash cans. State Parks lists the cost at $15 per site per night for up to six people, plus an $8 reservation fee, with five sites kept first come, first served. Register at the Kirkwood lot on Highway 35 before hiking in. Waterman Gap Trail Camp in Castle Rock is open too. Fires are allowed only in the camp's metal rings during the rainy season; the park lists the trail camp as open with no campfires.

For Castle Rock, Portola and Butano trail camps, you send a request form up to 60 days ahead, then pay by phone at 831-338-8867, Monday through Friday from 1 to 5 p.m. A request is not a booking until it is paid.

Henry W. Coe State Park

For drive-in camping on the other side of the valley, head to Henry W. Coe State Park in the Diablo Range east of Morgan Hill. Its Coe Ranch entrance, at the end of East Dunne Avenue, has 20 drive-in campsites near park headquarters, according to State Parks. They are booked through ReserveCalifornia like other state park sites. Coe Ranch is the only part of the park where dogs are allowed, including in the campground. The last 10 miles of road are narrow and winding, so allow extra time. Our Henry W. Coe State Park guide covers the entrances, fees, day hikes and summer heat.

On the coast

Half Moon Bay State Beach runs a campground at Francis Beach with tent and RV sites, some with electric hookups. There are no water or sewer hookups, but there is a dump station and hot showers. State Parks highly recommends reservations. Dogs are allowed in the campground but not on the beach. Our beaches guide covers the rest of the coast.

Farther south on Monterey Bay, New Brighton State Beach near Capitola has a campground. Seacliff State Beach's campground has been closed since the January 2023 storms while State Parks plans a rebuild. Santa Cruz District parks limit the same campers to 30 days a year combined across their campgrounds.

How to book state parks

1. Go to ReserveCalifornia or call 1-800-444-7275.
2. Reservations open 6 months ahead at 8 a.m. Pacific time. Popular weekends go quickly.
3. Trail camps use the separate request form, up to 60 days ahead.
4. Buy firewood where you burn it. Do not gather wood in the parks.

Frequently asked questions