California RV Parks: The RV parks in California You Want to Visit!

RV Parks in California range from the sparest, most rustic parks imaginable to top-of-the-line luxury resorts, particularly in the southern part of the state. Overall, California rv parks are numerous, as they are in virtually every western state, and stack up well against those of any other jurisdiction.

The following are the California rv parks my wife and I experienced on a 30,000-mile adventure that we undertook in search of our country and of ourselves. The trip is recounted in my book, In Search of America’s Heartbeat: Twelve Months on the Road.

We passed through California both going and coming on our road trip, and stayed at different California rv parks on each visit. Outbound, we had come into California from Oregon and worked our way south through the state. Inbound, we entered California from Nevada and traveled north. On one or the other of these visits, we encountered:

• Redding RV Park in Redding. This RV park provided paved interior roads, about 110 paved sites, all with full hookups, half of them pull-throughs, wireless Internet access, cable TV, laundry room, groceries, RV supplies, LP gas, pool, recreation hall and free continental breakfast. Convenient to all the attractions of the Lake Shasta area.
• Premier RV Resorts - Redding, located in Redding. A beautiful RV park, it provided paved interior roads, nearly 100 paved sites with patios and full hookups, nearly half of them pull-throughs, wireless Internet access, cable TV, laundry room, RV supplies, LP gas, pool, recreation hall, fireplace lounge and free continental breakfast. Also convenient to all the attractions of the Lake Shasta area.
• Benbow Valley RV Resort & Golf Course near Garberville. A very nice RV park tucked away in the country with paved interior roads, about 110 paved sites with patios, half of them pull-throughs, all with full hookups, wireless Internet access, cable TV, laundry room, groceries, RV supplies. Heated pool, hot tub, golf, recreation hall with game room. Located on the Eel River. Signs at the river warned to watch out for rattlesnakes. This California RV park is located in the midst of the amazing redwood country.
• San Francisco North/Petaluma KOA, near Petaluma. A nice RV park located about 35 miles north of the Golden Gate Bridge and offering guided tours by van of San Francisco. Sixty acres of rural campground in a great location for visiting not only the city but also the Sonoma and Napa valleys and their numerous vineyards and wineries. The San Francisco tour includes walking on the Golden Gate Bridge, riding a cable car and lunching on Fisherman’s Wharf. This California RV park provided paved and gravel interior roads, more than 230 sites, most of them gravel, more than half of them pull-throughs, all with water and electric and about half with sewer hookup, wireless Internet access, cable TV, laundry room, groceries, RV supplies, LP gas, heated pool, hot tub, recreation hall with game room.
• Stillman RV Park in Sacramento. This rv park contained numerous semi-permanent mobile homes. Fifteen side-by-side sites available to travelers, all with full hookups, 14 of them pull-throughs, cable TV, laundry room, heated pool, recreation room. Narrow sites and limited maneuvering space made access to some sites difficult.
• Yosemite-Mariposa KOA in Midpines. This rv park provided paved and gravel interior roads, about 50 gravel sites, fewer than half of them pull-throughs, all with water and electricity and about half with sewer, cable TV, heated pool, recreation hall. Catch-and-release fishing pond. In the foothills of the Sierra Nevadas and convenient to Yosemite National Park.
• Orange Grove RV Park near Bakersfield. More than 200 gravel sites await you in this California rv park, most of them pull-throughs, located in the country in a beautiful grove of fruit-bearing orange trees. All with water and electric and most with sewer, cable TV, laundry room, LP gas, general store, pool, recreation hall. In season, you can pick your own oranges.
• Silver Valley Sun Club near Newberry Springs. In the Mojave Desert about halfway between Los Angeles and Las Vegas, this is a family-oriented club and rv park on 15 acres with a 2.5-acre pond, and is clothing-optional. It provides gravel roads, about 30 tent spaces and 15 RV spaces with electricity. Two have water, one has sewer. A dump station is available. Also provides restaurant, snack bar, pool, hot tub, fishing. Convenient to Mojave National Preserve, Calico Ghost Town, Calico Early Man Site, desert hiking trails.

If you’re considering exploring any California rv parks, I hope you’ve found these descriptions helpful. If you know of any other rv parks in California that I should add to this list, e-mail me at searchforamerica@msn.com.

To read a great book about life on the road, including my travels through some great rv parks in California and neighboring states, grab your copy of In Search of America’s Heartbeat: Twelve Months on the Road.