RV Parks In Boulder Creek, California

The two dependable full-hookup options are private: Redwood Resort RV Park and Campground right in Boulder Creek, with electric, water, and sewer sites and a pool, and Santa Cruz Redwoods RV Resort on the San Lorenzo River toward Felton, with graded full-hookup sites and a clubhouse. Little Basin Cabins and Campground, on Big Basin lands nearby, adds electric-and-water sites when open seasonally. The public Big Basin Redwoods State Park campground remains closed during post-fire reconstruction, so base at a valley resort and day-trip into the forest.

Not fully. Big Basin Redwoods State Park, California’s oldest state park, was heavily damaged in the 2020 CZU fire, and its campground has not reopened for overnight camping during the long reconstruction. Day-use access has been returning in stages, so you can often hike among the recovering old-growth redwoods, but you should not plan a trip around camping inside the park until the state confirms it has reopened. Check the California State Parks website for current status, and base at a valley RV resort in Boulder Creek or Felton in the meantime.

Yes, at the private resorts. Redwood Resort RV Park and Campground offers full hookups with electric, water, and sewer plus a dump station, and Santa Cruz Redwoods RV Resort has graded full-hookup sites with a clubhouse and wifi. Little Basin Cabins and Campground provides 30- and 50-amp electric and water, but not full sewer hookups, when it runs seasonally. The state park campground, which historically had no hookups anyway, is closed. If you need full hookups, book one of the two valley RV resorts, both of which are open year-round.

Big rigs can reach the valley resorts in Boulder Creek and Felton by taking CA-17 to Santa Cruz and CA-9 up the valley, a slow, curvy but manageable mountain drive. What you must not do is tow a large rig up CA-236 toward Big Basin: that road is narrow, steep, and tightly winding, built for cars. Base low in the valley, keep the rig parked, and explore Big Basin and the forest in your tow vehicle. The private RV resorts are big-rig friendly with full-hookup pull-through and back-in sites.

This is Bay Area redwood country, so expect resort pricing. Full-hookup sites at Redwood Resort RV Park and Campground and Santa Cruz Redwoods RV Resort generally run $60 to $90 a night in peak season, with premium riverside or pull-through sites at the top of that range. Little Basin’s electric-and-water sites, when open, are cheaper, in the state-park range. There is little cheap camping nearby, so budget for the resort rates. Weekly and monthly rates, plus midweek and shoulder-season dates, are the main ways to bring the cost down.

Late spring through fall is the prime window. Summer brings warm, dry days and cool redwood-shaded nights, a real escape from the inland heat, though it is also the busiest and priciest stretch as Bay Area campers fill the valley resorts. Fall is warm, dry, and quiet, one of the best times to visit. Winter is the rainy season, mild but wet, when the San Lorenzo River can flood and mountain roads may close, so it draws the fewest RVers. Spring is green and pleasant with flowing creeks.

Plenty within a short drive. The redwoods are the draw, with shaded hiking and mountain-biking trails through the Santa Cruz Mountains and, as it reopens, day access to Big Basin’s old-growth groves. The Santa Cruz beaches, wharf, and boardwalk sit about 20 miles south on Monterey Bay for a coast day. The mountains hold a scattering of small wineries with tasting rooms, and the San Lorenzo River offers summer swimming holes. Most RVers base in the valley and split their days between forest trails, the beach, and the small mountain towns.

Not really. Boulder Creek is developed redwood country close to the Bay Area, and camping is concentrated in private RV resorts that take reservations, with very little free or dispersed camping near town. The state park campground, which would be the public option, is closed for reconstruction. If you want first-come or budget public camping, you would look farther afield in the Santa Cruz Mountains or over toward the coast, but for a trip based in Boulder Creek, plan on a reserved site at one of the valley RV resorts and book ahead for summer weekends.

Yes, that is one of its best features. While the inland Bay Area and Central Valley bake in summer, the redwood canopy in Boulder Creek holds daytime heat down and the nights turn genuinely cool, often dropping into the low 50s even in July. That microclimate makes for comfortable sleeping and easy hiking when other regions are sweltering. Pair the cool forest with a quick drive to the Santa Cruz coast, which is also fog-cooled, and Boulder Creek becomes a comfortable warm-season base. Just pack layers, because the temperature swing between day and night is large.

Generally yes at the private resorts, which welcome leashed dogs on sites and paths with the usual cleanup and quiet rules. Redwood Resort RV Park and Campground and Santa Cruz Redwoods RV Resort both accommodate pets. Keep in mind that many California state parks restrict dogs on trails, so check the rules before planning to hike Big Basin with a pet. The cool climate is easy on animals, but never leave a dog in a closed rig on a warm afternoon, watch for ticks in the brush, and keep dogs leashed around the river and the winding roads.

From the Bay Area, take CA-17 over the hill to Santa Cruz, then CA-9 up the San Lorenzo Valley into Boulder Creek, a slow, curvy mountain drive that mid-size rigs handle fine with patience. CA-9 also comes down from Saratoga over the ridge, but the Santa Cruz side is the gentler approach. There is no interstate close by. Do not take CA-236 toward Big Basin with a large rig. Restock in Santa Cruz or Scotts Valley, which have the nearest big-box stores, groceries, and RV service before you settle into the valley.

Yes, in the sense that the valley RV resorts sit among redwoods and along the San Lorenzo River, so you get the shaded, forested feel even though the marquee old-growth grove at Big Basin is a day-trip and its campground is closed. Redwood Resort RV Park and Campground and Santa Cruz Redwoods RV Resort both put you under trees near the water. For the tallest old-growth cathedral redwoods, you will drive up to Big Basin or over to nearby Henry Cowell Redwoods for the day, then return to your full-hookup site in the valley.

The two dependable full-hookup options are private: Redwood Resort RV Park and Campground right in Boulder Creek, with electric, water, and sewer sites and a pool, and Santa Cruz Redwoods RV Resort on the San Lorenzo River toward Felton, with graded full-hookup sites and a clubhouse. Little Basin Cabins and Campground, on Big Basin lands nearby, adds electric-and-water sites when open seasonally. The public Big Basin Redwoods State Park campground remains closed during post-fire reconstruction, so base at a valley resort and day-trip into the forest.

Not fully. Big Basin Redwoods State Park, California’s oldest state park, was heavily damaged in the 2020 CZU fire, and its campground has not reopened for overnight camping during the long reconstruction. Day-use access has been returning in stages, so you can often hike among the recovering old-growth redwoods, but you should not plan a trip around camping inside the park until the state confirms it has reopened. Check the California State Parks website for current status, and base at a valley RV resort in Boulder Creek or Felton in the meantime.

Yes, at the private resorts. Redwood Resort RV Park and Campground offers full hookups with electric, water, and sewer plus a dump station, and Santa Cruz Redwoods RV Resort has graded full-hookup sites with a clubhouse and wifi. Little Basin Cabins and Campground provides 30- and 50-amp electric and water, but not full sewer hookups, when it runs seasonally. The state park campground, which historically had no hookups anyway, is closed. If you need full hookups, book one of the two valley RV resorts, both of which are open year-round.

Big rigs can reach the valley resorts in Boulder Creek and Felton by taking CA-17 to Santa Cruz and CA-9 up the valley, a slow, curvy but manageable mountain drive. What you must not do is tow a large rig up CA-236 toward Big Basin: that road is narrow, steep, and tightly winding, built for cars. Base low in the valley, keep the rig parked, and explore Big Basin and the forest in your tow vehicle. The private RV resorts are big-rig friendly with full-hookup pull-through and back-in sites.

This is Bay Area redwood country, so expect resort pricing. Full-hookup sites at Redwood Resort RV Park and Campground and Santa Cruz Redwoods RV Resort generally run $60 to $90 a night in peak season, with premium riverside or pull-through sites at the top of that range. Little Basin’s electric-and-water sites, when open, are cheaper, in the state-park range. There is little cheap camping nearby, so budget for the resort rates. Weekly and monthly rates, plus midweek and shoulder-season dates, are the main ways to bring the cost down.

Late spring through fall is the prime window. Summer brings warm, dry days and cool redwood-shaded nights, a real escape from the inland heat, though it is also the busiest and priciest stretch as Bay Area campers fill the valley resorts. Fall is warm, dry, and quiet, one of the best times to visit. Winter is the rainy season, mild but wet, when the San Lorenzo River can flood and mountain roads may close, so it draws the fewest RVers. Spring is green and pleasant with flowing creeks.

Plenty within a short drive. The redwoods are the draw, with shaded hiking and mountain-biking trails through the Santa Cruz Mountains and, as it reopens, day access to Big Basin’s old-growth groves. The Santa Cruz beaches, wharf, and boardwalk sit about 20 miles south on Monterey Bay for a coast day. The mountains hold a scattering of small wineries with tasting rooms, and the San Lorenzo River offers summer swimming holes. Most RVers base in the valley and split their days between forest trails, the beach, and the small mountain towns.

Not really. Boulder Creek is developed redwood country close to the Bay Area, and camping is concentrated in private RV resorts that take reservations, with very little free or dispersed camping near town. The state park campground, which would be the public option, is closed for reconstruction. If you want first-come or budget public camping, you would look farther afield in the Santa Cruz Mountains or over toward the coast, but for a trip based in Boulder Creek, plan on a reserved site at one of the valley RV resorts and book ahead for summer weekends.

Yes, that is one of its best features. While the inland Bay Area and Central Valley bake in summer, the redwood canopy in Boulder Creek holds daytime heat down and the nights turn genuinely cool, often dropping into the low 50s even in July. That microclimate makes for comfortable sleeping and easy hiking when other regions are sweltering. Pair the cool forest with a quick drive to the Santa Cruz coast, which is also fog-cooled, and Boulder Creek becomes a comfortable warm-season base. Just pack layers, because the temperature swing between day and night is large.

Generally yes at the private resorts, which welcome leashed dogs on sites and paths with the usual cleanup and quiet rules. Redwood Resort RV Park and Campground and Santa Cruz Redwoods RV Resort both accommodate pets. Keep in mind that many California state parks restrict dogs on trails, so check the rules before planning to hike Big Basin with a pet. The cool climate is easy on animals, but never leave a dog in a closed rig on a warm afternoon, watch for ticks in the brush, and keep dogs leashed around the river and the winding roads.

From the Bay Area, take CA-17 over the hill to Santa Cruz, then CA-9 up the San Lorenzo Valley into Boulder Creek, a slow, curvy mountain drive that mid-size rigs handle fine with patience. CA-9 also comes down from Saratoga over the ridge, but the Santa Cruz side is the gentler approach. There is no interstate close by. Do not take CA-236 toward Big Basin with a large rig. Restock in Santa Cruz or Scotts Valley, which have the nearest big-box stores, groceries, and RV service before you settle into the valley.

Yes, in the sense that the valley RV resorts sit among redwoods and along the San Lorenzo River, so you get the shaded, forested feel even though the marquee old-growth grove at Big Basin is a day-trip and its campground is closed. Redwood Resort RV Park and Campground and Santa Cruz Redwoods RV Resort both put you under trees near the water. For the tallest old-growth cathedral redwoods, you will drive up to Big Basin or over to nearby Henry Cowell Redwoods for the day, then return to your full-hookup site in the valley.

Yes — there are free RV waste disposal options available near Boulder Creek.