I’m thinking of taking my family up the coast, north of San Francisco. I’m hoping someone can suggest good camp/surf sites. Hopefully not too sharky as I’ll be surfing by myself… or with whoever I meet along the way. Also I’ve made no reservations. I know that can be a problem at some campgrounds. If you don’t feel like outing surf spots on the internet (which I fully understand) you can PM me. It’s just me, my wife and 6 year old daughter, so I’m not bringing any crowds, and am a fairly competent surfer with good etiquette. If you send me to a rivermouth I’ll be suspicious, thinking maybe you’re hoping for one less surfer choking the lineup…
Well, Russian River mouth is a great spot but I wont go there.
-Point Reyes area
-Gualala/Sea Ranch
-Bodega Bay area
There are tons of places to surf and camp in each one of those areas, some have more amenities than others. PM if you want some more info
Be prepared for wind and fog, illibel. It’s beautiful up there. Bring some fishing poles. Salt and fresh. Sounds like a fun trip. Mike
I just got back from a 6 day surf camping trip with my boys. It is 4-5 hrs north of SF with no reservations, but you will need some bear canisters and hiking gear. The surf spot is about 10 miles in. Give me a PM if you want more info or to borrow some gear.
Hey lillibel,
I’m here. what dates? A great number of the spots here that are consistent ARE rivermouths. Dillon beach has a camp ground just on the other side of the dunes, almost never a crowd, almost never that good. Tomales bay opens right there. Break called Shark Pit just across the channel. Salmon Creek is where the Salmon Creek lets into the ocean, there’s probaly camping there as well. The Rivermouth is where…you guessed it! The Russian river empties into the the ocean. Town called Jenner just a little further north has a right point called Mystos. Keep going theres more of the same.
If the swells up Doran Park is great. Feels safe. I know they have RV camping by the beach, and our NW winds go off shore here.I’d be happy to surf with you so youre not alone. I’m pretty much always willing to go out with even decent conditions. There is a great longboard spot just north of SF but probaly an hour drive because the 1 runs along the cliffs on the coast. great way to come up. That town is pretty cool and there is probaly some camping in area check Olema. Break is really consistent if your content to cruise a longboard. Check out Northern Light Surf shop in town of Bodega for any needs. Ed Barbera shapes out of their shop.
Don’t let any folklore ruin your surfing adventure. Just be mindful, and in tune.
PM with any needs or questions.
If you need a ‘stop-over’ in Berkeley, give me a buzz…er…call, whatever.
Howzit pico, I was at Tomales bay back in the late 70's and just loved the place and how it felt, one of the few places I thought I could stand to live if I moved to the area. I hope it hasn't changed much since then. Aloha,Kokua
Hey Kokua,
Im an Ohio transplant so I appreciate this place more than most. There’s a tiny cafe in Tomales that has a picture of the town from 1906 and a picture from the same vantage pt in 2006. Looks just about the same. Pretty amazing, these parts.
Howzit pico, I have also been to Bodega bay (same trip) and it is a beautiful place also but Tomales Bay just took my breath away and I may just have to take another trip up there when I move back to mainland.Aloha,Kokua
I look forward to that day. Hopefully I’ll share some waves with you.
Doran can be good but it takes a rare, huge swell and just the right angle. Good luck on the shark thing. It isn’t called “The Red Triangle” for nothing. I used to live around there and just used the “gut check and intuition” method plus avoiding the places (rocky points mostly) w/ large seal populations. Those are the McDonald’s of Whitey-World! Though people have been hit at the beachies as well…
Thanks for all the replies. We have no dates set. No plans set in stone. We’re going to just wing it. I’m a teacher and have the summer off so for two months I have a very flexible schedule. We even have other possible itineraries. Surfing is not the main objective of the trip, more like icing on the cake if I find it. We just want to be immersed in nature. And thanks Lavarat, but I think ten miles of back packing into the wilderness is not the call with my wife and kid. I’d love to do it though. That picture of the roots is very cool. And that little pic. Did you score?