10 North Coast hot spots for cool-weather camping

Before his son and daughter were grown, Windsor resident Brad Jacobs sought out rainy weather for the weekend getaways he took every winter with each of his kids, now in their 20s. They were sheltered from the weather by a canopy over the table, a steady fire and the car at night, allowing dry conditions for one-on-one time playing games, working puzzles and even doing homework, he said.

Sometimes they were all alone in the campground, or almost alone, inviting wildlife to venture out of hiding into areas they seldom visited in summer.

“It was so quiet and clean, and so many animals came out ...,” said Jacobs, 53. “Everybody thought we were crazy, but the kids loved it. Gosh, we would sit there and be bundled up with the fire going. It was just wonderful.”

The arrival of brisk weather and short days is a signal for many people to retreat indoors, seeking refuge in the warmth and constancy of home and hearth.

But hardy souls know the cool weather months are a special time to get outside and explore the North Coast, joining nature in the warm glow of autumn and the stillness left behind by summer’s crowds.

The fog has cleared and the wind died down, leaving days so bright and clear it’s hard to turn your gaze from the weather-sculpted coastline at the continent’s edge.

When the rain arrives - in the years it does - it brings a sense of renewal, dampening the soil and drawing forth rich, earthy smells that suggest fruitfulness and new life, campers say. The early nights and lowered mercury make a campfire and a cup of cocoa that much cozier and cuddling an essential.

“Generally, this is the best time of year,” said Damien Jones, supervising Sonoma Coast ranger.

Cool-weather camping is a holiday tradition for some. State and county park personnel say demand at some campgrounds is as high at Thanksgiving as it is for Fourth of July. Christmas, too.

Dungeness crab season also brings out water lovers and die-hard fishing fans, usually in November.

Later in winter, by January and February, the gray whale migration gets underway, as the huge animals head south to Baja California for breeding, only to return north a month or two later, hugging the shoreline with their young en route to feeding grounds in the Bering Sea.

But for many, the lure of the coast is more primal, more internally driven.

Theo Michaels, a longtime coastal camper who recently left Petaluma for Lawrence, Kansas, and graduate school, said she thinks of cool weather camping as a chance “to see a lot of behind the scenes secrets of what really happens when humans aren’t around.”

Michaels, 36, said the slant of the light and the quiet encourage memories and stillness from within, heightening senses and reminding her of her own resiliency.

“It challenges you to feel those elements out there, to stand in the rain, to know what it feels to be cold and to know that your body is capable of adjusting, which I think sometimes we forget,” she said.

Of course, the right clothes and equipment are essential. But many people love the sound and feeling of the rain, the drama and beauty of a storm coming in across the waves toward shore.

“I enjoy the dignity of walking calmly in the rain,” said Wagner, who works in information technology. “It seems kind of Zen. I enjoy the wet smell of nature. You get the clean air, you get the little dripping sounds and the birds chirping along with it. It’s still stimulating all the senses but a little less frenetic than I’m used to.”

If the weather becomes too harsh, you can just take a hike and go back home to sleep, said Evan Saunders, floor manager at Sonoma Outfitters outdoor recreational gear.

“The beauty, especially for local residents, is that it’s really not that far,” he said.

Opportunities for camping along the North Coast abound, both nearby and not quite as near, with each venue offering its own ambiance and outdoor experience. Generally, the farther behind one leaves population centers, the more solitude awaits on the other end.

Point Reyes National Seashore

1 Bear Valley Road, Point Reyes Station

With 40 individual sites spread across four hike-in-only campgrounds, sprawling Point Reyes National Seashore allows campers to get out on their own two feet and relish the kind of self-reliance that minimalist camping permits - away from the noise of roads and combustion-engine vehicles. The walk to camp ranges from 2-7 miles, though campers can extend the hike by mixing and matching routes within nearly 150 miles of trail. Like the park itself, the campgrounds offer varied settings, from a bluff-top meadow overlooking the ocean to a quiet wooded valley or a hillside with broad ocean vistas. Some are closer to beaches than others. The 111-square-mile park is packed with wildlife, including tule elk and marine mammals galore, and includes some of the coast’s top whale-watching venues.

Campgrounds are equipped with vault toilets and running water. Boat-in campsites exist on Tomales Bay, though toileting facilities and water are limited. Dogs are not permitted in the campgrounds, on trails or at most beaches. Cost is $20 for individual sites. Back-country or boat-in permits are required for all sites and must be obtained from the Bear Valley Visitor Center before the start of a trip. Reservations are recommended, especially for weekends. Consult nps.gov/pore/planyourvisit/campgrounds.htm for more information. Reservations: 877-444-6777.

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Doran Regional Park

201 Doran Beach Road, Bodega Bay

Featuring 2 miles of sandy beach and access to fishing, hiking and other activities around Bodega Bay, this ever-popular beach campground is booked solid over the Thanksgiving holidays and has been for nearly nine months, Sonoma County Parks Operations Manager Bert Whitaker said. It is, for many, a tradition to feast with family at the coastal campground over both Thanksgiving and Christmas, often on freshly caught Dungeness crab. Easily accessible to Sonoma County residents and a relatively short drive from the Bay Area and Central Valley, Doran’s more than 130 campsites are in high demand year-round, except for the weeks between Thanksgiving and Christmas, Whitaker said. Weekend openings still exist after the New Year and plenty of week-day availability for those who have scheduling flexibility, parks reservation coordinator Terri Froman said.

Doran has five campgrounds, including one just for tents, and is close to stores, services and brick-and-mortar shelter, should a shift in weather ever require it. Though most sites can be reserved up to one year in advance, Doran offers 20 non-reservable, first-come, first-served sites; seven sites that are accessible to the disabled; and one site for groups. Dogs are permitted on leash. There are restrooms with flush toilets and coin-operated showers. Cost for most campsites is $35 a night. Go to parks.sonomacounty.ca.gov/Get_Outdoors/Parks/Doran_Regional_Park.aspx for more information.

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Sonoma Coast State Park

Wright’s Beach Campground, 7095 Highway 1, Bodega Bay

Bodega Dunes Campground, 2485 Highway 1, Bodega Bay

These two popular campgrounds are 5 miles apart on the spectacular Sonoma Coast, offering outdoor recreation and access to coastal parklands that span 17 miles from Bodega Head to Vista Trail north of Jenner. But you have to know the ropes to get into Wright’s Beach, where year-round demand is high, especially among RV and trailer campers. Regulars are described as “fanatics” who know to make reservations exactly seven months before their desired check-in date, one park worker said. The draw is 27 campsites spread along the beach front, several with immediate views of the beach and ocean. Campers at Bodega Dunes, in contrast, will find themselves sheltered among gnarled trees, separated from the water by brush- and grass-covered dunes but connected by numerous trails to South Salmon and Bodega Dunes beaches, as well as Bodega Head, a rugged promontory offering sweeping views of the coast.

Bodega Dunes has 32 campsites open during winter. Both campgrounds have flush toilets, but hot showers are available only at Bodega Dunes. Leashed dogs are permitted in both campgrounds but are not permitted on the beaches in an effort to protect habitat for western snowy plovers, listed as a threatened species under the federal Endangered Species Act. Cost for campsites is $35 a night. More information is available at parks.ca.gov/?page_id=451. Reservations: 800-444-PARK.

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Stillwater Cove Regional Park

22455 Highway 1, Jenner

A sweet coastal stream called Stockhoff Creek winds through ferns and majestic redwood before it meets the ocean at Stillwater Cove, providing visitors a blend of Northern California’s most captivating endowments. The rugged rocky cove has a small boat launch and is a favorite for abalone hunters and divers, or anyone who just wants to soak in its beauty. Nearly 4 miles of trail include bluff-top routes and a 1.6-mile loop creek trail that includes a short turn-off to the historic one-room Fort Ross Schoolhouse.

This intimate park just north of Timber Cove has 20 campsites, all but three reservable in advance. There are flush toilets and coin-operated showers. Dogs allowed on leash. For more information, see parks.sonomacounty.ca.gov/Get_Outdoors/Parks/Stillwater_Cove_Regional_Park.aspx or call 565-2267.

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Gerstle Cove Campground, Salt Point State Park

25050 Highway 1, Jenner

Visitors to this 6,000-acre park on the central Sonoma Coast ought to consider staying for a while or returning often. From tidepooling to whale watching, fishing to mushroom hunting, hiking to taking in panoramic ocean views, this park’s got it. Features include a pygmy forest with stunted cypress, pine and redwood trees; weird rock formations and honeycombed sandstone called “tafoni;” and California’s first underwater park, Gerstle Cove State Marine Reserve, which is great for diving, underwater photography and kayaking, though marine life and artifacts may not be disturbed. The park also includes two other underwater areas that are specially regulated: Stewarts Point State Marine Reserve and the Salt Point Marine Conservation Area. The park adjoins the 317-acre Kruse Rhododendron State Natural Reserve, which has an additional five miles of hiking through redwood and Douglas fir, fern canyons and rhododendrons.

Located just north of Timber Cove, the park is reached by Highway 1, a winding, scenic drive along the coastline to a patchwork land of forested hills, open prairie, grassland and scenic splendor. The park has 20 miles of hiking and equestrian trails, and 6 miles of coastline for visitors to enjoy. Only one of the park’s two campgrounds - Gerstle Cove Campground on the ocean bluffs - remains open through the winter, though the more protected inland campground, Woodside, has some sites open in October and November. Gerstle Cove has 30 individuals sites, as well as 10 hike- and bike-in tent-only sites. There are no showers. Leashed dogs are permitted in campgrounds but are banned from park trails and beaches and must be kept in a tent or a vehicle at night. Cost for most campsites is $35 a night. Go parks.ca.gov/?page_id=1029 or call 847-3221.

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Gualala Point Regional Park

42401 Coast Highway 1, Gualala

Located just beyond a bend in the Gualala River Estuary, this park at the Sonoma-Mendocino county line has it all: river beach, rugged coast and redwood forest. The town of Gualala is a hop, skip and a jump away. The campground, though small, is set among majestic second-growth redwoods at the edge of a river that invites kayaking and canoeing. It is connected by a trail to Gualala Point overlooking the river mouth and the great Pacific, with access to ocean beaches and 3 miles of public bluff-top trail at the edge of The Sea Ranch. The park itself has nearly 3 miles of trail, in addition. You may see elephant seals and other marine mammals. There’s even a whale-watching point from which to scan the water for gray whale migrations.

Gualala Point has 24 campsites, all but three reservable as much as a year in advance. There also is a walk-in/bike-in area for tents only. Flush toilets and a coin-operated shower available. Leashed dogs permitted. Cost for most campsites is $35 a night. For more information, see parks.sonomacounty.ca.gov/Get_Outdoors/Parks/Gualala_Point_Regional_Park.aspx or call 707-565-2267.

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Van Damme State Park

8001 Highway 1, Little River

This gorgeous park on the central Mendocino Coast is just 3 miles south of the town of Mendocino amid miles of rugged coastline and mere minutes from other outdoor destinations like Russian Gulch State Park, Mendocino Headlands State Park and Jughandle State Natural Reserve. But why leave Van Damme? When you tire of exploring sea caves and tide pools on the beach, or just taking in the ocean beyond, the lush, fern-lined Little River canyon beckons, with 10 miles of trail on the upland side. Features include a paved trail along the river for bikers and joggers and a pygmy forest with a self-guided boardwalk trail.

Winter camping is limited to 30 sites in the lower park, available only on a first-come, first-served basis off-season. Cost is $35 a night. The bathrooms have flush toilets and pay showers. Leashed dogs are permitted in the campground and on the beach, but are not allowed on trails. For more information, see parks.ca.gov/?page_id=433 or call 937-5804.

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MacKerricher State Park

24100 MacKerricher Park Road, Fort Bragg

Popular MacKerricher State Park begins on the northern end of Fort Bragg and extends north through the town of Cleone along 9 miles of coastline alive with wildlife, including more than 90 species of bird, harbor seals, deer, gray foxes and raccoons. Private coves and sandy beaches are among several types of habitat that include dunes, bluff, headland, forest and wetlands. Tidepools offer glimpses of marine life, while 30-acre Lake Cleone, once a tidal lagoon, is now stocked with freshwater trout. A nearby boardwalk trail leads out to Laguna Point and a wheelchair-accessible viewing platform from which visitors can see a colony of seals or watch for gray whales during their winter and spring migrations. A roughly 3-mile section of beach on the park’s north end, near Ten Mile River, is western snowy plover habitat and is being rehabilitated. Dogs are prohibited in signed areas.

Off-season camping is usually limited to 46 sites in the West Pinewood Campground, available only on a first-come, first-served basis, but all campgrounds will remain open through at least Thanksgiving this year on an experimental basis. Cost is $35 a night. Flush toilets and pay showers available. Dogs are not permitted on trails, but leashed dogs are allowed in campground and on the more southerly beaches. They are prohibited in the snowy plover habitat area located on the north end of the park. See parks.ca.gov/?page_id=436 or call 937-5804.

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Westport-Union Landing State Beach

North Highway 1, Westport

The attraction here is what Mendocino Coast District State Park Supervisor Loren Rex calls “a million dollar view for 25 bucks a night.” Three bluff-top campgrounds strung along 3 miles of rocky coast offer panoramic ocean views and a forested backdrop. The most popular and northernmost campground, Howard Creek - once featured on the cover of Sunset Magazine - remains open through the winter season, with overflow available if necessary. Though short on privacy, shade and shelter from the wind, this campground 19 miles north of Fort Bragg remains a hit because of its amazing views, whether the sun is shining or a storm is coming in. It’s a favorite stop for photographers, also offering fishing on several sandy beaches, including one at the outlet of Howard Creek.

About 20 campsites are open all winter at $25 a night, available only on a first-come, first-served basis. Vault toilets and a water spigot, but no showers. Leashed dogs permitted. See parks.ca.gov/?page_id=440 for more information, or call 937-5804.

You can reach Staff Writer Mary Callahan at 521-5249 or mary.callahan@pressdemocrat.com. On Twitter @MaryCallahanB.