Petaluma Lake Area Campsites

What a great little place! If you are so fussy about hookups being on the wrong side of the sites and having to dump at a site on the wrong side of the road stay away and leave this beautiful site for those of us who enjoy the quiet rural scene. My grandchildren love it here and I feel safe letting them bike and hike around the base. At $20 I feel it is priced right, especially considering what some "famcamps" charge to park in what I consider to be parking lots jammed in with your neighbors. The Coasties have done a wonderful job creating this really neat campground.

We stayed here on 23 and 24 February 13. Some might disagree but experience at military camps says this one is not worth the price. No sewer, except a dumpsite a good ways away. The utilities are on the wrong side of the trailer if you want your door to open to the side with the grass and table. The dumpsite is on the wrong side of the road to access it properly. You have to turn your whole rig around in a parking lot to access it properly and still you are parked on the left side of the road to use it. There are no showers at the park. The restrooms are not heated. As said before, there is goose poop everywhere. The CATV only works if you have a digital TV. Over seventy five percent of RVers have rigs older than 2008 when they started putting in digital TVs. The fellow at MWR is very friendly and thinks they have the latest and greatest but he doesn’t have a clue. He tried to compare them to KOA but there is no real comparison. KOA charges more but they offer much more too. The only redeeming feature is that the Wi-Fi does work pretty good. No way I will go off the road that far for so little again.

While not exactly close to San Francisco it was perfect for what we needed. There are six spots in a horseshoe that were plenty big enough for my motorhome and trailer with space left over to park the car and motorcycle. The staff at the MWR were very friendly and competent. I will stay here again if in the area.

This was our second stop with our new trailer and our second time here. The woman who checked us in this time was a bit rude at first. But after a bit of joking with her she opened up. I still prefer this family camp to the others we have been at. This is a RURAL base set amongst many dairies. If you can’t handle the “smell” of live stock in the area then go to Travis. This is a perfect spot for families with children. There’s the playground area which was perfect for our now 28 mo old granddaughter. The free movies on Friday night are also a plus. The library has a wonderful area for young children to sit and read or be read to. You can take a book to read (bring back of course). You can swim in the pool, fish in the pond, play volleyball in the sand or horseshoes. Once the gym is finished you can shower there and you will be able to rent bikes and some other equipment. The kids from base housing are very polite and helpful. Since school is out they are there every day for a couple of hours. There are kids of all ages to play with. If kids bother you Travis might be a better fit. It’s sterile and does have everything you would need. It's about 50 miles to San Francisco, 20 miles to Bodega Bay or 55 miles to Travis. If you need diesel the cheapest is at Valero 910 Baywood Dr., Petaluma - they do charge more for credit but is still the cheapest. From North bound 101 take the 116 Sonoma/Napa exit stay in left lane to turn for fuel or right lane to take you to Washington St. Turn left at 1st intersection, station is on right. Base does not have diesel.

Welcomed by rudeness upon checkin at 1630 although closing for checkin not until 1900. Sites and view was beautiful once you got passed the smell of goose droppings all over. It was like walking in a mine field and the geese took us as invaders. The rolling hills and abundance of deer and turkey was nice but lack of facilities and the stench was a turn off. No wonder it was easy getting into the CG on a half days notice. Our companion campers were the only others there. The CG is very quiet and isolated near the rear gate. I don't consider it a good value at $20 a night for 30 amp, water and WIFI when there are no showers or laundry room. The entry into the base is fairly simple as long as you have a DOD sticker and ID, otherwise you will need to fill out paperwork and get a visitors pass. The seem to take security very serious, which is a good thing. Overall we did not enjoy the experience here and would not return by choice.

Absolutely beautiful little spot!!!

This was our 2nd visit here - we love the peace and quiet yet it's still w/in easy traveling distance to San Francisco. Be sure to enjoy one of the meals in the dining hall - a bargain at $2.30/pp for breakfast and $4.25/pp for lunch or dinner. The meals we had there were fabulous - you can't fix that feast yourself for that cost. One word of advice about getting your mail delivered there. The folks where we checked in weren't sure where it would be delivered but sent us to the base post office which has limited hours. When we caught up w/someone there, they told us mail for the famcamp guests goes to the mail room, which is right next door but is only open one hour a day during the week and not at all during the weekend - hard to catch if you want to be out and about sightseeing. Having laundry facilities nearby would be a major plus. Dump station on the wrong side of the road but you can turn around either in the gravel lot next to it or go down that road a bit and turn around in the large parking lot. Next time we are in the area, we'll definitely return.

Very nice campground. This is our second visit to the base and won’t be the last. A lot of landscaping has been done since our last visit. New playground for children. Rate has increased to $20 a day; a little steep for sites with no sewer hookups. Site #6 now has 50 amp electric with all the others having 30 amp. Dining facility is open to all. When you check in they will give you a dining schedule and menu. Lots of goose poop everywhere.

The Coast Guard is in the process of landscaping on the base, and this includes at the Lake Area campsites. The fire rings now have a defined circle around them mulched with wood chips. There are new trees planted in the area. When complete, and in years to come, these efforts should make the campsites more appealing. Registration is now accomplished at the MWR Library, and the clerk told us he was open until 10:00 p.m. We managed to visit the "Two Rock Pizza" Thursday evening for dinner on the patio. In addition to pizza, they have a selection of burgers and other sandwiches. We watched two deer grazing on the lawn while we ate. We have visited this base several times, and have yet to find a grump on the base! Everyone we deal with is very friendly and courteous. I held out one star on "Amenities/Facilities" because of the lack of a sewer hookup on the sites. We enjoy the peace and quiet and watching the deer, wild turkeys, geese, and other wild life. We'll be back.

We borrowed a friends’ trailer (1984 - 24’) to find out if we like trailering. Was our first time to try a trailer & 1st time to stay at a FamCamp. We stayed here for 3 days with our 19 mo old granddaughter and had a great time. We arrived on Sunday, they had only 1 spot left. Monday 3 left, Tuesday 2 left with no new arrivals. We left on Wednesday for the Monterey FamCamp. The playground equipment was great for keeping our granddaughter entertained. We were very impressed with the facility and will definitely be back.

We are still at this great place. If they could add another 30 sites, it would be a great boon to the military RV community. A great jumping off point for touring the area, from San Francisco, to Bodega Bay and points North on CA-1. There is no way I would want to do CA-1 in a motor home or large RV trailer. There are signs posted that tandem axle over 30 ft in length should avoid portions of the highway. The gym is the place to check in with. A little clarity on the directions once on-base. There are two entrances to the old helo pad just past the gym on the left side, and recreation parking lot mentioned. One is on Pennsylvania Ave, and the other is on to turn right on Colorado Avenue and enter there. The one off of Pennsylvania Avenue is a sharp turn and a down hill drive onto the parking lot. We exited there as you will need to travel down Colorado Avenue and turn right on Wisconsin Avenue. The helo parking lot is large enough to U-turn if there are no vehicle parked in there. Either exit is doable. Travel to the end of Wisconsin Avenue to the stop sign. This will be Pennsylvania Avenue again. Turn left, and just past the picnic area is the horseshoe driveway for the RV park. As to the galley food, we have found it excellent so far, and I doubt if we will be disappointed. All of the personnel and staff have been very friendly and helpful when information was needed. I gave the amenities a 4 rating because of the lack of sewer connection. Everything else has been great. We stayed here in a motor home and would return again.

This base in a pretty country-side setting among rolling hills and farmland about 8 miles west of Petaluma. It was very quiet with deer and wild turkey roaming the area. The base is relatively isolated yet it does not have a commissary or exchange - just a small mini-mart. We came to visit Point Reyes National Seashore which is 25 miles away. There is no parking at the office in the gym - had to park at helo pad about 200 yards away for check-in. Only 6 sites, with 30 amp and no sewer. Overflow is no longer available. All 6 sites were reserved for the weekend so I had to leave after 2 days. Dining is available at the chow hall but I was a little disappointed in the quality of food. They ran out of some items halfway through serving hours. But you can't beat the price. I thought that $16 was a bit high for 30 amps and no sewer. I had just left the FamCamp at Travis where full-hookups with 50 amp and sewer and a full selection of cable TV was $17. And a large exchange and commissary were just blocks away.

Staff was great. Sites are big and plenty of room between you and your "neighbor". The only downside is there is no campsite sewer hook up. The rest is super. The wildlife in the area is beautiful. I will be back!!!

This is our first time staying here and it is absolutely fantastic. Checking in was very easy and since the sites are all pull-through, parking was a breeze. All six sites have 30 amp service and water. The dump station is about a half-mile from the park. If you want quiet and dark, this is the place to be. We visited Petaluma, Point Reyes National Seashore and Bodega Bay while we were here and had family visit us as well. Getting someone on base is very no problem. Just call the main gate and tell them who is coming and when. Make sure your visitors have driver’s licenses, vehicle registration and proof of insurance. There is gas (no diesel) on base, a small exchange, barber shop and a mini-market. The gym is great. The movie theater is open every evening as well. You and your guests can eat in the Galley for all meals. The noon meal during the week has limited hours for retirees; 12:15-12:30. Friday is seafood day and it is a feast. When we got in they were out of crab but there was some huge peel-and-eat shrimp (some fried too), fried calamari, grilled Ahi tuna and jambalaya. The salad bar is wonderful as well. Both of us ate that meal for $6.50 and I think you can eat breakfast for under $3.00. The only negative is if the wind is blowing in the right direction, you will know that there are neighboring dairies. Nuff said. We will be back!

Small, quiet and beautiful campground and the only improvements would be the addition of sewer at the sites and a laundry somewhere on base. All staff were wonderful and the galley was great.

G.W. left this review using the Directory software: Ditto to all the great comments on this site. This is a wonderful quite site with lots of walking trails. Makes me proud I'm a retired Coastie.

Don't miss this campground! Although only 6 RV pads, the campsite is beautiful; the on-base facilities are excellent -- very guest-friendly. Jason, in charge of the library, has a huge collection of DVD movies, well organized. The lower rating on hospitality was from a brusk reception for me and others awaiting help when we went to resolve a routine Tricare matter. The rest of the experience was a "5". Petaluma is an excellent base from which to visit the dramatic, beautiful seashore and hundreds of California's best wineries. We were sorry that our plans only allowed us to stay a five days.

S.R. left this review using the Directory software: What a fantastic deal. Super large sites, so big that you could put a couple rigs in each designated site if necessary. Beautiful views of the lake and the surrounding hills. More small bases need to model after this one.

This is the way to run a FamCamp. Boy were we surprised how nice this gem of a campground was. We had traveled for almost 3 weeks when we got here for our last week of leave, and what a way to end our trip. One word, RELAXING! A charming little base with good amenities for such a small place. I don't know what the Coast Guard is doing, but the Navy and Air Force could learn a LOT from these young men and women. We were routinely greeted and welcomed everywhere we went. From the great gym, to the nice movie house, to the awesome galley. Breakfast for 2.40, dinner from 3.85, and the food was EXCELLENT. They are family friendly and all are welcome to eat there. Contrary to the other comments, the seafood buffet was delectable, equal to a 5 star restaurant in Chicago. I must admit, we were able to get in right away, so the food wasn't gone. Our retired "friends" weren't let in until almost the end. By then, I had consumed 6 LARGE crab legs that were dynamite, a pound of large pacific shrimp, and an awesome fillet of sea bass. We hated to leave, and at 16 a night, this is value. The only drawback was no sewer at the site. They have wild blackberries all over the place. We picked enough to make an awesome pie, and plenty for our ice cream too. The lake is nice, the trees smell great, and deer walk all over the place. They have a free RV/car wash site on the old helo pad too! Overall, it was THE BEST military campground we have ever stayed at. We will be back as soon as we can. Pt. MuGu and Fairways at NBVC could learn a lot with a stay here. A hearty ooh-rah to this base and it's fine staff and CO. Thanks!

New directions when entering the base and getting to the campground:
Take Washington Street exit off US 101, proceed west through the City of Petaluma. After passing the Chamber of Commerce building on the right, continue 8 miles (Washington Street will become Bodega Avenue). Follow the Coast Guard signs and turn left onto Tomales Road. A flashing amber light marks the main gate. Turn left through the main gate and immediately turn right and go around the building. Stop at the gate for an extensive interview with the gate guards. When directed to leave the gate area, turn right and go straight on Pennsylvania Avenue. Park at the helo pad on the left past the gym since there is no big rig parking permitted in the gym area. Stop at the Gym on the left to check-in with Rob or Roy. Proceed down the hill on Colorado Avenue until you get to the last right turn. Turn right until you get to the dead end and turn left. You will see the lake on your left. Campground is past the lake on the left. --- You can no longer preceed on Pennsylvania through the housing area to get to the campground.