Petaluma Lake Area Campsites

We pulled into this small (no kidding, 6 sites!) park on New Years Day and had only two neighbors. By the end of the week, we had the park all to ourselves. This is one of those hidden gems that would be oversubscribed if it were too perfect. By that, I mean the absence of sewer hookups makes this park just inconvenient enough to keep out the long-term'ers and other less-mobile travelers. For our nimble crew, a few runs down the road to the dump station wasn't so bad... got pretty good at the rapid hookup by the end of the week! Speaking of hookups, I'll echo others' feedback: the hookups are on the wrong side. This seems like a silly design error that could have and still should be quickly remedied, but alas current state is such that the electric/water/cable post is on the side facing away from the road. This means that if you want your door to open onto the scenic views of green pastures and hills you have to run your utilities out and under your rig to the opposite side and incorporate that wired mess into your porch ambiance. We opted instead to face our door to the small roundabout road that makes up the donut-shaped park, made more acceptable by the fact that we also took the one 50A site which abuts the children's playground. Perfect for our small family and our rig that has large roadside windows that we can watch the kiddo play through. Were that not the case or were we more interested in the pasture views, we probably would have done the undercarriage routing. Regarding that 50A service, it worked until it didn't. On day 3, after our first dump run, we plugged back in and found it to be intermittent. After being woken up at 1am by the low battery alarm, we flipped over to 30A and rode out the rest of the trip there. Will report the issue on our way out, but frankly if you're the 50A-or-bust type than his probably isn't the place for you anyway (because you probably need sewer for your dish washer, clothes washer, water feature, lap pool, etc.). Each site is outfitted with a fire pit, picnic tables, and a trash can that's emptied every couple days by the facilities folk. Again, these amenities are on the same side as your utilities pole, so in our case they're on the backside of our trailer and not widely utilized. Still a nice feature, especially that trash can which removes one logistical hurdle in exchange for the lack of sewer. There is also a detached bathroom across the street at the Teen Center / Boys & Girls Club with toilets and sinks; nothing to write home about, but a good backup should you need an extra toilet (or somewhere to dump your liquids from a composting toilet, as is our case). The aforementioned kids playground is also a great feature for families of that age, and in these COVID times we were happy to see that it's sanitized daily by the facilities team. The park is frequented by the local childcare facilities, so our nomadic kiddo had others to play with which was nice. Lastly, some decent trails bring you from the campground around the "lakes" (manmade ponds) and around a small but scenic base. There's a decent coffee shop on base, as well as a pizza joint that we defaulted to one late night. Otherwise you're 15 minutes from Petaluma and all that great town has to offer in terms of dining, services, and entertainment. 20 minutes in the other direction gets you to Tomales and Bodega Bay, beaches and cute beach shops, and some fantastic seafood places. We didn't make it to the wineries, but those are a similar distance to the northeast and make this place a perfect adult getaway. All in all we're very happy we came to TRACEN. It's everything you could want without the crowds!

Great little campground in a central location for touring Point Reyes, Bodega Bay, Petaluma, and the Sonoma Coast. The base is a spotless garden, very quiet with small but nice facilities. RV sites are large and come with picnic tables, fire pits, water & electric and nice views. The bathroom is across the road, small and clean but without showers. Showers are available at the gym. Note for 2014 the dump station is closed, no date for re-opening was given so come empty and be prepared to drive to the KOA if you need to empty your tanks.

"Off the beaten path", but if you're looking for a quiet facility in a pastoral setting, this is it. You're about 18 miles from Bodega Bay and 10 miles from Petaluma where there are nice restaurants and shopping. We came here in the worst rainstorm California has had in months, but set our rig up easily and were glad the sites are paved. Some bad news: If you camp in site #1, be aware that the fronds and small branches from the nearest trees will blow off during a wind/rainstorm and sometimes pelt your rig. We also discovered that the base dump site is closed due to some major renovations on the base, so you will have to go back into Petaluma to a Union 76 station or a KOA campground and pay to dump. Some good news - the Base theater is nice and there is a nice coffee shop in the Hub where you register for your campsite. Also, the dining hall is open to retirees - you can pick up a weekly menu at registration but you have to ask. You can also pick up the discounted 3 day Park Hopper passes for Disneyland at the Hub.

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.

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!

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.

Stopped by to look around and update the information. Pleasantly surprised! Nice, pretty, and quiet campground! Looks like a GREAT place to relax and enjoy the local area. Very nice base with small, but adequate facilities. Based on previous reviews, we had Friday lunch at the dining facility. Good, but we weren't impressed. Retirees have to wait until 15 minutes before closing before they can enter to eat. By the time we got in, the clam chowder and the cold seafood bar was empty and wasn't refilled. We enjoyed a good shrimp lunch.

Located near wine country, the famcamp was a good location to hang out and explore the area. There are only 6 sites, W/E only - dump station is back towards the main base along side the road. There are plenty of nice walking trails, including trails to the main part of the base. No BX/Commissary to speak of, but there is a mini-mart and small CG exchange. Theater has movies every night, and retirees are allowed to use the dining hall. Nice, quiet famcamp - we would stay again.