Salt Point State Park

Salt Point State Park is located just off of HWY 1 about 90 miles north of San Francisco.

The camping in Salt Point is divided into two very different campgrounds. Gerstle is on the ocean side of the freeway and you can walk right to the ocean. Woodside is on the other side of the freeway amongst the coastal redwoods and a 2 minute drive to the ocean.

I have only camped at Gerstle once and i wouldn't recommend it, unless you have a "third wheel", RV, or some other similar camping equipment. The fog rolls in early and those sites can get quite cold. The nice about that side is that you can see the ocean and take advantage of more opportuniteis to go diving as you see it.

I normally camp at Woodside, on the other side of the freeway. The redwoods block most of the fog and wind and if you get the sites closest to the road, you are pretty much the same distance as you would be if you camped at Gerstle.

The sites are of varying sizes; most can fit 3 tents, some are only big enough for one tent, and others can fit a whole party. There are no individual site reservations, so i recommend getting there a little before 2 and scoping out some sites that will fit your needs, so you can grab them at 2. If you are going there on any other day than Friday/Saturday, this is not needed, but on those days, the good sites fill up fast.

note: neither campground has showers, so if you are bringing women, or you just cant camp without showers, then i would recommend choosing another campground.

People of all walks of life go camping there because Salt Point is a very well known State Park, not just divers. I like to walk around and talk to other campers, and its always funny to hear people ask what abalone is... lol.. you are at Salt Point and you dont know what abalone is?

Salt Point is a great place to camp and since its a State Park, if you choose to dive there, there is plenty of Search and Rescue and Fish and Game people around.. good for a safe and sane diving experience.