How to Sleep Under the Redwoods at Samuel P. Taylor Campground with your Kids
Samuel P. Taylor State Park is a beautiful campground just an hour away from the Bay Area, but feels worlds away. As you drive farther from the nearest city you suddenly find yourself driving through a gorgeous grove of tall redwood trees. It is a place where you can relax and escape city living for a weekend with your kids, and wake up under the canopy of the redwoods. Because of its proximity to home, we chose this campground as the ideal first camping trip with our baby. It went so well that we have been back quite a few times since. Take it from me—this is an ideal campsite for both beginners and camping pros alike!
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Quick Tips
Before You go
- Book your site in advance. Even though this campsite has 60 single-family tent sites, they fill up quickly! You can reserve a campsite online or by phone up to six months in advance.
- Bring your ID. The camp ranger will ask to see the ID of the person who’s name is on the reservation at the kiosk when you arrive.
- Book two sites together for a larger group. Book two campsites together to benefit from the greatest amount of shared space. We chose campsites 8 & 10 for our multi-family camping adventure and found ourselves with two big sites right next to each other with plenty of room for our kids to roam between us. Lucky for us, these sites were between the two bathrooms to make potty breaks a tad easier. See here for a campground map. If booking for more than two groups, book a group site.
What To Pack
- Standard diaper bag essentials
- Camping essentials (tent, sleeping bags, pillows)
- Sunscreen and hats
- A cooler with food for dinner and breakfast
- Baby carrier
- Wagon, Bikes & scooters, Fun campground activities
Costs
| Item | base cost |
|---|---|
| Campground reservations | $35/night |
| Tent site plus | $7.99 service fee |
| Day-use parking | $8 |
| Add-Ons | |
| Meals from town (if not bringing your own) | |
Getting There
We acknowledge that the lands in and around Samuel P. Taylor State Park are the stolen and occupied ancestral homelands of the Coast Miwok Tribe.
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Tips To Get the Most Out Of Your Trip
Go for a hike
Samuel P. Taylor State Park contains about 600 acres of old-growth redwood forest and trails, some of which can be seen from the two-mile loop Pioneer Tree trail. We particularly enjoy this hiking trail since you can leave straight from your campground and make a quick return trip if you forgot snacks or diapers.
Ride bikes or scooters
Bring fun camp activities
Find the tree slide
Dress for cooler weather
Plan a trip into town
Final Thoughts
Although camping with our kids is always a joy, there was something special about this trip. Maybe it was the fact that I was feeling more confident about our ability to family camp, or that my expectations of a successful trip have adjusted, or maybe it is because my kids are getting older and more independent and therefore much easier to handle. Whatever the reason, I had an amazing time under the shade of redwood grove at Samuel P. Taylor State Park. My kids played for hours on a tree stump, made up games, and never once asked for a screen or device. My oldest was encouraged by her friends to ride her scooter fast down a hill she would have walked down just a week before.
Seeing my kids develop a deep love of camping, the outdoors, and dirt made this backpacking-mama so proud. Maybe I can encourage my pink-obsessed, princess-loving, tutu-clad preschooler to love dirt and camping as much as princesses. Princesses do wear hiking boots. How do you share your love of the outdoors with your kids? Tell us in the comments below.
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