Dive into Spring Lake Regional Park Campground with your Kids

Just east of the city of Santa Rosa sits a beautiful lake surrounded by miles of hiking trails and, you guessed it, a family-friendly campground.

The Spring Lake Regional Park Campground has 31 RV, trailer, and tent-friendly campsites, three with newly built cabins, all within a short walking distance from clean bathrooms and surrounded by oak trees.

We booked two campsites next to each other for a multi-family birthday celebration one chilly winter weekend and had a blast.

We acknowledge the Central Wappo people who have been stewarding the land around Santa Rosa and Spring Lake Regional park for thousands of years.

Before you go

Book a site in advance. Most visitors go to Spring Lake Regional Park for the day to hike or explore the lake. The campground entrance is the same south entrance to the park, so the main road can be busy during the day. I would recommend booking a site farther away from the main road so you don’t have to worry as much about your wandering tots.
Check the weather. Santa Rosa has mild day temperatures in the winter but can be chilly, around the mid- to low-40s Fahrenheit, in the winter. The summers in Santa Rosa are also scorching, around 90 degrees Fahrenheit. Make sure to pack accordingly to ensure happy kids and therefore happy parents.
Check the campsite and park hours. Campsite hours change with the season – open weekends in the winter and throughout the week in the summer. The swimming hole is only open in the summer months.
Campsite check-in is at 2 pm. If your kids don’t understand how to sleep in on the weekends, plan a side trip to the Children’s Museum of Sonoma County in Santa Rosa and head to the campsite after lunch (check out our blog post here for more details on how to visit!).

What we packed

Standard diaper bag essentials
Beach gear (toys, towels, change of clothes)
Camping essentials (tent, sleeping bags, pillows)
Sunscreen and hats
A cooler with food for dinner and breakfast
Baby carrier and wagon

BASE COST

Campground reservations are $41/night for a tent site or $79/night for a cabin site plus a $9 service fee
$7 for day-use parking

ADD-ONS

$12/hour kayak or stand-up paddle board rental
$14 entrance into the Children’s Museum of Sonoma County
Money for food and drinks outside of the campground

Tips & tricks to get the most out of your trip

1. Bring a canopy.

The campsite has beautiful oak trees throughout, but they provide little-to-no shade.

Depending on the weather, I would recommend bringing a canopy to protect you and your kiddos from the sun and the heat!

2. Go for a hike.

The trail around the lake is 2.3 miles and paved and is easily accessed near campsite site 14. The trail is lined with benches and lake access points. We stopped along the trail to gaze at some ducks and geese and to let the kids explore a bit. My kiddo enjoyed finding sticks to poke at things in the lake. Her mama did not enjoy watching nervously as baby girl hopped from rock to rock to find more things to poke.

Since the trail is paved, I would recommend bringing a scooter or bike for your kiddos to keep them moving along.

The trails are multi-use, so you will encounter people of all ages running, walking, or biking. Some bikers along the trail move quickly, so keep an eye on your toddling kiddos who may not notice a biker coming quickly from behind.

I was surprised to see so many local folks enjoying this trail, and a lot of local BIPOC families!

3. Bring fun camp activities.

Make your campsite downtime more enjoyable by bringing more opportunities for campsite fun.

The trees scattered throughout Spring Lake Regional Park Campground and specifically at our campsite were perfect for tying up a hammock. Our preschoolers loved being in the “tree swing” as they called it. They hid inside and popped their heads out in delight, claiming they were peas in a pod or popcorn.

A friend also brought a zip-line that provided hours of fun, even though this activity did require more adult supervision.

See our blog post here for more suggestions.

4. Stop by the Environmental Discover Center.

Plan to stop by the Environmental Discover Center located just inside the Violetti Road entrance to the park.

You can spend a few hours here exploring the rotating exhibits that “invite children to touch, climb, and play while they learn.”

Our kids loved the tide pool with sea stars they could touch! Admission is free.

5. Coming in the summer? Visit the swimming lagoon.

From the campground you can either drive to the swimming lagoon located inside the Spring Lake Regional Park in order to park close to the beach, or take your beach gear and kids in a wagon along the lake trail (see #2 above) for a short walk to the lagoon.

There is a roped-off area and lifeguards on-site that make sure all kiddos stay safely within the swimming boundaries.

6. Explore the lake.

Bring your stand-up paddle board (SUP) or kayak and go for a ride off the pier. We brought our SUP but the lake was overgrown with some interesting plant life at the time of our visit, so we were not able to explore.

Next time, I plan to get on that lake! So make sure to bring life vests for your little ones to go along for the ride.

Don’t have a SUP or kayak? You can rent one for $12/hour from the Violetti Road entrance to the park.

7. Take a break from nature and go into town.

Downtown Santa Rosa is a short 10-minute drive from Spring Lake Regional Park.

Check out our blog post here for suggestions on kid-friendly restaurants and activities in town.

Since you cannot check into the campsite until 2 pm, we decided to start our day at the Children’s Museum of Sonoma County (which opens at 9 am, $12 per person, see more in our review), have a picnic lunch at our favorite Santa Rosa brewery, fill up a few growlers to go, then head to the campsite at check-in time.

This schedule really allowed us to get the best of both worlds—amenities by day and roughing it by night!

7. Not ready to camp? Try a cabin!

Spring Lake Regional Park has three camping cabins available that are hard to book, so reserve ahead!

They sleep six inside and allow up to two tents outside.

Each cabin has a light and electric outlet inside, an enclosed deck on the back, and a picnic table in the front.

Our good friends @thewanderingwongs stayed in a camping cabin the same weekend we reserved a tent site and they loved it!

Due to its proximity to urban centers and the East Bay Area, Spring Lake Regional Park Campground is probably one of the easiest camping spots to explore for camping newbies. You can reserve a camping spot, drive an hour from the East Bay Area to set up camp, and or easily drive to a store last minute if you forgot something. You can even easily head home at any point if something goes wrong.

Here’s to hoping that you feel relaxed enough to just remain at your campsite, and removed enough from your day-to-day to feel how just how much fun camping can bring to the whole family.

Have you ever camped at a campground just minutes away from a grocery store? Share in the comments below.

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Angel

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Puerto Rican & Indigenous mama of two. Bay Area native. Salsa dancer. Backpacker. Doula. Angel (she/her/hers) is a co-founding member of the Beautiful Brown Adventures team. She has traveled to over 30 countries and loves to explore the world with her two daughters & partner - one ice cream shop at a time.