We enjoyed our late July weekend here very much, and I'll provide some details for other potential campers. There are a couple of issues, but for the most part it was a wonderful experience for all of us (3 adults and 2 tween kids). What's wonderful -

- Nice brother/sister owners who were informative, friendly and kind.
- Very beautiful setting very near the ocean between Point Arena and Manchester. Pastures and fields, trees for shade and green grass in the camping area. Some of the trees are dead or dying from a blight, but they're still beautiful - we all commented on the prettiness of the area.
- 1.5 mile walk to the beach from the camp.
- Amazing drives to the farm - whether you drive up 101 from Bodega or down from Elk and via Anderson Valley - WOW - gorgeous drives (about 4 hrs from the Bay Area) on winding roads.
- There are now water spigots around the campsites - easy to access (nonpotable) water for washing up, etc. You will need to bring your own water for drinking and cooking.
- Every site now has its own fire ring. This is pretty awesome, and you can buy a wheelbarrow of wood from the family for $20 - it gets quite cold at night, so plan on wanting a big fire.
- All sites have picnic tables.
- Some sites are big enough for 2 tents, 2 cars - and you'll pay $10 extra for more than 1 tent or more than 1 car.
- You're sheltered from the intense wind from the coast - while we were there the kids ran around the meadows and trees and had a fabulous time in mid 60s warmth and sunlight. But it does get very cold at night (40-45 at coldest) when the sun goes down.
- HOT SHOWER - yes, there is an outdoor hot shower available behind the barn, you just need to make it a quick one!
- Stunning beaches nearby - Manchester SP has a huge amazing beach, 10 mins away. Note there's an undertow and extremely hot sand (probably a lot of iron in it). Our kids adored it.
- The village of Pt Arena is one of the best on the North Coast - look it up. A couple of excellent tiny restaurants, an amazing bakery, and tons of charm.

The not so wonderful -
- There are too many campsites clustered together here. They need to be reduced so families have some privacy. Less campsites will = better reviews and more business in the long run. It was fine when we were there, at about 50% capacity. But if the whole place had been full it would have been unpleasant.
- There are 2 portapotties - from Friday to Sat afternoon they were pretty clean. By Sat night they were really bad. This is a real issue that the family needs to address. I think they just need to be cleaned every day, like in a standard campsite, especially with young children around.

But all in all a fabulous experience and we all hope to return. It's a very special and unique place, that we all really loved. We felt grateful for the experience - our first Hipcamp!

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Van Damme State Park, California

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