Wright’s Beach Campground

I camped here at one of the beach front sites last summer. The sites right on the beach are extremely popular, so my friend had to book it months in advance.
I’m really happy that I got to experience camping here, but it has some limitations. If you plan this trip out in advance, this is a great place to stay as a home base while exploring this part of Sonoma County/​Russian River. You can drive up and down Highway 1 and see many beaches in this area.
The drawbacks are that you can’t go in the water at this beach because it’s considered extremely dangerous and several people have died. This leaves mainly hanging out on Wright’s Beach on higher ground, which is fun, but not something I personally needed to do more than for a one night trip.
I would camp here again only if I was planning to leave the campsite/​beach to see other things in the area too.

The Sonoma coast is pretty spectacular and Wright’s Beach Campground is a prime location for exploring it. As other reviewers have said, sites #1-#10 are beachfront sites and are understandably the most popular. Site #10 probably gets my vote for the top spot because it’s the most private and also offers decent protection from the wind. We spent a very windy night there and were thankful for the trees.
Keep in mind sites #1 — #10 are $ 45/​night (in 2016), a $ 10 premium over the other sites. While par for the course in California, I think $ 35 (let along $ 45) is unreasonably high and undoubtedly prices many people out.
With that said, when we return I’m not sure I’d go out of my way for a beachfront site. Instead I’d focus on avoiding sites #13-#18 because they have virtually no privacy. (Note that the location of site #18 has moved at some point; it used to be where the camp host site is now. Another reviewer recommended #18 but I suspect that was before it moved.) I thought the upper loop (#19-#27) was actually pretty nice and really, even though you’re not right on the beach, it’s a 30 second walk away. The night before we stayed at site #10 we stayed at #19, which is next to (think of top of) the camp host site. As I mentioned it was very windy, and partially because it’s better protected I think we enjoyed them both about equally.
In short, all of the sites here provide unbelievable access to a great stretch of coast. Some provide a little (but not much) more space than others, so I wouldn’t fret too much about getting the perfect site.

Stayed over night at a friend’s site. It was pretty dang sweet. I was a little unimpressed that neither person in the gaurd shack could not answer my question about the ID of one plant and one bird but that’s the only real complaint. The surf was loud and pounding. If that doesn’t sound good to you, you won’t like it. I saw several birds and 4 deer. I didn’t hear the neighbors. It is very windy and as soon as the wind picks up it gets cold so plan accordingly. I’d go to this place again.

Beautiful location with a nice dark sand beach up against it. There aren’t a ton of spots, which keep it quiet. No showers and no cell phone reception also make you feel like you’re roughing it.

Don’t come if you don’t want sand in your shoes, dew on your tent, or can’t sleep to the sound of crashing waves!
I’ve been here twice — make sure to get sites 1 – 10. They’re the premium sites, as they face the beach. The others will be facing you and marvel at your view.
First time, camped at site 10. Your car will have to drive onto a little sand, but not a big deal. The trees surrounding the campsites block the wind, so sand isn’t going everywhere, unless it’s storming out. Beach is fantastic, nice soft sand, not many people. Lots of signs for sneaker waves and the dropoff is severe, so if one of those catches you or your pet, that may be the end.

Don’t go to Wright’s Beach. It’s awful!
I’ve been twice. The first time I stayed at site #3, the second time at site #4. The calming ocean waves in the background never stopped. There was sand everywhere. At night all there was to do was hangout on the beach and look up at the stars. It took a whole ten minutes to drive to some decent food and coffee. The bathrooms were only cleaned once a day and the faucets in there weren’t even touchless. On our hike all we got were gorgeous views of the coastline.
You won’t like it. Trust me.

Worth it if you can score a campsite right on the beach, there are only a handful of them and they are hard to reserve. With that said we did not have one of these sites when we went camping there back in August. Our sight was very close to another site, the only thing that separated us was are parked car. Kinda annoying cause our neighbors we’re watching our every move like they had nothing better to do. The campground its self is small and there was only one bathroom that we knew of. Our site was near the bathroom so all night long we heard people quietly walking past our tent with flashlight to get to the one bathroom that was located in our part of the campground. Now for the good part-​the beach is amazingly beautiful and you can hear the waves crashing on the shore all night. Such a perfect sound. Beach acess from campground is awesome, it’s really a short walk. If you wake up early, go beach combing, we found tons of little shells (not clam shells) along the beach. Watching the sunset was also beautiful. Even though the campsites are a little too small/​close together for our liking we will be back, you can’t beat camping this close to the ocean.

left campground because suspicious homeless person was loitering around waiting for campers to leave their stuff unattended so that he could rip them off. no staff on duty.

We camped here last weekend and we had a great time!
The grounds are clean, the restrooms are really close and are also fairly clean.
Our site (7), was right on the beach and the view was spectacular! It was wonderful falling asleep to the sounds of the ocean so close by.
Our two kids both loved running up and down the beach and dipping toes in (they were a little bummed it couldn’t be more than that since it is a dangerous undertow). But they had fun looking for shells, rolling down sand dunes and a little bit of tidepooling.
We only stayed one night, maybe next time we’ll stay a little longer.
My only tiny complaint is that based on some reviews here and elsewhere, we were under the impression that the campgrounds themselves were slightly more sandy then it actually was… so next time I think we’ll bring a foam mattress or something. Ah well that’s roughin it for ya lol. ;-)

Love this place! It’s right on the beach and even has really clean bathroom. It has a huge beach that allows dogs. We saw dolphins, starfish, crabs, seals, and even a red fox. Our site was nice a private. I’m already looking the book my next trip.

Can’t wait to come back with More friends!
The views were gorgeous. The sound of the waves crashing on the beach was the best part.

We LOVED wright’s beach. Quiet + clean, we basically never heard any other campers + at times, had the entire beach to ourselves. I loved that we could bring our dog, no one ever bothered us + while our trip was short, this campsite was just what we needed. I only wish we brought our bikes so that we could’ve taken advantage of the coastal highway. You’ll love it here. Enjoy your stay like we did :)

Beautiful site and so close to beach! We were in site 18, which didn’t look straight out on ocean but did have enough overhead foliage to protect us from occasional drizzle. Sites on inner side of loop (not looking out on ocean) are very close together. Beach front sites more private but no overhead protection.
I would definitely consider staying here again but I would go into it better prepared for no showers and minimal cell network.

I love this place. It is dear to my heart. I’ve been going with my entire family (and I mean everyone lol) every year since I was born. That’s 26 years now. It’s always a wonderful experience. Bring the bikes, bring your gear. Come one come all.
Annual camping trip commence.

There is a part of me that doesn’t want to write this review in fear of «blowing up» the most beautiful camping site but I had such a wonderful experience that I really feel Parks Services and anyone who enjoys the outdoors must read this.
I came here for my birthday party with 4 friends (plus dog) and had site #9 right on the beach. The host was incredibly friendly, funny and very helpful. His camper was right next to us which at first worried us because we definitely planned on drinking and probably being up late getting into whatever beach antics might have ensued UNTIL he told us it was his last night and he planned on getting drunk.
We invited him over but i think he kept it professional by politely objecting.
There is nothing like sleeping on soft padded sand and listening to the waves roll in under a starry and warm night. We really lucked out on weather. We threw oysters we got from Hogs Island over the fire, we danced, we laughed, we took a midnight run down the beach.
The bathrooms were exceptionally clean (with hand soap) and the rangers were exceptionally nice.
The host let us know he was leaving and who to expect and to take our time so we took a stroll along the beach and collected souvenirs.
I have already reserved another two days because Wrights Beach Campground is my drug and I am hooked.
I only created a Unilocal account so i could write this review.

PROS
Beautiful setting on the beach for many sites and just yards away for other sites, but so very close to the beach no matter which site you’re in.
Sites 1 through 10 are on the beach with unobstructed views of the ocean.
Very clean, modern and convenient bathrooms with electrical outlets but no showers anywhere.
Fresh water spigots available.
Close to a walking trail to sunset boulders.
No internet and no cell phone service (yes this is a PRO!) unless you go up the hill where Verizon’s service is ok, and ATT’s is basically nonexistent.
Very quiet, except … see below
CONS
No hookups of any kind.
No mention anywhere (website, check-​in, reservations) of the quiet hours much less that they run from 8pm to a ridiculously late 10am. So no generator means you’ll wake up in a cold, damp camper with a cold breakfast and no coffee unless you have a kettle or percolator to heat water on your propane stove, or use the bathrooms to brew a pot. Bring a propane heater?
Camp host is super friendly and helpful, but flies a kite all day and night that sounds like 2 paper bags slapping and flapping in the wind. What about those quiet hours? Bring ear plugs.
Reservations need to be made weeks in advance because it’s so popular.
I’ll go back for sure, but now I know I’ll have to rely almost exclusively on propane power and not electricity.

I love this beach and campground!
Campsites 1 – 10 are right on the beach. (Well right before the sand) the campsites are pretty spacious and private. The bathrooms are kept clean. They do not have showers. However, you can drive up the road and shower at Bodega Dunes campgrounds which was no big deal for us.
We had campsite 9. Beautiful. (See pics) we have now booked campsite 10 for our next trip. We are so excited! Can’t wait!
I have to admit that I’m hesitant to post this review because it will be even harder to get a reservation here!

Best beach in Bodega!

I have one complaint — no showers. They offer showers at Bodega Dunes for you to use, but its not close enough to be convenient. However, the rest of the campground is so great that I don’t even care.
The campground is small and the spaces are tiny but I barely noticed because OMG — THE VIEW! The wild, roaring ocean is right there at your door (tent?) step. This is a family oriented place, so there were lots of kids (my 4 included). It was peaceful, though. No rowdy parties, just the ocean.
Some tips:
* don’t come thinking that you’re going to play in the water. It is crazy and dangerous and there are lots of signs reminding you to keep out.
* sites 1 – 10 have the direct ocean views. Site 1 is closest to the bathrooms and they sites get progressively further away
*the sites are mostly paved with some sand. Make sure you can pitch your tent in the sand if you’re not in a trailer.
*BYOToilet paper
*Site 4’s ocean view is mostly obscured by bushes.
*Sites 9 – 11 are in a cool little cul-​de-​sac that would be awesome for a group.
* Bring sand toys and a kite!
* The nights are COLD! I did not pack enough blankets!
* If you forgot to bring coffee (D’oh!), this is the closest coffee shop. Plus, it is darling and delicious.

We have camped here many times throughout the years and always enjoy our stay. Campsites are cozy but perfect for a small group. Dog friendly beach is just steps away from the campground or day-​use parking area. Rest rooms are darned clean considering they are in big demand.
Getting reservations for your camping experience can be difficult but you can camp in the overflow until a spot opens up.