I recently camped here again, so, it's time for an update. I'm not changing my rating, since the campground details are essentially the same. Everything I said in my first review is still true. That's where all the useful campground details can be found, so scroll down if you're looking for those. Otherwise, I have a camping PSA for everyone: Did you know that your headlamp is literally a flashlight that points at whatever you're looking at? So, if you're looking at another person or their tent while wearing a headlamp, you are flashing a flashlight at them. If you want to look around the campground, politely do it during the day, not in the middle of the night with a flashlight on your temple. So, this was my issue here. I had set up early on site 16, which is the last site at the very top of the hill. The only thing I set up on my site was my one person backpacking tent, no rainfly. This is a Backpacker's camp behind a Ranger station, so, it's theoretically supposed to be a safe enough place to do this. My first night was great. Very peaceful and quiet. My second night was not. When I came back to my tent around 11pm, the men partying on sites 14 and 15 were too drunk to notice me. About half an hour later, I sneezed. This is when a bright light pointed directly at my tent. The man continued to stare at my tent, with his headlamp on, illuminating my tent, for what felt like forever. I sat up and stared back. He looked away for a second, then looked back. I finally yelled, "Hey, could you not point your light at my tent?!" He called back, "I wasn't trying to," in an offended little boy voice, as if I had deeply hurt his feelings by accurately describing his actual behavior. He then continued to point the light at my tent almost continuously until 3am. Several times, he started to stagger towards my site, then staggered back. In order for his light to point at my tent, he had to face my site from one specific area on his site. His excuse was ostensibly needing water. 60 times per hour. In a Backpacker's Camp. Between midnight and 3am. Wtaf. I was laying there awake, ready to defend myself. In the morning, I complained to the ranger, who said he would talk to them. They should have left by noon. But when I came back around 6, they were still there. I packed up and went back to Bootjack. Here's what I wish would change-- I wish that the camping kiosk posted an after hours number to call a ranger for situations like this, where maybe you don't want to call 911 and have the cops drive out from the city when a crime hasn't been committed, but it feels like maybe a crime would be prevented by a ranger doing an extra rove. If there had been an after hours number posted other than 911, I would have called for a ranger to come educate this man on how flashlights work, and how to stop pointing his directly at me while I'm trying to sleep. My other complaint is that, around 930pm that same night, a couple of rangers had knocked on my car window to ask me if I was sleeping in my car. There is no reason for them to have done this, because my camping pass was prominently displayed in my window the entire time, and my tent was set up on my site the entire time. It was only 930pm. It was not yet quiet hours. It felt clear that other campers had called the police because it bothered them that I was sitting in my car using my phone rather than sitting in my campsite. Which I was doing because I have PTSD and I needed to be alone, and the people camping next to me were very noisy and annoying, and had even disturbed me when I had tried to go sit by myself at the PTSD bench on Cardiac. So, now, on top of that, I've got two rangers knocking on my window making sure I'm not being a bad girl. Like.... my car was so full of stuff, where would I have even slept? If they had checked then they might have noticed the volunteer campground ranger stickers on my windshield. It just felt like a micro aggression. Like, they could have just left me alone. But I still love this campground and will probably continue to try to camp here again sometime in the future. read more

I was able to.get a spot early friday morning, but they fill up fast!! Spot 5 stays shaded almost all day.

SUCH A GOOD CAMPING SITE, enough privacy and good for groups of friends. had service for phones and bathrooms which were nice, and payment wasn't overly expensive. 10/10. read more

This campground has all the necessary amenities you need. There are no showers but it was easily manageable with the faucet at each site. I appreciate that the faucet water was a bit chilled. After reading a few reviews recommending campgrounds 10 & 11, I can now fully vouch for those sites. It's a nice private corner away from the public. It is a bit of a hike up but worth it for the privacy. Although each site can fit 5 people, it's doable but it'd be a tight squeeze. We secured 2 sites next to each other with 5 adults and it was a good amt of space to not feel cramped. I was surprised and glad that the noise level stayed within the campsite. Outside our site I couldn't hear my group's talking or music so the sound thankfully doesn't travel far. If you'd like to go last min camping this is a great first come first serve option. Arriving around 8:30-9am worked for us since that's around the time previous campers started moving out. read more

See all

My husband and I have camped here many times and adore it. Highly recommend. It's gorgeous and very peaceful.

So happy to have discovered this place! I recommend a spot toward the back due to noisy kids running around. Don't overpack if so because you have to go up a steep hill to get the best spots! Nice to have a bathroom nearby. Unending nature options everywhere. Kind rangers at their station. Can't wait to go back! read more

Pantoll Campground - Camping at Pantoll - Hiking Near Me - Mill Valley, California

Review is purely for parking and specifically K.O'HARE Badge No. 1834. BEWARE of parking ticket scam! I parked here to get to a trailhead. Parked, crossed the street, enjoyed hike, only to come back to car with a parking ticket. No where in entering the parking lot or at parking spots does it say there is a fee or where to pay. Clearly this is just another way police scam you out of your money. Please make your signs visible in all parking areas- you are setting people up for failure or know what you are doing to create more revenue. I will never come back to this parking lot/campsite. read more

Pantoll is first come first serve making it a great option for last minute camping trips. It's also so close to San Francisco! No need to trek deep into the mountains. First, the bad: the parking lot gets full fast. You'll also feel a lot of urgency to get there early and with good reason. There are definitely good spots and bad spots. Being close to the bathrooms and ranger station means you'll hear both car and foot traffic and flushing toilets all day and night. No privacy. Most of the sites are close to one another regardless. Bring ear plugs as it gets loud. The higher up the hill you venture, the quieter it is. If you use the grills or make any food other than a MRE, you'll encounter wasps. Bring something to repel them. The good: some camp sites have their own faucet which is handy for cleaning and washing off. There are picnic tables, fire rings and a food/storage locker. You can buy firewood at the station. The proximity to all the trails in Mt Tam is a huge plus. Wake up early and hike down to Stinson Beach for the day or head to Dipsea. Dogs are allowed as long as they're on a leash. Tip: bring a lock for the food locker! Someone stole food from us and we were gone for just 15 minutes to pack things away in our car read more

Pantoll Campground - Turkeys! - Hiking Near Me - Mill Valley, California

Please note that this review is for the parking area and day use amenities. If you're interested in visiting Pantoll for those, read on...Pantoll is about 5 miles up Panoramic Highway after you leave Highway 1. It's a smaller size lot but there are a few overflow spots across the road and if you do a lap or two you might be able to snag the space of someone leaving. It's $8 for the day use parking-self registration and has some handy amenities such as clean restrooms, water fountains and a ranger station. It's a great spot to embark on several "must do" Mt. Tam hikes including the Dipsea Trail, Steep Ravine, Matt Davis and even a "back door" way in to Muir Woods via the Ben Johnson trail. Personally I've done all of these from this staging area. The rangers manning the kiosk are extremely nice and will help you map your route or recommend a trail based on your skill level. Weekends are crazy crowded here but I've been on a week day and parked easily. As a tip, if you have a California State Parks pass, you can use it for this lot and the nearby Bootjack parking area for day use fees. Scenic drive up, a multitude of hikes, well signed trails and clean restrooms-Pantoll isn't just for camping but a hiker's best friend when visiting the mountain. read more

See all

Just got back from a great weekend spent at Pantoll Campground and had a great time. I decided to go to Pantoll because it is one of the few campgrounds near San Francisco that allows dogs in the campground and I think its ridiculous to go camping and leave the pup at home. The campground is first-come first-served and there are only 16 campgrounds available. You can call the ranger station located at the campground and call ahead to see if there are spots still available, but they won't hold one for you. As far as the campground goes, it is very clean, has a picnic table, food locker, fire ring and grill at every campsite and there are plenty of water spigots located throughout the campground. Additionally, there are two sinks where you can wash dishes which is a rare thing in state parks. At the base of the campground there are 4 bathrooms but no showers. One thing that I really liked was that the camgprounds are all walk-in, meaning that you leave your car in the parking lot and walk to your site. This makes it feel like you're a little more in the woods instead of a loop with asphalt, RVs and your car five steps away. The cost is $25 per night. Unfortunately, Mt. Tamalpais State Park does not allow dogs on any of the trails (nor do any CA State Park), however, there is some great hiking nearby in the Marin Water District land. A great starting point is the Rock Springs parking lot which is only a mile from the Pantoll campground and has plenty of parking even on warm weekends. read more

See all

According to a local, years ago this spot was a beloved secret packaged with the delightful price of $5 a night for camping. Not so anymore - this place swarms with hikers from near and far (across the oceans far) during the day. But the charm of this hillside campground remains for those who are lucky enough to snag a spot. Aaron M. has pretty much said it all, so I'll just add some additional observations. $25 gets you a campsite and one car permit. If no ranger is on site, use the envelopes provided at the ranger station. If you decide you no longer want your site but already paid for it, please give your permit to the (literal) happy campers after you! This happened to us and luckily the kind rangers gave us a new permit after we explained how we paid the previous camper but forgot to get theirs. Labor Day weekend saved! If you plan to leave in your car during the day, be warned that parking is NOT guaranteed when you return. Cars make elliptical orbits around the small lot for up to an hour during peak times. And even if your car IS parked, it may end up with battle scars from the flow of traffic (yes, this happened to us too). Campsites are scattered across the hill so likely as not you'll be sleeping on a slope. Find your bathroom route while it's still light out so you can make your way in the dark. There are four stalls in the bathroom building, with actual toilets, sinks, toilet paper, and mirrors. Bring your own soap. You're likely to run into bikers here during the morning. The dishwashing station has two additional high-pressure sinks. Be warned that it can also get pretty windy here - sleeping was difficult our first night because of the winds trying to carry our tent away. The hike to Stinson is a little less than 3 miles through a fairy forest-esque trail that gives way to a beautiful hill hike. Trails are a little too crowded for my liking, but the scenery is worth it! And yes the stars, hundreds of thousands of them, are visible at night. :) read more

I read all of the reviews before going and was worried about the wasps. but to be honest over 3 days i saw maybe 4. We used mock wasp nests we found online and not sure if this was the reason but they were not an issue. We arrived on Friday morning and most of the spots were taken but people dont have to be out until 12 pm so wasnt surprised. we chose campground #1. I wasnt happy with it at first because it was near the parking lot but in the end it was the best spot to have. I had full access to the ranger station and the restrooms. I didnt hear any flushing. The hill you have to climb to get to the other camp grounds is substantial 45 degree incline then it goes to about a 70 degree incline. I saw lots of people come by on several trips to the bathroom and to load and unload the cars and was glad to be so close. There is wood for sale and and it takes the crispness out of the morning and early evening air so well worth it. You will need more than 1 bundle though. Also if you pay for a campsite parking is included, dont pay both like I did. read more

See all

I had the pleasure recently of going to a birthday party held at this campground atop Mount Tam. Knowing that location already, you can expect pristine views of the ocean, Marin, and SF at this site on clear days. This place has all the amenities (minus showers!) for a low-key car camping trip: conveniently close (but easily full) parking lot, running water and toilets, a mix of open and more secluded campsites, and trails upon trails to see as much of beautiful Mount Tam as possible. I highly advise staying past sunset to catch the night sky... as long as you bring a light source with you. It can become very dark, very quickly. The campsites themselves have a food locker, fire pit, and lovingly worn tables, which can seat about 6 adults... so bring extra seats. The ranger station at the entrance to the campsites sells firewood, but their supply can run low throughout the day! $8 gets your car parked at the day rate. $25 gets you an overnight camping pass with parking spot. Tip: the parking lots with campsites do not close overnight, but the ones without will! Plan accordingly, and you are guaranteed a lovely time. read more

Pantoll Campground - Hiking Near Me - Mill Valley, California

See all

Great campsite! Ceasar the ranger was SO helpful when we were figuring out our campsite and where to watch the sunset. He was amazing!

Situated near many hikes of varying lengths and difficulties (including hikes to nearby popular Stinson Beach and Muir Woods) and only about a 30 minute drive north from San Francisco, Pantoll Campground in Mt. Tamalpais State Park is one of the most convenient first-come first-serve campgrounds in the Bay Area. Each of the 16 campsites offers a food storage cabinet, fire pit, fire grill, and a nearby water facet (with potable water). Certain sites are larger and more private than others but all sites are decently sized. Flush toilets and a shared dish washing sink serves the campground. The nearby ranger station offers maps, hiking suggestions, and firewood from 8:30 AM until 6:00 PM. Availability/Cost: Campsite cost per night is currently $25.00. For late spring (end of April), a number of campsites were still available on Friday night but was completely booked by Saturday afternoon. Call the ranger station between the hours of 9:00 - 6:00 pm to ask about campsite availability before you arrive. read more

Just 45 minutes from SF, nestled in the redwood trees atop Mt. Tam http://www.yelp.com/biz/mount-tamalpais-state-park-mill-valley#hrid:iHqqdNhuRSsa0-pCo2PqcA Pantoll campground is my go-to choice for tent-camping weekend getaways when we don't have a reservation somewhere. - There are 16 sites with picnic table, fire pits, food locker, and nearby potable water - They are located roughly 10-100 yards up a hill from the parking lot. - There are clean restrooms but no showers - All sites are first-come first-served - Go up on a Wednesday or Thursday and set up camp, you're all but guaranteed a perfect weekend! (Arrive on a Friday and you're taking a gamble on finding a site, depending on the time, weather, and what weekend it is.) - Firewood is available from the ranger - Well mannered dogs are allowed (On a 6' leash at all times) - Some of the sites are fairly private - Some of the sites require lugging all your coolers and tents up a big hill - Across the street is the trailhead for a lovely short hike up a fire-road with great views Best dog-friendly hike down a big hill along a creek: Cataract Falls http://www.yelp.com/biz/cataract-falls-fairfax Best hike-in bavarian beer house: Nature Friends Tourist Club http://www.yelp.com/biz/nature-friends-tourist-club-mill-valley Best day-trip from Mt. Tam: The cute little beach town of Stinson Beach http://www.yelp.com/biz/stinson-beach-stinson-beach read more

A gorgeous, conveniently located non-reservation campground. The campsites are very close together, but are nestled underneath some gorgeous trees that provide a fairly decent amount of protection against rain. Each site is equipped with a fire pit, table, and food locker. There's a communal sink with running water near the bathrooms, which have flushing toilets and running sink water. Basically as comfortable as a campground gets with all urban amenities. Ideal for a quick car camping trip. read more

This is one of the few non-reservation campsites near SF. However, because of that, there is a chance you may not get a campsite. When I went, we arrived at 7am on a Saturday morning and were able to snag a spot. There were other groups that came around 8 and were able to grab a site as well, though they had to wait until around 11 until they could set up as they waited for campers from the previous nights to vacate their sites. The campsite has all the amenities you need (firewood, flushing toilet, running faucet, fire pit, grill, box to keep your belongings in), but at times it almost feels like you're not truly getting away from it all, as the area is a popular starting point for a lot of trails/hikes so it tends to get crowded. To counter that we just left for a hike as it started to get crowded and returned late afternoon after all the non-campers left the area. Overall a decent campsite as long as you can snag a spot read more

Pretty nice spot to pitch a tent in Mt. Tam. There are bathrooms, but no showers. Can go hiking nearby. Costs $25 a night. There's picnic tables and fire pits. read more

If I could choose any campsite at Pantoll I'd pick site #11, ideally with friends in nearby #10, because combined they're relatively private and their location on the backside of the ridge potentially mitigates some of the road noise from the highway. #15 and #16 (where I stayed with friends recently) are also good options if you're looking for two nearby sites as they're fairly private and the partially obscured views of bay through the trees are good. But as is the case for the campground in general, the highway noise is substantial except in the middle of the night. As individual sites none of the four mentioned above are as good, either for privacy reasons or because the layout leaves a lot to be desired. #16, for example, has a fire pit inches from the tent space. For a single site, #14 might be the best all-around option. Other reviewers have done a good job summarizing the situation at Pantoll, so I'll just add my two cents on a few key points: 1) road noise is a problem and detracts from the feel of the campground. I don't mind walking into sites and wish these were located a touch further from the road to minimize the disruption; 2) as far as trailhead campsites go, Pantoll is tough to beat given the array of options (e.g. Muir Woods, Mt. Tam, Stinson Beach); 3) I'm very appreciative that Pantoll remains first-come, first-served. As another reviewer said, all campgrounds should release some of its sites this way; 4) finally, in his camping guidebook Tom Stienstra gives Pantoll a 10 scenic rating, his highest, which I think his hard to defend. To be sure, the area has world-class scenery and the campground itself isn't ugly, but for my $25 it doesn't come close to being an exceptionally scenic campground even when ignoring the noise (which I recognize doesn't have anything to do with scenery). read more

My girlfriend and I spent this past weekend at the Pantoll Campground at Mt. Tamalpais. The campground is first-come, first-served ($25 / night which includes parking for 1 car; cash and credit card accepted). For reference, we arrived on Friday morning on a non-holiday weekend around 10 AM and there were 3 campsites available. We selected site #6 because it is one of the remote sites that doesn't have any traffic of fellow campers walking by. The campground is very 'camper friendly': the ranger station sells firewood ($6 a bundle), 4 unisex bathrooms on site (toilet paper; no soap), and multiple water faucets throughout (potable). Each campsite is also equipped with a fire pit, stand alone grill, and stone grill as well as a locker to store food. However, the campground does not have any showers and wifi, which is listed as available on some websites, is not available. Also, it appears that due to budget cutbacks, you can no longer call the ranger station to determine campsite availability. The campground is central to many great hikes. One and a half hours (~2.5 miles) to Stinson beach which has great restaurants (Breakers Cafe was delicious) and a beautiful beach. Two and a half hours (~4 miles) to the East Peak of Mt. Tam. Unfortunately the weather was foggy and all we could see thrusting through the fog was Mt. Diablo, but it is a beautiful hike with many options of differing intensity. Many of the trails also allow horses or bicycles. Although campsite #6 is remote, it is guaranteed that you will get wet regardless of if it is raining. Every evening, the fog rolls in and because large trees cover site #6, the fog condenses quickly into a constant downpour throughout the evening. By morning, everything was soaked! Campsite #7, which is less than 20 yards away, remained relatively dry. A tent footprint is absolutely essential regardless of location. If you leave the campground by car during the day, there is a good chance you will have to wait for a parking space upon return because of the in-flow of daytime hikers using the lot (i.e. no reserved parking for campers). Overall a fantastic campground especially because it is less than a hour from San Francisco. Highly recommended. read more

Great experience and so glad there are first come first serves around still. Please never make it reservation only!!!! I think the campsite reservation system is pretty much broken in this country for most of our state and national park campsite. People make reservation a year in advanced. It is insane and to some degree help certain type of people monopolize the system. Every campsite should have at least two to three sites that are first come first serve with maximum days and weekend stays so many people can enjoy our parks. So love that pantoll is first come first serve. Loved my experience here. read more

As campgrounds go, this is three stars all day long. First the negatives: * It's right off a busy, high-speed road and the campsite I had was really close to both the road and the hot-white streetlight that shines all night long. That light was really annoying when you're trying to get off the grid. * You CAN car-camp here, but you can only drive into a parking lot at the bottom of the campground. And most of the sites are up a massive hill. So be prepared to do A LOT of hauling, even near the close campsites. And the campsites up the hill... yikes. Prepare to do work. I think this was designed as more of a hiker's campground. The parking lot is just for people who want to go hiking. But you can use it to car-camp too. * Yes, the entire campsite is on a massive hill! No, not all the campsites are properly graded to compensate for this. Prepare to sleep on an incline. The very best, flattest campsites are reserved for handicappers, but I think you can take them if they're not reserved by a certain time in the evening. My campsite (the one closest to the road) had a really bad incline. And that's the worst for me. * There's a ranger station smack dab in the middle of this campground. So you'll be keeping the noise and partying to a minimum, though the ranger leaves in the evening. (Of course this can also be a positive if you have an emergency and need a ranger.) * I noticed LOTS and LOTS of bees... in November! (2015) So I can only imagine how bad it is in the Summers here. * It's kind of small. Only about ten or twelve campsites (again could be a positive for some) so I imagine it fills up fast. The positives: * The campsites are fairly big and not close to one another compared to most campgrounds, but there isn't much foliage between campsites, so everyone can basically see everyone. But you do sort of feel like you're more in the woods, compared to most car-camping campgrouds. * It's right in the middle of several awesome trails and also connects to the John Muir Trail, which is amazing. The hiking access is as good as it gets. * This is a perfect campground for backpackers. * $25 is a little steep, but hey, it's not only California, it's San Francisco. And you're on the John Muir Trail practically. It's worth it. You could have an amazing hiking vacation at this campground. * The rangers are cool with late arrivals. And the ranger was really helpful when I arrived around 9PM here (he was on his way out for the night). * The restrooms are clean and so is the campground. Lots of nice people hiking through to help you with any questions about the trails. read more

LOVE THIS CAMPGROUND! The camping areas are just far enough from one another so you don't feel like you are camping all together. Our site had a lifted area to place our tent. It had two different fire pits, one for fire and the other for grilling. They even chopped up some tree trunks to put around the pit for seating. They give you a little cabinet to place your food (you have to bring your own lock) and the ranger station has a lot of helpful things for sale in case you forgot something. The campground is right smack in the middle of hiking trails so whichever way you decide to leave your site, you will end up on a nice little hike. CONS: No showers. This wasn't such a big deal for us since we only stayed one night, but for even a weekend that might be a deal breaker. Parking is relatively far from the car depending where your site is. All sites are located up a fairly steep hill so you have to hike all of your belongings up and down from the car to the site. read more

Love this camp site, because it is first come, first serve, so it is a good last minute camping trip. Notes. - 1. It is a very popular start, stop, rest, destination for the area, for bikers, hikers, backpackers, etc. so you'll hear cars, bikes, people talking, walking by, all day long. 2. Some spots have very small tent areas while others are huge. The smaller tent areas may barely fit a 3-4 person tent, no more. 3. As it is a central location, you're minutes away from trails that can take you to make of the destinations and hikes in the area. Mt. Tam, Stinson Beach, Muir Woods, etc. 4. $25/night, covers parking. 5. Unless you get the handicap spot or the bike-in/hike-in spots, you'll have a short walk or a long hike up a steep hill to your camp site. Be ready for this. 6. Fire wood is sold on location, $8/bundle. If you don't use a bundle and it is sealed, they will accept returns. 7. Plenty of running water and bathroom access available. 8. Lots of trees to hang hammocks from. read more

See all

Got here at 8:30 on a Friday to secure a camp site. You do have to walk around and ask if each site if they are leaving at that. Once you ask and they say yes you ask if you can leave one item there to secure the spot then you go bk down to the rangers station pay $25 a day and $8 dollars a day for over night parking. One of our fiends didn't pay and no ticket but I guess you can do at your own risk. Parking was easy on a Friday. Saturday between 10-1 was a little hard you have to wait but someone is always coming out since this is a popular hiking spot. Campsite 1 was pretty easy to get too but it over looks the parking lot but after our other half of the party stayed at campsite 13 we were happy not to have to hike up. There's running water in 1 and 13 for sure not sure about any other. We came here not knowing about the long steep hike to our site so we brought way too many things. Try to bring what you need only. Campsite 13 was right by an entrance to a trail so a lot of ppl do walk by but it wasn't bad. It did get pretty hot up there at 84 degrees for the weekend it was also pretty windy so bring sum tent stakes for sure. Most ppl aren't even there at their camp site during the day they are all off hiking n exploring I guess. At night we were able to stay up late n drink without any complaints. This is more of a camp site for people that like hiking since there's many beautiful trials near by. By the end of the trip I could barley walk this is from me going up n down from one camp site to the next and to the bathroom. We didn't get bitten I did see some bees but insect candles n covering food helps! The rangers were nice bathroom clean but on Saturday since there was a lot of ppl we kept have to stand in line ugh. N by late Saturday they ran out toilet paper another ugh. It's cash and check only so do bring! Oh btw going early Friday to secure 2 sites was easy! Saturday would hv been hard. read more