RV Park Review – Sportsman RV Park, Fort Bragg, CA
A very basic/rustic, but very friendly RV park in a great location to explore Fort Bragg, CA
Link to park here: Sportsmans RV Park, Fort Bragg, CA
Link to map location here: Sportsmans RV Park, Fort Bragg, CA
- Site quality = 2.5/5
The sites here are super-basic side-by-side dirt sites. Total 22 sites arranged in 2 rows, one facing the other in a small rectangle. The sites have full hookups (50 Amp/water/sewer), but there is no real separation, privacy or site landscaping. Hookups are good, although water pressure was a tad low when we were here. A few picnic tables around and some movable fire-pits (which had firewood in them, a nice touch I thought), but not every site has them. Plus space-wise it is tight. When the park is empty there is lots of space to hang, but if the park were full I imagine it would get very tight in here and, since swing-room is somewhat limited, big rigs may (or may not) be able to get in. So, if you’re “beast size” like us I recommend calling ahead for space before making the twisty drive out on Hwy 20 or 128. - Facilities = 1.5/5
No real on-site facilities. There is a single flush toilet (on the way to the Rough Bar) which was fine, but no showers. - Amenities = 2/5
There are no fancy amenities here. No laundromat, no pool, no “extras”. What you do get is a little shop/visitor center, a wooden happy hour porch by the waterfront (which is very nice and definitely worth a few points!) and a very cute, little book-swap. There IS free on-site WiFi, but it was unusable the whole time we were here, so sadly no points for that one. - Location = 5/5
Location is definitely what this place is all about. You are in the heart of Noyo Harbour which is a cute little spot with lots of seafood restaurants and water views. If you’re feeling energetic you can walk up the short, steep hill right next to the park and into town or across the bridge into Noyo Headlands (pretty hiking area), otherwise it’s a short, easy drive to everything and there is LOTS to see and do in Fort Bragg -> Check out the gorgeous Botanical Gardens, the stunning Headlands, yummy North Coast Brewing and the very fine Point Cabrillo Lighthouse. No end of hiking, exploring or eating around here. - Pet friendliness = 5/5
Very paw-friendly spot. Not much space for doggie to hang out in camp, but he/she is welcome everywhere else including the happy hour porch and the restaurant next-door (Rough Bar). Plus you have a GREAT, off-leash doggie beach just 3-mins walk from camp(!) It doesn’t get much more dog-friendly that this!
Overall Rating = 3.2
BONUS ALERT: Camp walking distance to beach, beer & ocean!
Summary: This is one of those parks that may not appeal to everyone, but definitely appealed to us. The campground itself is very basic/rustic and not much to write home about. It’s really nothing more than 22 dirt sites with full hook-ups arranged side-by-side in 2 rows around a small rectangle. Sites are very tightly spaced together and there is NO separation, privacy or fancy landscaping and definitely no amenities (no showers, no laundromat etc.). There are a few colorful picnic tables and some fire-pits around and that’s pretty much it. Plus swing-room is limited so if the park is full it might be difficult to get big-rigs in ( for “beast” size rigs I’d recommend calling ahead for space). What makes the park interesting however, is everything else. The owners and camp host are SUPER friendly, the whole area is SUPER dog-friendly and there are lots of cute touches around camp (a small book-swap, a nice little store, lots of little nautical decor). Also the large, wooden water-front happy hour porch (which is locked and only open to guests) is simply fabulous and makes a great spot to hang for an afternoon libation. Plus the location in Fort Bragg rocks. You are right on the water in the middle of Noyo Harbour, only 3-mins walk to a completely off-leash friendly dog beach, stumbling distance from the lovely Rough Bar (owned by the same friendly guy who owns the campground) and you’re either walking distance (if you don’t mind a steep hill) or easy driving distance to downtown and everything there is to see in Fort Bragg. If you prefer more manicured RV parks, I definitely wouldn’t recommend this place. In our case, we don’t need “fancy” RV amenities, and really liked the laid-back feel of this place. Plus we absolutely loved how dog-friendly everything was (and how easy it was to get to the doggie beach). We totally enjoyed our stay and would definitely stay here again if/when we come back to the area.
Extra Info: Decent cellphone signal (2 bars ATT LTE, 2 bars Verizon LTE. Signal), but at times the towers got overloaded and it slowed down quite a bit. Free on-site WiFi, but it wasn’t usable (at all) the whole time we were here. $40/night (full hookups) -> when we stayed here they were offering a deal to pay for 3 nights, get 4th free. Total 22 sites. Big Rigs should call ahead to check space before coming since swing-room is tight if the park is full.
Extra, Extra Info: OTHER CAMPING: There are a few other decent camping options in the Fort Bragg area if Sportsmans doesn’t suit your interest.
- MacKerricher State Park -> This is a very nice state park just north of town, but it is ONLY for smaller rigs, 35-footers and below. I drove through and it’s nice, but there is definitely NO WAY we could fit here. Even 35-footers only have a select numbers of sites available to them (most sites are 25-foot). Walk-in in low season, reservable in high-season. Sites cost $35/night. Click HERE for park info.
- Pomo RV Park -> On the south end of town this looks like one of the best-kept campground in Fort Bragg, can fit all rigs and gets good online reviews. If you’re looking for something a little more “manicured” I think this is your spot. Full hookups cost $47/night. Click HERE for park info.
Video Overview: Want to see & hear it on film? Check out our ~5 minute video overview here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zrMByoyZfRQ
It has a rough charm about it, I like it!!
For no particular reason, this place reminds me of a place we stayed in Snowville Utah (northern Utah). Rustic, charming, self-serve, with a great mountain view, a driving range a few feet away and great water pressure. If you are ever in the area this is a must stay. We fell in love with the place.
I have to admit I have a soft spot for these rustic little RV parks. I just love the whole laid-back feel and how friendly everyone is. Of course it was a definite bonus that we were the only two rigs here!
I think we would like your spot.
Nina
For anyone interested, we spent a week at Pomo RV Park on an extended trip, and considered it one of the best RV parks we’ve stayed in.
Paul
Excellent info. I didn’t get to drive through that park, so it’s great to have feedback from someone who’s actually stayed there. It looks very nice on the website, and online reviews are good too. Cheers for sharing!
Nina
We pulled into Sportsman’s RV Park one afternoon with reservations and the place was PACKED with one very small site open. Looks like it was across from where your rig is and could not get parked so we left and stayed at a place north of there behind a Gas/Grocery store…… Loved the area and we will be back one of these days…
Pssst we were in a 25 Mercedes Sprinter pulling a Geo Tracker and came all the way up Highway 1….. Good idea you going over in 20….
Lee and Shelia
I had a feeling this place gets get packed, and that it’s tough to get in when it does. You confirmed it! And in a super small rig too! We were the only two rigs here practically all 5 days we stayed, but if it had been full I don’t think we would have fit. Just not enough swing room or site space to get in. Cheers for sharing your experience!
Nina
Can I butt in to this conversation? 😉 Lee and Sheila, I am driving a similar rig, a 24 foot View on Sprinter chassis pulling a Tracker. Could you please tell me if you found Hwy 1 okay for our size rigs, or are you saying if doing it again, you would choose a different route?
Thanks to you (and Nina!) for the helpful info…
Suzanne we really had no problem doing the drive and it was beautiful and well worth it. Just take it easy and go SLOW. There will be times in some turns you will be able to really see your Tracker…. If we still had our Sprinter I would for sure do it again, because I know what to expect……
Good Luck and like I said go slow…..
We love those “rustic” little parks in interesting locations. And good beer and cioppino next door — wow!! Sounds perfect to me. 🙂
Thanks for the review on Ft Bragg, it is one of my favorite spots to go to. There is even a starbucks now if you need wifi. There is good beer and that Noyo Harber is a nice place to enjoy, thanks for the review.
Loved the video review. Thanks for taking the time!
Another option is Van Damme Beach State Park a little south of Ft. Bragg. Haven’t been there in (too many) years but camped there in a 21′ trailer in the mid ’70’s. Pretty easy site access to rigs up to 35′. It borders a creek the flows to the beach. Check the California SP site for current amenities. Late Fall is gorgeous and happens to be abalone season. Many good memories there as a kid in the ’60’s.
Anybody go on the Skunk train. That’s on our bucket list.
Good tip. Thanks!
Nina
Looks like our kind of place – I’m a sucker for harbors and marinas, and all the quirky places and people they draw. I’m sure we’ll add this to our next coastal route! Really love the pic of the boat coming in to harbor 🙂
The lovely little town of Mendocino is not far south of Fort Bragg. It is well known for its coastal beauty and thriving artist community. Just a couple miles south of town is Van Damme State Park where I took my first-ever RV trip in a rented Class C.
Love Mendocino. Visited many times in our pre-RV days. Nice to know Van Damme State Park is an option.
Nina
Oh… and Mendocino is very close to where the spectacular thru-the-redwoods Hwy. 128 meets the equally awesome coastal Hwy 1.
We have gone there a couple of times across 20 and a few years ago, we took our truck camper up the 1 through Bodega Bay. I had a mission to go to Glass Beach and we stayed at the state park there. We took the 1 straight up. We stayed at Westport-Union Landing right on the Oceanside and go back on the 101 at Leggett. I really enjoyed that trip. I love the coastline all the way up to Washington.
Sounds like the perfect coastal trip!
Nina
Cute little place that looks adorable to stay at. Thanks for sharing. Glad you had a safe drive there. You did awesome Nina.
Howdy….I just have to make one update. There is a shower, but it’s in the room with the flush toilet. It’s in the corner behind a shower curtain. So if you can get past the thought or bathing in the same room with the urinal, it was clean. And they just got a new hot water heater, so the water temp was nice. Unfortunately, it’s one of those “push button” showers that limits water flow. But all things considered, it was better than cleaning out my “closet” to shower!
Thanks as always for the great review and suggestions! I enjoyed my stay there. Really nice people. And Paul was right…best Cioppino ever!
THANK YOU for that update Suzanne! I simply couldn’t find the shower when I was there.
Nina