Few campgrounds rival Doran Beach’s proximity to all kinds of ocean fun: You can go swimming, beachcombing, fishing, or paddleboarding just steps away from your tent or RV site. Adjacent to a wide, two-mile stretch of beach that juts into Bodega Bay, the campground includes 120 sites (hookups are not available) and restrooms with flush toilets and coin-op showers. The family-friendly beach is a popular place to walk dogs, search for sand dollars, and bird-watch, while the jetty at the mouth of Bodega Harbor is a busy fishing and crabbing spot. Parents with little ones will appreciate the beach’s gentle slope, as well as its soft, clean sand, and the generally mellow surf break. Fun fact: Bodega Bay is also where Alfred Hitchcock filmed horror movie The Birds.
If you travel with a boat in tow, the harbor’s launch can accommodate watercraft up to 20 feet in length, and you can fish and explore the rocky inlet’s protected coves. Just above Doran Beach, a walking trail winds through grassy sand dunes and leads to a small boardwalk with benches for you to sit and soak up the seaside serenity. Keep in mind that this beach often gets hit with some pretty strong winds coming off the ocean—great news for the kite flyers, but less ideal for tent campers.