Airstream Camping Trip in California

Today I’m sharing our recent Airstream Camping Trip in California. We were so excited to take Eloise (that’s what we named our Airstream) on a 2 week camping trip this past July. Almost 2500 miles later and many wonderful memories I’m excited to share the details of our camping trip with all of you!

*affiliate links used & iPhone pics.

Getting Out in Nature + Social Distancing

I hope to inspire you to get out in nature during these uncertain times with Covid. Camping is the perfect way to get away safely and practice social distancing. We aren’t comfortable flying anywhere right now (no judgement if you are) we just aren’t ready to do that quite yet. (Pillow linked here.)

Taking our Airstream on a camping adventure gives us the freedom to explore without committing to airlines, hotels and crowded destinations.

Airstream or Bust

We had always wanted an Airstream and our goal to purchase one was put into motion a little quicker once we realized we wouldn’t feel comfortable taking our planned trips to Hawaii and the East Coast.

We did a ton of RV research and ultimately decided to buy an Airstream. I’ll share our Airstream buying + styling tips in another post very soon. It truly was one of the best decisions and purchases we have ever made!

Planning Our Airstream Camping Trip in California

Dion and I sat down and went back and forth about where we wanted to go and how many miles he was comfortable driving per day. We also wanted to make sure we didn’t spend too many hours in the car traveling with our girls – knowing they wouldn’t be fans of 8+ hour drives between camping spots.

It definitely took some time and thought and ultimately we made some updates with our plans when we were camping. My advice is remain flexible. We also recommend booking your camping spots in advance. Many campgrounds are booking quickly and you don’t want to miss a spot! A lot of couples and families have the same idea right now as far as camping for their preferred way to travel and explore. (Camping Book linked here.)

Tip: We were able to make adjustments to our plans within the cancellation windows and did get lucky with some last minute bookings but it is a risk you take and you have to be prepared with alternative plans.

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Even our dog Mavis was nice and cozy in our Airstream! She loved our camping trip so much 🙂

Our Airstream Camping Trip Itinerary

We departed from San Diego, California where we live and headed up the coast going north. We wanted to enjoy the drive by the ocean and show the girls our beautiful coastline.

Paso Robles:

Our 1st stop was The Vines RV Resort in Paso Robles. We stayed for 1 night on our way to Yosemite. The Vines was clean and right off the freeway so it made it the perfect 1 night stop to break up the drive. Definitely recommend for a quick spot but not necessarily for long term stays.

Yosemite:

In the morning we packed up and headed out from Paso Robles to Yosemite Lakes Campground. Yosemite Lakes is a Thousand Trails Campground. It was fairly close to the entrance of Yosemite, clean and not super crowded which was nice. There was a beautiful creek on site and the girls had a chance to swim and cool off.

We loved it there and it was a great place to re-group after exploring and hiking Yosemite. We hiked, explored and tried our hardest to beat the heat – it was definitely toasty when we were there! We felt really grateful we were able get a park pass as soon as they were made available a few months ago. The passes helped to make the park less crowded and help maintain social distance. We did still wear our masks on trails when we had to pass others.

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We took the girls to the historic Ahwahnee Hotel within Yosemite. It is one of our favorite hotels and remains open – just need to wear a mask. It was really cool to be able to explore the hotel without the summer crowds. I was so inspired but all of the decor and architecture – sooo beautiful!

Highly recommend putting Ahwahnee Hotel on your must see list!

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Lake Tahoe:

We stayed in Yosemite Lakes for 2 nights and then headed to Lake Tahoe. The drive from Yosemite to Lake Tahoe was beautiful. When we arrived in Lake Tahoe we were excited to see all the large pine trees that provided a nice shady campground sites.

Tahoe Valley Campground is another Thousand Trails campground and it was nice but definitely more crowded than Yosemite. We didn’t get to explore Lake Tahoe as much as we would have like since I ended up with food poisoning and a lot of the beaches were packed and parking was full. We did enjoy the time at the campground and took in all of the beautiful scenery.

We would love to go back when it’s less crowded someday!

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Carmel:

After 3 nights in Lake Tahoe we headed to Carmel where we stayed at Carmel by the River RV Park. This was one of our most favorite RV parks. It was quaint and quiet and well maintained. We explored Del Monte beach and our favorite spots in Monterey.

Bodega Bay, Sonoma County + Redwoods:

We then headed up to Bodega Bay. We took the girls and Eloise over the Golden Gate Bridge and stopped at my favorite lookout point. We hadn’t planned on going to Bodega Bay but we met the sweetest couple (also fellow Airstreamers) who said it was one of their favorite RV campgrounds.

Dion and I love the area surrounding Bodega Bay and had been there on our 1st wedding anniversary. We were excited to share it with the girls. We were so lucky to get 3 nights at the Bodega Bay RV Resort. Another one of our favorites during the trip.

We explored Bodega Bay and Bodega Head which reminds me of a mini Big Sur. It’s absolutely gorgeous and there a walking and hiking trails along the coastline with this incredible view.

We headed to the town of Bodega to check out the cute Country Store to buy some local treats and also to see some of the notable landmarks from the movie The Birds – do you recognize the telephone booth and church? The old school house is now privately owned and I would have loved to get inside for a tour of this historic beauty! Ha!

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We also stopped at my favorite little town Occidental on the way to Armstrong Redwoods State Reserve.

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Favorite Local Eats & Treats in and Near Bodega Bay:

Chowder & Fish:

• We dined local at Fishetarian Fish Market and had the most delicious fish, clam chowder and crab sandwhiches. It always feels good to support local businesses with takeout.

Ice Cream:

• Screaming Mimi’s in Sebastopol has the most amazing ice cream – we headed there after our redwoods hike.

Saltwater Taffy:

• We stocked up on the most delicious salt water taffy at Patrick’s Taffy. We loved the pink & white stripe theme.

We explored the coast, went to Goat Rock Beach which has the prettiest colored rocks and the view is gorgeous! We stopped at our favorite winery Iron Horse to grab some bottles of wine and explored the beautiful Armstrong Redwoods.

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Armstrong Redwoods Natural Reserve is the perfect way to enjoy an easy hike and the majestic redwoods.

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My second visit to Armstrong didn’t disappoint. I could stare at these magnificent trees all day long. The girls and Dion absolutely loved every minute!

Our youngest took this pic and told us we had to kiss! She captured this moment beautifully.

This is a stunning view from Iron Horse Winery. This picture doesn’t do it justice!

We were sad to leave Bodega Bay and the surrounding Sonoma County area – even though it was foggy and cooler weather we actually loved the break from the heat! We can’t wait to plan another trip back there.

Monterey:

After leaving Bodega Bay we decided to stop back in Monterey to break up our drive home. This time we stayed at Marina Dunes which is right on the beach. It was such a cool campground with beach access and the staff were extremely friendly and nice.

Paso Robles:

After spending 1 night at Marina Dunes we then headed back to Paso Robles to stay at the new campground by Sun RV Resorts called Cava Robles. This RV resort was one of the nicest RV resorts I’ve ever been to. It was built in 2018 so everything is new, clean and well maintained.

We had a beautiful spot and enjoyed a night there before heading home the next day to San Diego. We can’t wait to check out Cava Robles again in the fall or winter when the temps are a little cooler in Paso Robles.

Overall we learned so much during our Airstream camping trip. Mostly about being away from home for 2 weeks. Our girls realized how much they love camping and our beloved Airstream. They also realized how much they appreciate the home we have created for them. On a couple of occasions they did get a little homesick but we were able to talk through their feelings, normalize them and give them opportunities to express them.

Getting out, exploring new areas and being in nature was what we all needed after being home quarantined for so long at home.

It was a great opportunity for the girls to learn all about their beautiful state of California, national parks and how to go with the flow.

What to know some exciting news??

We sold Eloise and are getting a new Airstream – different style and a little bigger for our future camping adventures – I can’t wait to share more of our new Airstream with you all very soon! Now what should we name our new one??

Have a camping question? Add it in the comments below!

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