Petaluma Coast Guard RV Campground

Okay, here is the Cliff Notes version of my 14 days here:

1. There is only one (1) gate where you can enter the base. When I asked them how to get to the campground at the gate, they told me to follow Pennsylvania Ave all the way to the park. DO NOT DO THAT! It will drag you through base housing for almost a mile at 15 MPH with so many speed bumps I lost track. Take Pennsylvania Ave, but turn LEFT onto Colorado Ave (right before the gas station) and follow that to Wisconsin then turn RIGHT onto Wisconsin Ave and follow that around and it connects you back into Pennsylvania Ave and you get to skip all the base housing shenanigans :-) There is actually a sign when you are coming from the campground at the intersection of Pennsylvania and Wisconsin that faces the campground and tells you that only base housing traffic should go via Pennsylvania Ave and that all other traffic should use Wisconsin Ave.

2. There are NO sewer hookups - so know this before you get there. I did not, unfortunatley, but not a big deal. There is, however, a dump site right there on the base at the corner of Colorado Ave and Wisconsin Ave and it is also backwards if your sewer pipes are on the drivers side like mine. I had to follow Colorado Ave up past the dump stations about a quarter of a mile and then turn around in this parking lot, and then come back so my sewer was on the same side as the dump station.

3. There are only SIX (6) sites, but they are MASSIVE. In fact, this one site had somebody with a 45+ foot 5th wheel...and then a week later they actually had some friends/family with ANOTHER trailer show up and park in the same space and there was still room in the spot! There is also a bunch of space between the sites.

4. The sites are all BACKWARDS! You might be wondering what I mean by that and here is exactly what I am trying to say: If your city water/electric are on the driver's side like mine are, and you take the first entrance to the campground coming off of Pennsylvania Ave, all of your hookups will be on the opposite side of the spaces water/electric. Of course, this is what I did thinking that the first entrance is the one I should take. You could run everything under your rig if you want, but I don't like having to do that. My advice, if your hookups are on the driver's side, take the 2nd entrance in so you will be aligned with the way the sites are laid out. There might be one space that is the opposite, but all the rest are backwareds. Also, this does mean that your door (like mine was) will be opening towards the other rigs as opposed to opening towards your picnic tables/fire pit/grass.

5. Starlink was off-the-charts awesome. I was averaging 150 down/20 up for all 14 days. My AT&T hotspot had max bars of 5G Ultra Wide Band and my T-Mobile hotspot had max bars of 5G the entire time. Even my phone, which is Verizon, had 3 bars of 5G...and Verizon is usually terrible on the west coast.

6. Checking in: Remember, spots are first-come first-served so definitely get down to the campground and get your spot and get all set up and then you will have to head up to The Hub. The Hub is in this little shopping center type area next to the gymnasium/church/movie theater. When you walk in the automatic doors you go about 10 feet and then go right down the hall about 10 feet and they actually tape your reservation paper on the window there. Be sure to put that in a window that they can see through in your rig.

7. Deer and Wild Turkeys: They are EVERYWHERE and they don't even pay attention to you. If I didn't know that this was a Coast Guard base, I would have thought it was a petting zoo. LOL.

8. Fire Pits: Every site had a fire pit and you could actually use them! I came all the way down The 101 from Washington state and you could not do a fire at any of my 6-7 stops...so I thought this was really cool.

9. Other Military Bases: I get the comment by the previous reviewer about some of the other bases like Widbey Island. I was at Widbey Island for 14 days in September and that park is just on another level with the ocean views and the seclusion - no argument there. The price is the same $50 a night and I get that Petaluma doesn't have sewer hookups or ocean views, but you are not going to find $50 a night camping with water, electric (the hookups were all 30 AMP in my site) and 30 minutes to wine country, 30 minutes to Bodega Bay, and 30 minutes to Santa Rosa - and access to everything on the base - including the security and peace of mind that comes with camping on a military base where you can't get on without an ID. So while it is not Widbey Island, it is still an easy 5-star stay for me.

10. Quiet: It was DEAD quiet at night...you can't hear any traffic or anything coming from base housing. It was really, really nice.

11: Gym/Showers/Sauna: With no sewer hookups, you might be wondering about showers. I just went up to the gym which had some great showers (you just scan your military ID - or dependent ID in my case) and I don't know about the women's side, but the men's locker room even has a sauna!!! Same of

12. Gas Prices: Using the gas station on base is going to save you about .50 cents a gallon as opposed to buying your gas off base. I noticed that right away after paying $5.69 for 87 regular in Santa Rosa...and then seeing the base price of $4.99 a gallon. (November 2023)

13. Lucky #13: The manure smell. Yes, there is definitely a manure smell that you are greated with from time to time. It wasn't constant, but it is definitely there a lot. Ironically, I didn't smell anything while in my trailer, but once you crack the door, you can definitely smell it. It was strongest in the AM for sure, but definitely not the end of the world.

Again, this place is 5 stars all the way for me and I can't wait to stay here again. Like others have said, if they added sewer hookups, this place would be INCREDIBLE!!! Enjoy your stay!!!

This is a quiet campground located on the USCG base Petaluma. About 40 minutes to Napa and Sonoma. We stayed here in May 2023. I think we would have loved this pretty campground if it weren't for all of the goosepoop that covered the roads, fields and campsites and the tall grass around the campsites. Base ammenities did not opperate on schedules posted. The website claims there are bathrooms available but the ladies room was one small room with a toilet and sink and a broken glass window.
Water and Electric only for 50??? We stayed in Oak harbor WA for the same price with beautiful views, mowed grass, nice clean restrooms and weekly activities.
We stayed at Travis AFB the week following . Full hook ups for 35.00. Also about 40 min to Napa .

This campground is located within the Coast Guard Training Center — Petaluma, and only available to eligible personnel affiliated with the military.

The sites are all concrete parallel pull-through with 30 amp power (dual 30A receptacles), water, two picnic benches per site, a fire ring, a dedicated trash can, and a manicured lawn. It is immaculate. There are six widely spaced sites. Any rig should be able to pull in with ease. The lake is adjacent and has picnic areas and a playground.

Reservations can be made online, but the sites are first-come, first-serve. There isn’t a formal check in/out process either (despite what the sign says). Just show your receipt upon request.

No sewage connections are provided. There is a dump station not far away, but it is on the wrong side and requires one to go down the road, turn around in a parking lot, drive back, and pull into the dump station while driving on the wrong side of the road.

Geese are quite numerous, with some turkeys and deer.

The campground is in a quiet corner of an already quiet base. There’s no traffic driving by, and speed limits on the base are very low anyway (15 mph here). No long term site rentals.