Russian River Thousand Trails

We managed to score a site at the top of the hill with a large side yard and more privacy, but many of the sites are very small. Lots of woodpeckers and quail keep you entertained. Amenities were closed due to COVID. Accessing the river requires hiking over a rocky area but there are some very nice little spots near the river to spend your afternoons. WIFI available for a fee.

We stayed here in early November 2020. It is very cramped. Lots of spots crammed together (pictures made it look more spacious). People that ran the place were nice enough. Lots of leaves all over the place (not great maintenance of the grounds. Lots of full time folks and some neighbors that made us feel a little leery. We wouldn't stay here again.

I thought Russian River was just fine. There are some reviews that complain about the narrow roads and uneven sites but I didn't think it was as bad as others mentioned. Not much difference from many other Thousand Trails campgrounds. I was able to get my 43' fifth wheel in without a problem. There are plenty of large sites available but you have to be selective to get a level one. You'll want to scout out a location so that you don't have to drive through all the loops to find a spot.

Most sites have power and water but no sewer. There is a dump station on the main road through the campground. The campground is along the Russian River and has a nice rocky beach area. It is close to the town of Cloverdale which is small but has some basic grocery and restaurants. Take the north Geysers exit to avoid the vinyards and farm land to the south where the road is curvy and rougher. It's drivable but it's quicker to get to the highway to the north instead. If you are around at the right time of the year make sure to head north about 20 miles and stop by the farm to get strawberries. They were the best I've tasted in many years!

Along Geysers road there were several abandoned RV's 1/2 mile from the campground and the area was a bit sketchy looking with people hanging out stripping parts from them. Not sure how long they have been there but apparently the city doesn't care. There are signs along the road stating it is OK to park up to 72 hours but the RV dump looked to be months old.

I was able to get AT&T and T-Mobile cell service but speeds were under 5Mbps. It may have been the spot I was at because others have mentioned better connectivity. It was a bit slow working remotely at times.

Overall, I would visit again. It's a nice stop along 101 and I thought the campground was fine.

We like this TT and would come back. Cel servive was adequate and WIFI was fine at the lodge.

First the not greats: Unless you are lucky enough to get a good site (we did, but only of you can drive into it)... the sites are VERY close together for a wooded Rv park... like super close, almost touching and some sites when you open your door you might fall right down a hill! Its very hard to manuever a big rig in this park... no where to turn around... steep narrow passage ways. The park should do everything they can to help (like cut tree branches, move dumpsters away from the road... ) its also a P in the B to dump (and manuever around dumptsers). The $35 to dump via honey pot is too expensive too.

I wish we could have experienced the amenities, but its covid time.

The GOOD: We got a good site (the best in my opinion). The park is very clean, the rangers all seemed very courteous and friendly. The bathrooms were clean and shower areas with plent of space to dry off.

What we loved was the private beach on the river. Really pretty, we went from one end of the park on the ruver in tubes all the way down to the other, its crowded on the beach on weekends, but we like to meet people so that was fine with us.

I would agree with several others posting for this campground. It's one of my favorite TT campgrounds. The river access is nice and this time of year the water is low but still enough to play in and may even be better for younger children.

Roads are narrow but paved. A big plus for TT campgrounds. It's so much better than eating dust your entire stay. All sites are 30 Amps with water. They do have a "Honey Wagon" for $10 very reasonable. Sites are typical TT standards. Some are small and many are odd-shaped, but there are some nice ones if you're lucky enough.

The facilities were mostly closed here due to COVID, but the campground was maintained better than most TT campgrounds. I also agree with others that the staff was very friendly. The campground was packed on the weekends! Probably due to the COVID lockdown.

This site is not bad, nit is next to the Russian river and is cool to soak in during the day, the site is close to most of the major attractions in the Area ( winery) but most have limited capacity during the world of COVID.

About the location

Roads a very narrow and most of the sites are not that level.
septic No
Water Yes
30 AMP ( power was not very reliable during our visit)
Dump Station Yes
Wood Fires NO
Gas fire rings Yes

As you drive in you will pass a group of dry campers on the side of the road that will give you a sketchy feeling. All and all this is a pleasant location but not during the heat of the summer, the temp hit 102 during our visit. the river is clean and clear and is wonderfully cool. Bring a float or raft. you can put in at the overpass and float back home to the camp site.

One of my favorite TT campgrounds. I was lucky enough to be caught here during the stay-in-place orders, and really glad this was where I stayed.

The grounds are beautiful with access to the river and a huge off-lease area for your dogs. Birds of all kinds greet you in the morning. It is small and hilly, and that’s fine with me.

Best staff at any TT campground, they are hard working, kind, and keep the place in good shape. It makes me upset that TT pays hard working adults minimum wage. They deserve a living wage.

Cellular data is difficult here, but there is WiFi available from Jabba if you need it.

Negatives are some road noise from 101 and distance to shops. There is a very small store and chuck wagon. I’d love it if TT would make deals with food trucks like the Bend park.

We work in NoCal and are part of the TT network so stay here a lot. We are very new to the RV life as we just bought our first camper in August 2019. We have a 40ft Class A. We have made some mistakes that have resulted in damage but this was not the CG fault. It was due to our inexperience driving something this huge. The campground is very hilly and there are some pretty tight turns. We tried to make a turn that was too tight for a 40ft. Class A and ended up dragging the front ?bumper on the curb which cracked it. Now, we always arrive during the day so we get good visibility and we think we can avoid these mishaps going forward. Again, it was not this CG fault in any way, just something to be cautious about. The staff has been very supportive and accommodating. The setting is so beautiful. The Russian River is just a short walk from the CG and one of the main reasons we love this place is we can take our dogs down to the river to run and play. There is a rocky beach at the river. It is surrounded by mountains/hills and kind of protected so taking the dogs down there is great fun and we can use a chuck it to throw balls for them to run. There is a dump station although they've recently had some trouble with it so that it is not always available. But they compensate with a truck service during the week. The park is clean and quiet. We haven't had any trouble getting satellite reception except when it's raining hard with lots of clouds. They have outside internet service available for a charge and offer different levels of speed depending on your needs. I do encrypted video chats as part of my work and have had good results. On the road leading to the entrance(about 1/3 mile away), there are some folks boon docking along the side of the road. This has not been an issue as far as accessing the park and mainly just an issue for the town of Cloverdale. They keep it pretty orderly and don't seem to bother anyone. Overall, we have been very happy with this place and encourage you to give it a try. Don't be afraid of the terrain, just go slow and watch carefully!

We loved our stay at this TT in Cloverdale! Our site was on a hill that gave us a nice size front yard for the kids and dogs to hang. Bathrooms were clean and the showers were hot! Kids enjoyed the playground and riding their bikes throughout the park. Russian River is just a short walk from camp and is beautiful! We stayed here during Easter weekend and we can’t thank the staff for putting together an amazing Easter weekend itinerary! From an egg hunt to Easter breakfast and everything in between! - they truly did such a great job! Big heads up - this park is under new management (about a year) and from conversations I had with other visitors has changed so much! We highly recommend this campground!