If you’re thinking about camping near Santa Rosa, Spring Lake Regional Park is a great option. It’s a small, family-friendly campground right by the lake, with plenty of room for kids to explore and lots of things to do nearby. In this post, we’ll walk you through the campsites, amenities, and all the fun activities around Spring Lake so you can decide if it’s the right fit for your next trip.
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Campsite Details
Spring Lake Campground is a Sonoma County Regional Park located right in the center of Santa Rosa, California. It accommodates both tents and trailers, with a maximum trailer length of 31 feet. The parking pads are paved and most are fairly level, which makes setup simple. Sites are generally large, giving kids room to explore and providing enough personal space even though the campground itself is small.
Hookups & Dump Station
Spring Lake is a dry campground, meaning there are no individual water or electrical hookups. However, drinking water is available, and spigots are located throughout the campground so RV campers can easily fill their fresh water tanks. A dump station is located on-site as well.
Campsite Layout & Amenities
Campsites don’t offer much privacy since there isn’t dense vegetation between sites, but the open layout rarely feels like a problem due to the spacious design. Every site comes with a tall metal fire pit, a metal bear box, and a picnic table.
Facilities & Supplies
Nearby, you’ll find flush toilets, showers, and trash and recycling bins. While the campground does not have a store, its central location in Santa Rosa makes it extremely easy to run out and grab anything you forgot.
Internet
There is no campground Wi-Fi, but cell service is strong. Our Verizon connection worked very well, providing a reliable internet signal throughout our stay.
Trees & Animals
The campground is surrounded primarily by oak trees, which offer a classic Northern California environment. And for wildlife, it is common to see deer around camp, turkey appear from time to time, and down by the water you’ll find ducks and other water birds.
Activities
Spring Lake offers a wide variety of things to do for families, nature lovers, and casual campers:
Walk or Bike the Lake Loop
A paved path circles the lake, perfect for strollers, bikes, and dogs. It’s an easy, scenic trail accessible right from the campground.
Fitness Circuit
Along the paved loop is an 18-stop fitness circuit, which kids especially enjoy exploring.
Fishing
The lake provides several great fishing spots along the shoreline.
Kayaking
You can launch your own kayak from the boat launch near the campground, or rent kayaks at Howarth Park, which is still part of Spring Lake and has its own separate launch area.
Swimming Lagoon
Swimming at Spring Lake takes place at the Spring Lake Swimming Lagoon. The lagoon is seasonal, typically open from Memorial Day to Labor Day, and features a sandy beach area and a seasonal inflatable water park. After the season ends, there are usually a few weekends when dogs are allowed to swim in the lagoon.
Environmental Discovery Center
This small, interactive museum is located within the park and is especially fun for younger kids.
Additional Trails
Beyond the main paved loop, there are several dirt trails throughout the area. They are all dog-friendly and great for exploring.
Walk to Howarth Park
A little over a mile from the campground, Howarth Park is a kid-favorite. It features multiple playgrounds, climbing structures, a finger skateboard park, and seasonally there is a train, merry-go-round, and petting zoo. You can also rent a paddle boat and feed some ducks.
Explore Santa Rosa
Because you’re camping right in the middle of Santa Rosa, it’s easy to enjoy the local restaurant, shopping, and brewery scene without a long drive or big time commitment.
If you’re interested in exploring the local brewery scene, Santa Rosa has some fantastic options. Our favorites are HenHouse Brewing Company, Russian River Brewing Company, and Fogbelt Brewing Company which are all close by and worth visiting.
Camping Costs
The current cost to stay at Spring Lake Regional Park is $41 per night.
The Best Campsites
- Site 2
- This site has a long parking pad so it’s easy to park a trailer, it also has lots of space and rocks the kids enjoyed climbing on. It is close to the road, but it typically isn’t a very busy road.
- If you are camping with friends, campsite 3 works well with site 2. The parking pad is much shorter, it would probably be best with a trailer around 20 feet, but the camp areas between site 2 and 3 could work well for a group.
- Site 5
- This is the best pull-through site at the campground. (All other pull-throughs are right on the road.) It is a smaller site and right next to the trail to the lake, but it has nice views and some privacy.
- Site 24
- This is our favorite site. It’s on a corner so you get a lot more space than many of the other sites. The kids enjoying climbing the trees and playing on the rocks around this site.
- If you are camping with friends, campsite 31 works well with site 24. The parking pads are pretty far apart but the campsites back up to each other and give you a large open area.
Recap
Spring Lake is a convenient, activity-filled campground ideal for families and anyone who wants easy access to nature and city amenities.
Here’s a summary of the items you need to know before visiting Spring Lake Regional campground:
| Tents Allowed | Yes |
| Trailers Allowed | Yes |
| Max Trailer Length | 31 Feet |
| Hookups | None |
| Drinking Water | Yes |
| RV Water Fill | Yes |
| Dump Station | Yes |
| Flush Toilets | Yes |
| Showers | Yes |
| Internet | Good |
| Cost | $41/night |
Campground Details:
Spring Lake Regional Park
5585 Newanga Ave, Santa Rosa, CA 95405
Can reserve online at reserve.sonomacountycamping.org. Reservations open 6 months ahead at 12am PST.
