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Schoolhouse Canyon Campground
Rating Details »
Categories: Parks, Campgrounds
12600 River RdGuerneville, CA 95446
(707) 869-2311
Closed for the Season
Due to the weather, we are closed for the season. Thank…
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- Good for Kids:
- Yes
11 reviews for Schoolhouse Canyon Campground
Before you read this let me give you a little background on where I come from and where I am been. I have traveled the world and have met lots of different folks and scene lots of different places. After staying at the campground I thought it imperative I take a moment and write on this funny website called yelp.
let's get something straight, i am not one of those people that spends down time cycling thru mind numbing websites that give people a stage to present their pessimistic /emotional /biased reviews on places of interest. when i see something great i know it, when i meet someone great i know it. And recently both things happened.
my companion and i decided to take a trip to the glorious redowods. being new to northern ca i had heard nothing but wonderful things about the area. i looked at a couple of websites and decided to call Schoolhouse Campground. to be honest, it was a shot in the dark. Chris, the owner, answer the phone and was very friendly and helpful. I told him we needed a place to stay and he said the campground was full but had a some unreserved spots. He answered all my question with patience and professionalism. he didn't rush me and walked me through the process. We headed up on Saturday morning and decided to take detour. When i called and talked with Chris's wife and explain i was just concerned we would not have a place to stay she assured me they would make sure we did.
After spending a little more time than expected heading up there we stopped to call and check in with Chris ( we were now on a first name basis). He said he had three site we coould choose from. When we arrived the campground was just what we were looking for. Close to the redwoods, close to beaches. The campground was clean, the sites well maintained. The bathrooms were some of the best i have seen. The owners Chis and Carina were so warm and welcoming we felt like we were seeing long time friends after a long break. They took the time to make sure they advised us of good places to see, gave tips on places to eat, and were available if we had questions.
The bottom line is this place is great. If you are thinking about spening a day or even a week exploring ods this is the place to make your base camp. The management is A +. and the facilties are great. if you are not into backwood but not quite RV campers this is the place for you.Go to Schoolhouse Campground, put up your tent, build a fire in the fire pit, open a beer and kick back. You won't be disappointed. It is worth the trip and we are already planning the next one. hope to see you there.
Outstanding experience. Chris and family couldn't have been better campground hosts. And we got in the last weekend of the season!
This was my first camping trip with Ivy, age 5.5 (at ths age the .5 means something). 2 nights and yes, I was worried about the 3:00 AM "I want Mommy" wake-up. Didn't happen. Exactly.
We picked a site well away from the bathhouse (very clean) which was quieter.
The second night Ivy woke me up at 3:00 am with "I need to go to the bathroom". Daddy swings into full Dad mode, out the tent, into shoes, Headlamp on.
"Okay, lets go".
"I don't have to go"
"What do you mean"
"I wanted your sleeping bag"
Okay, then. Practical jokes at 3:00 AM. She must be my daughter.
Back to the campground. Sites near the road might be noisy. General Russian River issue. Close to River road is always a problem.
The unexpected fantastic bonus was the River access. Across the road and up 50 yards is a path that leads to the river. It is about a 10 minute walk, and halfway down you can't hear River road anymore. It was too chilly to swim, but the stone skipping was first-rate.
Overall, well deserved 5-stars.
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Chris, the new manager has taken it upon himself to restore the campground, and also did a complete overhaul of the bathroom facilities.
He and his family are very nice people, and I would absolutely recommend this campground to anyone who was looking to camp out! They really care and it shows.
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My husband and I went to Schoolhouse last weekend. As the previous reviewer said - the campground WAS recently renovated and the bathrooms have been redone. They are very clean and freshly painted a nice light green - actually some of the better campground bathing facilities I've seen. The management was very nice and helpful, they had tons of wood on hand for sale. As a note: they only accept cash.
Pros:
- NICE Bathrooms
- Management
- Good location outside of Guerneville, equal distance between Rainbow and Johnson's beaches
- Relaxed atmosphere
Cons:
- Not directly on the river, you're better off driving to one of the nice spots
- Close to the road, so if you're camped at the front of the site you will probably hear cars all night
- Campsites are not very secluded - you will see and hear your neighbors, so if you're looking for a rustic experience this is probably not the place
People thought this was:
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myself my husband our dog and another couple stayed at schoolhouse canyon this weekend, i have to say it was a beautiful campground and very clean...i am not a camper , more a city girl but this would make me want to go back, chris and dave were so nice and it is so great to be able to get away with our dog!!!!
Very affordable they even supply wood for $6, so DONT! go to safeway and get ripped off!!!!
Thanks Chris,
We will be back....
Daire and Lisa Lyne....
We drive up every year from Los Angeles to camp along the north coast and some friends of ours had mentioned School House Campground. We had a great experience there. One of the few super clean, safe camprounds in the area. They are right on the river, we had our own beach, we felt safe leaving our stuff in the car all day, and there was no problem taking our awesome dog. It was so nice to be able to take a clean hot shower, make a campfire after a day lounging by the river, and having the dog with us was a super plus. Supposedly the entire family runs the campground. We really recommend this place!
Schoolhouse Canyon Campground is beautiful and very clean. My family and I have been camping for over 30 years and this trip was definately our favorite. I love the fact that schoolhouse has been family owned for many generations. They really care about you and their campground. I can't wait to visit again.
This campground was recently renovated and reopened under new management. The manager, Chris, was very nice and helpful, the bathroom VERY clean and well maintained. The setting is very nice though some of the camping spots are too close to the road and you can hear the cars driving bay all nice.
We had a great time there.
Just stayed there a week ago. Still a nice campground and now they keep the bathrooms super clean. A bonus!
1 Previous Review: Show all »
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8/5/2009
Phone message says they are closed and not answering messages until at least August 15th! What the… Read more »
Gorgeous setting, and sites far enough from each other that you actually feel like you are "really" camping - not the 'piled on top of each other on a plot of dirt' feel that keeps me from doing more camping.
When we drove in it was so rustic and quaint that I was sold immediately. We were in site #10 about half way back and off the road - and we noticed the further you went back the more beautiful it got. But we could barely hear or see our neighbors - for those two reasons alone - a bit of solitude and a beautiful setting - I give it 4 stars.
Yes, the bathrooms leave a LOT to be desired, so I'm not sure I'd stay longer than a couple of nights, and site #10 had no water or electricity - it seemed like every few sites had one or the other but not both - buy hey, that's camping right!
If you're looking for a day at the spa, this isn't it... but if you want to feel like you're really camping, this is the place I'm coming back to for it's rustic charm and breathing room from your neighbors camp site.
Schoolhouse Canyon Camp (heretofore to be known as "Camp Schoolhouse Rock" by all of us) does not take reservations. It's a bit of a trek (2 miles?) from the blocklong downtown of Guerneville, but if you've got a vehicle, or bikes, it's no problem.
Nestled in a beautiful forest grove of tall, stately trees, Camp Schoolhouse offers relief from the heat of a Guerneville summer. Wandering through the grounds you suspect that you may bump into an ewok or two, or maybe Frodo himself if you turned that corner, shuffling through the leaves that make for a nice floor cover. (ok, so I'm mixing my movie allusions a little - but you probably get the point...)
On a 4th of July weekend, our initial plans for Johnson's beach were out; we arrived in Guerneville a little past 1pm on Saturday 7/1, but Schoolhouse had room for us. By the time we left for a late-afternoon hike, it was full.
There's a joint bathhouse/ restroom facility and dogs are allowed. Prices are very reasonable ($30/ night for a vehicle with 2; and $5/ person/ car afterwards? There's a charge for pets as well.)
