Manchester State Campground

Really nice place to stay, stayed 3 nights. Several of the sites are screened from each other by cypress trees, and face out across the wetlands and dunes to the hills. Very quiet campground. A nice place to go to relax in nature. Mendo coast weather can be unpredictable, but we had mostly nice weather, tho cold at dinnertime (then it would warm up again). Definitely worth the $ 7 for firewood. Camp host was very nice. The bigger concrete bathrooms (with pit toilets) were well kept and weren’t bad… the smaller outhouse style ones were best avoided.
Anyway, we loved it, and would gladly come back. Oh, one tip… in mid summer, the better sites can get scooped up by mid Saturday, so get there early Saturday or sometime Friday (even late in the day Friday). Otherwise, no problem getting sites any time.

Manchester and I go way back. Her sandy beaches, chilly Pacific waters, grassy dunes, and beautiful remoteness imprinted a coastal calling long ago which has stayed with me.
Beginning with memorable, awkward, majestic family trips as a kid, and continuing with getaways of freedom during the college years. It was nice to take a recent visit down memory lane here with siblings a couple months ago. And it will be good to continue the circle with my own family someday and pass the beauty of the California coast on.
When one has romantic thoughts of the rugged northern California coast, Manchester is what you conjure up. I’m not a fan of California – even though it’s my birthplace and home, but places like the northern California coast always bring me back.
Manchester Beach State Campground is in the middle of it all. Just north of Point Arena, Manchester (which is actually a teeny tiny town) is a place one could easily zip past while cruising the PCH, but if you want a pit stop or a cool place to camp for the night do stop here. Yes, drive past the KOA Campground, and continue a few yards down the road to Manchester State Campground.
In my dreams, I seem to remember the campground being just a few dunes away from the water, but now the campground is a bit of a jaunt away. It looks like wildlife/​vegetation protection has either moved the campground or made beach access a little more of a trek. So, after we set up our tents, we drove down the road to an area closer to the water, parked here and walked toward the beach (one may be able to hike here, but it was late, and we wanted to make it for the sunset). For us, we only made it to a small bluff above the beach – this is because there was a cut of water from the ocean which blocked our access; I think one could walk a ways northward to get onto the beach though.
Back at the campground, the setting is as I remember it – a handful of primitive camping spots complete with a picnic table and fire ring (we made smores and watched a fire as the wind howled during the night). Many of the spots are offered protection from the Pacific winds by willowy old trees with stories to tell.
I’m not going to lie. Sleeping was rough. We were here on a windy night and my tent juked & jived the night away. But this is all a part of it.
o I’ll not forget that night with my bro & sis.
o I’ll never forget the noise of the wind against the grass and trees.
o I’ll never forget the sand under me.
Manchester & the northern California coast is where memories stay with you.

Rocked up at the break of dusk!
Thank heavens, as I was definitely driving on sleepy eyes.
Other than the two other campers, I was all alone in Manchester.
It got pretty cold that night and I seriously considered knocking down a few dead trees for a bonfire. But a clearer head prevailed.
I drank.
Mmmm
Warmth in my belly.
Skip the KOA down the road and stay here.

This would be my first official camping trip … where someone else packed the truck, pitched the tent and cooked the food. I sat around the camp fire and drank. I don’t have another point of reference so since I had a good time and would be willing to camp again, 5 stars. It was a nice drive here from the Bay Area … can go via 128 through the windy redwood forest roads or down along Highway 1 by the coast.
$ 15 per night per camping spot, which includes 3 cars. Each additional car is $ 6 extra per night. Running water … though you probably shouldn’t drink it. Non flushing toilets in the outhouse … but well stocked with toilet paper and enough chemicals so it didn’t smell too bad. 5 minute walk from the beach where you had to descend a man made ladder. Each camping spot included a fire pit and a large picnic table.
Skunks visited us at night and ate all the food our drunk asses left laying around on the table.

Spent Labor Day ’08 weekend there and was upset to find out that they have now fenced off the area where they closed off the campsites, leaving NO ACCESS TRAIL TO THE BEACH FROM THE CAMPGROUND! You could slip under the fence if you want, but finding the old trail is now near impossible, plus you are now trudging around in what is supposed to be environmentally protected area.
Why not make a new trail around the fenced off area???
Besides this, the campground remains quiet and still has it’s charm that I dig so much…