San Mateo County Memorial Park

"Best Camping on the Peninsula"

We were introduced to Memorial Park by classmates from my daughter's school.  They reserve Homestead Flats Group site # 6.  This woodsy spot is heaven for kids.  It has it all- a cool river, banana slugs, towering redwoods, huge hollowed out logs that are perfect for forts and make believe.  There is even a rope swing nearby at Site 1.  We didn't check it out, but the older kids loved it.  This group site is massive.  There are miles of room for multiple families to enjoy privacy.  Despite 20 people being in camp, nobody was in anyone else's hair.

The shady redwood groves, and soft, thick pine mulch create a heavy, peaceful silence.  Forget the tent.  All you need is a hammock and you are good to go.

UPDATE:

Sadly sadly sadly, due to budget cuts, the massive, woodsy group site at Memorial Park are closed indefinitely.  You can, however, stay in the individual sites, which vary in quality and privacy.   The sites are pretty small, but they are shady, and still have plenty of huge trees to explore.  Pescadero Creek is wonderful for summertime wading, and on weekend evenings, the park shows family movies at the big screen amphitheatre.  This is an ideal "first camping" experience for Peninsula families.