San Francisco RV Resort - Thousand Trails

In SF for work. While there is another RV park with better access to BART, the tradeoff here is a MUCH better view and walk-ability to stores and restaurants. It's a bit of a parking lot, no space to drop your awning. Facilities are clean. AT&T data coverage is awesome, Verizon data coverage is good. Pricey, but so are the few other RV parks that have convenient downtown access.

When traveling to San Francisco, there aren't many choices for RV parks. We had read good reviews about San Francisco RV Resort but hesitated since it basically looks like a parking lot. However, it is a parking lot that is right on the ocean! We found this park to be a great base camp for exploring the city. It would not be a park you'd select if you were planning to spend a lot of time in the park.

San Francisco RV Resort sits about 20 minutes outside of the city, with easy access to the interstate and public transportation. The town of Pacifica has great restaurants and shops, meaning you won't have to go all the way into the city for those conveniences. The park is very clean and has a large, bright bathhouse. Our boys enjoyed the pool, even though it was only 55 degrees outside.

The best part of this park is the ocean views. We didn't stay in one of the spots that directly overlooks the ocean, but we enjoyed walking down to the edge of the park to watch the sunset one evening. The park doesn't have direct ocean access, but it's a short drive to local beaches.

We had one of the cheapest spots in the park since it was inland and very short, but we had an end site, which gave us a small picnic area to enjoy. The oceanside spots are beautiful but do not have any hookups (not even electricity).

We would definitely stay at San Francisco RV Resort again if returning to the city. It perfectly met our needs.

This RV "Resort" is literally a paved parking lot with lines painted to mark the spaces. The spaces are extremely tight and alternate between back-in and pull-in, so you end up sharing your camping side with the RV next to you, while on the other side your slide-outs are almost touching your neighbor's slide-outs. There are quite a lot of permanent-looking RVs in the park, some not in the best condition. Many are covered in rust and look like they haven't been moved in years. I wish I could say being right on the ocean was a plus, but it was completely foggy, windy, and cold all three days we stayed, and the wind off the ocean left our motorhome and car coated in salt spray (after just three days there we could not see through our car's windows and had to wash them down before driving). There is a decent-sized on-leash dog area at one end of the park. Near the dog area is an entrance to a walking path that leads out of the RV Park and into the nearby neighborhood. There's no beach access anywhere due to heavy erosion, but the walking path opens up some options for longer walks. The reservation staff was helpful at locating a space for us where our ramp for our older dog would fit (some of the sites are so close together the ramp wouldn't fit). Just looking at the park itself we'd have rated it lower. However, we give it an extra point for being relatively close to downtown San Francisco, given that there are very limited options in this area. We stayed here specifically for the convenience of visiting San Francisco (about a 30 minute drive to downtown). In the future we'll likely try another nearby option, but would return here in a pinch if necessary. Although the nightly rate was $71, with taxes it came to $83 per night, and they do not give a Good Sam discount. We stayed in April 2015.

While this place isn't the most glamorous and is just a parking lot essentially, it really is close to San Francisco and other amenities.

We had a pull-thru spot near the entrance and felt safe here. Pacifica is actually a cute town with interesting history. We fell in love with the little Italian restaurant in the strip mall walking distance from the park and were able to walk to Starbucks to download and upload videos for work. There is a grocery store and a small coffee shop also walking distance. A beautiful dog park a little north as well (also walking distance) is also worth checking out if you have a pup. In the park there are areas you can hangout that overlook the ocean and whale watch. If you're wanting to head to SF, hoping on an Uber is super easy.

The rates were a bit pricey during the time we stayed and there is no staying over 3 weeks if you're not long term. The laundry room was clean and convenient and though we didn't swim in the pool it looks nice and refreshing for a hot day. The park is right off the interstate and you are pilled onto your neighbor so privacy can't be a main priority. Water pressure was oddly sporadic. They have cable and make sure to call to reserve your spot if it says online they are booked. They were able to play with the books a little to accommodate us. Oh, and you can pay for a month of WiFi that really came in handy for us working on the road.

Don't forget, you're paying for proximity to the city.

Great location in Pacifica, CA right on the Pacific Ocean by the cliff (we saw whales!) and close to the sights, sounds and action of bustling San Francisco. We stayed here for 8 nights in July and really enjoyed our stay. That said, it's important to share a few key points to help manage expectations and know what you are arriving to. First this place was easy to find and access with our 36' motorhome with our GPS. The staff were very friendly, accommodating and professional. We would consider it more of an RV "park" than a resort - it is NOT a campground with picnic tables, fire rings, space and trees... seriously, if you were looking for that would you head for San Francisco!? But it's a great and pleasant spot close to the city and located right on the ocean. If situated close to the cliffside as we were, you can hear - and maybe even see the ocean - from your site. Pacifica is experiencing cliff erosion, and some apartments and homes have had to be demolished for safety. Sadly, this RV park has had to close about 50 of their premium ocean facing RV sites for safety reasons and there is now wire fencing to keep people away from the cliff edge. But we were in a pull thru about 3 sites from the ocean and could still see it from our front window through the wire fences. We had to disconnect our tow vehicle to properly pull into our site #180 as it was a tight turn. Sites are definitely narrower than many RV parks - our slides were close to our neighbors, but everyone we met was friendly and turnover is pretty high (most people seem to only stay 1-3 nights). Remember you are in/near a major city - but it's not designed for staying in your RV and camping outside, it's for those of us who want to explore San Francisco and have a safe, comfortable place to stay in your RV while doing it! You can get public transport into the city which makes it very convenient and the Office has all that info along with sightseeing brochures and activities in the welcome center where they serve free coffee every day. This is an especially great option for people in rental RVs (we saw many here) who don't have a tow vehicle and/or don't want the hassle of driving, traffic and parking (which is EXPENSIVE and hard to find in SF) and want to leave their RV setup at the RV park so you can head to head out and explore, rather than packing down your RV to do it (as so many vans, Class Bs and Cs have to do). We spent a good couple of hours whale watching from the cliff and loved it - they love to hang out there and some come fairly close to shore. This RV park is an easy 4-5 minute walk to the Safeway supermarket and amenities like USPS, Walgreens, restaurants and gas stations... They also have a heated pool and hot tub and a sizable laundry with plenty of machines. Very clean and well maintained. It's not inexpensive (rates can go as high as $111+ a night) but remember, you are right on the ocean and close to the heart of SanFran in your RV and it's still cheaper than most hotels. If you are expecting full-on uninterrupted ocean views and/or a spacious site with a campground ambience, you will be disappointed. That said, we enjoyed our stay, will return and would also recommend to others, WITH the caveat that you know what to expect and focus on the pros of being in a prime oceanfront location near San Francisco, the Golden Gate Bridge, Alcatraz, FIsherman's Wharf etc and also an easy drive down scenic Highway 1 to Santa Cruz (about 1.5 hours). Disclaimer: We stayed here for a total of 8 nights, part of our stay was comped through Encore's blogger outreach program - we were invited to visit and write a review on our website/blog about it at www.RVLove.com. However, we opted to extend our stay and pay for additional nights (which we get at a discounted rate through our Thousand Trails/RPI camping membership - more about how we do that also on our blog. Our opinions are our own and cannot be bought and this is our honest review of San Francisco RV Resort.

We stayed here with our motorhome in order to be close to SF. We took Uber or Lyft into the city which on average cost 25$. Public transit take about an hour and a half each way. At 111$ plus the 50$ we spent getting to the city we might consider Airbnb-ing it next time while we visiting the city.

Nevertheless, the location is all this place has going for it. It's a giant asphalt parking lot. The service hookups need attention. The spots are so tight our slide-out was almost touching our neighbors' and your picnic table is wedged between your rig and the neighbors. The spots alternate direction. The ocean view is beautiful albeit obstructed by a big chainlink fence because of major shoreline erosion.

Staff was friendly and helpful.

Short drone video I made of the RV Park
https://youtu.be/dLBwF9A6Xi8

Check in was easy although the people in the office could be a little friendlier.

This is a great location if your looking for easy access to the SF area. We took Uber into SF to do the touristy stuff. On average it cost us about $25 one way. It sounds somewhat pricey but I thought it was worth to not have to fight the traffic and to find a parking spot.
This was our first time in SF and it's way bigger than I thought it was. I would have hated to drive in the city.

The sites are very close together but we didn't really mind to much since we were gone pretty much all day, everyday.

We stayed in site 139 which faced the ocean. This is now the waterfront section since the previous sites are gone due to erosion.

There is a Safeway Grocery store & Walgreens within walking distance.

Also, if you want to take a drive down the Pacific Coast Highway, all you have to do is take a right when you leave the RV park and the onramp to HWY 1 is right there. We took a drive from the RV park down to Santa Cruz and loved the jaw dropping scenery.

We would definitely stay here again.

This park faces the ocean and the real estate rates are thru the roof in this part of California. The retail rack rate for this park is about $90 a night but our Thousand Trails membership gets it for $20 night.

This park is on a cliff, that is falling into the Pacific, and many of the front sites are closed off because of the cliff. Our pull thru site had a small grassy area next to it but the rest of the park is entirely asphalt. The sites are tight and the traffic noise is constant.

On the positive side, its a short drive into San Francisco and you can walk to Starbucks, Safeway, Ace Hardware, an automotive store and a really nice bakery. This park is a good deal if you have Thousand Trails discounts.

As I prepared for our time in San Francisco, I researched a ton of RV parks/state parks. I decided on this one since it seemed to be the “best”. It is so grossly overpriced, look for another option. It is a parking lot with no room for chairs, other’s slides, bike parking, etc. I nearly hit the neighbors slide as I walked to my truck. The claim is that it’s close to SF, which it is from a mileage perspective and if there weren’t any traffic. As many of you know, the traffic can be difficult to get anywhere fast. So, don’t assume that this location will get you to the downtown area quickly. When we go to SF again, we will look to the east, north, and even farther south. We would have been better off driving farther than paying these prices.

We really enjoyed this park. Especially the proximity to San Francisco. It's a quick train ride into the city and is located near shops and restaurants.

It can get very windy, the laundry is a little pricey and the sites are very close together. Otherwise it had everything we needed. A great location, clean bath houses, free wifi in the country store and pay as you go wifi at the sites. Good amenities like a children's park, pic-nic tables, a pool, and a jacuzzi. The staff was friendly and helpful too.

We would definitely stay here again. If you end up booking this campground be sure to check out Half Moon Bay which is a quick drive down the road from the campground.

Check out the review here: https://youtu.be/INpOkl4EC3Q