Bay Area camping
(links to pages for parks with hiking, or nearby)

North Bay (Marin, Sonoma, and Napa Counties)
• Angel Island. Hike-in campsites. (For descriptions, go to the Angel Island website)
• Austin Creek State Recreation Area. Tent and backcountry campsites.
• Bothe-Napa Valley State Park. Tent, yurt, and RV campsites.
• China Camp State Park. Walk-in campsites.
• Doran Regional Park. RV and tent campsites. Since this park is situated on an exposed, sandy spit on the south side of Bodega Harbor, there's not much privacy.
• Marin Headlands (GGNRA). Walk-in and group campsites. (For descriptions go to the GGNRA camping page)
• Mount Tamalpais State Park. Walk-in campsites at Pantoll and cabins at Steep Ravine Environmental Campsites. The Pantoll sites are well-shaded, but uncomfortably close to both Panoramic Highway and the Pantoll parking lot.
• Point Reyes National Seashore. Hike-in campsites. (For descriptions go to the Point Reyes camping page)
• Samuel P. Taylor State Park. Tent, cabin, and RV campsites.
• Samuel P. Taylor State Park. Tent and (small) RV campsites, plus a group campsite and 2 glampsites.

East Bay (Alameda and Contra Costa Counties)
• Black Diamond Mines. Backpack camp and group camping.
• Anthony Chabot Regional Park. Tent and RV campsites.
• Coyote Hills. Group camp.
• Del Valle Regional Park. Tent, RV, and youth group campsites.
• Mount Diablo State Park. Tent and RV campsites.
• Sibley Volcanic Preserve. Small primitive backpack camp.
• Sunol Regional Wilderness. Tent and group campsites.

South Bay (San Mateo, Santa Clara, and Santa Cruz Counties)
• Big Basin State Park. Tent, walk-in, and RV campsites, and tent cabins.
• Butano State Park. Tent and RV campsites.
• Castle Rock State Park. Hike-in campsites.
• Half Moon Bay State Beach. Tent and RV campsites, on a bluff just above the ocean.
• Henry W. Coe State Park. Tent and RV campsites, plus backcounty camping.
• Henry Cowell Redwoods State Park. Tent and RV campsites.
• Grant County Park. Tent, RV, and youth group campsites.
• Sam McDonald County Park. Youth group campsites and horse camp.
• Memorial County Park. Tent, RV, and group campsites.
• Mount Madonna County Park. Tent, RV, group, and youth group campsites, plus yurts.
• Monte Bello Open Space Preserve. Primitive backpack camp (requires advance reservations).
• Portola Redwoods State Park. Tent and RV campsites.
• Sanborn-Skyline County Park. Walk-in campsites.
• Uvas Canyon County Park. Tent and youth group campsites.

San Francisco
• Presidio, SF. Group campsites.
(For more info go to the Presidio camping page).

Recommended reading:
Camping and Backpacking the San Francisco Bay Area, by Matt Heid (order this book from Amazon.com). All bay area camping and backpacking destinations are described in this book, which includes park maps for the car and hike-in campgrounds, and trail maps for the backpacking excursions. General trail info helps in planning hikes. I do wish Heid's book encompassed coastal Sonoma County campgrounds like Pomo Canyon and Bodega Dunes, and there are no campgrounds maps, a feature I really miss. Despite those quibbles, this is a great guide for bay area campers who love to hike.