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Manchester State Park RV & Campground Guide

California

Located along California's northern coast just minutes from the towns of Manchester Rancheria and Point Arena, Manchester State Park offers a 4-mile coastline featuring pristine beaches, wetlands, rising/falling dunes, and coastal bluffs. Manchester State Park features a wide range of rare wildlife, including snowy plovers, red-legged frogs, and endangered beavers. Tundra swans come to stay during winter months. Like the rest of the northern coast of California, the weather at Manchester State Park is frequently rainy, and the temperatures remain quite mild for most of the year. 

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Weather
Spring 40 - 80 F
Summer 52 - 96 F
Fall 40 - 90 F
Winter 35 - 63 F
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RV Resorts & Campsites in Manchester State Park

You can have a good night's sleep among nature in the comfort of an RV. If you believe an RV is where you would like to stay but you don't own one, consider renting from RVshare.com, where you can choose any style of rig at an affordable price.

Manchester State Park offers 40 campsites that can hold 30-foot-long RVs. All campers are offered fresh water to fill their tanks, and there is dump station accessibility here. Sites are limited at Manchester, so here is a list of a few other campgrounds in the vicinity.

Manchester Beach / Mendocino Coast KOA

Mendocino Coast KOA is located less than a mile from Manchester State Park, and all roads and access trails from the KOA lead to the beautiful and picturesque Pacific Ocean. Here, you can enjoy abalone diving, tide pooling, and walking along the beach as the Mendocino Coast view soothes your thoughts. At camp, you can enjoy the family activities, hayrides, ice cream socials, wine tasting, and other holiday events. 

• Water hookup: Yes

• Electrical hookup: Yes

• Sewer hookup: Yes

• Wi-Fi: Yes

• Pet-friendly: Yes

• Other amenities: Cable TV, pool, hot tub/sauna, laundry room, and horseshoe pit

Gualala River Redwood Park

Gualala River Redwood Park is located in Gualala around 23 miles from Manchester State Park. The park has 120 sites, and 20 of them are with river views. Here, you can relax among the redwoods, float lazily down the One Mile River or explore the miles of beaches. 

• Water hookup: Yes

• Electrical hookup: Yes

• Sewer hookup: N/A

• Wi-Fi: N/A

• Pet-friendly: Yes

• Other amenities: Restrooms, fire ring, fish-cleaning station and dump station

Anchor Bay Campground

Anchor Bay Campground is located in Mendocino County off scenic Highway 1, right along the Pacific Ocean. It is around 18 miles from Manchester State Park and lies in a narrow ravine filled with coastal flora, ferns, and native redwood trees. There are many things to do at Anchor Bay, including sport diving, fishing, sea kayaking, and whale watching.

• Water hookup: Yes

• Electrical hookup: Yes

• Sewer hookup: Yes

• Wi-Fi: No

• Pet-friendly: Yes

• Other amenities: Picnic table, fire pit, septic dump station and recreation area

RV Rentals Near Manchester State Park

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What to Do at
Manchester State Park

Manchester State Park isn't only for campers; it's also popular among outdoor enthusiasts. You can begin with viewing nature and wildlife, including shorebirds, water birds, sea-pink California poppies, and wild irises. Then, head to the native and invasive beach grasses grown on the dunes. At certain times of the year, you may come across snowy plovers' nests. 

Inside Manchester State Park

Fishing: Here, fishing is superb, especially when steelheads and other freshwater fish make their way to Brush Creek in the south and Alder Creek in the north. Both of these creeks can only be accessed by foot. Surf fishing is also popular among the northern beaches, which perch, salmon, and steelhead call home.

Scuba diving and snorkeling: Other things that visitors love to do at Manchester State Park are scuba diving and snorkeling. The calm, uncrowded waters are where marine life thrives. There are approximately six recorded shipwreck sites near Arena Rock just off the southwestern shoreline. Scuba divers are free to explore any shipwreck sites but must enter the water by boat. 

Windsurfing, kiteboarding, and surfing: The coastal areas of Manchester State Park have prime surfing waters. These waters are ideal for more advanced surfers who can anticipate a tough paddle out to the rip currents to uncover 10-foot swells. A relatively new popular activity in the park is kiteboarding. The 4-mile beachfront provides kiteboarders plenty of liftoff space for gliding the waters along the coastline. 

Going to the beach: The several miles of mild, sandy beach extends southward toward the Point Arena Lighthouse in Mendocino County. At the beach, you may get a glimpse of the sea creatures lurking in the waters, including the gray whale from December to April.

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How to Get to
Manchester State Park

Manchester State Park can be reached by traveling CA 128 and CA 1. The northern entrance is RV-user-friendly and leads directly toward Alder Creek Beach. The southern entrance contains sharp curves that are not ideal for RV travel. 

Once inside the park entrance, you will have no difficulty traveling on the road that takes you to the campground. There are a few curves, but they are not so sharp that an RV can't maneuver through them with ease.

By Car

Entering Manchester State Park

At this time, Manchester State Park prefers you to call for operating hours. When visiting in an RV, keep in mind that the park is limited to trailers 22 feet in length and smaller and motorhomes 30 feet in length and smaller.

RVshare is thrilled for you to be able to visit one of the amazing state parks in California. You're sure to have fun at Manchester State Park no matter what activity you decide to enjoy. Be sure to tag RVshare while posting all your favorite photos or send the team a picture with a few details at [email protected]. RVshare may even post your exclusive story on its blog or social media sites.