West Coast RV Parks

One of the best guides to West Coast RV Parks, covering campgrounds in California, Oregon, and Washington, is West Coast RV Camping from Moon Guides.

Cover of the West Coast RV Camping GuideCover of the West Coast RV Camping Guide

If you want a guide to West Coast RV Parks that covers just about every RV park and campground along the Pacific Coast Highway then West Coast RV Camping by Tom Stienstra in the Moon Outdoors series can't be beat.

It covers over 1800 RV parks and campgrounds throughout the entire states of California, Oregon, and Washington, and anyone planning an RV trip up or down the Pacific Coast Highway shouldn't leave home without a copy.

West Coast RV Camping:
The Author

The book is just over 1000 pages long, a massive job, and the man who undertook it is Tom Stienstra. Tom's written lots of outdoors guides including camping guides to California, Oregon, and Washington, as well as to Northern California and the whole Pacific Northwest. He's also written guides to California Wildlife, California Fishing, California Hiking, and more.

He's no ordinary guidebook writer, though, as he does weekly radio and TV programs in San Francisco, and has won numerous awards including California Outdoor Writer of the Year five times, and twice the National Outdoor Writer of the Year in the newspaper division. Oh yes, he's also the outdoors columnist for the San Francisco Chronicle.

The Best West Coast RV Parks

So, when you buy a copy of West Coast RV Camping, you're not only buying a guide to all the RV parks and campgrounds in Washington, Oregon, and California, you're buying into the author's knowledge built up over years of traveling in the region and writing about its outdoors aspects like fishing, wildlife and camping.

Stienstra doesn't just describe every one of those 1800+ RV parks and campgrounds, he gives them a Scenic Rating out of 10, tells you which are the best for fishing, for watching wildlife, which RV sites are right on the coast, and which are on the prettiest lakes and rivers.

West Coast RV Parks: Fees and Facilities

Each of the 1800+ entries is marked on one of the maps and given a number in a logical geographical order, then listed in the text in numerical order. So if you know where you are, which most of us do most of the time, and you know where you're headed, it's easy to find the RV sites you might want to book. Each entry also tells you whether reservations are essential, recommended, or not accepted, as well as the park or campground's fees. 

Each entry also reviews the site's facilities, and gives you the phone number, fax number, and a website if there is one. Most importantly, it gives you detailed directions to help you find the place.

The Best West Coast RV Parks

There are lots of other extra features in the West Coast RV Camping guide, including a few pages of RV Camping Tips, which new RV people especially will find useful. There are several pages listing useful resources at the back, and a 26-page index. The author also gives us his choice of the Best RV Parks and Campgrounds in five categories:

  • Best Coastal Sites
  • Best Fishing
  • Best Wildlife-Viewing
  • Prettiest Lakes
  • Prettiest Rivers

West Coast RV Camping

At first glance the book might seem pricey but it works out at just a few cents a page. For anyone planning even one RV trip anywhere in California, Oregon, or Washington, or along the Pacific Coast Highway, it will more than repay the purchase price, I'm sure.

Buy it on Amazon

Moon_West_Coast_RV_Camping_cover.jpg

Other books pages

  • The Los Angeles travel guide book from Lonely Planet also covers San Diego and Southern California, including Palm Springs, Santa Barbara, and Disneyland.

    Los Angeles Travel Guide

    The Los Angeles travel guide book from Lonely Planet also covers San Diego and Southern California, including Palm Springs, Santa Barbara, and Disneyland.

  • The Napa and Sonoma Guidebook to California Wine Country is from the Moon Handbooks’ travel guide series with reviews of wineries,vineyards, and wine tastings.

    Napa and Sonoma Guidebook

    The Napa and Sonoma Guidebook to California Wine Country is from the Moon Handbooks’ travel guide series with reviews of wineries,vineyards, and wine tastings.

  • Some of the best California Backroads are included in Backroads of the California Coast, with 24 highly recommended driving tours off the Pacific Coast Highway.

    California Backroads

    Some of the best California Backroads are included in Backroads of the California Coast, with 24 highly recommended driving tours off the Pacific Coast Highway.

  • Epic Drives of the World from Lonely Planet describes 50 of the world's most exciting road trips, including, of course, the Pacific Coast Highway.

    Epic Drives of the World

    Epic Drives of the World from Lonely Planet describes 50 of the world's most exciting road trips, including, of course, the Pacific Coast Highway.

  • West Coast Road Eats is a road food guide covering the Pacific Coast from California through Oregon to Washington, giving the best road trip food stops.

    Road Food Guide

    West Coast Road Eats is a road food guide covering the Pacific Coast from California through Oregon to Washington, giving the best road trip food stops.

  • 101 free San Francisco attractions and things to do are in the Kindle guide, 101 Free Things to Do in San Francisco, in the Travel Free eGuidebooks series.

    Free San Francisco Kindle Guide to Free Attractions

    101 free San Francisco attractions and things to do are in the Kindle guide, 101 Free Things to Do in San Francisco, in the Travel Free eGuidebooks series.

  • The Washington State travel guide from Frommer's covers hotels in Seattle, driving the Pacific Coast Highway, Olympic National Park, where to eat and more.

    Washington State Travel Guide

    The Washington State travel guide from Frommer's covers hotels in Seattle, driving the Pacific Coast Highway, Olympic National Park, where to eat and more.

  • Vintage Hollywood in Los Angeles is an extract from the Lonely Planets book Culture Trails.

    Vintage Hollywood

    Vintage Hollywood in Los Angeles is an extract from the Lonely Planets book Culture Trails.

  • The Pacific Coast Highway in California book shows in historic photos the building of the Pacific Coast Highway from its earliest beginnings in 1911.

    Pacific Coast Highway in California

    The Pacific Coast Highway in California book shows in historic photos the building of the Pacific Coast Highway from its earliest beginnings in 1911.

  • Pacific Coast Highway Travel's book review of Insider's Guide to San Francisco guidebook by Jill Loeffler, publisher of the San Francisco Tourism Tips website.

    Your Insider's Guide to San Francisco

    Pacific Coast Highway Travel's book review of Insider's Guide to San Francisco guidebook by Jill Loeffler, publisher of the San Francisco Tourism Tips website.

  • Brewpubs and good beer are at the heart of the Good Beer Guide to the West Coast USA which lists the best bars and breweries from Seattle to San Diego.

    Brewpubs and Good Beer on the West Coast USA

    Brewpubs and good beer are at the heart of the Good Beer Guide to the West Coast USA which lists the best bars and breweries from Seattle to San Diego.

  • One of the best California coast guides is the California Coastal Access Guide, describing the coast’s beaches, National Parks, State Parks, with many maps.

    California Coast Guide

    One of the best California coast guides is the California Coastal Access Guide, describing the coast’s beaches, National Parks, State Parks, with many maps.

  • Review of the Pacific Coast Highway Road Trips book from Lonely Planet, which includes a California Driving Guide, by the Pacific Coast Highway Travel website.

    Pacific Coast Highway Road Trips: Lonely Planet Guidebook Review

    Review of the Pacific Coast Highway Road Trips book from Lonely Planet, which includes a California Driving Guide, by the Pacific Coast Highway Travel website.

  • Pacific Coast Highway Travel reviews the book Culture Trails by Lonely Planet, which has a section on Vintage Hollywood alongside 51 other perfect weekends.

    Culture Trails

    Pacific Coast Highway Travel reviews the book Culture Trails by Lonely Planet, which has a section on Vintage Hollywood alongside 51 other perfect weekends.

  • Northwest Wine Country is a food and wine lover's guide to vineyards, fine dining, accommodation, restaurants in Oregon, Washington, Idaho, British Columbia.

    Northwest Wine Country

    Northwest Wine Country is a food and wine lover's guide to vineyards, fine dining, accommodation, restaurants in Oregon, Washington, Idaho, British Columbia.

  • Plant lovers can visit hundreds of gardens along or near the Pacific Coast Highway,ranging from lush gardens in the Pacific North-West to southern California.

    Gardens Of the Pacific Coast Highway

    Plant lovers can visit hundreds of gardens along or near the Pacific Coast Highway,ranging from lush gardens in the Pacific North-West to southern California.

  • The Best Coast is a west coast travel guide, sub-titled A Road Trip Atlas it doesn't use photos but instead has hundreds of beautiful illustrations.

    The Best Coast Book Review

    The Best Coast is a west coast travel guide, sub-titled A Road Trip Atlas it doesn't use photos but instead has hundreds of beautiful illustrations.

  • Pacific Coast Highway Travel reviews the Pacific Coast Highway Road Trip guide from Moon covering California, Oregon and Washington

    Pacific Coast Highway Moon Guide

    Pacific Coast Highway Travel reviews the Pacific Coast Highway Road Trip guide from Moon covering California, Oregon and Washington

  • To John Steinbeck Monterey's Cannery Row was a place of sardine canneries, bums and honky tonks, but today the Monterey Aquarium attracts visitors.

    Cannery Row in Monterey

    To John Steinbeck Monterey's Cannery Row was a place of sardine canneries, bums and honky tonks, but today the Monterey Aquarium attracts visitors.

  • Greetings from California is a beautiful coffee-table book which describes the legends, landmarks and lore of California, including the Pacific Coast Highway.

    Greetings from California

    Greetings from California is a beautiful coffee-table book which describes the legends, landmarks and lore of California, including the Pacific Coast Highway.

  • The Santa Barbara Guidebook from Moon Handbooks also covers California’s Central Coast with Ventura, San Luis Obispo, wine country, and Hearst Castle.

    Santa Barbara Guidebook

    The Santa Barbara Guidebook from Moon Handbooks also covers California’s Central Coast with Ventura, San Luis Obispo, wine country, and Hearst Castle.

  • This John Steinbeck California Guide, A Journey into Steinbeck's California, shows readers how towns like Monterey, Carmel and Salinas influenced the author.

    John Steinbeck California Guide

    This John Steinbeck California Guide, A Journey into Steinbeck's California, shows readers how towns like Monterey, Carmel and Salinas influenced the author.

  • The Green Guide to the USA West from Michelin covers California, the Pacific North West, the Grand Canyon, Las Vegas, New Mexico, and even Kansas and Alaska.

    Green Guide USA West

    The Green Guide to the USA West from Michelin covers California, the Pacific North West, the Grand Canyon, Las Vegas, New Mexico, and even Kansas and Alaska.

  • Lighthouses of the Pacific Coast, published by Voyageur Press, is a guide in words and pictures to historic lighthouses along the Pacific Coast Highway.

    Lighthouses of the Pacific Coast

    Lighthouses of the Pacific Coast, published by Voyageur Press, is a guide in words and pictures to historic lighthouses along the Pacific Coast Highway.

  • Books About the Pacific Coast Highway in California, Oregon and Washington including travel guidebooks, route guides, restaurant guides, and many more.

    Books About the Pacific Coast Highway

    Books About the Pacific Coast Highway in California, Oregon and Washington including travel guidebooks, route guides, restaurant guides, and many more.

Recent Articles

RSS

  1. California's 'Gateway To Big Sur' Is A Scenic Stop For A Pacific Coast Highway Road Trip

    Oct 30, 25 04:37 AM

    California's Highway 1 runs along the beautiful Pacific Coast, and there's plenty to see along the way. At the southern edge of Big Sur, where the Santa Lucia Mountains drop dramatically into the Paci…

    Read More

  2. This Small U.S. Town Has a 240-foot Sand Dune You Can Climb, a Cool Beachfront Brewery, and Scenic Seaside Views

    Oct 29, 25 04:25 AM

    An Oregon local shares her insider's guide to Pacific City.

    Read More

  3. 15 Of The Most Dangerous Roads In California, According To Statistics

    Oct 28, 25 04:50 AM

    California's highways are legendary. From US-101, which plots some of the most breathtaking road trips along the West Coast, to underrated freeways dotted with hot springs, and even a monumental route…

    Read More