Places we have stayed in California through the years that are not memberships, not Elks lodges, were reasonbly priced for the area, and we liked.   These are in the order we stayed at them the first time.
Bear Mt RV Resort outside Redding, CA (Passport America), relaxing and rural
Rancheria RV Park in Hat Creek, CA - in the mountains and close to Mt Lassen
Redwood Empire Fairgrounds in Ukiah, CA (Escapee discount) - cheap for the area and right in town
Pomo RV Park in Fort Bragg, CA - private sites in a nice close to the ocean location
French Camp RV and Golf in Manteca, CA - lots close by and we do not play golf
Redwood Acres Fairgrounds in Eureka, CA - Escapees discount, large 50AMP full hookup sites in an area you can find lots to do.

We spend a lot of time in California at Elks, memberships parks, casino overnights, driveway camping and some campgrounds that are only worthwhile because family is close by.  It is a very large state with a lot to offer and three months is nothing.

You might want to try RV Park Reviews on line. They list many campgrounds all over California and have Campers comments on each park. Might help you choose. http://www.rvparkreviews.com Joe and Sherri

We spent the first 6 months of 2007 doing California from San Diego to Oregon. You can get a lot of information by checking our blog for that time period. California is VERY interesting.

It might help if you tells us where you are or where you're headed...we could then narrow down the choices to the specific area's. California is a big place :)

I'll start at the north and work down the coast with my suggestions. Must see the redwoods- only places we've stayed is Jedediah State Park & Patricks Point State park Fort Bragg area- be sure to ride the Skunk Railroad. No campground suggestions Bodega Bay is a quaint seaside village, lots of shops and eats - a friend really likes Dillon Beach for camping Golden Gate Bridge and all that San Francisco has to offer- no campground suggestions, never stayed around there. I like the wharf area, ride on a cable car, the cable car barn/museum... never been to Alcatraz but want to go. Santa Cruz board walk Monterrey- Aquarium Carmel- 17 mile drive- we stayed at the Laguna Seca Raceway nice county park. Can be noisey if race or testing cars, but fun. Drive down Highway 1 in good weather, lots to see. Lots of small Campgrounds - We stayed at Julia Pfeiffer State park in a 18ft trailer. Hearst Castle take the tours- stayed at San Simeon State Park Avila Beach- Hot Pools and RV park Pismo Beach- Great places to eat are F. McClintocks and Steamers. Drive and camp on the beach or stay at Pismo Coastal Village Jalama State Beach is a little winding road to get there, but beautiful ocean views, it's windy, great for kites. The snack bar makes the best hamburgers. Buellton & Solvang- Stay at Flying Flags RV Resort go to Solvang shops and food Lompoc- in spring for the flowers Any one of the state beach campgrounds from Gaviota down through Ventura. Santa Barbara- food and shops, zoo is nice Definitely stay at Rincon Parkway north of Ventura, right on a cliff above the ocean, great views no hook ups but very relaxing. Dolphins play & ride the waves right in front of your site. Ventura- Mission is beautiful and the museum across the street is nice. Lots of shops and antiques. Great Pizza at Tony's Pizzeria on Thompson Rd. in Ventura. Los Angeles area lots to see and do Only place to stay is Dockweiler State Beach or Malibu RV Resort on the coast, everything else is inland. Anaheim, Buena Park- Disneyland Parks and Knotts Berry farm- lots of RV parks around Disneyland. San Clemente State Beach- go to the pier and eat at Fishermens San Diego area lots to see and do- Balboa Park museums are nice but pricey. Seaside village, Seaworld, Hortons Plaza, Gaslight District, tour naval ships... I would stay at Chula Vista RV resort (10 miles south) and ride the Red Car (metro rail) into San Diego or drive in to sightsee. Chula Vista is what I consider a 5 star RV park, no other park in San Diego area comes close. Don't go in Mexico at this time due to violence. That's all I can think of without straying from the coast.

If you want to stay almost on the beach in Ft. Bragg check out Caspar Beach RV Park. The website lists attractions for the area.  We enjoyed the Point Cabrillo ighthouse for whale watching.  The park is a little tight, but there are very few parks with direct ocean access.

Wow ! the bear11 covered Ca. really well. So many things that I have done but many more I need to do. Gotta mention Doheny State Beach campground in Dana Point because we are camphosts here 5 months out of the year. It is one of only a few that are really on the beach.  No hookups but a beautiful location with lots of fun things to do in the area. Difficult to get reservations but if we're here, let me know and we'll see if we can pull some strings for you. Brenda

I agree Doheny is a beautiful campground with great access to the beach. And Dana point is another seaside village with lots to see and do nearby and places to eat. The California Coast is our stomping grounds. My wife doesn't like the heat and we both grew up around the ocean so we tend to head up or down the coast when we travel. Great scenery, views, places to see and usually good weather along with some great camping spots, it's an RV'ers paradise.

Just want to throw this in, should have done it before. If anyone out there is planning to stay at Doheny in the months of Oct., Nov., Dec., March or April please look us up. We love having visitors !!! Dennis and Brenda

Hi,

We spent 3+ months in California from the end of Sept. 2008  to early Jan, 2009.  Instead of rewriting it all for you here, you might want to check our travel blog: www.campingandtravels.com.  There is an index on the right for you to search easier.

Feel free to email if you have any specific questions.

Happy Travels!
Suzanne

Thanks for all of the great info.  We just landed in California today (Desert Hot Springs) - this post will be very helpful.

Thanks!
Colleen

We might run into some of you as we move up the coast. Today we are heading to Santa Barbara area and will be wandering north mostly along US101 with some friend and family visits along the way.