Camping Inspiration – Hope Valley Resort

“The mountains are calling and I must go” – John Muir

Many moons ago {probably about 9 years if we are being exact}, my husband came home and said, “I”d like to buy a trailer”. Say what? We had been together for about 10 years at that point and we had never, ever, ever even discussed camping let alone buying a trailer. We bought that trailer with some friends and shared it for several years before they bought themselves a new trailer and we became the only owners of said trailer. I won’t lie, it took me a while to get fully on board with the whole camping thing. Seeing my kids so happy definitely helped sell the whole camping thing for me.

A couple of weeks ago, we planned a sort of last minute camping trip. We have a couple ‘standing’ camping trips that happen every year. A couple of things changed some of those plans this year including the weather which canceled our annual Presidents Day trip to Casini Ranch Campground which is off the Russian River. The second trip is usually the first weekend in August. It’s our final weekend before school starts up again {yeah, we start way too early!}. For the past two years, we have gone to campgrounds in Tahoe but those booked out extra fast this year. We changed course and we will be heading to Olema which is off of coast near Point Reyes. Point Reyes is actually on my list of ‘summer day trips’. But moving on —–> I can get all sidetracked so let me continue to tell you about our awesome camping trip.

We typically go with a large group but this trip was just us. Kinda. Our oldest son was out gallivanting with his grandparents in Alaska {who me, jealous? YEP! ;)} So we let our youngest son bring his buddy. We called a couple of campsites near Tahoe and Hope Valley Resort had two spots left for Father’s Day Weekend. This campground only has 22 sites and you pretty much have to drive down a one-way road to get there but it was so incredibly beautiful. We had the Carson River right behind us, which was roaring. We couldn’t get over how loud the river was. We were nestled amongst wispy aspens and incredible granite slabs. Everything smelled good, the sky was a vibrant blue and we could hear the rushing water from all over the campground.

We tend to go to busier campgrounds like Camp Richardson, so this was not our ‘norm’ which made it a little more relaxed. We played lots of games {see this post about games for our family favorites} and I was able to start a book that I’d had been meaning to read for months. We also did a bit of exploring around the campground and went on a hike on Saturday. There are a million trailheads and options. Interestingly enough, some still aren’t fully accessible still because of the abundance of snow we had this season. This was where we started our hike. It was off of highway 89. Due to our younger and not as eager hikers, we only did a couple of miles round trip. Regardless, it always feels great to get out and get a little bit of exercise.

I love that this campground was only 2 hours from home yet it felt like a world away. This was the view above us while sitting around the campfire.

It was even more breathtaking at night.

The Carson River was loud and fast. The kids were able to explore the creeks running down rocks away from the river without getting too close.

I love exploring and finding new places. We are surrounded by beauty, some of which is a just a short drive away. If you are local to Northern California, I would definitely recommend this spot. If you aren’t much of a camper, check out nearby Sorensen’s Resort. They have cabins and a restaurant that had a menu that looked worth trying.

Do you camp? If so, do you have a favorite spot?

Happy summer friends! I hope you are seeking adventure and checking off your bucket list doing some amazing things.

xo,

Gabby