Benbow Lake SRA (May 2000)

Visit to Benbow lake campground was our first camping and RV trip. So it was fun, adventurous and exciting on both sides. The RV rent was around $1000 for 4 days, and it was worth the money. It took around 8 hours of drive from bay area to reach benbow lake through the winding roads of highway 101. Driving the huge RV (See picture for the length) through the winding roads was additional fun for the driver, but scary for the passengers.

The park consists of about 1,200 acres with 75 campsites and a large day-use picnic area. The campground is open year round and reservations can be made from Memorial Day weekend to Labor Day weekend. Hiking, swimming, picnicking and camping are popular summer time activities. A couple of trails sample the recreation area, offering some great views of the lake. You can also try swimming or canoeing on the lake.

We reached the campground and successfully parked our RV without any damage to the RV. All the ladies got busy with the cooking, as there were 16 members in the party. Vegetarians and Non-Vegetarians were mixed in the party. This made the cooking very difficult. Ladies spent most of the time cooking. We also setup a volleyball court as it was very spacious campground.

Next day we ventured into the lake. There was very little water in the lake and more rocks that gave a very hard time to walk in the shore. So the lake was not very entertaining. Still the location, environment, experience all were very new, so no one complained. Every time we took the RV to fill up gas, or water, it would be very adventurous. In the night, All of us sat in the campfire and played several games. We also saw a tamil movie in the RV the same night.

Next day, we left the campground, drove the RV through a very narrow winding road to reach the chandelier drive thru trees. Rest of the day , we spent in the near by beach and then started our way back to bay area. The memories of this camping and RV strip will stay for ever.