Rules & Regulations
Permits are required. Campers without a valid backcountry permit may be cited.
Camping is restricted to the four backpack campgrounds at numbered sites or to National Park beaches on the west side of Tomales Bay.
Camping is limited to four nights per visit, with a maximum of 30 nights per year. We do not allow groups of more than 6 people to split up into individual sites. Groups are restricted to group sites only.
No dogs or other pets are permitted in any campground or on park trails.
Wood fires are prohibited in the hike-in campgrounds. Only gas stoves, charcoal or canned heat may be used for cooking. Downed wood may not be gathered and burned. Driftwood fires are permitted on sandy beaches (below the high tide line, if possible). Permits are required for beach fires in the park and can be picked up with your camping permit at the Bear Valley Visitor Center. Put fires out with water, not sand.
No firearms (including air guns), fireworks or other potential weapons allowed.
Store your food and other scented items properly in the food storage lockers provided at the campsite. While the lockers prevent larger animals from properly stored food, mice can gain access into the lockers through small drain holes. Campers may wish to use steel wool to plug these holes during their stay. Please remove the steel wool upon departure. Do not leave any food unattended or stored in your tent. Raccoons, foxes and skunks are plentiful and aggressive. Do not feed wild animals.
Quiet hours are from sundown to sunrise. Respect your neighbor, the wilderness and natural quiet.
Campsites should be left clean. Pack out all trash.
Campers must vacate their campsite by noon on their day of departure, but are welcome to continue hiking and exploring the park after noon.
Boaters must remove human waste. Disposing of human waste in the bay or onto park beaches is prohibited, so campers must bring portable toilets or limit camping to Marshall Beach and Tomales Beach, where vault toilets and portable toilets, respectively, are available.
Maximum number of horses or pack animals in any campground is eight. Horses are not allowed at Glen Camp. Pack animals and horses must be tied to hitch rails.
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