I have been camping here since I was a child, came back for the first time in 15 years and it was pure nostalgia minus a few details (like the deer!) campsite was clean and accommodating, electrical and water hook ups with dumps near by. Bathrooms were clean, camp was quiet and rangers were always friendly. Online they state no rigs over 30ft however, I called and asked if my 32ft 5th wheel would fit and they said yes. Around the RV parking loop was tight but we fit in our spot just fine (116) along with our ram with an 8ft bed and my dads Yukon XL with plenty of room for our outdoor rug, outdoor cooking area, and chairs around the fire pit. Roads up to camp are a bit windy, but I think every beautiful camping spot is that way. There are also many trails for hiking, amphitheater that holds events and a little historic area of the guy who use to own the land.

This park is part of the Santa Clara county park system, it is not part of the California State Park system. As a result, the per night price is less and dogs are allowed (on leash) throughout all trails. With lots of second growth redwood trees, the park is heavily shaded. The RV sites provide water and electric only and campers/RVs are welcome at any site, but many non-RV designated spots will be a challenge for bigger rigs (30 feet +). Public bathrooms and shows are available if needed. Opting for a non-RV spot will result in a cheaper per night rate ($12), but solar usage will be limited due to the thick tree canopy at most sites. Outside the campgrounds, the trail network is vast and covers mostly rolling trails which are well maintained. Navigating is a breeze thanks to quality (free) maps and easy to follow trail marker posts. Accessing the park from the west (through Watsonville) is easy, but the final 4 miles are steep and twisty. Length restrictions of 45 feet exist. Accessing the park from the east (through Gilroy) is flatter and do not include any maximum length requirements, but expect delays due to road construction limiting traffic to one-way controls. Over the Labor Day weekend, the wait times were painfully long (~ 30 minutes). Internet connectivity at our site was poor on both ATT and Verizon, but limited over the air TV reception was available.

This county park is located at the top of Mt. Madonna off 152 - between Watsonville and Gilory CA. If you live the in area you know that Gilroy gets HOT in the summer. This campground is just a few miles away and perfectly situated between the hot valley and the cool ocean. You are minutes from the surf or the lush inland area where you can get your fill of fresh vegetables and fruits nearly year round (there are strawberries pretty much all year!). We stayed in the RV section and there were people coming and going all weekend. On Friday/Saturday night it was completely full and there are a lot of tent sites so tons of people there. Bathrooms clean and showers are some of the best (same at Coyote Lake) in a campground I've ever used. Only make sure that you get your shower in before dusk as the showers aren't open 24 hrs. Also, if you want to burn some firewood, I recommend you bring your own as they sell it here but for $13 for a small box. Only real negative is very, very spotty cell service - but walk a bit toward either side of the park and you could get a signal if you needed one. Also, note that the prior reviewer mentioned the road work - it's still going on!!! And if the traffic gets super heavy (like on Gilroy Garlic Festival weekend) the lights don't trip right and you get stuck. Maybe one day they'll be done with the work!

We were looking for camping after leaving Santa Cruz and came across Mount Modonna. Close drive from Santa Cruz. This campground was nice. We camp in a self-contained camper van and enjoyed the tent sites. The trees are beautiful and there are nice trails for walking (with the dog too). Very quiet place. The only downside was the fact they didn't turn the bathroom lights on at night...

We found Mount Madonna Campground by using Campendium photos and reviews! This place is a gem! We are recent retirees heading North to Oregon stopping along the way to enjoy California. We booked 5 nights initially (March 2018) but after being here a day we decided to extend our stay and added another week. The hiking trails around here are breathtaking and expansive. Redwoods canopy most of the trails which makes it so enjoyable and beautiful. The Rangers and Camp Hosts were very friendly and helpful. It is off season so it is very quiet here even on the weekend. Our site (117RV) was near the road and we could hear the traffic but it was very light. I do recommend coming up the hill through Gilroy rather than Watsonville due to the poor road conditions and very tight corners. We were towing a 27' 5th wheel and it was a bit harrowing coming up through Watsonville- the Gilroy route is much better. There is very little cell reception in the campground. I got one bar of LTE which allowed me to send a text but basically that's all. The signal came and went constantly. We will definitely come back here and stay in the future!

Stayed here at the beginning of March. A little cold, but nothing unbearable. Price is comparable to other parks in the area. Clean restrooms with running water. Cell service works for texting (and maybe calling), but no data on sprint. Only a few other campers when we stayed there, so very quiet. Relatively close to a couple towns as well and a short drive to San Jose.

we had 3 days / 2 nights there. It's wonderful in terms of enjoying the nature. It's quiet and pleasant. We had the RV hookup of water and electricity (no sewage, has to use the dump station), but we spent majority of the time under the sky. Althought the weather forecast of Bay Area and Waltsonville was warm for this time period, the temperature dropped before dinner of the 2nd day. The night was cold with marine layer coming in. The cloud/mist was among the trees; it was beautiful. So better be prepared in terms of your gear for cool and wet condition. The only disappointment is the potable water. It has a strong odour, like metalic. we checked the water at the restroom and other campsite and all has this odour. Luckily we brought a 5 gallon water from home for cooking and drinking. Also we didn't fill the fresh water tank with it.

Outer portions of the loop are very quiet, centers tend to have a lot of kids. No cell service even when a SureCall booster, great campground to disconnect. WiFi was broken at the ranger station, which was fine for us. Electric and water hookups for $44/night.

We went over a holiday weekend in February and although it was crowded, it was still quite relaxing there. Staff very friendly and helpful. Our campsite was near the yurts, in a tight bend which we managed well with our truck, but it would be difficult to near impossible for anyone with a large RV. One trailer almost hit the tree going around the loop. A nice roomy site with food storage box, picnic table, and fire ring. There was a water spigot on site, too. The parking space was small,but our truck fit fine. It’s a great site for tents. Our neighbors were a little loud the first night but apologized the next morning; they actually were pretty nice people and I liked the music they played. Most of the time, it was reasonably quiet and we slept well. Its a short walk to restrooms, which were clean. We had a hard time locating the showers at first, in another part of the campground, but when we did, they were great! Large stalls with seat and hooks for your stuff, hot showers, and excellent water pressure. We did a couple of hiking trails and some lead to beautiful views of the Monterey Bay in the distance. We had been to Mt. Madonna a few years ago for day visit and saw the old ruins. Enjoyed camping there even more!

We really had a nice time staying in Mt Madonna. It is a gorgeous park with level but unpaved site (Sites can be small so make sure to check site sizes). We were able to get our 20' Bambi in the site pretty easily but had a hard time getting our truck in the site as well. Our site was quiet and pretty secluded from neighbors. There are lots of nice hiking trails that our pups loved and the weather was cool and misty when we went in the summer. Lots of tree cover. A few of the cons are there is very little cell signal. We were planning to work a little on this trip and the only way we could was to drive to the ranger's station and get on their wifi. Our cell booster kind of worked but not well enough to take calls or do much work at the trailer. This would be perfect for a quiet, disconnected stay.

Stayed here December 2&3, 2018. We were the only RV in the park. Tight maneuvering but we managed with a 30 foot trailer. Water and electric. Entire camp loss of power 4 times during 2nd evening. Came back on pretty quick. AT&T no service at all. Verizon’s marginal at best. Beautiful setting lots of trees need to search for spots with sunlight. It was very cold but we have Mount Madonna on our list of places to return in warmer weather. Access road steep and winding but paved and easy driving. Nice staff.

Hard to believe this county park is only 5 miles from Watsonville. There are four campground areas, one with hookups, three without. The sites in the hookup area Valley View I, are very close together, so I switched to Valley View III. Tan Oak and Valley View II were closed. I was the only one in that campground on my second night in mid-November, a Monday. There are many beautiful trails through the redwoods, manzanita and tan oak. Dogs on leash can go anywhere in the park. It also has several lovely picnic areas. There are a dump station and showers.

This was our first stop at Mount Madonna, it was fantastic. The campground, and park in general, was very well maintained. The bathrooms were spotless even during the weekend when the campground was busier. The rangers were very active in the park in a very positive way and all seemed very friendly and helpful. The park itself was beautiful as well, we did a couple five mile hikes on the parks many trails, the trails were really nice and also well maintained. Showers were free and also clean. My wife said she had a hard time getting hot water in the accessible shower but I didn't have any problem getting hot water in my shower room. We reserved the one pull through site which was very nice and would have accomodated trailers much larger than ours. All the sites in our loop were good sized and we could have fit without problem. A couple of the larger trailers had to park truck sideways in the sites to fully fit but they were able to fit without an issue.

This was my first visit to this campground and I was not disappointed. It is a lovely mountain top spot. Very clean facilities, friendly staff and free showers too. There are four separate campgrounds. Valley View 1 has a mix of 30 RV sites, also sites for tents and even some yurts. You can be under the redwood canopy or out in the open. Sites are large and mostly level. Largest trailer I saw was about 28 feet. Larger rigs would have some difficulty navigating the tight turns. I had no cell service, but who cares. Oh, and the hiking is great. Good trail markings too. Some steep climbs to get your heart rate up. Best access is to use highway 152 from 101 on the east side. The road from the west is much too twisty. Only downside is turning on to highway 152 from Pole Line Road. Visibility it limited and traffic travels pretty fast.

Was here during March, and it was like living in a rain cloud, very dark, damp with relentless fog. Beautiful trees which made the grounds seem more private even though sites are pretty close. Some trails nearby. Free showers and restrooms were clean. Park shut down before many other parks did bc if Corona Virus. Winding roads to reach, but all paved and doable. Would return in the summer.

I camped at site 109 the first night. It comes with a huge ‘backyard’ area surrounded with tall trees. Site is very quiet and clean. The maintenance guy Jerry of the park saved my trip. When I drove my trailer out to dump during the 2nd day, the weight distribution hitch’ bolt and trailer’s emergency chain tangled together. I couldn’t move under that risk situation. While I’m frustrated with insurance assistance, Jerry came over and help me try a few things, after 2 hours, we resolved the problem with his tools. God bless ! I can’t thank Jerry enough for his help.

My husband and I are not big fans of Campgrounds and prefer boondocking, but Mount Madonna was a pleasant surprise. There are several loops in the campground, and we stayed in Valley View 1 which had electric and water hookup for RV camping only. We were happy to have the electric hook up since the redwood and oak tress surrounding all the sites are huge and block out the sun. It would have been difficult to get sun on the panels especial since we had fog every morning as well. The bathrooms included flush toilets and were cleaned several times a day. The park has showers however, due to Covid-19 they were closed during our visit. Some of the campsites were closed as well to help comply to social distance rules. Valley View loop is close to the main road, some street noise is heard during the day but is limited at night. You are allowed up to two dogs and they are allowed on the surrounding trails. While walking through the trails we say several deer as well as a Turkey Vulture hanging out in a tree looking for a meal. There is a dump station with water in the campground. The drive through horseshoe shape makes it easy to pullup, dump and pull through to the other side where you will find potable water to fill up your tanks if you desire. Overall, we enjoyed our visit and are considering using one of the group sites for a family reunion once we can get together in big groups again.

The roadway up to the park is full of potholes and asphalt patches. We found our site to be large with plenty of space between RV sites. The pedestal was wired properly but had a flickering light that would fit in well at an EDM concert. I attached our hose to the city water faucet and quickly regretted that decision. The water stunk! It was so bad that we didn’t feel safe even using it to wash our hands. There was also significant noise from vehicle on Pole Line Road.