We love to boondock, but sometimes our route brings us to areas without a lot of boondocking opportunities. While traveling up the west coast of California, we couldn’t skip one of the most infamous national parks, Alcatraz Island. However, due to it being the 4th-most-populous city in the United States, there was no public land. We chose to stay at Tradewinds RV Park in Vallejo.
What to Expect at Tradewinds RV Park
Tradewinds RV Park is not what we would call an ideal, restful experience. Let’s list the reasons:
- Really tight and narrow spots. Even with spotters, the bus was close enough to our neighbor to reenact classic mustard commercials.
- History of crime and vandalism. The Google reviews on the location tell a lot of cautionary stories.
- Unresponsive staff. Whenever we called or tried to talk to the office staff, we were almost always met with voicemail. Even emails took days for a response.
- Posted office hours are all over the place, and not apparently followed. We came in to check in and the office was locked up with no notice. Several hours later, the office attendant returned, but barely gave us the time of day.
- Bathrooms and laundry are locked up with a code, but the code isn’t given out. It’s supposed to be in the welcome email, but it is not, and the office attendant won’t divulge it.
- Fair amount of highway noise.
- Sketchy neighborhood.
While the price wasn’t bad, it was probably the only selling point for the whole park. We’ve stayed at a few parks, and most of them have been extra nice thanks to the amenities they provide beyond the pillar.
Mom’s Note
Mom here: I chose this park for two reasons:
- Price. Especially since we’re set up for boondocking, I am very against paying for parking. That, and we were moving fast enough that we weren’t working much, so we needed to keep our budget in mind. This was one of the cheapest parks (the cheapest? I don’t remember for sure) in the area.
- Location. Tickets to tour Alcatraz have to be purchased in advance, and I didn’t want to get there to just have it close on us. I wanted to be able to spend the whole day exploring the island if we wanted. Between traffic, finding parking, lines, and then the actual ferry ride, I knew it could take a bit before we got to the national park. (We’re also NOT morning people, so getting up at 5 to see Alcatraz wouldn’t have gone over well.)
The location is convenient to San Fransisco, with tolls. If you’re pretty self-sufficient, and need a cheap place to stay near San Francisco, Tradewinds RV park is certainly an option.
