Back Ranch Meadows Campground

Camped in September. Glad we had one of the sites slightly off to the side (#26) as the center loop area was a bit of a toddler zoo. Yellowjackets were a bit annoying but otherwise no wildlife problems. Lots of mountain bikers on these trails -- we only saw one other on-foot hiker. Trail surface is a bit rocky/annoying to traverse at parts. Beautiful views of the water along the trails, also lots of tiny lizards, also turkeys and deer. Firewood available for sale at campsite on honor system.

You will have to park in a parking lot and carry everything to your campsite, so I recommend bringing a wagon if you have one. There are trashcans on wheels but they are in high demand during check-in/check out.

So...my husband and I camped at site #15 this week. The pluses are water, functional trash, coin showers and bathrooms which were clean and well maintained, and the sort of gorgeousness only a oak woodland can deliver. (Arborists, please note: the site is dominated by Bay Laurel, which makes the place smell heavenly.)
HOWEVER, and this is a biggie, the food lockers, which are very old wooden boxes, do not keep any animal out. Mice were able to gain access to our food. They despoiled about a third of it, which- seeing as we backpacked in-was a big problem. The food boxes are so derelict, that soon the raccoons will be able to rip their way inside.
Bottom line: You must bring vermin-proof food storage with you.

Made a reservation for 005 - it was incredibly hot as there are not many trees, we did go early in the day, around 3pm the heat was unbearable. We noticed some campsites were still open so we had asked if we could move our camping gear to a site that was more shaded, the ranger was more than happy to let us switch sites. The campsite has lots of lovely critters, wild turkeys, squirrels, little salamanders. At night the raccoons will come out. There are plenty of wasp traps so there are not a lot of bees around the campsites, however, there are lots of fruit flies and very few mosquitoes. I had taken my camera with me and added more photos of the campsites. Will definitely be going again.

Camped there for Thanksgiving weekend! We had a rough time with wildlife at night. China Camp is beautiful and it was great to see quails running around everywhere!

Just camped at site 28 for the weekend. Love this campground! Super organized and facilities were taken care of. I would recommend the sites closer to the parking lot for a great view of the bay (site #26, 27, 28). For a more secluded spot, #30 is farther away from the crowds. Overall, love the campground and we will be back again!