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Windsong Ridge Village

98%

· North San Juan, Nevada, California

25 acres hosted by Galen E.

2 RV/tent sites

Galen is a Star Host

Star Hosts are highly rated, responsive, and committed to providing incredible experiences.

Private sites

96% of recent Hipcampers say the sites felt private.

Welcome to Windsong Ridge, an LGBTQ-friendly evolving homestead on 25 acres of oak, pine, and manzanita woodland about 30 minutes outside of the historic gold rush towns of Grass Valley and Nevada City in Nevada County, CA. The property overlooks the iconic South Yuba River canyon and is 100% solar-powered and off grid with excellent cell coverage (Verizon and T-Mobile). Come be serenaded by the wind chimes throughout the property. Enjoy sitting by a fire (when it's not wildfire season) and you may hear the coyotes in the distance after a day of swimming, hiking, paddling, site-seeing or attending one of the many festivals held throughout the year in town. We are at 1800 feet, therefore the summers are hot (sometimes in the triple digits), and winters are mild (snow is a surprising event at this elevation). We have developed an RV/tent site called Manzanita Rock Meadow (includes a wood-burning chiminea, composting toilet, trash, grill, and tables), with a pad for a van, RV and/or tent and plenty of room to spread out and set up camp. Our more developed site, called Laughing Buddha, is closer to our residents’ compound and welcomes vans, RVs or tents and has a gorgeous large deck with a fire pit and two outdoor rocking chairs. Hike the adjacent trails on public lands or enjoy hiking trails in the state park along the Yuba River. Bring your kayak or paddle board to Englebright Lake at any time of year. In less than two hours, you can visit Truckee, Lake Tahoe, or the Sierra Buttes/Lakes Basin areas and much more. In town you will find a variety excellent restaurants, farmers markets, live entertainment and wildly popular events throughout the year. We’ll be happy to help you plan your visit! (Start by checking out https://www.nevadacountygold.com/ and https://gonevadacounty.com/) When there isn't a fire ban, we keep bags of instant light charcoal available for sale if you need it for $5. A bundle of firewood is available for $5 as well. Please note that we do not have trash service here, as storing it attracts bears. You will have to take it with you. Locally, there is a transfer station in the town of North San Juan. You can find the address and hours here: https://www.nevadacountyca.gov/3412/Transfer-Stations

Activities

Boating

Fishing

Hiking

Paddling

Natural features

Forest

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98%

80 ratings · 68 reviews

Joel N.recommends

October 24, 2024

Manzanita Rock Meadow

Very cool spot. Very private. Quickly got back to me with a confirmation. Good directions.

Bryan L.recommends

October 21, 2024

Manzanita Rock Meadow

Beautiful spot, the manzanitas are everywhere and so gorgeous, plenty of birds. The site is well equipped with water, a couple of tables (don’t forget your chairs!) and the perfectly adequate toilet, solar lights are a great cozy addition. Awesome private feeling, even though it’s easily accessible. There is the tight turn getting in, overly long vehicles would probably struggle but my 18ft van was a breeze to get in and out, limit is several feet longer. Galen was super kind, accommodating and welcoming, quick and effective communication.

Alexandra C.recommends

September 30, 2024

Manzanita Rock Meadow

LGBTQ Friendly and Safe

Galen's land is very special, secluded, and safe. My partner and I felt very lucky to be there. It's a simple campsite with everything you need, and Galen is a very attentive host. The view of the stars was enough to make me want to live there. Thanks Galen

Kelly B.

September 26, 2024

Manzanita Rock Meadow

tucked in the trees.

Overall, we enjoyed our stay. it is private though you can hear neighbors. I few things about the site seemed worn and needing update, but it was late in the season. Take them seriously about taking large vehicle up there, the turn into the drive is a serious cantilevered hairpin. We barely made it with our 20 foot popup. also, the pullthough takes you through some pretty closely spaced trees. It was interesting to check out the composting toilet!

Kate S.

September 8, 2024

Manzanita Rock Meadow

Lovely, but not very supportive

Galen’s “Manzanita Rock Meadow” campsite is a beautiful spot, and wonderfully private-feeling. We found it in the dark with no problem (using her instructions) and enjoyed 3 starry nights there while spending our days on the Yuba. We liked the ambiance of the solar string lights and chiminea, and loved being in the shade of Oaks & Manzanitas for most evenings and mornings. A few things could have been better, though. For one, the marked “tent site” was too small for our tent and riddled with rocks and burrows. We were able to pitch our tent on the flattened mulch area for RV parking at the top of the site, but if you are looking for multiple level areas for tents, that’s really the only one. Second, we are absolutely on board with composting toilets done right, but this one was a 5-gallon bucket already more than half full (as was the tiny bathroom trash cannister) when we arrived with 3 people for 3 nights in hot weather. So, that was less than ideal. Third, we woke up to a dead car battery and when we asked our host if she was able to help, she told us no one was on the property, and didn’t have any further suggestions for us. We were able to get roadside assistance, but felt a bit dismayed that should it have been a more urgent situation, there would have been no one available for support of any kind.

Alex L.

August 13, 2024

Manzanita Rock Meadow

It was a really beautiful campsite! We appreciated how secluded it was and super close to lots of fun swimming spots. I will say - I wish it had a dumpster or could recommend spots to throw away trash, that was the only bummer. Aside from that, appreciate the tables and clear directions!

Location

North San Juan, Nevada, California, United StatesTraditional, ancestral territory of Cayuse, Umatilla and Walla Walla and Nisenan First Nations according to To respect the Host's privacy, the precise address of this land will be provided after booking