AutoCamp Russian River Review

Published on April 29, 2023 | Modified on June 12, 2023

We have returned from our cross country road trip, which included a stop at the oldest, smallest of all the locations in the AutoCamp lineup. We’re happy to share our official AutoCamp Russian River Review!

AutoCamp Russian River Review – Layout, Location, Vibe – and Events

Where to start? How about with this: we have now visited 4 of the currently 5 open AutoCamp properties, and AutoCamp Russian River is now our favorite!

We live on Cape Cod in the summer months, so you’d think we’d be biased. AutoCamp Catskills is the closest to us when we’re not on the Cape. We very much liked both properties, but overall, AutoCamp Russian River – in spite of its size and age – is our favorite.

Yes, Russian River is small – just 3 acres! It’s about to be 7 years old, and yeah, it’s showing some wear (keep reading), but it’s got an amazing layout, location, and vibe. Bonus: they had some fabulous events while we were there.

Layout

When you pull up, like all the other AutoCamp locations, you’ll park in the parking area in front of the clubhouse. The camping will be to the sides or behind. At AutoCamp Russian River, it’s barely to the sides, mostly behind – like a giant U-shape.

Here is a video tour of the entire property:

The center of the U is an amazing lawn. No dogs allowed. I’m one who travels with a dog, and I totally get it. This is the centerpiece of the camp, so let’s keep it sanitary. Surrounding the lawn are the tents. At most other locations, the custom Airstreams are the headliners in the press and in the layout. Here at Russian River, the tents are the focal point. Campsites 25 – 34 on the map, above, are all tents facing the “meadow” or lawn.

Not noted on the property map, above, is that there is this unique “party tent” on the property. It is located in the bottom right hand corner of the map, above.

The other AutoCamp properties all have sections of the clubhouse that can accommodate weddings, bachelorette parties, and corporate events. The clubhouse at Russian River does not have the room. Instead, they have this tent available for small private parties.

The clubhouse is at the open section of the U, facing the lawn and the tents. Airstreams 1 – 5 are on the side of the clubhouse.

Take a look at the clubhouse and lawn tour:

Here is an aerial view of the property. Note: the tents weren’t set up, so I’ve noted where they would be. Go to the map on Google.

Location

We loved the area! There are 3 location elements of this AutoCamp Russian River review:

• Guerneville
• Russian River
• Sonoma

Guerneville –

Guerneville is a sweet, little town. But not too little! I don’t believe we saw any chain stores, which makes it really charming – in addition to keeping money in the community. There are coffee roasters, Stumptown brewery, great restaurants, and so much more.

Korbel Champagne – YES, THE Korbel – is in Guerneville!

Armstrong Redwoods State Natural Reserve is in Guerneville. It doesn’t get the attention of Muir Woods or Sequoia, but it was fantastic! Don’t miss a tour of the redwoods or take a hike on their many trails.

Russian River –

AutoCamp Russian River is on Hulbert Creek, which leads right into the river. There are many outdoor activities nearby – canoeing, kayaking, hiking, and pretty much any other fun outdoor activity. Check out King’s Sporting Goods on Main Street for kayak rentals, SUP Odyssey for stand up paddle board tours and rentals, or the nearby Burke’s Canoe Trips.

Sonoma County –

A huge appeal to many is that AutoCamp Russian River is in Sonoma County. You know what that means? WINE! But not just wine, there is also the renowned Russian River Brewing Company in Santa Rosa. We stopped by to pick up some of the very famous Pliny the Elder!

Vibe

The vibe at AutoCamp Russian River is the “camping” like feel of all the AutoCamp properties we have been to. We agreed it was, in part, due to the center lawn with the tents surrounding it. Yes, all the AutoCamp properties have community fire pits, but none have the tents surrounding the community lawn and fire pit. This was a very sweet feel and it’s a good part of the reason AutoCamp Russian River is our favorite AutoCamp. Here’s a good look at that beautiful lawn and the tents.

Also, the property is surrounded by mature growth trees and shrubs and…the star of the show: REDWOODS. Yes, there are redwoods right on the property!

Events

On our first night, we had just arrived from a long day of travel. We hadn’t brought food or adult beverages with us, violating one of our Pro Tips for an AutoCamp visit (though we did have our compressed firewood!), so it was super convenient – and fun – that they had not only a wood oven pizza pop up, but a free wine tasting! AND they had a guy on guitar playing great music. Cheese and Crust was on site making fantastic pizzas. The first night wine tasting was by Ridge Vineyards. Our apologies that we didn’t note the name of the second night vineyard providing the tasting.

Dog Friendly travel

As is the case with all the AutoCamp locations, AutoCamp Russian River is dog friendly. You pay $75 per stay. Your dog will be allowed in the clubhouse and on the grounds. As noted above, dogs are not allowed on the center lawn. They’ll provide you a welcome for your dog with a bowl, treats, and a blanket for your pup’s use.

Because this is the smallest AutoCamp property, there is not much room for dog walking. There is room enough for your dog to do their business on a short walk. Armstrong Redwood State Forest isn’t far. We walked our dog 2 miles on the road in there. She wasn’t allowed on trails. You could find places on the river that will allow you to have dogs. It’s disappointing this isn’t a more dog friendly area.

A Few Areas for Improvement

We didn’t arrive until 5:30 on our first night, a full 90 minutes after we were allowed to check in. However, we were never sent a text prior to check in telling us our camper was ready and giving us a code to get into the gated parking lot. We tailgated on the car in front of us. When we got to the desk, the manager tried to come up with an excuse. 20 minutes later, we got the text. Not the end of the world, but there are complaints about this by others, as well – both the camper/X Suite/tent not being ready and/or the code to the gate not being sent.

Also, it’s time to make sure the Airstreams are in tip top shape. They’re showing their age.

We also ran out of hot water during the 2nd of back-to-back showers. That is NOT ok. We were not the only ones.

One important point is that AutoCamp Russian River seems to be the most expensive of all the AutoCamps when you compare highest price to highest price, and their cancelation policies are the least liberal. Watch out when you book. When we first looked at booking, they had NO cancelations. If we had to change, we would have given up 100% of our booking! Heads up.

We did see one or two Airstreams being gutted for renovation. That’s a good thing. They are hopefully putting in better hot water heaters.

AutoCamp Russian River Review

In spite of the few drawbacks, AutoCamp Russian River is fantastic. We LOVE the location and everything you can do in the area. We also loved the privacy of our Airstream even though we were in the midst of everything. And we love that we could just hang out and relax if we wanted to…or be part of the camping community and socialize around the fire pit or in the clubhouse. If we didn’t have all the Coming Soon AutoCamp Locations to visit, we would book a trip back at Russian River to enjoy more time there.