Sanborn County Park

Since last night I've been camping at Sanborn-Skyline County Park, about two miles west of Saratoga, California. This is one of the rare times that I've camped on the outskirts of a major metropolitan area. Most of my camping is done on national forest lands in the Sierra Nevada Range, along California's spine.

Sanborn County Park is one of five parks in the Santa Clara County parks system that offers camping. It's located about two miles west of Saratoga Village, just south of California State Route 9. SR 9 continues onto Boulder Creek, Ben Lomond, Felton and Santa Cruz.

You access the park and campground by taking the Saratoga Avenue exit from SR 85 (north-or southbound), traveling west. You'll join SR 9 (Big Basin Way) just before you proceed through Saratoga Village. Turn left at Sanborn Road (just past Saratoga Inn, a private campground on Saratoga Creek).

The park has 14 RV sites with electrical hookups and water. One campsite is for disabled access. A BBQ stand, small picnic table and paved RV drive is included in each site. A sanitary dump station is located in the RV campground. The RV site costs $25 per night, payable by 1 p.m. each day.

Parking for the walk-in campground is adjacent to the RV campground. The park provides hand carts to haul your gear up into the campground along Sanborn Creek. Each of the 33 campsites has a picnic table, food locker and firering.

I walked through the campground last night. The walk-in campground is located along the pristine, tree covered Sanborn Creek. I'd camp here if we were tent camping. This area reminds me of the campgrounds we frequent in the Sierra.

I'll post photographs soon.