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China Camp State Park
China Camp State Park is located in Marin County on a cape village along San Pablo Bay, about a 40-minute drive north of downtown San Francisco. This state park is quite interesting, as its name suggests—it was once a Chinese fishing village. Near the visitor center, there’s a small museum at the original site of the fishing village, which has been preserved quite well. In addition to its history, there are numerous trails here, especially popular for mountain biking. On weekends, you’ll find vendors at the entrance renting bikes.
If you're more of a hiker, you can also just visit the museums, stroll along the trails, or enjoy the breathtaking ocean views from the beach. For the more adventurous, there are also water sports options that make for an action-packed day trip or two. And if you're hungry, drive to one of the nearbySan RafaelTaste the local cuisine to add to the pleasure of your trip.
🛒 How to get ready? hiking boots
Attractions | China Fishing Village Museum
Follow the map toward the historic village, and you’ll reach the museum at China Camp Point. This museum is located at the original site of the Chinese fishing village. Around 1860, a family with the surname Kwong from Guangdong settled here to fish, establishing this small fishing village. This is the only remaining Chinese fishing village site in the Bay Area. At the entrance, there’s a sign reading “Chinese Shrimp Camp.”
Looking back from the existing pier, you’ll notice that the village itself is quite small. The pier faces San Pablo Bay, where the water is calm, and you can see Oakland across the bay. There’s a small beach where visitors can enjoy the water, and old fishing boats used for shrimp fishing are still on the sand. The fishermen here primarily caught shrimp—those small bay shrimp that are commonly seen in the Bay Area—and dried them to sell back to China. One wooden cabin here serves as the museum you can visit.
Inside, the museum recounts the history of the village. The village reached its peak around 1880, growing over twenty years to include 28 buildings and 500 residents. After 1882, due to the Chinese Exclusion Act, fishing was banned, and the small fishing village gradually declined. Although fishing was allowed again in 1915, only a few Kwong family descendants remained here. During this period, residents also began operating a small-scale tourism-based sport fishing business, which is why you can still see a small restaurant outside. After 1960, when water from the nearby rivers was diverted to provide for drought-stricken Southern California, the salinity of the seawater here increased, making it unsuitable for shrimp to survive.
On the hillside opposite, you can see a small house and a garden. In the past, people would grow simple crops in the garden, allowing the small village to be somewhat self-sufficient.
Viewpoints | China Camp Point
Walking along the coastline, there are several viewpoints for enjoying the sea, which also serve as Day Use Areas. You can reach these spots by car, bike, or walking along the Shoreline Trail. The most scenic viewpoint is likely China Camp Point, where there is a large picnic area above the village, situated on a promontory facing San Pablo Bay.From here, you can look down on the fishing village. The promontory is peaceful, aside from the sound of seabirds, making it an ideal spot for ocean viewing. At the edge of the cape, deer can sometimes be seen grazing near the shore, seemingly unafraid of people.
Closer to the inland side, you’ll find a field of lupine blooming along the shoreline.
Picnic Area | Bullhead Flat
Bullhead Flat, across from the Ranger Station, is also a great picnic spot. Across from it is the entrance to the Peacock Gap Trail, making it a convenient place to rest after biking. This area is lower in elevation, offering a wide sea view.
Camping Experience
China Camp also has a campground at Back Ranch Meadows, with 33 walk-in campsites. We were here for camping this time.
- Comfort: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
- Space: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
- Cleanliness: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
- Location: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
- Overall Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
The campground is walk-in, with a manageable uphill distance from the entrance. It’s surrounded by forest, mostly flat, making it easy to set up tents and offering comfortable temperatures. The spacious area can accommodate multiple tents. The only minor downside is that there was a beehive in the treetops near us, so there was some buzzing during the day as the bees worked.
Further reading
- More camping stories click here
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