Camping

Camp at the very beautiful Gillespie Group Campground in Tilden Park! We have paid for Friday, Saturday, and Sunday nights. The site is the only one in the area, so it will be very peaceful.  It's only a short 1/4 mile hike to the Laurel Picnic area. We love to camp and encourage everyone to camp with us!!

Campsite features:
-Free!
-Men and women's restrooms with running water, flush toilets. No showers, but there is swimming, enclosed showers and a locker room at the beautiful Lake Anza Beach Area.
-Large basin sink for cleaning dishes.
-Small shelter area.
-Several fire rings with grills and a large group grill.
-Group fire pit.

EB Parks Campsite Rules:
-Park entrance closes at 10pm!
-Site capacity is 75 people.
-No alcohol allowed at the campsite (this is why the wedding will be at Laurel Picnic Area). We know... bummer . We don't advocate breaking this rule, but when you do please use discretion (i.e. no visible containers), and please don't drink in excess. In other words don't get us booted from the site!
-No tents or sleeping bags on lawn, which is irrigated overnight.

We'll provide:
-Dinner on Friday night, wedding reception dinner Saturday night, brunch on Sunday morning.
-Paper plates, bowls.  Plastic cups, forks, spoons, knives. Paper towels.
-Firewood, charcoal, kindling, matches.
-Large pot to boil water for everyone.
-Instant coffee, tea, oatmeal.
-Dish soap and sponges.

You should bring:
-Sleeping bag, pad, tent, pillow
-Flashlight
-Freeze dried food that only requires boiling water to prepare. Please bring anything else (stoves, wood, pots, pans, etc.) that you would need to prepare anything more complicated. Or just take a short drive to town to grab a bite instead.
-Warm clothes, rain coat (just in case).
-Comfortable shoes.
-Toiletries: sunscreen, toothpaste, etc.
-Swimsuit if you want to swim at Lake Anza.

Rent equipment at REI. Tents start at ~$8/night. Sleeping bags at ~$7/night. Thermarests start at ~$5/night. Call (510) 527-4140 to reserve. They recommend reserving ~2 months in advance to ensure equipment availability.


Parking:

There are 12 regular and 3 handicap parking permits. We'll need to share this limited number of permits to bring in equipment, so carpooling may be necessary if we exceed this number.

Site Summary from EB Parks Website:

Gillespie Group Camp (75) - Tilden Regional Park  Berkeley  CA, 94708 Phone (888) 327-2757  Description Gillespie is a ADA-accessible group campsite with capacity for 75 campers. The site has seven 10-ft. picnic tables and a 10-ft. serving table, a large group BBQ, an outdoor utility sink, a large storage cabinet (bring your own lock), small amphitheater, fire pit, shelter, 3 drinking fountains and 3 ADA-accessible flush toilets. Parking for maximum of 15 vehicles possible, which must be arranged in advance through the Reservations Office; passes are included with reservation. Carpooling is strongly suggested. No tents or sleeping bags are allowed on the lawn as it is watered overnight. To call the park dial 1-888-EBPARKS, option 3, ext. 4562. Check-in 2 p.m. / Check-Out 12 noon except JUNE THROUGH AUGUST, FRIDAY CHECK-IN WILL BE 4:30 PM and MONDAY CHECK-OUT WILL BE 8:00AM. GPS 37.88184N/122.226092W Functions: Group Camping - Primitive Sites , Capacity: 75  Features Amphitheater Disabled Accessible Group BBQ Group Camp Shelter

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