The San Francisco North/Petaluma KOA Resort, which has been owned and operated by the Wood family for three generations, was recently named 2026 Campground of the Year by Kampgrounds of America — the well-loved local campsite’s second such award.

For Caitlyn Wood and her brother Tyler, the timing of the award is especially sweet.

“We are the second KOA to have won it twice,” said Wood, who just last year became, along with her brother, the third generation to take the reins of the campground. “We’ve won President’s Awards, and then we won the Icon Award this year. It was a new award for KOA, and it was based on guest experience as well — but just kind of at a higher level.”

According to her grandmother, Judy Wood, it all began in the early 1970s, when Judy and William “Wayne” Wood went on a family trip and were thrilled to happen upon a kid-friendly campground. There had not been many along the way, and it got the couple thinking. When they returned they began researching campgrounds, all while scouting for property in Sonoma County, not knowing that a family legacy was about to begin.

“I asked my grandma, ‘What was your why? Why did you pick KOA?’” Wood recalled, noting that her grandparents could have established their business as fully independent instead of joining the national chain based in Billings, Montana and launched in 1962. “She said that they had a telephone number, which is actually still our same telephone number, that connected to all the different KOAs and that was a huge selling factor for her.”

Another huge plus, Wood said, was the fact that KOA campgrounds tended to have bigger sites. Upon opening the campground in 1973, originally with just 84 camping sites, the Woods worked jobs during the week and spent their weekends building their dream of establishing a large family-friendly campground nestled in a redwood forest.

But first they needed a bigger forest.

“My grandma, she’s a hippie, like she’s very free-spirited,” Wood said. “And so she grew all of the redwood trees in milk cartons in the barn here, and then planted them.”

Wood’s father, Chris Wood (Woody), was just a toddler while this was happening, and he grew up watching it come together and thrive. In 2007 he and his wife Pauline took over the operation. Chris covered the property management and Pauline did the marketing. During that time, the operation expanded, adding deluxe cabins and additional amenities.

“That’s what really grew the park,” Wood said, referring to the cabins. “It gave another option for people to come stay.”

Growing up, Wood and her brother spent a lot of time on the property.

“Basically, every memory we have is here, from big moments in life, we were here,” she said. “We basically had 72 acres as our backyard, and so we kind of ran wild and entertained ourselves.”

Later, when they were in high school, they worked at the campground. They both became hooked on the family legacy. Eventually, Tyler Wood went to Chico State, where he got his degree in hospitality, while Caitlyn attended the University of Arizona and got a degree in marketing.

After graduating, the siblings gradually began stepping into their parents’ roles. Over the past few years, they’ve been slowly taking it all on, and in 2025 Caitlyn and her brother officially took over the business. Wood gives a lot of the credit for the campground’s success, and its numerous accolades, to general manager Mike Carpenter.

“He’s a super big part of our winning these awards,” she said.

According to Wood, the campground’s slower winter months are often spent working on projects. Last year they undertook an electrical upgrade and WiFi expansion and made improvements to the RV sites, including some new patios.

“They’re super pretty and spacious, with landscaping and outside furniture,” Wood said. “This winter, we look to add some Paw Pen sites” — medium-sized dog runs — “and we’re looking into updating our deluxe cabins.”

Today, the Petaluma KOA has 312 sites, including tent sites that are open during the summer, 60 year-round deluxe cabins — which feature bathrooms, kitchens and lofts — and a number of regular cabins as well. The campground also offers unique family-friendly amenities like bocce ball, horseshoe pits, basketball courts, a huge playground, jump pillows, a gaga ball pit, a miners camp, rental banana bikes and a KampK9 dog park.

They have an Olympic-sized swimming pool, and during the summer, a DJ is often there to provide a pool-party vibe. The Petaluma operation also features two stores, including a boutique called The Coop. For those staying in tents there is a camping kitchen, and food trucks are regularly on site as well. Kids enjoy the rock wall and petting farm with donkeys and goats.

“We kind of have it all,” said Wood.

The petting farm was an inspiration of Wood’s late grandfather.

“He got super into the petting farm,” she said. “He would go to the fairs and buy the 4H animals, and so we had a lot of champion milking goats, and these miniature donkeys that were super rare.”

During summer months, guests have access to a full recreation schedule that includes tie dye art, hay rides, movie nights and special events like safari shows, magic shows and wine and paint nights.

“I love the feel of the place, and I think that comes from growing up here,” Wood said. “I think it means more with all those memories, and it makes it a lot easier to do our job because we kind of grew up in what we’re doing.”