Panther Flat Campground

Overall the campground itself was nice. The restrooms are super clean and nice. Some sites are fairly secluded. It was very hot when we were there and although it is next to the river, you are actually above the river so you have to drive/hike to it. There were a lot of campers from Oregon there and all of them were there to party. The camp host was useless and didn’t want to interact with anyone.

Awesome campground. Very quiet (it's a little remote) but pretty accessible to California Redwoods. I would recommend it for a place to stop in between the Oregon and California coastline. Sites are flat and all of them have great tree coverage. Bathrooms are clean. I wouldn't describe the showers as hot, but they are warm. They are quarter operated but there is not a quarter machine. If I remember correctly, $1.00 is a 6 minute shower.

Panther Flat is a great spot to camp. Big spaces, nice fire pits. River access to a great little swimming area. Bathrooms are clean, but no soap so make sure to bring your own.

Beautiful campsite with River access and so close to the redwoods. At the River we saw snails, frogs, and a garden snake and we were able to swim. There’s drinkable water and super clean bathrooms with real toilets but very in touch with nature. The campsite we stayed at was far from other campsites so we had privacy. The temperature was prefect sweaters in the evening and morning and shorts and T-shirts in the middle of the day. I would stay there again and again! There’s a gas station 10 or so miles from the site that has fire wood and ice among other items and The Ocean is a short drive.

It is open year round. The spaces are easy to back my 24 ft TT into. Nice walk to the river. Shaded campsites. I enjoyed the stay. The bathrooms were clean and stocked. No signal for Visible or Tmobile. 10 miles west for signal, small store and cafe. 12 miles to redwood forests.

Cozy easy campground. Cheaper than the other campgrounds in the area. Crashed for a night jeep camping and loved it!

This is a really nice and clean campground. Trees everywhere and Smith river access is minutes away. Campground has all the things needed to make your stay great. Clean bathrooms, lots of space, picnic table and fire pit.

Bring blankets, it gets pretty cool overnight especially since trees keep area shaded and the river is so close. No WiFi and cell service is spotty as best.

When visiting the Redwoods, numerous camping options abound, however many of them can quickly see the prices soaring well into the$30-$50 range. I wasn’t wanting to spend quite that much and was relieved when I found the Panther Flat Campground just a short distance from the Jedediah Smith Redwood State Park area. 

Unlike the state park, the fee to stay here was only$15 a night(single site) or$30 for double occupancy, which was more than worth the investment as the amenities compared to that of the state park itself. There are several reservable sites which can be accessed online, but most sites are first come first serve, available at the self pay kiosk at the entry. 

Unlike other forest areas which have limited benefits to your stay, this campground has a host of amenities which will leave you feeling more than pleased with water spigots located throughout camp, flush toilets, trash services and showers. 

The showers were potentially one of the biggest surprises for a forest campground I had seen in the area. Most camps of this price point offer very limited and sparse offerings but hot showers after a long day in the sometimes gloomy and drizzly Redwoods was a great asset. 

Overall the size of the individual sites was nice and many were separated by dense forest. I found that the pull in was perfect for my smaller car and there were some sites which were designed for larger groups with multiple vehicles. 

Standard site amenities included picnic tables and fire rings. This coupled with a light layer of pine needles for padding made for a very comfortable stay at the campground. 

The campground runs alongside a portion of the Smith River, where during the warmer months many campers find recreation. For those wanting to escape the crowds a bit hiking along the river is accessible from this location as well and can take you well into the Smith River National Recreation Area.

The Recreation Area is most well known for fishing, something you can do from the banks of the campground access, but also is a great area for hiking, horseback riding and nature viewing. Although you will not be able to embark upon horseback or equestrian activities from this campground itself. 

**TIPS: **

• If you are visiting this campground you will be able to get basic supplies within a 5 mile drive of the camp or more complete supplies and novelty items within a 20 minute drive. 
• If you will be fishing while staying at this location make sure you have proper fishing permits as this area is patrolled by authorities upon occasion. 
• Senior Interagency passes are accepted and discounts are applied for those providing display of these passes.

Close campsites, fill up quick in the summer. In the woods, only extended cell service which doesn’t work well. Picnic tables and fire pits.

Love this campground! Nice quite spot right off the highway, just outside of the redwoods. Nice day use area as well with picnic tables and Creek access. Showers!! Nice restrooms. Space between campsites for privacy, fire rings and table at each site. Dogs allowed.

Close to the Redwood Forest 🌳 we stopped here for a night 🌃on our road trip through California. The sites were nicely sized, though the showers are coin 👛operated. We liked sitting by the river 🏞 that flows next to the campsite. A nice place to rest close to the Redwood Forest without being packed.

not too busy, river access, walk in friendly

This place is great! Central to most things yet far enough away that we got a site around 1:30 pm during August. There is flush toilets, and pay showers. It is however located by a busy road but if car traffic doesn’t bother you it’s absolutely wonderful

We met some friends at Panther Flat as it was approximately halfway between San Francisco and Portland. All in all, it is a nice, pretty busy campground. There is a river nearby that you can hear from some of the sites but have to walk down a hill and across the day use area to actually get to it. I was able to reserve the last campsite available (site 32) and it would not be my first choice. It is the closest I've ever camped to a bathroom which isn't my favorite place to camp, although I have to admit it was pretty convenient. The bathrooms were all private and clean and they usually have showers but didn't have potable water available while we were there. We were also near the camp hosts and they were really sweet. One night they set up a sheet on the side of a shed to show a movie to the kids there. Unfortunately, they couldn't get the projector to work but it was a really nice idea.

The site I would recommend is site 33 which sounds like it would be right next to site 32 but wasn't. It looked like a very private site and you could hear the water from there.

Panther Flat is on US199 and there are other campgrounds along that road. It was about a 10 minute drive to the tiny town of Gasquet where you could buy some basic supplies. We drove into the Jedediah Smith Redwoods State Park which wasn't far at all and tried to do a hike but had to take short turns so one of us could hang out with Brandy by the car while the rest of us checked it out as they didn't allow dogs. We also drove into Crescent City on the coast to get some oysters to grill over our campfire.

Would totally recommend this campground and it was a great area to explore.

Great option when everything else is full. We tried to camp near the redwoods, but all the spots were full and the camp post at Jedediah was unhelpful to say the least. Luckily we found this pretty much vacant campground for half the price with great amenities, clean facilities, and access to some awesome water holes on the Smith.

What a great place close to giant redwoods, the smith river and the beach! They say its the most popular camping site in the northern redwoods but we must have missed the croud!