Best Campgrounds near Essex, CA

I talked to the host at the Clam Beach Campground. They told me that the State had shut down all the camping north of their campground because of “rowdiness.” I drove the frontage road from Clam Beach exit to the Crannell exit on 101 north. Everywhere one could pull off to the side and camp there were multiple signs saying no camping. I think this particular dispersed camping location should be taken off the Dyrt site.

Arcata, CA. Quiet, clean campground. Bathrooms fair (men’s stall floor flooded with about 3” water👀). Women’s ok. SUPER great Mexican restaurant at entrance of RV park-chicken tinga out of this world good. Online booking does not work after 3pm for same day booking so we called to make the reservation. Staff said they would leave us paperwork since they leave around 5pm with bathroom code and WiFi. We got paperwork but no bathroom code or WiFi so we asked neighbors. We would stay at this place again if we were passing through.

Don’t be confused when you arrive and head up the hill where you’ll find camping spots. Even has an area with picnic tables under the trees.

A great spot overall and a nice drive up. We were there when it rained all day one of our days and it didn’t affect the roads much.

We even pulled up our rear drop camper and had no issues at all.

Plus side is that it’s very close to downtown & camp host was great. Lots of old rundown RVs and junk lying around. Good for an overnight stop but would not stay long term.

I camped there one night. Bathrooms are clean and well maintained.

We didn’t end up going because it is NOT RV friendly. You have to hike in with your tent

https://www.nps.gov/places/redwoodcreekdispersedcamping.htm

Okay girl we have a 33 ft Class A RV with a car and tow. There was only one site that could accommodate us and it was open. This place has access to the beach and seems to be a very salt of the earth type place..

Well I had a lot higher hopes for this campground and was bummed that the noise of the 101 took over from the enjoyment of the park. We chose site 91 as we didn’t need water or electricity and it was tucked back into some trees. We absolutely loved that setting as there were no neighbors. No laundry, but here was a shop, firewood for purchase, propane, showers and playground for the kids. Like like there were some nice cabins and pull through spots but the noise was a huge downfall for us.

Wow what a place, I’ve never seen anything quite like it.

The road although incredibly long and winding was well maintained and I’m pretty sure even a car could make it without issue.

The drive up was a whole experience in itself, reminded me of Last of The Mohicans, don’t slip!

I went during hunting season without realizing it, out of the 10 sites 7 where taken up by hunters, but I only saw one person my whole stay.

We stopped here intending to stay the night on our way north but just couldn’t justify spending $30 for a literal parking spot (for RVs). I’m not even sure if there would have been room for our slides without going over into the next spot, and if we’d wanted the awning out there definitely wouldn’t have been room. There were no other RVs there and so I’m sure it would have been fine, but still. 

The tent spots weren’t as bad, they were off the parking lot in a sandy area. You’re right off the highway too, so there’s a lot of noise. I could see this place being fine for an overnight spot, maybe for $10 or something, but to market it as a campground is just crazy. 

There are pit toilets here and trash bins, host across the street. We thought about staying here just for the dog friendly beach access but the trail to the beach was narrow, overgrown, muddy, and overall unpleasant. About 10 miles north there is a lovely rest stop where you can stay for 8 hours for free if you just need a place to sleep (and there’s a free dump station there too!) We didn’t stay. Don’t recommend.

We like this little county campground- it’s FCFS only (it seems that early afternoon is the best time to snag a spot). We got the last spot when we arrived that we would fit in in our 26ft class C (there were some tent sites still available). There’s a loop that’s kind of tricky for RVs to navigate, though people will still do it, and other sites outside of the loop that are better suited for RVs. There are a couple of sites at either end of the loop that would work for RVs as well. There are also 2 sites with electric hookups that are $10 extra. 

You self-register at the bathroom, $30/night. Kind of pricey for what you get, but it’s a cute and mellow little park and it’s got a pleasant vibe, very beautiful surroundings. 

There are flush toilets and showers that we did not use. The road in to the campground is through some residential neighborhoods, but still relatively easy access from the main road. I wouldn’t recommend this campground for giant rigs.

We stayed here for half price with the Passport America discount - we paid $25 for a pull through E/ W site (normally$50), and refreshingly there were no taxes or fees added on to the price. We almost didn’t stay here, as on the Passport America site they state that they do not allow certain breeds of dogs, and we generally try to not support places that discriminate against certain breeds, even though our large dog is mixed breed dog who could pass for any number of breeds. But nobody mentioned anything about dogs when we arrived, and we saw no mention of it anywhere on their website or other signage, so we ended up staying. 

It’s one of those run down, but in a comfortable kind of way, places. There’s a cute tree house and cute cabins (tiny), as well as a tent-only area for $30. There’s also a dump station (free for campers), a laundry room, and free showers. The showers were run down but clean. We ended up not using the laundry- they are $2 each for washer and dryer (they take quarters, and there’s no change machine), with a sign saying that your clothes may stain due to the iron in the water, and that you need to shake out the sawdust from your clothes before washing them (I guess a lot of loggers stay here?). Also, the water jug we had filled with their water was full of rusty red residue at the bottom, ick. And that water is what we used to fill our onboard RV tank (and that’s with using a filter). The RV park seems to be mostly long-termers or seasonal campers, it was very quiet and devoid of people when we stayed here after a holiday weekend. 

Staff was very friendly and welcoming. We forgot to ask about wifi, but cell reception was good for Verizon and ATT. The park is nicely situated among the trees with an easy access from the highway, right near the entrance to the Avenue of the Giants. Would stay here again.

pretty basic good after a long night of driving

This is an awesome campground with a single-lane road. I love visit it and join adventures in geometry dash lite. We managed to navigate it in an SUV with a teardrop trailer, but I wouldn't recommend towing anything longer. During our visit in May, the river flowed swiftly and cold, making it unsuitable for swimming or fishing. There is a well-maintained vault toilet on site, along with bear-proof recycling and trash receptacles. Limited to no service available for most of the journey. Remember, fire permits are mandatory.

Dispersed camping along the river banks after walking through the Tall Trees hike. Easy overnighter.

The location it’s not what it says on this map. It’s about a mile heading to eureka. It’s okay it’s small camp site it’s right next 101 it’s bit noisy

This secluded camp is well worth the effort to find.  I've been 3 times and finally decided to add it to The Dyrt.  Upon this return, I tried to find it online (Six Rivers's official site) but found no info.  There are two ways to this camp, the longer from Willow Creek, or the shorter from Hawkins Bar.  Both ways are via forest service roads that are "fair".  There are 3 sites, each with a picnic table and fire ring.  There is one vault toilet that was stocked with 'the papers'.  There is NO trash service or cans and NO POTABLE WATER.  There is a tiny creek running nearby if needed.  There is MAYBE one (1) bar of Verizon service, but it is extremely unreliable.  I came here to see the Perseids Meteor Shower, on a Sunday night/Monday, and did not see a soul.