Best Glamping near Fortuna, CA

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.

 I was so excited to be camping here. I wanted a campsite in Trinidad which would be central to all I wanted to do in the Redwoods. This campground seemed to check all my boxes, plus: CAMPING BY REDWOOD TREES!!! This was the clincher for me. There are a lot of redwood trees in the campground& in the sites.

 My husband wanted to give one star. I'm giving three. It wasn't completely awful. First, divide the campground in two. The Hwy 101 side& the Patrick Point Road side. You don't want the Hwy 101 side. It's noisy. VERY noisy. PPR side is the better bet. There's traffic noise, but not as bad. There's a rustic charm about the campground. It's obviously an established place, but I couldn't find out how old it was. Lots of annoying signs posted all over the place about quiet hours, check out time, speed limit, ect. They sell propane& there's a dump station. They have a camp store/gift shop at the office. The beach is very close, but there's no view of the ocean at this campground. This is one of the few places we camped at that we were allowed to have a campfire. 

The worst thing about the campsites on both sides is how close they are- VERY VERY close& narrow. Sites 2-11 are very tight. We had campsite 9. It would have been acceptable if we weren't camped next to site 10, which is the trashiest campsite I've parked next to. Ever. There were a couple of sheds, wooden pallets for a privacy fence& junk everywhere. Obviously a permanent site. The trailer has been there a LOOONG time. We were there for four nights. It sucked. Best site in the campground is site 20, which is a pull through. Don't get site 9 or 11. Sites 14-17 are right on top of the bathrooms& there's foot traffic there all the time. Also not very attractive& right on top of each other. If you rent a cabin, ask not to get Q. Right on top of the bathrooms. Lots of foot traffic. 

If I had a tent site I'd be in heaven. The tent sites are in a redwood setting. Very rustic& nice. Also spacious. There's cabins also that looked nice. 

There's one bath house in the 101 side. Men& women. The women's side had 3 sinks, 1 out of order. 3 toilets all working. 3 showers, 1 out of order. There's a group of three unisex bathroom/shower combos by the PPD side. All working. It looked clean, but my husband accidently dropped his towel on the floor& I had to wash it. Very dirty.

 Laundry had all machines working.

 It looked like most reviewers liked this place a lot. I think it had some charm, but didn't like how close the RV sites were. 

If you're there for a night or two it would probably be ok.

Stayed here for 4 days. Huge campsite with view of the lake, room for a few tents and a hammock. Fire pit. Can collect dead wood for the fire. Swimming, fishing and boating. Caught bass and catfish. Watched Osprey diving for fish in the early morn right from my campsite.Bald eagles, Herons and Hawks were also a joy to watch. Kids enjoyed swimming catching frogs, turtles and baby catfish with their hands. Poison oak is cleared from around the campsite but need to use care off trail. Nice short trail to Fir Cove. Very much enjoyed our time. Only downside was the heat.

We stayed for one night as we were passing thru from Oregon to Central California.

Pros

• No cell service
• In the trees, very secluded
• Flush potties.
• Nice swimming hole, the water was warm in mid June. This seems to be the primary attraction for this area. Most of the families were gathered along the shore and playing in the water.
• Hiking straight out of the camp ground. But, it is a very steep trail, so make sure you bring a walking stick(s) and wear proper gear. This is also a heavy bear area, so pack your bear spray.
• Best for tent or car camping.
• Nice fire pits, wood for sale at office
• Fantastic place for kids… so many families with young children.
• The camp host and other campers were really friendly.

Cons

• Close to the road, we heard vehicles all night. We were in a hard sided camper two rows away from the road and could hear them inside. It’s got to be really loud for people closer and in tents.
• Tight spots and everyone is packed closely together (Check out the video).
• No electric, site water, dumping, or showers.
• Not suited for most RVs and travel trailers, you need to be very small and fully self contained. Our 19’ A-Line barely fit into our spot. The sites are close together, short, with roots coming up in the road and parking areas, and sharp angled turns to get into your spot. A lot of spot have over hanging tree limbs. We made it in our spot because our camper is super low profile during travel mode. Would not have been able to fit under the tree limbs with a normal camper.
• Hwy 36 from the 101 is very curvy with lots of narrow areas and very few turn offs.
• Not a good place for dogs, very few areas they are allowed other than your camp site. Upon arriving we receive a yellow sheet letting us know why our dog was a problem for wildlife in this area and all the reasons we should not bring him with us next time.

Over all, I this campground would be a fun place for families, wanting to disconnect from technology for a weekend of tent camping.

My boyfriend & I stayed at this campground on November 24, 2021 (the day before Thanksgiving). We just so happened to get the last available cabin that night (Cabin H). We are very grateful to the front desk staff who helped us that night. Unfortunately all the nearby restaurants were closed when we arrived but luckily the campground has a communal bonfire pit that visitors staying in any of the cabins can use, (the tent sites have their own pits), so we were able to make do with what we had to eat. I uploaded a couple videos and pictures for reference. There is a beautiful gazebo outside the front of cabin H (see uploaded video). And the view from the large balcony in the back of the cabin was nothing short of amazing (see uploaded video). I simmered out there for a little while with a cup of tea, hypnotized with an immediate understanding of why they call this place Emerald Forest. The cabin we stayed in, Cabin H, is a studio cabin with a private bathroom and kitchenette. We visited the nearby town, Trinidad, and I fell in love. The reputation of how nice and welcoming the people are precedes itself. The perfect mix of a small town vibe placed in a hidden gem of a beautiful coastal town. I uploaded a couple videos and pictures taken at Trinidad for reference. I not only highly recommend seeing Trinidad for yourself, I also highly recommend enjoying a stay at this nearby campground when you do.