Best Tent Camping near Happy Camp, CA

Good points: I think this is the cheapest campground with amenities near Ashland, only $27.50/night for a tent site with a water pump. The place didn't feel sketchy at all- although there are clearly some long term residents, it feels well-run and family friendly. Wifi was surprisingly fast and reached all the way over to the tent sites, and there is a place near the bathrooms to wash dishes. All tent sites were shady with large blackberry bushes providing privacy on three sides.

The not-so-good: the tent sites have a road right behind them that's often busy and loud. The showers in the women's restroom have unbelievably poor water pressure, and the water temp fluctuated from boiling to freezing for no reason unless you twitched the dial just right. Also, there's no place to hang a hammock near the tent sites but that's just a quibble.

There’s a spot for nearly everyone here! The showers and bathrooms are in the center of the campground, so it’s a bit of a walk from the tent sites near the entrance so plan for that. The tent sites have water and power hookups, which is great!

Nice campground- 3 Dry RV sites open year round. Great tent camping also.

The closed Mill Creek day-use area has access to trails through old growth redwoods. This Mill Creek campground has limited access to a few short trails. See notes below. 

WARNING: Trestle Loop Trail is not a loop (since 2018 according to CH). The first bridge when hiking clockwise is in excellent condition. The second crossing is at a wide section of creek without any bridge or trail markers. The third crossing is impassible due to a ~6ft abrupt drop. Aug 2019 there was a single laminated sign on the trail floor stating "Stay on trail," an A-frame marker tied to a tree by caution tape over 100ft away from the abrupt drop.

Caution: The campground map dated 2006, rev 2019 is missing important campground details and vaguely marks the path of the Trestle Trail.

Most disappointing, this campground has no old growth redwoods and no immediate hiking access to old growth, rivers, lakes, or beaches and ocean.

The map provided on paper, PDF, and on signs is inaccurate. The good: There are many potable water sources on both north and south loops, not just one as on the map. Some of the bad: 

1/ Several camp sites have stairs. 

2/ Many camp sites are generously graveled making tent camping less comfortable and difficult to drive stakes.

3/ Site 27 is currently (summer 2019) the end of the Trestle Trail. Expect guests passing through.

4/ Camp sites vary significantly. This could be a positive if documented accurately: Some are stacked with one entrance path deeper into the forest. Some have stairs leading to tent sites above road grade. Some have both such as 5, 6, and 7. Recommendation: Read each site detail on ReserveCalifornia carefully or ask the camp staff at the entrance kiosk.

5/ A few sites are inaccurately placed on the map such as site 20 which is on the main loop, not on the side road.

6/ The map is missing trail details such as another creek crossing and switchbacks on the west side which would be helpful progress indicators.

7/ Especially for RVs and trailers: The campground map makes no mention of the poor entrance road conditions. In addition to a steep grade and tight turns there are several small sections of uneven roadway due to slides. A small section is washed out and only graveled. There are also abrupt speed bumps near the kiosk.

8/ The campground map includes info for some nearby trails, but only the Trestle Trail is indicated on the map. Nearby trails are accessible only from the WEST entrance to the Trestle Trail across from camp site 8.

Camp ground was full so I had to find somewhere else after driving. $19 a night for tent camping.

This campground is lovely! The bathrooms are decent and maintained and it’s very child friendly with a sweet playground as well as a basketball hoop and some great picture spots around the onsite pizza place! It has in-ground fire pits and the tent camping wasn’t crowded at all last time we went but the tent camping is in an open field (no natural foliage/ trees to act as barriers between sites if noise and/or proximity to others is a concern but I can’t imagine it being a problem most of the time) I highly recommend them if in need of a pit stop or a place to stay around the area for any reason. 😊

Great RV resort in Jedediah Smith Redwood State Park. Very clean and nice sized RV and Tent sites.

This is a great spot right in the redwoods. For only $15 a night tent camping, you really can’t beat it. Fresh water, bathrooms and fire pits with tables. Everything you could need. Camp hosts are friendly! Truly a magical place to stay

This camp ground has relatively small tent sites. Bathrooms were adequate. Showers were pay to use which lost it 1 star. However the people were great. And the bear lock boxes were great.

This is a surreal place. Stayed 2 nights. Tent camping spots were great everything was nicely maintained. Foot traffic was a bit heavy from noon-4pm. To stand amongst this beautiful trees it is very breathtaking. Hiking trails were great and maintained. The scouts trail was the busiest by far.

Emigrant Lake may not be your destination if you are looking for a lot of privacy and quiet, but is a nice option to get out in nature while still being close to town. Oak Slope has some spots that can be fairly private, with nice tent camping amenities and easy access to the lakeside.

Have stayed at Loeb many times over the past 37 years -- tent camping, cabin camping, and now tent-trailering -- and it has been fun every time.

The showers are great. Short walk to the super-clean Chetco River for swimming and salamander-camping. Twenty minute drive to the ocean beaches. Good hosts. Fun watching kids ride their bikes around and around. Grassy park-lawn section for croquet or bocce ball.

Beautiful RV park nestled in the California redwoods. 1 mile away from Trees of Mystery. Full hook ups for Rv's, tent camping area as well. The family won't get bored here! They have hiking trails, horseshoes and an adorable little 18 hole mini golf course to boot! Just a mile down the road is Trees of Mystery, a few miles the other direction is a casino, jet boat rides up the Klamath River , scenic drives abound including an elk reserve, and it's approximately 25 minutes to the coast. Wonderful little general store and the nicest couple who run the park.

New fifth wheel with a sliding hitch was giving me issues with a back in site. The staff escorted the took the time to work with me to get the rig parked perfectly in the spot (great that he is a big rig driver!). The is a great location in the middle of the redwoods. Definately a ton of tent camping and lots of trails.

Tent camped at Bolan Lake on Saturday, not a lot of people here which was nice. Sites have fire pit and tables, clean space to pitch tents or use rooftop tent. No WiFi or cell reception. This weekend was hot, close to 110 and being at lake was perfect. If you want peace and quiet, water access and blooming flowers with trees, this is a good spot.

It’s a pretty long dirt road to get to the campground, make sure you have good tires that can handed rocks/dirt terrain.

We saw the sign on the highway for this campground and stopped. The owner recently acquired the plot and has been putting work into it since then. It was a great spot to stop, close to the national park, river access as well and reasonably priced. For a tent site, it was $38/night. Bathrooms were clean, showers worked well and the overall space was clean

Located right on the Klamath River, this campground is right next to redwood national park. With all the campgrounds in the park completely booked, we were lucky to slide into the spot on a Saturday night. It was pretty expensive for a tent site ($35), where we parked our truck camper. However the staff were extraordinarily nice, facilities were clean, and the crowd was subdued.

Stopped here for a night so that I could be close to the Redwood Parks. I opted for one of the more secluded sites that cost a few dollars more, but ended up being glad I splurged. The regular tent sites are close together but not bad. The secluded spots offer a good deal of privacy. Bathrooms and showers were clean. Staff was friendly.

Nothing compares to camping out amongst Sequoias. It's a great site. Coin showers are little cold, but run the sink faucets until they're hot and then start your shower. Your neighbors will be very close, but the foliage makes you feel slightly secluded at night especially. Each site is compact for tent camping... You'll be able to fit two 4-person tents comfortably. Firewood is $10 per person. Access to some amazing redwoods hiking trails are a short walk through the grounds. I didn't have cell service at all. Bring walkies for the trails.