Best Glamping near Hiouchi, CA

My family and I got a Yurt here and enjoyed this park. One thing I found weird was the yurt only had a code and no key, we found it frustrating using a code to go in and out every time. It is a very large park so make sure you have a park map(I’ll add one with the pictures). The privacy is kind of there, you can still hear your neighbors, but can get privacy while on your porch. Tent sites had very little privacy like most coast places. There are only 3 pet friendly yurts so keep that in mind. There are playgrounds, and other places to do activities. There are also multiple quick ways to the beach. Showers are locker room style and are segregated male and female. One negative I saw was they don’t really prioritize cleanliness there.

Quick access to gorgeous coastal views and beach walks, yurts available, & playground for kids

Mostly R.V. s here, great facilities and free hot showers. Nearby to beautiful and lonely beaches! Stay in a yurt!

Harris beach is a big park with different types of camp sites, I stayed in a yurt.  Its also got easy access to the beach.

This RV Resort has tent sites, RV sites, Yurt, 2 Cabin appartments to rent for vacations. The park has basketball court, recreational room with pool table, TV with cable, books and board games, laundry room $1.25 to wash & $.25 to dry, rest rooms and showers $0.50 a token for 6 minutes of hot water. Come see for yourself, enjoy the Redwoods and about 15 to 25 minutes to town of Crescent City and ocean. Smith River is close by as well.

The ice cream truck threw me until I figured out they also sold ice. This is a really big (150 sites plus yurts snd hiker/biker spots) campground just off 101. Reservations are needed during the summer. Be sure to pay attention to site length. Some tent sites are ginormous, others not. Nice bathrooms with showers. Some sites on the outside edge have ocean views. There are cable tv (really full hookups) and wi-fi. Beach is easily accessible. 2 miles ftom Brookings.

This is one of the prettiest State Park campgrounds along Oregons Southern Coast! Just off Hwy 101 and less than a mile north of Brookings, OR.

This campground has many Full hookup sites with plenty of tent sites too. All RV sites are paved with gravel around the picnic table and fire ring. Each loop has its own restrooms and showers which were well kept and very clean. A large playground is located in A loop and is a short walk really from any loop. There is an amphitheater with bench seating that ranger talks are hosted pretty much nightly. We attended one and had a great time watching a moving and learning about the local whales that frequent the coastline there. They offer Junior Ranger activities in a yurt directly across from the amphitheater. Unlike most of the Oregon State Parks we have visited it is only open for an hour 10-11 everyday, but still worth checking out with the kiddos. They do have firewood available to purchase in the campground as well for $5/bundle.

Camping here you are very close to the OR- CA border which makes trips to the Redwood National Park and Crescent City extremely easy. Trails through the Redwoods in Jedediah State Park and Ocean were great for the kiddos when we were not spending time on the beach at the campground.

We really enjoyed our stay here and will definitely be making a return trip!

We ended up here when the campground we'd planned on in the Redwoods State Park of NorCal was closed for revamp. It was a great choice. The campsite was clean with hot showers available to everyone - a few stalls for each sex, but we used them after dinner w/no competition - & yurts available to the few w/reservations, far (months) in advance. There are a couple hundred tent & RV spaces, that by 4 p.m. for campsites are gone in the on-season. Calling ahead won't reserve you one (book online 24 hrs in advance) but they'll warn you how many are left so you don't dawdle (you'll want to, the coastline in this area is amazing). You're not secluded by any means (think Camp Curry in Yosemite) but it's not the treeless equivalents along the roadside to the south & they do security runs on weekend nights to keep the noise level down. We slept well considering how many people were there. It's a stone's throw to a well populated beach and a 10 minute drive to a couple farm-to-table restaurants (one w/live music on weekends) to the south and spectacular, albeit precarious, trails with trailheads right off the roadside to the north that run through the forest to fantastic views of the cliffs and seascape. One of them has a 100 ft rope down to a secluded beach. We didn't attempt it with dog in tow. Fair warning - particularly for those with curious canine companions: there are resident skunks. Apparently we were occupying the pass-through of one, who made his presence know. The docent came with a flashlight, and after a 10 minute stand down, he was off to greener pastures.

General: A mix of tent sites, electric sites, FHU sites, and yurts. 

Site Quality: Varies depending on the type of site and location. All camper pads are paved but they vary in length, with some being very short. The allowed length is indicated on the map, although I cannot recall if I saw this information while making online reservations. Many in the D Loop as well as some in the C Loop are close to 101 and you will hear road noise. IMO, the best sites are A20– 24 and C1 but you have a better chance of winning the lottery than securing one of these sites (I tried at least 7-8 times beginning with the earliest date to reserve to snag one with no luck). We had two sites during our stay and both of them, while different, were wonderful. Site D5-3, a tent site, had three parking spaces in front of the site but we were able to park our campervan horizontally in the three level spaces to best take advantage of the site. Although you could not see the ocean from this site, you can hear it. This site would be good for a small group traveling together with several tents. Our other site (A27) was a FHU and very spacious with foliage on both sides providing plenty of privacy. 

Bath/Shower House: All were clean, and the showers were great – good water pressure and almost immediate hot water. 

Activities/Amenities: There are several trails that lead you to viewpoints and a gorgeous and rocky beach. There is also a bike path and bike helmet rentals are available (riders under age 16 are required to wear helmets), as well as firewood from 4-7 pm daily. There is a very nice playground. In the summer, junior ranger programs are offered for ages 6-12 and there are evening campfire programs. The scenic 12-mile Samuel Boardman State Scenic Corridor with hiking trails and overlooks; the south end is just three miles north of the park. 

We were last at this campground six years ago and loved returning as it is one of our favorite Oregon state parks.

Privacy, amenities, comfort, Redwoods.. truly a crown jewel of Northern California camping. Reservations long in advance needed.

Beautiful and secluded. We felt like we were a million miles away from everyone, even our camp neighbors! The giant redwoods provide a lot of privacy and gorgeous surroundings, you feel like you're in your own private wilderness. There were plenty of warnings about keeping food put away to avoid attracting bears, but that's to be expected for most places in California.

The park and campgrounds are managed by both the state of California and the NPS. If you have a national senior pass you can get a 50% discount because it is comanaged by the NPS. California doesn’t offer any decent senior discounts. The campground is awesome. I am normally not a big fan of heavily wooded campgrounds because I heavily dependent on Starlink for connectivity to the outside world. However, I was able to get an amazing site down by the river and was able to run Dishy out near the river bank and got a great connection. There is a short nature walk(about 1.5 miles) that leads through a breathtaking stand of redwoods that are enormous and 1,000s of years old. Of course, being a national and CA state park there are no hookups. I only saw one bathroom serving a very large area and it was a bit of a hike to get to. I would rate the bathroom a B. There is no hand soap so bring your own! Normally I would rate this a 4 because of lake of amenities but it gets a 5.

Traveling around the country and we’ve come to the end of our time in California . We stopped here for a quick overnight stay and ended up staying two days in our Promaster van. Absolutely beautiful and clean. You are literally surrounded by redwoods and Douglas Fur. Came in late May mid day and most spots open. You will love sleeping under the second growth forest trees. very magical. Some noise from road but not bad. Clean bathrooms no shower .

This place is beautiful. We only had a tent and it’s fit us perfectly. 2adults 2kids and our dog. All the spots here are great and pretty spacious. The beach is a ten minute walk and both walks we took were breath taking! Everyone we met were very friendly and had great knowledge of the park seeing that it was our first time. Definitely make a reservation. We were driving from Arizona thinking we would be able to camp anywhere but every place in California were booked.

This is one of the nicest and quietest California State Parks in the system. The individual sites are separated by foliage and everything is green. The walk to Agate Beach is a must, where you can find interesting drift wood and other interesting beachcombing stuff. Need to reserve your campsite early, however you might luck out if you just show up. The staff is very friendly.

This campground must be the “first camp out” for so many Northern California kids, at least of my generation. It was the first time my family drove for HOURS (“are we there yet?” And then the result was spectacular. The river vibe, the rope swing, the ancient redwoods, the dappled sunlight, the bbq. And yes, there’s a store nearby in the middle of nowhere to pick up whatever you need. 

It really is family-lovely. Your kids will make friends with the others. If you can plan an extended stay, do it!

Recently, I just drove around the grounds, on my way back to SF, just for fun, and I thought, wow, I’m ready to experience this place as a childless oldster. I want to bird my ass off. I want to go offseason. All of it!

Harris Beach is the last state park campground before you hit California heading south. It has all the amenities you need, along with a lot of people, rv's, kids, views of the ocean, a beautiful beach, some minor nature trails, and is right in town.

Hiker/Biker camp area is fenced off and a little separated from the rest of camp which is nice. REI sponsored storage boxes, USB charging stations, Bike Tools and Rack are available along with shared fire pits, picnic tables and scatter bike racks. The area is fairly open to other hiker/bikers but with shade and close to the ocean.

One of the biggest highlights of the camp amenities is that the showers DON'T HAVE TIMED PUSH BUTTONS! Meaning you have to push the button every 35 seconds to keep the water flowing. It is just a regular shower knob so you can stand there like a normal person. Makes a huge difference after a long day of riding or hiking. 

There is a lot of beach, and some minor nature trails leading down to it. There are some benches along the trails that make for great wine drinking spots. The main campground area is packed in mid-june even during the early part of the week. Lots of families, groups and RVS. Town is only a few blocks away so there seem to be quite a lot of people who make this a meet up for family reunions. Not really camping but a nice camp all the same. And despite it's location town there have been recent bear sightings so keep an eye out.

Amenities include: 

• Hot Showers & Flush Toilets
• Hiker/Biker storage boxes with USB Charging stations
• Bike Tools & Racks
• Fire pits, picnic tables and firewood available.
• Full wifi/cellular service
• Beach/Ocean Access

Oregon Hiker/Biker sites are $7-8

*Pro-Tip: Bring a nice camp pad. The ground in Hiker/Biker looks flat but is lumpy.

General: Five campgrounds – Agate, Abalone, Penn (tents only), and two group campgrounds (Red Alder and Beach Creek) situated just north of Trinidad. 

Site Quality: Not all sites are created equal. Many are not level; we had a challenge in Site 123 and saw a few others in the same situation. Fortunately, we changed our sleeping position (we don’t carry levelers for our van) and parked sideways. We did see some larger RVs but many of the sites would be challenging for large rigs to fit. The sites themselves are very generous in size with a large picnic table and fire ring and plenty of room to set up a tent. Many trees separate the sites, providing privacy. There are no hookups at any of the sites. 

Bathhouse: The bathhouse was very basic with concrete floors, three small stalls, and two sinks with cold water only. Soap is provided but no dryers, paper towels, hooks, or shelves. Clean enough. Only one bathhouse in the Agate Loop had showers. I have no idea how many minutes each quarter will buy you in the shower as this information was scratched off, however, just the fact that you can use 15 quarters tells me not very long. I didn’t attempt to try it. 

Activities: There is a nice rim trail that will lead you to various points. Wedding Rock, Ceremonial Rock, Mussel Rock, and both Patrick’s Point and Palmer’s Point. Palmer’s Point is where you can explore tidepools at low tide (the times are posted as you enter the campground). The wildflowers along the trails were beautiful. Several other trails take you to Sumeg Village and Agate Beach. Although we saw many dogs while there, be aware that many of the trails do not allow dogs. While there was good signage on most of the trails, I did manage to get lost a few times while wandering around. California may not invest in many other campground upgrades, but they do spend money on signs! 

Two nights here was the perfect amount of time to explore what Patrick’s Point has to offer. This was the very first campground we stayed at where campfires were allowed as the fog is so thick that fire danger was not an issue. However, there must have recently been a price increase for wood as the price was scratched off the sign; it is $10 per bundle. A shout out to the two rangers who had great attitudes and were tons of fun to interact with!

[ PROS ]

• Each site comes with a fire pit w/ grill and picnic table
• Campsites have good privacy. Lots of lush greenery and bushes to separate them. Also, good shade to shield from the sun.
• Great campsite for kids and family. There is a fantastic playground and the Rangers hold Junior Ranger activities twice a day.
• Firewood is only $5 a bundle! The hours for purchase is limited but just make sure you pick them up from the camp host before 8pm
• Harris Beach is so beautiful! There are a couple great trails to the beach and during low tide, you can explore the tide pools. We saw hundreds of hermit crabs, anemone, starfish, sculpin, and more. Sunsets are also phenomenal.
• There are lots of cool rock formations, including the Arch Rock and Goat Island, that is really cool to check out. You can also hike up to the butte along the trail back to the campgrounds and there is a magical lookout.
• The restroom and shower facilities are probably the best I’ve ever seen. Super new, well maintained, clean, and spacious. The Rangers do such a good job of cleaning them daily.
• Only 2 miles from Downtown Brookings where it’s really convenient to pick up supplies or dine out. There is a large Fred Meyers nearby that is convenient. There is also a Saturday Market by the port and a Saturday Farmer’s Market in Harbor. Both are fun to check out.
• Near the California and Oregon state lines. You can visit the state border and be in two states at once! Also, near Jedediah Smith Redwoods State Park where you can see Redwoods (tallest trees on the planet). It doesn’t get any cooler than that.

[ CONS ]

• Most campsites are rather small and can barely fit 2 tents
• Careful of wild blackberry bushes everywhere! Lots of children and adults were scraped up by thorns when exploring the terrain.
• Like most beach campgrounds, TONS of RVs. There are 65 full hookup sites + 29 sites with electrical compared to the 54 tent sites available. Be prepared to listen to generators and have large RVs block your view of nature.
• There is a large lumber processing mill nearby so you hear loud noises (mechanical beeping and lumber falling) all hours of the night and day, 6 days a week (off Sundays). They start at 5am and end around midnight.

Product Review

As a Ranger for The Dyrt, I get products to test from time to time - this weekend I tested out products from Ethnotek. Before I get into the specific products, I just have to say that I am a huge fan of the company’s values and mission. I love that the brand celebrates diversity and is supporting art and culture from around the world. The beautiful prints are inspired from different regions and honor the origins. They source the fabric and labor from villages in Ghana, India. Guatemala, Vietnam, and Indonesia, and each product comes a tag that tells you who made it. My bag was made by Vankar Shamji and his family in India! So happy to be part of the tribe!

Cross Body Bag - I chose the India inspired print  and I love the design. The fabric is beautiful and well made. It’s a good size for traveling and holding the essentials, but don’t expect to fit too much in. It’s perfect for passports, wallets, sunglasses, headphones, and other small items. I found it particularly useful at the airport. I love all the little compartments which makes it really easy to organize when you’re on the go. Even though it’s a small sling, the main roll up compartment surprisingly can be adjusted to hold a little more. I love the small document compartment that is great for holding brochures and travel guides that you don’t want bent. My favorite part are the two hidden zipper pockets! One has a small storage pocket, and the other one allows you to reach into the main compartment without having to unroll the top -- really clever and convenient design! Another great feature is the padded air mesh panel in the back of the sling. It helps ventilate and provide some airflow so you don’t get too hot when the sling is on your back. The padded mesh panel is also another compartment where you can stow away valuable items such as wallet, keys, etc. My one gripe about the bag is the nylon seatbelt strap because it loosens and slides. I have to constantly adjust the straps so it hangs at the right height that I want. After about 20 minutes of walking, it slowly slides out of place and I have to readjust the straps. Not a huge issue, just a little annoying.

Padu Zipper Pouch - I got this pouch in the same print and it fits perfectly inside the cross body bag and provides a little more organization. The zipper is high quality and works with easy. The inside of the has a good lining that makes it easy to see the contents of the pouch and clean. It’s surprisingly spacious and I was able to fit all my makeup inside. The pouch is really just a great additional accessory to the cross body sling and I love it!

Sites are nestled in the redwoods which is such a treat! Some sites were along the water, and some where quite secluded. Anyone's taste could be accommodated :) The staff here was incredible friendly and helpful! The showers were so clean and actually had great water pressure and temperature- such a nice surprise. This park is stellar- on our list to return to!

This is the place to go if you want to camp in the redwoods. Most of the sites are nestled right in redwood groves, so you can kick back and enjoy the trees towering overhead. There's also access to the beautiful Smith River, and a walking loop through the day-use area that gets you easy access to some of the biggest trees in the area.

It's a busy campground, but most of the sites are surrounded by thick understory that gives you a measure of privacy. The lower loop (sites 47-58) is along the river flat down the hill. Those sites get prime placement among the biggest trees, but they're much more open.

Bring some bug spray. The mosquitoes got pretty insistent at dusk, though they weren't bad before and after.

My only complaints are that the facilities aren't in top shape (the bathrooms are a little run-down), and the firewood is expensive. I guess that's the price you pay for such a prime location.

Well maintained and a beautiful location. Highly recommended.