Best Cabin Camping near Hoopa, CA

Henson's Hideaway is located between Weaverville, CA and Trinity Center, CA, along Highway 3 on the west side of Trinity Lake. It is centrally located to a number of the Trinity Alps trails, as well as boat access to the lake. Also, it is an easy drive to get food, supplies, beer, etc in either town. The road is plowed year round and the cabin is only a few minutes off of Highway 3.

Cabin Review: Henson's Hideaway is bookable on VRBO https://www.vrbo.com/300244) and Michelle is very easy to deal with, and very accommodating. Prices vary depending on the time of year and holiday weekends, so check with the listing page linked above for up to date info. The cabin itself is fantastic. There is a large deck downstairs that opens into a garage that has been converted into a bonus room with TV/Satellite, a pool table, extra full bathroom, and additional sleeping areas. The pool table was a fantastic unexpected bonus for a cabin in the woods. Upstairs is a very comfortable main living area with a bathroom, bedroom, full kitchen, dining/living room and a deck outside with seating for at least 4 adults. It was a very comfortable cabin with plenty of creature comforts, the kitchen was well stocked with cooking/cleaning/silverware etc. It was plenty of room for two couples, two toddlers, and two labs. The only downside was that it doesn't have a bbq. They don't keep one around because it attracts mountain critters, but people are allowed to bring their own if they would like. As always though, check with the owners for the latest info. I have posted a few pictures I took, there are more at the link above.

Product Review: As a Ranger for The Dyrt, I get to test products. At the Henson's Hideaway, I tested the Renogy ELumen Multi-funtionial Flashlight (https://www.renogy.com/renogy-e-lumen-multi-functional-flashlight/.)

The flashlight comes equipped with a flashlight (obviously) with three settings (high, low, strobe), a recessed seatbelt cutter, a glass shattering hammer, a compass embedded in the butt of the grip, a solar charging panel built into the flashlight handle (here is where you can insert the old joke about solar powered flashlights, but it does work thanks to a built in lithium ion battery), LED side lighting (both red and white lights, including a strobe function), a magnet for mounting/storage and USB input/output to charge the flashlight or charge electronic devices off the flashlight's battery. Enough of the specs, on to the review. This flashlight rocks. It is plenty light for nighttime wandering around a camp/cabin. The LED side lighting is great for illuminating a small space without blinding anyone, similar to a lantern, the red strobe LED side lighting is great for roadside emergencies or to use as a beacon. I haven't had to test the glass shattering hammer or seatbelt cutter, knock on wood, but they both look like they will do the trick, and the flashlight is living in the center console of my truck for just such emergencies. It charges quickly via USB and seemed to charge quickly enough from a fully dead battery to work fine, I just set it on the dash of my truck while I drove to the cabin and when we got there it worked all weekend. The only downside is the compass, I have tested it a few different times and places and it is always a few degrees off from my other compass and the one on my smart phone. Close enough to be useful in general, but I wouldn't trust it trying to route-find.

Henson's Hideaway receives 5 stars and the Renogy Flashlight receives 4 1/2 stars due to the minor issue with the compass. Overall it is a fantastic item that is light enough to backpack with, especially given the multi functionality of the product. I highly recommend car campers and backpackers alike get one for their travels, especially given the very reasonable price of $25.

I tried along the 101 corridor in the area to no avail. This location had several sites available, tent, and cabins, as well.

We stopped through while passing Eureka on our way north and we’re so happy that we did! The cabins are cute and charming (be prepared, no kitchen) and the grounds clean.

Small rv park within cute mom and pop resort with cabins. Also have tent sites. Sites are tight and not level side to side. But clean and adequate with FHU. Also showers if needed.

We were at agate beach campgrounds for a week & never saw sun. It was still stunning. So many options for activities. The local town (15 minutes away) way super cute too. Cabins extremely well maintained and heated. Glorious spot on earth

SAVE YOUR MONEY! Absolute scam being ran here. I booked for my friend and I to stay for 3 nights in a cabin. I updated our check-in time to a later one, as we got stuck in road construction. Just wanted to communicate our situation and keep them updated as their office closes at 4pm! Nobody there in the evenings or during the night fyi. We arrive late at night and we see the self check-in box. We grabbed our cabin keys with our surname on the envelope. The next morning we took off on our excursion, just to get a voicemail from the office that there's a guest with the same surname as who can't check in because we"STOLE THEIR ROOM" First off, nobody stole anything. Had booking confirmation and guaranteed reservations sorted a week prior. I call them back and the lady says they need a different card to charge us to be able to stay there and that they sent a message to me via Booking.com the day prior. Ummm, so why didn't you bloody call me if there were card issues? I was driving all day and not checking my Booking.com app...They basically don't communicate and said they gave me 4 hours to update my card before giving our booked cabin away! So I gave them a new card, as I saw my previous one hadn't been charged, and it was sorted over the phone. At this point we really didn't even want to stay there with how they spoke to us. Totally out of order and tacky! 20 min later she calls back, says that they can't accommodate us now because STOLE a room from other guests and we had to vacate the cabin as soon as possible. Lol Wait WHAT?! Turn around to head back to the cabins, but first checked to see if my credit card had been charged...Locked my credit card and my debit card immediately!!!! Knew they were a scam at that point. Then the manager calls...oh boy she's a winner. Threatens to call the Sheriff as her associate told her that we said we weren't going to come back for our belongings. Lol! Absolute bonkers these broads are. Got our stuff, key dropbox, and we were off! So this dodgy, rundown, place is willing to leave people stranded if you don't keep an eye on your Booking app because they don't know how to CALL PEOPLE. Luckily, my children weren't with us that late at night with no place to stay! Also, being ex law enforcement, I know the laws and it would've wasted loads of time for a deputy to come to her rescue. Lol Moral of the story, check the Booking.com reviews better...cops apparently have been called on behalf of management and cops told the guests thjs place is a joke and they get called frequently by this manager person. Get a nice AirBnB! We are so glad we actually didn't stay there...we love our cottage we found!

This is a gorgeous campground in a state park with something for everyone’s level. I stayed in cabins near agate beach, and also a campsite with tent earlier in campground near entrance. Reservations recommended. Hikes along the coast, more difficult ones up and down to beaches and coastline, paved paths for walks, proper bathrooms, showers, water. Near town of Trinidad for pizza always a plus

Site #17 is a Pull through site. Some look like permanent resident but quiet n stay to themselves. Children’s play area was nice. Grassy areas needed mowing. Dog area had agility items for the dogs. In entering from 101, felt like we were coming into a business but park was out backs. Adorable cabins to rent. Would come again. Lady in office was very friendly, polite and went above and beyond.

I don't even know what to say, except pick somewhere else. Last summer we stayed for a few days. I reserved a few days for this summer. Got the reservation confirmed by email- didn't notice my name was misspelled by one single letter- and stopped in to the office to inquire about paying early. It turned out they gave me a reservation under the wrong name and that I was actually, in fact, banned from the park. What??? They revealed that in their system I was banned due to"pet damages". My service dog did not cause any property damage and the cabin was left clean. I asked if there was any detail about these supposed damages and no, there were not. I asked if there was someone I could speak to as no one had ever contacted me about this issue. The larger blond woman said,"I am the only one"(that I could speak with) and added that I was also banned from shoreline park- which I had never been to. The hold on my credit card is still there. It's only a few dollars but I'm going to cut my losses. Last time we stayed we were prohibited from flushing tp down the toilet and the bathrooms were not clean at all. The Wi-Fi never worked and the power went out preventing me from using my bipap. Also the pool and playground areas were so closely monitored it was a bit uncomfortable being on camera and confronted about a minor rule violation (within moments like I was being closely watched) that was quickly righted. I believe in second chances but this was just an insult to my sensibilities.  Weird staff, pretty unfriendly. There are plenty of other friendlier and more accommodating beautiful cabins and resorts to choose from in Humboldt.

Quiet spot right off the highway. There’s a cute general store for general supplies. The firewood there was pretty lightweight, so I recommend bringing your own hardwood.

Hot showers available with outlets to recharge phones, use hairdryers, etc.

I’ve camped here with 14+ high school students and it was great. Safe, protected and not a lot of trouble to get into. Lots of sites available in various sizes. The redwoods make great cover and dampen the distance sound travels. But heads up, the needles make for a slippery track, have had some issues backing vans out of deep spots before.

Lots of cute foot paths.

Gets cold at night, make sure to bring extra blankets!

The cabins seem reasonably priced for the spread, but I haven’t stayed in one before.

Friendly and helpful management- call ahead for choice spot reservation.

I like camping to get away with other campers and enjoy the outdoors in a beautiful place.. Unfortunately, site 9 is jammed right up against a permanent resident at the campground. The site has junk all over it and dows not give you that get away from it all feeling.

I've always loved Sue-Meg/Patricks Point, the trails and Agate Beach were my favorites when I lived locally. Camping here is fun as well and we keep coming back as often as we can. This trip we stayed in site 100 at Agate beach. It wasn't our favorite site that we've stayed at but it was nice. It is quite open to the parking lot for the Agate beach trail and doesn't have much seclusion, so you're really out in the open. You're next to the cabins, which made us slightly jealous we didn't book them for this trip lol. We had our dog with us, which is nice that they are allowed but a bummer that the dogs aren't allowed on any trails in the park. It's also nice how centrally located the park is in Humboldt. It's close enough to Arcata and Eureka that you can head down for food and other trails/activities in the surrounding area. 

We got super lucky with the weather, it was sunny and no rain for the 3 days we stayed in April. It was kind of busy this second weekend in April, lots of families and other dogs, but most people were friendly and quiet. The campground next to us had some younger guys who we caught climbing into the trees and sawing off branches for their firewood, which was sad to see. 

Besides that it was an amazing weekend at Sue-Meg, I highly recommend the park. :)

We stayed here one night last year. We’d hoped to stay at Patrick’s Point State Park, but it was full. The woman who set us up with a tent site here was super friendly and helpful. She offered advice for where to eat in the area and points of interest.

My daughters and I checked out the Bay Area and hiked the Trinidad Head. It was a beautiful afternoon. We had dinner at the Trinidad Bay Eatery and Gallery which was nice with a friendly server and good American fare.

After we returned we looked at the little arcade area in the cabins area. It reminded me in a nostalgic way of the arcade area in the 80’s movie Starfighter. Very fun.

Although it wasn’t quite dark yet when we headed back to our site, it was VERY dark in the back area with the tent sites fue to heavy tree cover. Finding our spot was difficult in the dark. The path is winding and doesn’t exactly match the campground map and the ground was very uneven. I was glad we have four wheel drive.

The campsite was also very uneven and had a steep drop off to a creek bed on the side. Luckily we’d planned to car camp and only had to fold down the sleeping area in our vehicle. I can’t imagine trying to set up a tent on that site in the pitch blackness. I’m not sure that the site had any amenities like a picnic table or water or a fire ring. I couldn’t see anything!

Overall I’d stay here again, but I’d get there way before dark and set up camp first before adventuring in the area. I love the Trinidad/Eureka area. There’s lots to do and see. I gave the three stars because the tent site area ground is so uneven and so unlit.

When staying in this area I explored two campgrounds one more beach view (around 25 miles south) and another with more of the true Redwood Forest feel. This one being that one!  

We first drove up to this area mid afternoon, which in fall is the time that you start to see the clouds pushing back in from the ocean and the sun slowly start making its decline.  While it isn’t dark super early it also isn’t light and it is during this time that you see the elk moving across the area to graze. That was our first impression of this area, one of such awesome beauty!

We then explored the area even more to realize this campsite was much more than just a campsite it was a part of the State Park which held so much information about these unique and beautiful trees that you had to just stop to take it all in.

We opted to take in one of the shorter trails before fully settling in so we picked up a map at the visitor center area which also had a lot of really interesting items inside and took to the trail right outside the center. When we were inside we were told they offer cabins as well as camping and you can bring your RV as long as it doesn’t exceed a certain length.

We had a group of 4 and yet if we were only a few feet away it was odd to even hear one another speaking.

The world is completely quiet around you when you are in this forest and so the campsites are muffled by the forest moss and ground around them.  It is so surreal to be in a slightly improved area but yet feeling like you are a million miles from anything or anyone.  

Campsites themselves are far from typical, despite offering typical amenities.  They are set in the most serene place you can possibly find and have these huge trees peering over your every move.  It is as though time stands still when you are here because you stop to truly realize just how small you are in the big picture.

The one thing we kept trying to remind ourselves of is that because we were in nature to remember that this was one of the more open areas for animals since we were right in the middle of it all and to not forget that while being in such awe.  For this reason we were mindful of keeping containers closed and in the car, nothing in our packs that could attract any unwanted visitors and to always keep a light at hand when traveling as the sun began to set.

TIPS:

• Don’t rush this is a place you want to take your time. If you are on a trail fully allow yourself time to enjoy that trail don’t try to set a pace typical of other locations.
• Try hiking toward the shore from camp, it is one of the best views you will find of the California coast.

I’m probably giving this an extra star for nostalgia. I camped here decades before,  before it became a more modern campsite, and it was formative. I’d suggest LATE summer, like August, or better yet, after Labor Day. It’s the warmest, nicest time. Or when the Elk are in mating season! LOL. Or spring, when the Lupin arrives. There are also INCREDIBLE day trips into California’s interior, Indian history, little known parks and trails everywhere. Bring all the yummy foods you want… you’re not going to be near a grocery store. Feel a side of California few know about.

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.