Best Cabin Camping near Mendocino National Forest, CA

We rented a cabin here back in October. The staff was incredibly friendly and helpful, and their check-in area/shop had everything you needed if you forgot it. Our cabin was a five minute walk to the beach, with closer spots for RV’ers and tent campers.

The camp spots were all beautiful, flowery and grassy, with trees overhead.

I would definitely go again!

The campground is your typical KOA. there's a store, pool, pond, bathrooms, cabins, disc golf etc. The electric scooters are pretty fun, and the paddle boats too. The ground themselves arent really anything special though. It's open, very little privacy. Honestly it's kinda like a massive group site. No real walking trails or anything. Getting to the campground is easier in the summer because there is a bridge that goes over the river, making it a shorter drive. In the winter, the bridge is removed, so you have to go through the town of Cloverdale and back track, adding about 15-20 minutes to your trip.

Location • state park located north of Sonoma and an hour south of Mendocino • in the Virgina redwood forest • closest town: about 6 miles away

Facilities • Bathrooms & showers easily accesible for all sites - cleaned regularly • some bathrooms updated very recently • Spigots every few sites with good draining • campfire theatre • firewood sold on premises • about 70 campsites • some cabins • day use picnic area • wheelchair accesible trails

Ambiance • quiet hours 10pm - 8am • mostly families • dogs allowed on leash

Sites • Small to medium, close together • More open than private; good for groups who need multiple sites • Most hace at least part shade throughout the day • ring fire pits with grill • wooden food locker at each site • wooden picnic table at each site • enough space for 3-4 cars

Things to do • Variety of easy hikes/walks • drive to Mendocino • wine tasting in town

Beware • Poison oak

BEACH CAMPING!! It is awesome! Bring ear plugs because it is a popular campground. 

The store has everything you might need while out camping and it is literally across the street from a beautiful beach! 

This is a LARGE campground and can accommodate all types of campers. There are even tiny houses and cabins for those less willing to lose the comforts of home. 

The RV sites are right on top of each other in the entrance but they open up in the back field(we weren’t able to get back in there since we were just tent campers). 

They are high on security here. I LOVED the list of activities that were happening around the area. It really helped you get involved with the local ecology. 

There is a big gazebo for fish cleaning. Laundry room and propane for sale.

What a lovely peaceful campground right on Cache Creek. Great fishing! Lots of wildlife sightings across the creek in the state park reserve. Great birdwatching. Cute little store and boat rentals. Owners are super nice.  Especially loved kayaking on the creek.

The waves are loud, the cell service sucks and the Wi-Fi is very spotty…which makes it a perfect spot to get away! If you get a premium spot, you are almost right on the beach, which is pretty private since there’s no public access. This beats the crowded State Park system any day!

I was lucky enough to spend four nights here last winter. It was breezy and rained on and off. The walk in sites are secluded and this park has all the amenities including free showers. Dog friendly. I hear it gets very busy in the summertime. There are a few year round residents, and it’s fun to stroll through the RV section of the park, but also fun to go back into the trees and get away from it all.

Cute but older and I mean really old RV camp on what's called a creek. I was told I could pick any Lakefront campsite but this is not the lake! They have a nice small pool and showers are included in the cost and there are full hookups available. Three Yurts available for rent. They offer kayak rentals and have plenty of boat ramps for guests but I didn't want to go into this nasty water, And I brought my own inflatable kayak. Decent for the price if you can't find anything on the lake itself but not what it is cut out to be.

We were able to book one of the last sites at Hendy Woods for a last minute getaway. The camp sites were well maintained and well marked, the campground host (Shirley) was friendly and respectful. It is a short drive to Fort Bragg and other coastal attractions as well as a multitude of wineries. I highly recommend stopping by Gowans farm stand for some apple cider- they also have outdoor cider tasting in their orchard (while they did have a non-alcoholic cider slushy available at the time, this is a tasting of their alcoholic offerings). There is plenty of wildlife to see; however, the Navarro River is dried in many places at this time. Finding a place to fish will require some travel away from the campground and some of its surrounding areas.

We love this place. We've been here for 2 months now off and on. The site we are on is located between a marina and the Noyo River. It allows for easy access for paddle boarding, kayaking, swimming and seals, sea lions and other wildlife. Last night a 6 point deer walked past our site. The rates are pretty reasonable and the people that run the campgrounds are great to work with. There is a kayak/sup rental as well next door. If you're lucky the maintenance guy will sing or whistle while doing his work, and makes for a good show! It does close down except for long-term use in the winter time (November-??) due to coastal seasonal flooding. Internet can be occasionally spotty but we use AT&T and Verizon which work well. Cable is provided. Full hook ups. Due to Covid enquire about the bathroom situation when calling to book. Walking distance from the harbor and a quick bike ride to the bluffs overlooking the ocean.

Hendy woods is a sacred place I will always come back to. The old growth redwoods and rich diversity of plants and fungi really make this place stand out. I have stayed at this campground 5+ times and each time I am glad to come back. 

The two redwood groves are easily accessible from the campsite, and the campsite itself is pretty nice. Quiet, nicely located and I always have a little bit of service (Verizon) at the campground. Hendy woods is a perfect campground for a weekend getaway because of its prime location. There is a cute apple orchard with an honor system mini outdoor shop where they sell apples, cider, etc. They offer cider tastings every once and a while too! The state park is an hour away from Highway 1, so you can easily get to the beach from there. 

I always come to Hendy Woods with my camera, especially in the late winter, early spring to do some mushroom photography. So much to see here! Oh and not to mention the beautiful river about a 10 min walk from the campground :) ENJOY Hendy Woods!!

Pros: If you are a person who likes to either stay all day at your campsite or are a water sport/water toy type person this campground is for you. Cons: Bathroom near our campsite wasn’t working. Campsites were overgrown with foxtails, not good for my dogs. Trash in our fire pit. A few campsites away from ours had a huge poison oak plant at the back where you park your rig. A walkway near the campground popular for fishing had a tree fall on it, instead of clearing the tree, the park rangers closed it off. Not much hiking in the park, and if you decide to walk the couple short hikes, don’t bring your dogs, NO DOGS ALLOWED. For the number of workers this park employs you would think these things would be dealt with, but no. I guess this is typical of State Parks in California, so much potential but sadly California parks slowly deteriorate.

General: There are four campgrounds in Clear Lake State Park: Upper Bayview, Lower Bayview(both of which were closed when we were there in April), Cole Creek, and Kelsey Creek. This review focuses on Kelsey Creek. 

Site Quality: The sites all appeared to be level with paved pads. No hookups throughout the park. Not a lot of privacy between the sites but decent separation. 

Bathhouse: Clean but as we have found in other California state parks, no soap! Showers take tokens which must be purchased on-site 

Activities: Limited hiking on a short nature path. In season, there is boating, swimming, and fishing. It was very quiet when we were there in April but I imagine there would be quite a different vibe come summer when the campground would be full (which is why we like camping in the off-season!)

The Mendocino redwoods RV resort just outside of Willits on CA-20 to Fort Bragg, California, was 3 years ago a KOA resort. The overall facility is still in fairly good shape but you can see the results of the pandemic and a little bit lack of effort on maintaining various things with inside the facility. Not to get me wrong, it's still a very nice resort but the new affiliation that they've decided to go with needs to step it up a little bit otherwise it will go into disrepair and short order. After traveling recently to a very high-end KOA resort, I can assess and compare between the two locations very quickly. I think it is a very wonderful location with a lot of wonderful things to do and activities within an hour's drive of it, I just wish they would do a little bit more to start bring it up to the level that it once was.

Hendy Woods is a gem, and will always occupy a fond place in my memories.  It was one of the first parks I discovered when I moved to the Bay Area 25 years ago, in the late 1990's. There are beautiful, old growth redwood groves from Big Sur through Humboldt county.  IMO, Hendy Woods is the most beautiful Redwood grove closest to the Bay Area. It's not quite what you experience in Humboldt County, but it's about 100 miles closer (to where I live, at least) and it's a magical place.

This California State Park is located in the Anderson Valley, a historic agricultural area located in the Navarro river watershed.  While only 120-ish miles from San Francisco, this area is remote.  To get there, you've got to take Hwy 128 west from Cloverdale, which is right on the Sonoma/Mendocino border.  This is a quintessential California windy road, which is either gorgeous or vomit inducing, depending on whether one is prone to motion sickness or not.  It is possible to get in to the valley from the north, by taking Hwy 101 to Ukiah, and then taking Hwy 253 to Boonville.  But this is "six of one, half dozen of the other" when compared to Hwy 128.  You could also come in from the west, by taking Hwy 1 from any point south, but if you think Hwy 128 is too windy, Hwy 1 is even worse.  For those towing trailers or driving an RV, I do not recommend trying to get to the Anderson Valley or Hendy Woods unless you're an experienced RV'er.  Seriously - the drive in will not be fun, to say nothing about trying to park a trailer or RV larger than 25' (more on this later) in Hendy Woods.  If you're new to RV'ing, get a pull-through spot at the Petaluma KOA and then drive your tow vehicle or tow-behind vehicle up to Hendy Woods for a day trip.  It will take you about an hour to get there from Petaluma.

If you're not towing a trailer or in an RV, and/or car sickness isn't an issue for you or your family (as is my case), the drive in is really beautiful.  You pass remote wineries and orchards, huge shady oaks, and the rolling hills that California is famous for.  This is California country life at its absolute best.

Hendy Woods is about 7 miles west of Boonville, just past the tiny town of Philo.  To enter the park, you make a left off Hwy 128 westbound.  Another note to RV'ers: there is a one lane bridge over the Navarro river before the park entrance, so go slow and make sure the bridge is clear, so as to avoid having to back up. Boonville has a well stocked market and a gas station (that has diesel, for those RV'ers out there).  It's a good place to stop and get supplies (read: beer, local wine, and ice) on the way in. There are a couple of restaurants in town, but this isn't Healdsburg.  The wine tasting is awesome, but you won't be dining at a Michelin starred restaurant in Boonville after visiting the tasting rooms.  You're much better off packing some prime cut ribeyes in your Yeti, buying a bottle of local red in town or at the winery, and grilling up steaks at your campsite in Hendy Woods.  Again, California country living at its finest.

I would describe Hendy Woods as mostly a tent camping spot, but with a few spaces large enough to get a 25-28' foot trailer or RV into.  But the difficulty level of getting an RV or trailer into Hendy is "black diamond." I took my 28' foot Airstream there, and I had to drive the road that circles the campground the wrong direction (per the advice of the ranger and the camp host) in order to get an angle where it was possible to jack my rig into the spot. Then, I had to make several fine tune adjustments to the precise location of my rig once in the spot, in order to get it as level as possible.  Oh, and to level it, I had to perch one axle on a stump, while getting the other axle onto a leveling block.  This is all standard stuff for experienced RV'ers, but since many people like to rent RV's and trailers now, I like to be very clear in my reviews about bringing larger equipment into a park.

I've camped in tents in Hendy, and most recently, in my Airstream. It's an amazing experience either way.  The campground is in a huge grove of redwoods that keep it cool and filter the hot sun. In the wet months (sadly only about 2 months a year now), the Navarro river will be flowing, and you can walk to it from the campground.  It's a great place to swim too if it happens to be running in the summer.  There's at least a day's worth of hiking and exploring without having to leave Hendy.  An ideal trip, for me, is 1 day in Hendy/Boonville, 1-2 days at the coast (about a 30 minute drive west on Hwy 128, not too many curves), 1 day wine tasting and swimming in the river. Hendy Woods is the perfect spot for this.

Hendy Woods is a magnificent place.  With drought becoming such a problem in CA, and because I live in-state, in many ways I prefer camping in the winters now. I've not visited Hendy in the winter, but I plan to soon.  Still, all the times I've been there in spring and summer, it hasn't disappointed. I always come home with a smile and a feeling of calm. Highly recommended.  Per my rating system, I give this 5 stars because it's a place you should travel to specifically to visit. It's a must-have experience if you enjoy camping in the western part of the U.S.

[Internet. Verizon via iPhone 12: 26 mbps down and 0.40 mbps up with 34 ms ping. T-Mobile via Nighthawk MR-1100 - 4.24 mbps down and 16.9 up with 159 ping.]

This is a great campground for the camping experience. The vibe is chill in that I don’t have anywhere important to be. I can sit here and drink my coffee. I can take a stroll to the water. I can do nothing and it’d be well worth my time. In places like this, bring all the camping gadgets you have. You’ll have time for them!

There isn’t much privacy between the sites but there is a fair about of space at the end of your site facing away.

Be prepared for bugs in Spring! We had to pull out our bug screen! Dawn and dusk is their most active time. There weren’t many mosquitos at this point. The other bugs don’t bite but there were a lot. So many that at dusk I thought someone was flying a drone but it turned out the symphony of buzzing was coming from the sky. Look up and the sky is blanketed in bugs. Just after sunset they go away.

The showers are token operated. Outside the bathrooms is a machine for token exchange. It takes $1 and $5 bills. They are these cute, unique coins specific to the park. Apparently lots of California state parks use tokens and you can “collect them all.” It’s 50¢ per token and one token gets you 2 minutes. Which is nice because you can do your shower things in between the token time so you need less tokens.

My only gripe is the hot water was inconsistent. My shower was hot as hell and my partner’s shower was cold. I can tolerate cooler water temps but she just can’t. Unfortunately the only way to find out water temperature is by putting in a token. From now on I shower first to make sure the water is warm enough and then text her when I’m done so she can use the same stall.

This park was perfect except for the shower water. 4.5-stars

[Rig. Mercedes Sprinter. 22 feet]

Dump station? - Yes Water fill? - Yes Clean site? - Yes Clean bathroom? - Yes Flush toilet? - Yes Showers? - Yes, token operated Laundry? - No Dish washing sink? - No

It was such a unique experience staying at Pine Mountain Lookout. The tower is unique in that it only gives a 180º view rather than 360º which allows you stunning views of the sunset. And they were absolutely gorgeous sunsets! There are cots provided just make sure you bring a sleeping bag, sheets, etc. It looks like they recently put in a new outhouse which was very clean! The only bad thing I have to say is there were a bunch of rodents; didn't see any while we were there, just a ton of mouse droppings on the counters and by the door in the morning, so make sure you pack away your food at night. There were also signs that rattlesnakes are in the area, but didn't see or hear any.

The roads driving up to the lookout tower are logging roads so they are a bit rough, this wasn't something we were expecting on our drive there. But overall it was an amazing experience. I can't wait to stay at another fire tower!