Are you an equestrian lover who prefers a more rustic experience when you visit Mendocino? Finding a place to stay in California while traveling with your horse has never been easier. Find our top-rated horse campsites from other campers like you. Plan the perfect trip in minutes.
Campground (sites 1-30)
$40 - $140 / night
Camp One is accessed at mile marker 5.85 via JDSF Road 350, and also has a day use area that includes the popular “Egg Station” day use area. Camp One has a total of 19 campgrounds associated with this area.
Campgrounds associated with Camp One include Redtail (10 sites; 6-10 campsites are open to equestrian campers only), Wagon (5 sites), Roundhouse (3 sites), Tin Can (2 sites) and numerous one campsite campgrounds. Iron ranger is located at the Camp One Host site location.
2023 - Briceland-Thorn Road from Four Corners to Needle Rock is currently CLOSED due to storm damage UNTIL FURTHER NOTICE. There is no vehicle access to Needle Rock and no alternative parking area in the immediate vicinity for walk-in visitation.
The Lost Coast Trail is closed between Bear Harbor and Wheeler Camps due to hazardous conditions created by 2023 winter storms. There is currently no estimated time of re-opening.
Camping—Wilderness camping is the only type available. Primitive campsites have tables, fire rings, a nearby pit toilet, but no developed water source. Bring your own drinking water.
Usal Beach Campground—The only drive-in campground in the park, the Usal Beach sites are in a meadow area near the beach. Narrow rural roads are often impassable, and RVs or trailers are not advisable.
Trail camps—These first- come, first-served campsites for backpackers are located between Bear Harbor and Usal Beach on the Lost Coast Trail.
Horse Camping—Equestrian camping is permitted at Usal Beach and Wheeler campgrounds.
Group Camping—Groups of nine or more can be accommodated at the Usal Beach horse campground. Call (707) 986-7711 in advance for a Group Use Permit.
Open year round
$5 / night
OHV Staging Area, Equestrian Staging Area (no camping).
$25 - $35 / night
Traveler
Serene, Beautiful, clean bathrooms, spacious Tucked away off the hwy we were surprised by the sound of babbling creek and the little bridges that meanders through this campground
Guide
It felt a bit too amusement park for me. The spot was nice even though I was surrounded by people on all sides. Surprisingly, I had a visitor in the morning. It was enjoying the tall grass around the food locker.
GuideThis is my family's favorite place to camp! Peaceful, beautiful... We have come in October for the past 4 years.
ScoutWe will be back as soon as possible! What a beautiful place with perfect weather. Bathrooms, coin showers, 5 minute walk to the beach. Quiet, close to town and super cool camp host. You have to pay for firewood, $10 a bunch. Bring cash! Our site had some visitors when the sun would go down, fearless raccoons and skunks.
TravelerLocation is great but $45 for no hookups is a bit much. Not sure why Dyrt is saying there are any hookups, only one I saw was at the camp host. I agree with other reviews that state some sites are super close together with little privacy. Lucky I got #22, it was perfect for an 18’ van. There is NO cell service, bathrooms are clean but you have to pay for showers. Hiking trails along the coast are really nice.
GuideThis campground is only a couple miles north from fort Bragg and then just a bit further south is the cute coastal town of Mendocino. It’s almost surprising how close to the water this campground is. There are several small Foot trials leaving the campground and after passing through a small Thick of forest ( where we saw a huge group of deer) and then instantly you are transported to large dunes and sea cliffs. Typical SP with decent bathroom house and coin showers. There is a small visitor center that never opened during our stay. The park had very few people camping in March 2023, as it was still Raining after an incredible season of storms. If full- it could feel like it lacked privacy between sites.
ScoutI work there in the summer hosting Beautiful with few amenities.
GuideThis camp ground exceeds expectations with its natural beauty! Tent camping gets closed for the winter season but plenty of RV spaces($40 honor system) with lots of options to choose from. There are not many people in the off season so we were able to get a spot with direct access to the beach! Each spot has a picnic table and firepit. This place has lots of wildlife (raccoons) so be careful what you leave out! **dog friendly
LegendUse of dump station not included in already expensive site fee ($40 with no hookups). Some sites are large some are small. We fit our 33 foot overall tt plus truck in site 81 by parking truck to the side. Probably could have done so in 80 as well. Some very shady sites some in open. 79-81 in shade. Trails behind these sites to beach. In my opinion park is not managing dunes well. Need to have designated paths to conserve vegetation. Beautiful rugged beach with harbor seals.
Traveler
We had a great time when we stayed a night here in October. The campground is nice and has a lot of availability- even on weekends!
The camp facilities are fine. The sites are spacious and there are a mix of shady and sunny sites. The flush bathrooms are fine, and there are free showers. Our young kids had a great time playing on the playground which was an unexpected bonus.
We stayed on a Saturday night and there weren't that many other people in the campground. I'm not sure why it's not busier, as it's just as nice as the state park campgrounds we've stayed in. The town of Ukiah is pretty close as well, so you can get food or supplies easily.
We had OK cell coverage with Verizon- we could usually browse the internet but streaming videos were difficult (you could download and watch them pretty quickly, but just streaming was hit and miss).
Guide
I’ve been coming here since I was a kid and my dad was a hang glider pilot. The campground has vaulted toilets non-flushable of course. There is water at the campground except during the winter as they shut it off to keep the pipes from bursting. The campground is open up all year round. Fires are allowed depending on regulations from Cal fire. The local store is about a 10 minute drive away and during the summer has ice beer and provides firewood for sale (during winter no ice but plenty of snow). Target shooting is available at the end of the airstrip which you will pass over on the way to the campground. For a boat launch there are two about a 10 minute drive from the campground
LegendGeneral: Two campgrounds at this state park: Pinewood (closer to Route 1 and I did not explore) and Surfwood (closer to the ocean). No hookups (at least in Surfwood, I did not check in Pinewood). You can see beautiful sunsets from the road leading to the Surfwood campground.
Site Quality: A few had concrete pads, but most had sand driveways. Most sites were very spacious; sites 122-124 are located on a roundabout and were very large and more private than some of the others. Most sites had a utility box, and all had a picnic table and a fire ring. Some had trees separating them from other sites.
Bathhouse: An upgrade from other California state parks we've stayed in with hot water and tile floors. No dryer or towels so make sure you bring your own. Pay showers (beginning with$1.00 for five minutes; accepts up to 15 quarters). I did not use the shower so cannot comment on how well it worked.
Activities: Horseback riding, hiking, and biking. There is a multi-use trail that leads south from the campground. The reason I chose this campground is I wanted to see Glass Beach, however, it was fenced off with “no trespassing” signs which was disappointing.
TravelerWe love this campground and have been coming for years. We have tent camped and trailer camped and love both. The tent spots are nicely divided by coastal trees and shrubs which provide ample privacy. You can walk to the beach, bathrooms with quarter showers, clean.
GuideAll the camp sites seem to be fairly large to give everyone a bit of privacy
Ranger[Internet. Verizon via iPhone 12: 5 mbps down and 0.16 mbps up with 56 ms ping. T-Mobile via Nighthawk MR-1100 - 3 mbps down and 0.05 up with 106 ms ping. Our booster marginally improved the speeds.]
PROS
→ Campground is adjacent to the beach. You can hear the ocean and sometimes catch peeks of the ocean from the campground.
→ Campsites have bear lockers. → Campground is pretty in the glow of sunlight. → There’s a trail to the beach and Laguna Point isn’t far.
→ The camp hosts are easy to approach in that they have an alert button you can press outside their rig and they will come outside. No wondering how to get their attention! We bought our shower tokens from the camp host.
→ This campground is protected by a buffer of coastal trees. It’s not nearly as windy at the campground as it is on the beach.
CONS
→ Showers require tokens. This seems pretty standard in California State Parks but it’s successful at deterring us from showering every night. One token gives 4 minutes of showering. Each token is $1. It’s not a lot for one-off trips but we are on a 6-week camping trip.
→ The dump station has a mandatory fee of $10. You pay with a credit card. When payment is approved, the cap to the dump hole unlocks. We didn’t use it. Again, it was successful at deterring us from using it. With pay showers we’d normal shower in the van and just run to the dump station daily to empty the tank but we didn’t. We paid for the showers. I know they are cost mitigating but it’s a factor when deciding on this campground especially if you camp a lot like us. (We are on a 6-week camping trip up the coast).
→ The shower water temperature is finicky in the women’s bathroom. When it’s just one person showering, it’s nice and hot. When two showers are going, the water temperature drops a bit. To me the temperature is important because it’s still 50° to 60° right now and I only get 8 minutes with the water. I need those 8 minutes to be comfortable not make me move faster than Speedy Gonzalez. For me this isn’t a huge concern but it is for my partner so that’s why I’m detailing it out.
→ Firewood is $10.
—————————— 4-stars - The campground is clean, enjoyable and has the camping vibe. Docking a star due to the extra fees and the water temperature. For weekend warriors I’d wager this is a 5-star campground!
[Rig. Mercedes Sprinter. 22 feet]
Dump station? - Yes, mandatory $10 Water fill? - Yes, free Clean site? - Yes Clean bathroom? - Yes Flush toilet? - Yes Showers? - Yes, token operated Laundry? - No Dish washing sink? - No
ScoutGreat campsite to relax in. Quiet, maybe a little windy, but nothing they can control. Friendly rangers, and other campers. Clean bathrooms and well-maintained sites. Will return.
LegendCampsites are level and have enough space between them for adequate privacy. Our site along the beach side allowed for an easy walk to to the ocean. Sunset was fantastic and at sunrise, sea lions were out playing and sunning on rocks which were fun to watch. Bathrooms were completely adequate with flushing toilets and showers. My shower in the womens bathroom was cold but my husband said his was scalding hot. Showers take quarters. The wood sold at the ranger station was damp but still burned great (bonus, it was pine and smells fantastic). Another plus is how close it is to "downtown". Lots of fresh seafood places so it was nice to go out for a hot meal and good food.
Guide
Been camping at Richardson Grove RV Park for the past 20+ years. It’s a large campground and great for large groups our group is usually about 60+ people :). Having the gas station right next to the campground is great since you ca. Go buy anything you need / run out of such as sodas and beer oh and ice also. During the July hot days we like to cross HWY 101 and go take a dip in the eel river. The campground has bathrooms and showers but over the years the maintenance have dropped
TravelerThis is a lovely, peaceful campsite with so many positives. Great hiking trails, a small protected beach, helpful camp host, and well-maintained showers and flush toilets. Larger beaches and the postcard town of Mendocino are just a couple miles away if you want a change of scenery.
There are a couple things I wish I’d known in advance. The sites are on the small side, and most don’t have two trees large enough to string a hammock or a run line for a dog. Some of the sites aren’t as private, so it’s worth checking a map before booking. I stayed in 27, which was a beautiful spot, but the sites on that side of the creek get almost no sun during the day, so everything was a little damp all the time.
Those were all small things I can work around the next time I visit, which I absolutely plan to do again.
RangerExcellent beach access, nice flat sites. Watch the videos, words can’t express the beauty here.
Guide
I’ve been camping cross country for the last month with my husband. We’re from New York, and like to think we’re not easily rattled or intimidated. This was the first time on our trip that we were both scared.
The forest service website says this campground is not open for camping, just dirt bike and horse riding, so I had found a campground further into the National Forest to camp at. When we drove by Middle Creek, we could see the sites from the road and a few of them had tents and we could see some folks, the campground was pretty clearly operating to some extent. We just wanted somewhere to stay overnight on our way into SF so we doubled back and found a site, paid the $8 and had a snack. We explored our corner of the campground a little- pretty clean, a fine campground. No visible host.
Lots of wasps and flies, like standing right next to a dumpster. There was a woman who seemed to be experiencing homelessness and/or mental illness occupying multiple sites. She pretty clearly was stealing from sites people weren’t present at, right in front of us. She also had a dog that didn’t seem to be hers.
The man at the campsite next to us didn’t have a tent or anything, just paid then sat in his truck screaming and cackling and breaking stuff loudly and pounding beers.
We left without spending the night. The police need to go take a look out there.
LegendI’m bad about planning ahead and couldn’t reserve a campground at my usual spots also was trying to avoid the smoke in the valley from all the forest fires. This area was recommended because they are all first come first serve. I drove up on a Friday in July and was able to get a spot at Dunlap campground. The campground filled up by 5:00 Friday night and stayed full the rest of the weekend. Each camp has a picnic table, fire pit and a bbq. Dump lap has 17 spots and a vaulted toilet. There was a small creek behind the campground which was nice. It was about a 30 minute drive to fort Bragg made for an easy day trip. The campground is maintained by cal fire $20 a night. No camp host on site, cal fire crew came in once a day to check the campground. Fellow campers weren’t too loud, the birds were worse in the morning. I’m
LegendI give a four star only cause the showers were pure evil. One was like pin needles and hurt very bad and the other one was only luke warm. The air draft was 100% blowing and super cold. Freezing from Hypothermia in a shower. Who would have thought? The Beach was Gorgeous, really close and easy foot trails from Campsite to waves Crashing at your feet. The full moon was breathtaking and priceless. I was out there at 3am soaking in the moon. I bought some local King Salmon from Princess Seafood and deli. Grilled it on a Campfire with delicious marinated kabobs. Had one amazing time and even met some great camp neighbors. The Camp Host did a Phenomenal job and everyone wore their masks when applicable. I stayed in spot #97 and was out of the wind. Very much recommended spending $40 dollars for a Golden Ticket! 💌 💯🌕🌠🌊
RangerWas 0.75 miles away from water (we have been in a drought?) but beautiful spacious campsite. Even with annoying neighbors, you can have peace and quiet. Fun, almost hidden area that I didn’t know existed before this trip.
TravelerEven has hot water in women’s restroom
LegendI like this a little better than Van Damm down the road because of the small private beach which never appears crowded. You do have road noise but it really is not bad.
Great little tent camping spots and a fabulous group tent camping spot. From the small beach you can play in the waves and launch protected kayaks into the small bay. On the right day there are some tidepools (not a lot). A stream runs through camp and empties on to the beach.
Great Fern Canyon trail and waterfall trail back in the gorge.
You can explore all the Mendoconio Coast from here.
Sites are well spaced and protected. Tables, fire rings and food storage. Nice rest rooms with showers. I like the lower loop along the creek and thes sites at the end, near the beginning of the fern canyon trail are choice.
ScoutJackson State Demonstration forest is about 6 miles from fort Bragg on hwy.20 Campground is about 3 miles down a dirt road down into the forest from the highway.
Beautiful, clean and peaceful. Plenty of trails to explore and Noyo River meanders through the center. It was self pay upon arrival and the whole place was welcoming. Nice day use area with tables and creek for playing in. No water but fire pits and grills, and picnic tables in campsites. At the sites , Trash and pit toilet areas seemed cleaned regularly and cal fire was seen a few times through our stay so it’s out there but doesn’t feel far away.
There was a massive group site that would be gorgeous for a family gathering too!
Frequently Asked Questions
Which is the most popular equestrian campsite near Mendocino, CA?
According to TheDyrt.com, the most popular equestrian campground near Mendocino, CA is Russian Gulch State Park Campground with a 4.6-star rating from 11 reviews.
What is the best site to find equestrian camping near Mendocino, CA?
TheDyrt.com has all 7 equestrian camping locations near Mendocino, CA, with real photos and reviews from campers.
