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.
Cleone Group Area
$40 - $260 / night
Open year round
$5 / night
OHV Staging Area, Equestrian Staging Area (no camping).
$25 - $35 / night
Guide
At least in Dec, very muddy. Would not advise without 4x4 and some experience.
We got here in an unmodified 2000 ford explorer with traction tires, but it was near that rig’s limit.
Would be a lot more comfortable with some recovery gear
Traveler
Camp operator directed us to several sites that were not large enough for our 22 ft trailer. For a state park not very well maintained. Plus side very close to the ocean area and great boardwalk to the tidal pools
Traveler$40 for the night / $10 bundle of fire wood. Sites have a burn barrel and picnic table and parking spot. Nice that you can hear the waves crashing. Short walk to the beach. Bathrooms clean and showers were cheap. Only animals spotted were deer. Would stay again if in the area.
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.
TravelerCampsite is about 40 mins off rt 1 - rock/dirt roads up and down the hills until you get to the beach. Once you’re there though, PARADISE!! Totally worth it - camp in the little forest before the beach or right on the sand, shack toilets available but other than that pack in and pack out!
ScoutReally beautiful campground. I've now visited a few times, and every time I've gotten little sleep because of the partying. Keep coming back because of the scenery and the great mtb trails, but be prepared for people blasting terrible music all hours of the day and night. Plus the fireworks, loud trucks, and guns going off at all hours of the night. Feels like camping in the movie Mad Max...
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
GuideGreat camping with quite a few spots both in the aspens and in the grasslands by the beach. It was pretty buggy, and a long dirt road getting in, but as long as it's dry and you've got 4x4 you should be fine. Sites have quite a bit of trash, remember to pack out what you pack in.
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.
ScoutAwesome access to beach camping, if you dont like the wind you can camp in the trees. Nice hike around the area, good fishing, great times, and great views of the lost coast
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
GuideGreat to camp on the beach. Nice to enjoy campfire on the beach from wood provided by the sea. Some nice hikes close by.
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.
Horse camping in California offers a unique way to explore the great outdoors while enjoying the company of your equine friends. With a variety of campgrounds catering to horse enthusiasts, you can find the perfect spot to saddle up and enjoy nature.
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 8 equestrian camping locations near Mendocino, CA, with real photos and reviews from campers.
