Best Equestrian Camping near Petrolia, CA

Incredible area, so remote you gotta commit to it!

No water at the site but we got some on our way at the county park between Honeydew and the campground. Could probably get water in Petrolia too. Plan ahead for that!

Plan ahead for lots of sun — we camped in mid-July and had a full day of sun! The ocean water was super cold (and dangerous) but the river was just right. Nice to have options.

Most stunning was these massive cliffs that open into this wild California coast. You can hike to the (non-working) lighthouse and enjoy yourself with a driftwood fire at night. Camping on the side away from the very close by beach was smart as you get a little reprieve with some shade from the shrubs and hedges (with some wildlife running through).

Animal proof trash on site, recycling too. Toilets were fine (hand sanitizer in them!) and generally pretty quiet.

One of the best little hidden gems I’ve ever camped at.

We camp here as much as possible. Just good ol' pit toilets, but usually not crowded, and very quiet. As Humboldt locals, we like to be away from the crowds, in the most beautiful natural areas in California. This is the trail head to the famous Lost Coast Trail, and just a stunning beach campground. Dogs allowed on leash, pop your tent in the sand. Super nice.

No big stores nearby, so you should probably get groceries in Eureka or Fortuna before heading over the hill to Petrolia. There is a small store, but this is Humboldt so they could be closed at any given point, wouldn't depend on it.

Be careful in the summer, not really sandal appropriate. The native dune plants have lots of little prickers in the sand among the campsites.

Make sure to stroll along the beach north to where the Mattole river flows into the Pacific. You will almost always find a bunch of seals hanging out on the other side of the river spit and hunting in the estuary for fist.

I stayed here twice for a total of eight days. Many long-term Residents give the place a seedy feeling. Ultimately it is safe and secure. And well managed. The bathroom is clean, heated, free showers and the combination is changed weekly. Large grassy area with good spacing between most RVs. I was in the middle of the campground for short term parking. Because of recent rains and some soggy areas I had to overnight campers close to me. 30 amp and 50 amp power and water at each side. The largest downside to this place is the RV dump station inside the fairgrounds. It’s the worst one that I’ve ever used. It needs to be completely rebuilt. No ultimately it did work. Great location to the picturesque town of Ferndale California. Also a convenient location for exploring the Lost Coast area. 12 miles away from Eureka California which has a Costco and Patriot gas station on the south end of town has a car wash that can accommodate RVs.

Very Cool place to Camp and Enjoy ! I've now been 3 times and each time its a little different and always Total Zen Peace to be had !

But make sure you only go during the week, because of the rowdiness, hell raising, dune driving doing donuts, drunken idiots that are there on the weekends.

I had researched this place once I had heard of the Lost coast, and read many stories of failed weekends ... So Every time I've gone its been camping tues-thurs....most times we've been the only people there.

We've always gone up north Hwy 1 to about 4 miles past Westport and turned left on USAL Rd, ( now some one painted a big arrow on the street pointing the way ) but the first few times the turn was a lil challenging to find... anyway take that USAL Rd and drive through the forest for about 5 miles, ( very easy dirt rd when dry, treacherous and challenging when wet 4x4 when it's wet for sure ) once through the forest stop and take pics , it's so beautiful 1000-2000 ft above the Ocean, watch for California Gray whales ! Anyway, once througfh the forest come down the hill and you'll drive right across a lil wodden bridge, take an immediate left to find camping spots and the beach is just beyond the camp sites !

It's so beautiful, peaceful and wonderful here. It will continue to be a favorite for my wife Jan and I for decades to come !

I stayed at this campsite twice two years ago. The first time was in the spring (April) with my daughters and the second time was in August that year. This is not a campsite per se, but rather a parking lot in which you chose a parking spot directly next to someone else and if you have a tent pitch it directly behind your car in the scraggly grass and sand sticker plants. There is zero privacy or distance between campers.

The fee is $20 per night. The bathrooms are disgusting. The best thing about them was a family of nesting birds above the door to the ladies restroom. We were able to watch the babies for a while which was fun, but there is also the chance that you’ll be pooped on while entering or leaving the bathroom.

The first time was just okay. We camped inside the back of my Toyota Highlander amongst mostly RVs, most of which left their loud generators and bright outside lights on long after quiet hours. I finally had to knock on our neighbors R.V. door to ask them to turn out the outside light which was shining directly into our car.

This wasn’t terrible and was completely outshone by a half day spent on the beach in the dune area. Locals surfed as families. The community seemed so tight knit and inviting. We left deciding that we’d definitely come back to spend a day on the beach later in the summer. Also, the local Samoa Cookhouse is nearby with family style breakfast, lunch and dinner served. It is a historic site and museum that used to serve the loggers in the area the food and service is awesome and has become a much looked forward to stop on our road trips to California.

When we came back we came with my husband, choosing to camp at the boat launch area again because of its proximity to the beach. The late summer campers were a very different crowd. Mostly they seemed transient. There was garbage everywhere. Beer bottles, wild pets - even an actual pig, run down RVs that were clearly full time housing for large, loud families filled the parking lot. There was loud partying far into the night.

I had my daughters car camp and locked them in while my husband and I slept in a tent behind the car. We kept being woken by a loud noise that I couldn’t identify. I thought it sounded like a bear, then maybe a plastic barrel being pulled across the concrete. Eventually - after very little sleep - we discovered it was our neighbor who had some sort of terrible sleep disorder. It was bizarre. After he woke in the morning he proceeded to urinate in from of my daughters onto the water spigot rather than in the restroom which was 50 feet away. My husband was horrified and asked what would ever possess me to bring him there. Lets just say that the beach was not reason enough.

I would not stay here again. I did not feel safe or that this was a sanitary. The price seems to attract people who are not camping so much as homeless. The bathrooms don’t get serviced often and even if they did I’m sure they’d be trashed in a matter of hours.