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Four dispersed sites. Beautiful views, non-aggressive dogs welcome, with breed approval. Sites are widely spaced around a two-acre meadow edged by forests and a stream. Full property is 80 acres, most accessible t hiking. Location is one mile from Centerville Beach County Park. No ambient light or noise. Wooded site, fire pits (Cal Fire regulations may prohibit fires in wildfire season), free firewood, potable water available outside bathhouse. (All our water originates in an artesian well on the property.) Hot showers, flush toilets. Bathrooms are shared by 4 sites. Trash bins. Can drive to all sites. Family-friendly place. Field sites are: FOREST STREAM in the far corner bordering both the forest and the creek; FOREST EDGE, far right corner, borders the forest; HAZELWOOD, in alder grove along the creek; and BASE CAMP, under a spreading spruce near the bathrooms. Beautiful property, well-managed, friendly, safe, clean, and quiet. (Hundreds of reviews on Hipcamp and Airbnb.) You can hear the ocean roar all night. 30 minutes from southern redwood groves; 90 minutes from northern redwood parks. Four miles from Victorian Village of Ferndale. Homemade soup, cobbler, and bread is available for order/purchase when booking.
$58 - $70 / night
Baxter Environmental Camp
$20 / night
ROADS MAY BE IMPASSABLE IN WET WEATHER. RV'S & TRAILERS NOT RECOMMENDED.
Sinkyone Wilderness State Park lies on the southern portion of the Lost Coast, a 60-mile stretch of wilderness comprising the park and the King Range National Conservation Area.
For thousands of years before the first Europeans arrived, the Sinkyone Indians lived on this part of the coast. They occupied permanent villages beside streams and rivers, and moved out in family groups to hunt and forage in the hills during the summer. They fished, gathered seaweed and shellfish, hunted seals and sea lions, and harvested the occasional dead whale washed on shore. All kinds of fish were caught, but the seasonal salmon run was especially important.
Today, the Lost Coast Trail follows the whole length of the rugged Sinkyone coastline. Gray whales pass by during the winter and early spring. Roosevelt elk roam the grasslands. Sea lions and harbor seals hang out in rocky coves. It’s an arresting landscape, with canyons, arches, tide pools, sea stacks, seasonal wildflowers, waterfalls, and dark sand beaches. On a sunny day, the sea looks turquoise, giving the park tropical feeling.
Some aspects of the Sinkyone keep crowds away. Its trails are steep and its campgrounds are primitive. There’s no potable water, and you have to haul out your own trash. When wet, the park’s twisting dirt roads are impassable for passenger cars. More than a few visitors have had to stay an extra day or two because a mudslide or fallen tree closed their route home. “The Sinkyone lets you go when it wants to let you go,” a park ranger says. In other words, it’s a real wilderness.
Williams Grove Group Camp
$300 / night
Primitive camping area. No toilets, water, and hookups. No Use Fee. Picnic tables are on-site.ADA Access: No access
Facilities: 8 tent campsites with picnic tables, fire rings, vault toilets. No hookups. Wheelchair accessible. Chemise Mtn. Trailhead. Entire campground may be reserved for overnight group use for $85 per night. Minimum number of people in group is 20, and maximum group number is 60. All applications and fees must be received 30 days prior to the first use day. To request a permit application please call the BLM King Range Visitor Center at 707-986-5400. NO group reservations are available Memorial Day weekend, Fourth of July weekend or Labor Day weekend. Use Fee: Camping - $8.00. If entire campground is not reserved than the campground sites are non-reservable and available on a first come first serve basis. No potable water (campground is near creek; treat water before drinking)
Cuneo Creek Horse Camp
$35 - $200 / night
Guide
Great views — and often less soggy than down below on the water and beach. Only drawback is proximity to the access road and a bit exposed.
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
Guide
We arrived late and it was dark, but the large trees were beautiful and sites were large!
Scout
I camped there one night. Bathrooms are clean and well maintained.
Guide
This was the only place in shelter cove to stay for the night on our multi day lost coast trip and it was fine for what it is A camp ground with hookups for rvs The general store had great burgers The sunset was amazing
Guide
I’ve heard that this place can get crowded during the summer months I’m glad we waited until fall Definitely off the beaten path We were here on a Thursday night on our way to shelter cove via Usal rd
Legend
We stopped here intending to stay the night on our way north but just couldn’t justify spending $30 for a literal parking spot (for RVs). I’m not even sure if there would have been room for our slides without going over into the next spot, and if we’d wanted the awning out there definitely wouldn’t have been room. There were no other RVs there and so I’m sure it would have been fine, but still.
The tent spots weren’t as bad, they were off the parking lot in a sandy area. You’re right off the highway too, so there’s a lot of noise. I could see this place being fine for an overnight spot, maybe for $10 or something, but to market it as a campground is just crazy.
There are pit toilets here and trash bins, host across the street. We thought about staying here just for the dog friendly beach access but the trail to the beach was narrow, overgrown, muddy, and overall unpleasant. About 10 miles north there is a lovely rest stop where you can stay for 8 hours for free if you just need a place to sleep (and there’s a free dump station there too!) We didn’t stay. Don’t recommend.
Legend
We stayed here for half price with the Passport America discount - we paid $25 for a pull through E/ W site (normally$50), and refreshingly there were no taxes or fees added on to the price. We almost didn’t stay here, as on the Passport America site they state that they do not allow certain breeds of dogs, and we generally try to not support places that discriminate against certain breeds, even though our large dog is mixed breed dog who could pass for any number of breeds. But nobody mentioned anything about dogs when we arrived, and we saw no mention of it anywhere on their website or other signage, so we ended up staying.
It’s one of those run down, but in a comfortable kind of way, places. There’s a cute tree house and cute cabins (tiny), as well as a tent-only area for $30. There’s also a dump station (free for campers), a laundry room, and free showers. The showers were run down but clean. We ended up not using the laundry- they are $2 each for washer and dryer (they take quarters, and there’s no change machine), with a sign saying that your clothes may stain due to the iron in the water, and that you need to shake out the sawdust from your clothes before washing them (I guess a lot of loggers stay here?). Also, the water jug we had filled with their water was full of rusty red residue at the bottom, ick. And that water is what we used to fill our onboard RV tank (and that’s with using a filter). The RV park seems to be mostly long-termers or seasonal campers, it was very quiet and devoid of people when we stayed here after a holiday weekend.
Staff was very friendly and welcoming. We forgot to ask about wifi, but cell reception was good for Verizon and ATT. The park is nicely situated among the trees with an easy access from the highway, right near the entrance to the Avenue of the Giants. Would stay here again.
Guidepretty basic good after a long night of driving
TravelerIt was our first time dispersed camping. We fell in LOVE!! The 45 min dirt road was filled with amazing views early morning. Will definitely be coming back here more often.
Ranger
Great campground in the redwoods. It is located right in the Avenue of the Giants and next to the visitor center. Some sites are small, some are somewhat private, but they are close together in general. The restrooms and showers are nice enough. Overall this was a great campground and fun family trip.
ScoutThe location it’s not what it says on this map. It’s about a mile heading to eureka. It’s okay it’s small camp site it’s right next 101 it’s bit noisy
GuideThe road was a bit rougher than expected (took us roughly 45 min from the paved road to camp). People made it down in mini vans but I personally wouldn’t try it. We stayed over a weekend and there was several groups but still plenty of areas to camp. T-Mobile had 0 service.
Guide
The campground is ok. The closest bathrooms near our site were closed due to renovation. The main bathrooms were good looking. The men’s bathroom kept running out of paper towels. One of the staff told me they can’t buy any toilet paper or paper towels anywhere. My wife had to keep bringing in toilet paper as they ran out. The pool was warm and spa hot. The most frustrating part was reservations. The website showed only tent sites with water and electricity. I then clicked on military discount and the website showed me a higher price. I called and left a message to get clarification. No one called me back. Turns out they apply the discount after you check in. Check in was another issue. The office was closed early and they gave me a tent site without electricity or water. So I had to call their after hours number to get them to change my site. Later in the office they told me that they aren’t responsible for their website. Campground is ok, but customer service needs work. Wish there were more options closer to Eureka. The WiFi worked good until the last day. The 15A outlet worked until the last day.
RangerVery long road but absolutely wonderful site. It’s literally your own private beach for the night.
GuideBest camping spot of our trip. The road in is a long and windy road but the site is worth the drive. We got there at night but the windy road did not deter us. Camped on the beach with the woods to our backs. Saw some coyotes when setting up camp, but they didn't mind us. Most beautiful sunrise in the morning and saw mama and baby bear prints on the sand. The morning drive out was gorgeous.
GuideIt was easy to find the access road by the mile marker on Hwy. 1.
The road itself is rough and could be very unsettling for anyone trying to do this trip in a vehicle without good off-road clearance. The ruts can be big and cause bottoming out of street cars. For the most part, the road is easy, but challenging in some spots and skinny. You may have to make way or room for oncoming vehicles.
The area has plenty of campsites and fires are allowed. You can choose to shelter in the wooded areas or setup right on the beach. Beware of the deep sand. Lots of folks get stuck here, so drive carefully.
I loved this place, but so many people know about it. Prepare for neighbors sharing the area. Still it was secluded enough to really enjoy.
What do I have to say about it further? Dude! It's Northern CA. It's the Pacific Ocean. It's a dream combo you can only experience by being there. Love this place and keep it clean!
Traveler
We phoned and immediately got a spot, the park was pretty empty on arrival but showed “no availabilities”. Hookups and amenities were good and clean. Laundry available. It would be a little improvement to provide a Picknick bench and something for the kids (playground?) and also some more redwood specific things to do in the area such as hikes.
TravelerOur spot was pretty good. We could see some other tents, but for the most part the trees and bushes gave us tons of privacy. Wood was for sale at the gate for 10 bucks a bundle. Plenty of bathrooms. Showers were warm and was 25 cents a minute. I was pretty happy. Plus huge sequoias everywhere!!
Traveler
We were there at first with just a couple rvs there. By the end of the four days - it was filling up and was still quiet. The showers were nice. Ferndale is a gorgeous old Victorian town and you are still close to eureka and don’t underestimate the safety factor.
Traveler
Definitely an underdog beach campground! It is very hard to find anything online. But this spot is amazing. Its as close to a dispersed spot as you can find with just a few amenities. I guess I was the first one who wanted to share the spot, I added it to the app for you all!
ScoutThey may have a post office box in Reno but the Pacific Ocean is a bit of a hike from Reno!
GuideI started coming around the end of March. The trail can be a little rough if it’s been raining. Had to pull someone out last trip, which made the adventure even better! I recommend 4x4 during the wet seasons and some recovery gear just in case.
Scout
Had a great time at Wuss Camp. John and Wendy were incredibly kind and accommodating. Great, spacious and clean space with amazing bathrooms and showers. Couldn’t have asked for a better spot. Hope to be back soon.
RangerRecent rains resulted in several of the campsites being closed, but there were still spots available on my late arrival. Restrooms and showers were clean and conveniently located. Avenue of the Redwoods is an amazing drive!
Traveler
Scenic campground on the Avenue of Giants!
ScoutSAVE 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!
Petrolia, California, offers a fantastic backdrop for tent camping enthusiasts, with a variety of well-reviewed campgrounds that cater to different needs and preferences.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which is the most popular tent campsite near Petrolia, CA?
According to TheDyrt.com, the most popular tent campground near Petrolia, CA is Wuss Camp with a 5-star rating from 4 reviews.
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TheDyrt.com has all 17 tent camping locations near Petrolia, CA, with real photos and reviews from campers.
