Best Tent Camping near Whitethorn, CA

The entrance to this campground is behind a store so it technically is hidden. 

What it lacks in privacy of sites it definitely makes up for in amenities. There are firewood bundles stacked up alongside the store for pick up. There is a pool and shower room open from 10 am to 10 pm. 

The tent sites are right along a fence without much privacy. I would suggest this place for RV camping over tent camping. 

There are showerhouses and bathrooms in the middle of the campground with a fish cleaning station. 

It’s an expensive campground $45-69 per night depending on where you want to be.

We chose Pomo based on other reviews on TheDyrt. I picked site 47 out of the three that were left when I was searching for a place near Fort Bragg. Although it looks like the site is in the middle of the town, the sites are very private, many nestled between thick brush (blackberries!) and many back far enough from the road that it seems like you're boondocking. Our primary reason for choosing a coastal site was for comfort. It was still over 95 degrees inland, but a very comfortable 65 along the coast. 

Almost all the RV sites are gravel, with the exception of a couple smaller ones, and the tent sites. There is a single bathroom complex, and the men's restroom was great...tiled with multiple stalls, large glass windows and CLEAN! I didn't check the showers out, but I'm assuming the same level of detail and finish also apply there.

It appears the sewer system doesn't cover all the sites, so the further back in the campground you go, there won't be any (an educated guess on my behalf). I walked through the campground, and most the RV sites have a power pedastal and water, a nice wooden picnic table and a fire ring. Internet access is available throughout, and when I ran speedtest I was getting 170Mbps down, which is incredible.

Make sure you look through the pictures of each site on the reservation page. They all are slightly different in size, privacy, and whatnot. There are several sites that "share" a common open space if you're in a group, and a large group area which looked to have 5 or 6 sites all comingled.

For tent camping, there is a large, open line of grass near the front of the campground, which doesn't really offer much protection from the sun. BUT...there is a loop at the back of the campground that has at least 10 grassy tent sites under a thick cover of pine trees. It's isolated by a path from the other RV sites, and I was really impressed by the area! If I were still tent camping, this would no doubt be my go-to tent site.

The nights were quiet and dark, and the staff friendly. They have 1 dump station, a fish cleaning station, propane and the office has a bunch of DVD movies available (not sure if for rent or free use).

Overall an excellent site and we were glad to find it, and will probably use this as a staging point for future treks further up the coast! I'll include some pictures of the site (I never include personal/family pictures because this is a campground review site, not a family album!)

We 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.

At $30 per night for a tent, this campground is a bit intense. 

This is a drive up site. The online source for it is outdated but the site is a good place to stop if you just need a space for the night. 

It is a combo trailer park, RV sites, and Tents sites so the navigation might be a little tricky in parts. There are power sites and water sources placed around the area. 

There is a bath house in the middle of the park but if you are camped in the tent sites, it is pretty far away. 

There are a couple porta potties set up that are closer to the tent sites. 

Cash or check only here. No cards taken. 

Make sure you check the pet rules too, they are very strict on them. We were lucky enough to not have our dogs with us this trip. 

The sites are pretty secluded by shrubs so you do get a sense of privacy in places. The turns driving around might make RV camping a little tricky.

Family park, nice and quite. Tent sites to full hookups. Older park facilitys very old. Some sites have an ocean view everyone can listen to the waves at night.

I 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.

Easy access and great store, with access to fire rings, tables, showers, potable water, dump station and trash receptacles. The tent sites are beautiful, but a bit too close to each other when there are dogs involved.

We were here for 3 nights and enjoyed the summer concert series on the grass and the close location to a private beach across from the Rv park. 

The spaces for Rv’s are tight, but we made it work. Tent camping is much more spacious. 

The weather was humid and cool. It felt wonderful for July!!

This 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

This was a nice campground very close to the beach. Great place to take kids. The RV spaces were very tight and close together. We were concerned about getting our 36 foot motor home out but with some maneuvering and backing up, my husband was able to get us out. We explored the tent camping area and it is beautiful, secluded, and spacious. The staff are very friendly, helpful, and the store is well stocked with good prices.

Came here on a last minute trip. Everything else was booked up, but this was available. The campground opens up quite a few tent sites (probably over 50 sites) on first come first serve basis at 2:00 pm. Most sites did not fill up. Felt like we had hiked out to the woods with no one else around. Surrounded by redwoods and aspens. Clean bathroom and showers. Great location to explore the redwoods.

Talk about secluded. Even though you are so close to town this is off the beaten path and you can’t even get into this campground unless you have a reservation. The front building shows all the sites available and even has maps ready for pick up when you arrive to the campground. 

There is a shower house and Laundry building in the center of the campground. 

Sites are a bit tight together but have adequate privacy utilizing trees and shrubs. 

The loops are well laid out but would be tight for a longer RV to come into. 

Ideal for couples since tent camping is $35 per night for 2 people, and extra adult is $17.50. And $1 per pet per night.

My family decided on this spot for our anual camping trip. There were 6 adults one late teen and two children. We tent camp. Our spot was nice and clean and next to the creek. Large enough for our three cars three tents and extra table and plenty of room to set up chairs around the fire for us. The beach across the street is on an inlet so the surf wasn't bad. Porta potties we're every few spots and the bathrooms with flush toilets and showers were just a short walk. The staff and camp store were great. They even had a band on Saturday for entertainment. The only negative and this is not their fault we're our night visitors. Beware the skunks are plentiful and used to human interaction as with the raccoons. Keep your food secure and don't get yourself sprayed and you'll be fine

My husband and I stumbled across this campsite by chance while on our way to another one of our favorite Fort Bragg area campgrounds. It’s an open campground split into two sides with, i’d estimate about 20-30 spots total. It looks like there is a primarily RV side and a primarily car or tent camping side. Regardless, you pay your fee (if I remember correctly only about $20) into the box with your filled out slip, and you have a front row view to the ocean. It’s as if you’re on the edge of the cliff, and there’s absolutely nothing between you and those beautiful sunsets. The beach is a short walk from there, too, and we were able to have privacy up until later hours when some other campers joined us. Though even still, it wasn’t invasive or rowdy.

Caspar Beach RV Park was a beautiful place to stay. I truly enjoyed my time there. A forest of trees right across the street from the crashing surf. Lovely! It has a wonderful tent camping area back away from RV's in the Redwoods and many other trees. RV parking was neck to neck but I enjoyed the sense of community and friendliness.

The thing that keeps me from giving this a 5 star rating is the fact that they charge for showers. There was no mention of this in any literature I read so it was a surprise when I went for a shower and saw the coin box. For $5 you should get a good shower but you won't here. When my quarters ran out and I put more in, all I got was cold water. Also, beware as the sizing on their hoodies is incorrect!

We stayed for one night as we were passing thru from Oregon to Central California.

Pros

• No cell service
• In the trees, very secluded
• Flush potties.
• Nice swimming hole, the water was warm in mid June. This seems to be the primary attraction for this area. Most of the families were gathered along the shore and playing in the water.
• Hiking straight out of the camp ground. But, it is a very steep trail, so make sure you bring a walking stick(s) and wear proper gear. This is also a heavy bear area, so pack your bear spray.
• Best for tent or car camping.
• Nice fire pits, wood for sale at office
• Fantastic place for kids… so many families with young children.
• The camp host and other campers were really friendly.

Cons

• Close to the road, we heard vehicles all night. We were in a hard sided camper two rows away from the road and could hear them inside. It’s got to be really loud for people closer and in tents.
• Tight spots and everyone is packed closely together (Check out the video).
• No electric, site water, dumping, or showers.
• Not suited for most RVs and travel trailers, you need to be very small and fully self contained. Our 19’ A-Line barely fit into our spot. The sites are close together, short, with roots coming up in the road and parking areas, and sharp angled turns to get into your spot. A lot of spot have over hanging tree limbs. We made it in our spot because our camper is super low profile during travel mode. Would not have been able to fit under the tree limbs with a normal camper.
• Hwy 36 from the 101 is very curvy with lots of narrow areas and very few turn offs.
• Not a good place for dogs, very few areas they are allowed other than your camp site. Upon arriving we receive a yellow sheet letting us know why our dog was a problem for wildlife in this area and all the reasons we should not bring him with us next time.

Over all, I this campground would be a fun place for families, wanting to disconnect from technology for a weekend of tent camping.

Large state park campground that was completely sold out, but offered a small section of non-reservable tent campsites. We checked in on a Monday when there were only a few other sites around us occupied, but by the time we were leaving on Thursday most of the non-reservable sites were full.

The campground is very well maintained with bathrooms and showers that were cleaned every morning. They allow campfires in fire rings and sell firewood on site for $8 a bundle.

There is a redwood grove hiking trail behind the campsites that takes you from one end of the campground to the other. You can also walk across Avenue of the Giants from the entrance to a trail that leads you down to the South Fork Eel River. We stayed in July when the water was warm enough in which to swim and the fish are very playful. Bring a blanket or pad to sunbathe, the scenery is beautiful. Careful hiking around the area though, poison oak is abundant.

There’s a small town called Meyers Flat just south of the campground on Avenue of the Giants where you can get some last-minute camp supplies, beer and ice. The market does have some groceries, but not enough to do all your shopping there. I also recommend taking a drive North on Avenue of the Giants to Ferndale or Eureka for a day trip.

Definitely a great summer spot with the river, and a great anytime spot for a place in the Redwoods. You will hear traffic from the Highway 101 in the evening and morning, but it quiets down enough at night you wont even think about it.

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.

There are a variety of campsites and campgrounds in this park. Some tent only, some RV/tents, and also some tent only (walk-in sites). There are four separate campgrounds. Plenty of greenery, blackberry bushes, lush tree shade, and excellent restrooms equipped with showers as well. The park boasts its seal watching area

Spacious sites for tents. RV area is packed. I highly recommend the tent area in the back of the campground. Great location! Nice fire pits.