Surreal Experience
I’m a new camper so this app helped me a lot when I went to the Raven Cliff trailhead and camped. There’s 25 parking spots to start but when we got there around 1:30pm on a Sunday, the lot was almost full with lots of people parking on the sides of the lot and making their one spots. There is also a $5 fee per day . Most reviews tell you to go further into the trail and find a cleared out spot to camp, it’s true if you mind the tons of hikers that are in and out of the trail from the parking lot and the road that is pretty close near by (you can hear every car). This was our first camping trip so we chose the first camp site you see when you walk on the trail. It was probably 100 ft from the creek and you could see our tent from the top of the trail as you walk by (if you mind that there are plenty of spots further in). With that being said the hours online says the trail closes at 5pm, but the gates never close so we heard and saw people walking out as late at 10pm. Lots of noise that was somewhat masked by the rushing creek water. But the morning time was filled with surreal sounds of wildlife and it was very peaceful. Only a few other cars were in the parking lot in the morning time so that made the trail a lot less chaotic until about 9a.m. Lastly, there are lots of reviews about the black bears in the area, along with a few signs when you get to the parking lot. Personally, we did not physically see any bears nor did we see any trace of them. But keep in mind we left all of the food and portable stove in the car when we were done using it and our tent was somewhat close to the parking lot so the noise might have deterred them from our area. Still, it’s better to be safe than sorry, keep your food as far away from your tent as possible. Happy camping!