Stayed one quick night here. The entire campground is very mildy hilly and many sites are sloped. A decent area to stay and short drive to see attractions and trails. The bathrooms were the most unattractive part. There didn’t seem to be a check-in process. I just showed up to the site I paid for, not sure if I was supposed to check in somewhere. It would have helped to have a map
One night is all I spent here. It was much warmer climate than other areas of the park due to lower elevation. There’s a 6 mile hike starting from the campground that leads to some waterfalls. No camp host on duty and many campers breaking rules I.e. campfires fires during a burn ban, loud music throughout the campground, plugging a movie theater set-up using extension cords to the bathroom. Would have appreciated if it was better managed. The camp site itself was decent. Large enough for several tents.
I thought this campground was pretty decent for being NPS run and due to its large size. The campsite was close to other campers, but not right on top of them. The location is ideal. Bathrooms were the least favorite part, only one bathroom (with 4 stalls?) for one large loop of campsites. Check-in was a breeze. Nearby visitor center and camp store was convenient. There were hiking trails nearby. Be bear aware!
I spent one Saturday night in November at this small campground. It had all of the basics amenities except for clean water. There is a boil notice for the whole campground to not consume unboiled water due to testing positive for E. Coli. My campsite was adequate and has plenty of parking, although you have to pay extra if you bring more than 1 vehicle. There were other campsites with very small parking areas and small site as well. The camp host was friendly and ranger was on site as well. A short walk to the woods and the beach are convenient. No cell service for me in this area.
A very cool spot for backpacking in with 6-8 miles to hike in, depending on the trails you take. The tall grass gave some privacy between neighboring campsites. Nice to have a water spigot on-site. Vault toilets with paper towel, no soap. Trash and recycling containers were handy. Just yards away from the beach. Just a reminder to cancel your reservation if you don’t plan to come, there were 2/8 sites not occupied on a Saturday that could have been used by someone who really wants to experience this great location.
The pros: easy access from highway, close to the water, ramp access, bathrooms and water accessibility, resort activities to do. Cons: staff were disorganized and not very friendly, noisy campground, very close campsites to neighbors.
I got lucky and snagged a campsite as a first come first served on a Monday evening back in June. I love this campground as it’s easily accessible and has all of the basic needs. Bathrooms with electricity and flushing toilets. Firewood sold on site. Visitors center next door and of course trails leading through the redwoods. The sites are pretty large and had enough parking, but there is a fee for additional vehicles.
I had the opportunity to stay in this campground when it was nearly empty. I originally made reservations in June and the state park canceled them due to high snow year and the campground wouldn’t be ready. I ended up still coming to the area to find that they were in fact open for first come first served, but not advertised online.
I loved the sites here because they were large, had enough parking and were clean. There is a trail that was originally part of the Winter Olympics that you can hike from the campground. You can also follow another trailer to across the highway and enter the Sugar Pine Point State Park. If you’re looking for sites close to the lake, then this isn’t for you. This campground is surrounded by sweet smelling sugar pines. There is also a creek flowing nearby. I can’t tell you how the campground is when it’s in full swing summer mode and full of people, but I really enjoyed the quiet serene reprieve during a by chance encounter.
This campground was well maintained and the sites were large. Ample access to water spigots throughout the sites. Bathrooms were standard with flush toilets. A short walk to the falls made it very accessible. Would recommend driving to the lake due to the length of the walk and elevation to return back. Not much else to do in the area. There is a campground store where they also sell hot food and overpriced supplies if needed.
Stayed in a hike/bike site that had a river view (site E). The site was spacious and could probably fit 3 tents. Water spigot right next to the site. You can park near the campsite to unload, but need to go and park at the front of the entrance to the campground. Bathrooms were basic, but did have soap and hot water to wash hands. Coin operated shower available. No cell service. It’s not right next to the park, you have to drive or walk a mile through a trail to get across the street to the regional park. The camp host sells firewood, but none was available and the host wasn’t keen on answering questions about the campground. Met a ranger and park staff that were friendly.
If you need all of the amenities and luxuries while camping then this spot is for you. They have all of the stuff for a family adventure and to keep your kids occupied (pool, ping pong, foosball, hot showers and gas fire places in the common areas) Beware, DO NOT step outside of the paved areas as there is tons of poison oak everywhere. This place is also expensive as far as camping goes. They charged an extra $30 just for one extra car and then said you have to park in the overflow lot which is at the VERY tip top of a VERY steep road up and there was plenty of room at the campsite to park 4 cars. I personally wouldn’t camp here again as it was noisy with kids and people don’t seem to clean up their campsite very well as I went around and picked up dozens of pieces of trash. I’m used to more quiet, serene and respectful places to camp. If you want all of the extras this place is for you.
A nice place to stay for backpacking. Site 8 was a little bit secluded and away from other sites. The site was smallish and had a fox box and picnic table. Water and vault toilet provided in the campground. Quaint and cozy overall.
This campground location was ideal as it was right next to the visitor center. Like most NP camp sites, they are pretty close to one another. Most sites had no or little shade and you’re lucky if you get one with a little bit of brush to hide from the beating sun heat. The picnic tables are metal, which doesn’t make sense to me given everything gets really hot in the desert. Fire pit was also provided, but we didn’t use. There are few bathroom locations within the park, they were cleaned daily and very basic, but with running water. You have to dump your trash all the way near the front of the campground. RVs with generators made a lot of noise and were not separate from tent sites. The stars at night are amazing!
The campground is basic with vault toilets and water spigots. Bear box, fire pit and picnic table provided. Some of the sites are very close to one another. Very dry and dusty in the summer time. Good location as far as getting to other points of interest in the park. Stayed in E loop for tents only which was nice because there was no noise from RVs and generators.
Camp site 12 backs up to a fence (houses or cabins occupied behind the fence) and had decent space from other sites. Large picnic table, bear locker and tall fire pit on site. Bathrooms are a short walk and were mostly clean with flushable toilets, sink and soap (no towels or dryer to dry hands). There was a water spigot right next to the sight with potable water. Being surrounded by trees was lovely. The campground’s natural features seems a little worn and weathered with some trees damaged and well worn paths. You can can purchase wood onsite for $8. Right across the street from the campground is a nice nature trail and leads to the river.
Our second night we had to change sites and had B002. It was adequate, but we like C001 better. The site had lots of large rocks on the ground so be careful as there were lots of trip hazards. The bathrooms and water were a little ways down the loop. Most sites in the area were closed due to “hazard trees” so it was very quiet. This site is best for only one tent or two small tents. The bear locker was a little tough to open, like the lock got jammed or something. It was still a great place to camp.
Site C001. It was very spacious and fit our 10x10ft tent. Lots of shade and trees to hang several hammocks. Right across the street were the bathrooms and water fountain. Most of the sites around us were closed due to “hazardous trees” and so it was very quiet since the campground felt empty. Be sure to bring bug spray.