Del Norte Coast Redwoods State Park, California: Address, Phone Number, Del Norte Coast Redwoods State Park Reviews: 4.5/5
Del Norte Coast Redwoods State Park
Del Norte Coast Redwoods State Park
4.5
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Part of the Redwood National and State Parks system, this state park was established in 1925.
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Detailed Reviews: Reviews order informed by descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as cleanliness, atmosphere, general tips and location information.
Popular mentions
4.5
77 reviews
Excellent
44
Very good
25
Average
3
Poor
3
Terrible
2
SeeDotGo
Los Alamitos, CA29 contributions
May 2021 • Family
A spectacular stop in a beautiful setting among the redwoods. Great trails right from the site. Nearby Damnation Creek Trail is worth hiking as well—the beach and rock formations are picturesque. For RVers, note that the campground doesn’t let you run a generator after 8pm or before 10am. So plan accordingly!
Written May 30, 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC.
Gurgi89
Homer, Alaska, United States228 contributions
Oct 2021
Reservations weren't needed, though they were closing a day or two after we moved on. There were plenty of open campsites and the showers and restrooms were clean and pleasant. Trails aplenty to explore among the amazing Redwoods.
Written October 11, 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC.
TejasExplorer4
Sugar Land, TX134 contributions
Jun 2022 • Family
This is such a beautiful park! I loved the trees, moss, ferns, creek, etc. We were fortunate to have a pull-thru site that was right across from restrooms. The restrooms were always clean and smelled nice. We didn't frequent the restroom building that had showers since we showered in our trailer. Also, we didn't want to pay for our showers.
I enjoyed photographing banana slugs, snails, and chipmunks.
Pros: clean restrooms, clean park, quiet, private site, and beautiful surroundings
Cons: muddy from recent rain
We would definitely return if ever in the area again!
I enjoyed photographing banana slugs, snails, and chipmunks.
Pros: clean restrooms, clean park, quiet, private site, and beautiful surroundings
Cons: muddy from recent rain
We would definitely return if ever in the area again!
Written June 10, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC.
Rhynn
Los Angeles6 contributions
I usually camp at Jedediah Smith state park 20 miles north of here, but due to facility problems, I could only get a reservation at Del Norte.
The park is beautiful if you like hiking--about all there is to do here. Most of the trails are moderate to extreme, so think twice before starting out.
They now have a specific site reservation system, but before they would just pick the site for you. Not exactly my idea of a fun trip. I ended up next to a family with 10 people in the site (limit is supposed to be 8). I didn't object to their nightly church services, but during the non-church service, the kids were extremely loud and so was one of the adults. I complained about the noise to the rangers, who stopped by to talk to them. Then they thought I was complaining about the church service. How come people who talk extremely loudly all the time can't figure out that not everyone appreciates their noise pollution--especially on a camping trip meant to "get away from it all."
They have flush toilets and showers, but the showers can be shut down if the well drops below a certain level. The rangers have to check the well every hour.
While absolutely beautiful, the park does not even offer a visitor center. The interpretive rangers are poorly prepared and execute their programs inadequatley. If you have teenagers with your group, they will be bored.
I highly recommend Jed Smith, because there is the river to go swimming in, Stout Grove to meander through, and the little village of Hiouchi within 1/2 a mile. They also have wonderful nature trails and decent interpretation programs.
The park is beautiful if you like hiking--about all there is to do here. Most of the trails are moderate to extreme, so think twice before starting out.
They now have a specific site reservation system, but before they would just pick the site for you. Not exactly my idea of a fun trip. I ended up next to a family with 10 people in the site (limit is supposed to be 8). I didn't object to their nightly church services, but during the non-church service, the kids were extremely loud and so was one of the adults. I complained about the noise to the rangers, who stopped by to talk to them. Then they thought I was complaining about the church service. How come people who talk extremely loudly all the time can't figure out that not everyone appreciates their noise pollution--especially on a camping trip meant to "get away from it all."
They have flush toilets and showers, but the showers can be shut down if the well drops below a certain level. The rangers have to check the well every hour.
While absolutely beautiful, the park does not even offer a visitor center. The interpretive rangers are poorly prepared and execute their programs inadequatley. If you have teenagers with your group, they will be bored.
I highly recommend Jed Smith, because there is the river to go swimming in, Stout Grove to meander through, and the little village of Hiouchi within 1/2 a mile. They also have wonderful nature trails and decent interpretation programs.
Written October 8, 2006
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC.
CSNBR
Irvine, CA57 contributions
Aug 2014 • Family
To be most helpful, I'll just make it quick here:
1. We camped in site #47, our friends were next door in site #48. These were great sites but #47 offered a ton of privacy and a very large campsite. It's one of the best sites in the campground. The site was basically walled on each side by 9 foot high stumps and felled logs. Great for the kids to climb on and entertain themselves also. Water spigot is right there and bathrooms/showers are at the perfect distance from the site.
2. The drive in and out of the campground from Hwy. 101 is about 2.5 miles of twists and turns and becomes cumbersome if you need to get to your site frequently throughout the day. Plan ahead for your day of adventures so that you don't have to make the drive too often. This distance is helpful in that there is zero highway/traffic noise, unlike Jedediah Smith campground.
1. We camped in site #47, our friends were next door in site #48. These were great sites but #47 offered a ton of privacy and a very large campsite. It's one of the best sites in the campground. The site was basically walled on each side by 9 foot high stumps and felled logs. Great for the kids to climb on and entertain themselves also. Water spigot is right there and bathrooms/showers are at the perfect distance from the site.
2. The drive in and out of the campground from Hwy. 101 is about 2.5 miles of twists and turns and becomes cumbersome if you need to get to your site frequently throughout the day. Plan ahead for your day of adventures so that you don't have to make the drive too often. This distance is helpful in that there is zero highway/traffic noise, unlike Jedediah Smith campground.
Written January 30, 2015
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC.
hnubtshiab
Saint Paul, MN292 contributions
Aug 2013 • Couples
My husband and I spent one night at Mill Creek before we hit the trails for some backcountry camping. Site 95 was a beautiful and secluded site. While many of the other sites are side-by-side and separated by some trees, this site was nestled up amongst the trees and at the base of a redwood and tree roots. You park and walk up a set of stairs to get to the campsite. We had a small two-person tent but the site could probably fit comfortably two 6 person tents. While the temperature was in the high 50s and low 60s, there were still a good number of mosquitoes.
The women's shower on the Site 95 loop was great. Good water pressure and hot. My husband said the men's shower did not have good water pressure and was only warm, not hot. The showers only take quarters but if you don't have any quarters, there are two camp hosts you can get quarters from.
The women's shower on the Site 95 loop was great. Good water pressure and hot. My husband said the men's shower did not have good water pressure and was only warm, not hot. The showers only take quarters but if you don't have any quarters, there are two camp hosts you can get quarters from.
Written August 6, 2013
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC.
Razor74
Redding, CA2 contributions
Aug 2013 • Family
After 10 years of coming to this beautiful state park, now being run by national park services.......my family will not be returning to this park again. Gestapo tactical national park police and unrealistic expectations of campground maintenance is enough for us to find another beautiful retreat....not ran by militant style rangers. 3 families...totaling 17 people, 8 adults and 9 kids under 9 are expected to keep the camp clean, as in like we arrived clean....during our entire stay for 4 days/3 nights. Come on.....that's not realistic. I understand the whole BEAR thing, don't leave food out, ........so we push our gigantic ice chests, locking ice chests to the side and behind bear locker, because the bear locker is full of loose, pantry style food, clean off picnic tables, throw trash away......and we head out for our daily excursions .......only to come back to camp around 7 pm ready to start dinner........only to find a note saying our campsite is a mess and our ice chest as been confiscated. I was like really??? You should have seen the place after breakfast this a.m. So we had to drive a mile up road to check - in to retrieve our ice chest......only to find out that its not there..........? The ranger on duty said the park police have our ice chest in their vehicle and would be back in 30-45 minutes. Let me remind you .....the ice chest they confiscated, was our meat locker.....full of ribs, chicken, TriTip, burgers. So needless to say.....dinner was late that evening. After the long spill about bear/campground safety..... They proceed to take my license and run a background check of some sort before returning said ice chest!!!?? Really???!?! All the while with their hand nestled on or near their gun on their hip, repeatedly telling me to remove my hands from my pockets.....like I was some criminal about to pull out some sort of weapon.......it was 55*-60*f....It was cold!!!!!!!! All I had was quarters for a shower in my pocket .....and to make a long story short.....the camp hosts didn't seem kid friendly either......All in all.......beautiful, majestic setting.......it would be much better experience without hardcore national park police. Use to be great family getaway.....now too much high maintenance for this family. On to our next great outdoors adventures.
Written September 4, 2013
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC.
njgrl4ever
Lake Oswego, OR34 contributions
Aug 2012 • Couples
We stayed at Mill Creek campground in August 2012. It was unbelivebly beautiful. It is set in a canyon 2.5 miles from the entrance and the campsites are spectacular. Set among giant redwoods, cedar and alder it was quiet while we were there. Many of the sites are quite private and the facilities were well maintained. It is one of the few CA state campgrounds that qualify for 1/2 price sites with America the Beautiful passes. Because the campground itself is 2.5 miles inland, you don't really get the morning marine layer fog.
Written September 24, 2012
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC.
Misha22
Seattle, WA288 contributions
May 2016 • Couples
My husband and I recently stayed for two nights at the Mill Creek Campground and overall, we had a very good experience. We are tent campers and reserved site #47 given one of the earlier reviews on TripAdvisor that spoke to the privacy of this particular spot. Compared to other places we have camped, we found Mill Creek had very spacious and fairly private camp sites. We stayed during the week and the campground was probably 2/3 full but never felt loud or busy. Note this was also prior to the busy summer season. The campground is several miles downhill from Highway 101 so it feels pretty secluded and as such, there is no cell or wifi service. Price for camping was $35/night plus an $8.95 service fee to book in advance - a little steep, in my opinion.
The campground requires you to store all of your food in the provided bear lockers or your car. They are very particular about this when you check in and we've found this is common practice for campgrounds in northern California. You are required to keep a "crumb free" campsite which really benefits everyone. Fire pits with a movable grate are provided. The rangers sold wood at the check-in kiosk but at a premium price vs. the grocery store in Crescent City or elsewhere.
The one issue we did encounter were the toilets in the bathroom - the men's room in particular. My husband reported that both toilets were clogged and would not flush for both days we were there. I did not encounter this issue in the women's bathroom but the toilets were definitely slow to flush and didn't seem capable of handling a large load, so to speak! The bathrooms are dated and could stand to be updated but they were cleaned every morning. FYI, no soap provided or any means to dry your hands.
The campground requires you to store all of your food in the provided bear lockers or your car. They are very particular about this when you check in and we've found this is common practice for campgrounds in northern California. You are required to keep a "crumb free" campsite which really benefits everyone. Fire pits with a movable grate are provided. The rangers sold wood at the check-in kiosk but at a premium price vs. the grocery store in Crescent City or elsewhere.
The one issue we did encounter were the toilets in the bathroom - the men's room in particular. My husband reported that both toilets were clogged and would not flush for both days we were there. I did not encounter this issue in the women's bathroom but the toilets were definitely slow to flush and didn't seem capable of handling a large load, so to speak! The bathrooms are dated and could stand to be updated but they were cleaned every morning. FYI, no soap provided or any means to dry your hands.
Written June 1, 2016
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC.
dhen
Los Gatos784 contributions
Jan 2012 • Couples
If you take Requa Road out of Requa and drive for several miles you arrive at a public parking area that overlooks the coastline where the Klamath River flows into the Pacific. I think that the overlook is the southern tip of Del Norte State Park. The 10 minute drive is well worth it.
Written January 12, 2012
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC.
Dogs are allowed but can't go on trails, my question is would it be worth it going with a dog?
Anthony C
3 contributions
Do you need to reserve a campsite or can I show up and get a campsite if available? I didn't find out til today that it had to be 48 hrs in advanced ( I was trying to get a spot tomorrow)
kkinchen84
Washington24 contributions
Are there large trees here? It seems that the larger, more famous ones are more south, but our short trip wont allow us to go below the redwood national state park. Between that and Del Norte, are there areas comparable to avenue of the giants?
PhotoTvlr0228
Nashville, TN135 contributions
Yes. Take the Damnation Creek trail at milepost 16. The trail here is 2.5 miles one way. Just hike in the amount you want. Stunning!
Frequently Asked Questions about Del Norte Coast Redwoods State Park
- Restaurants near Del Norte Coast Redwoods State Park:
- (6.76 mi) SeaQuake Brewing
- (5.84 mi) Chart Room Restaurant
- (6.61 mi) Perlita's Authentic Mexican Restaurant
- (6.29 mi) Good Harvest Cafe
- (6.09 mi) Fisherman's Restaurant & Lounge
- Attractions near Del Norte Coast Redwoods State Park:
- (8.31 mi) Redwood Rides
- (6.00 mi) Redwood Sightseeing Tours
- (7.78 mi) Jedediah Smith Redwoods State Park
- (8.44 mi) Howland Hill Road
- (5.56 mi) Crescent Beach