Our 92 generously-sized pull-thru sites are large enough for any RV. Conveniently-located near Highway 101, Mad River Rapids RV Park offers affordable rates, full hook-ups, level paved pads, and a picnic table at every site. Bring your family, bring your pets. Work remotely with our FREE high-speed internet, while the youngsters play in the Activity Room.
Places to stay are graded on a 0-100 scale. The higher the grade, the easier it is for travelers to find restaurants and things to do within walking distance.
We've stayed at Mad River Rapids RV Park several times over the years, most recently in May 2014.
First, if you are looking for a "campground" in the redwoods, this is not it. This is an RV park in a semi-suburban setting, although directly across the road is a lush cow pasture! Despite the name, it's not really close to the Mad River, although you can walk or ride bikes about a mile down quiet country lanes to see the river.
All interior roads are paved, as are all campsites. There are of course full hookups (30 amps) and good cable TV. They have free wi-fi but since we carry a Verizon jetpac we didn't use the wi-fi.
The park has some mature trees and there are nice green lawns between and around all the spaces. The spaces are plenty wide but do not have bushes in between them. We opted for a pull thru space and there was no problem fitting our 55' long rig. There is a slight "hum" from the freeway during the day but we didn't notice it at all at night. The park is well lit at night - no flashlights required.
As is *very* common in today's world, there are a fair percentage of long-term live-in RVs here. We noticed that they were all quite tidy and neat, without the outdoor "stuff" than some parks allow. Most of the people who live here work during the day and are very quiet at night. We did not see many children.
There were NO "homeless" wandering in using the facilities! In fact, the RV park had NO transients anywhere around it!
We didn't use the showers, but I looked in and they are older, but clean. They are in a *locked room* so you have to have the code to enter. I did several loads of laundry in one of the laundry rooms and all the machines were in excellent working order, fairly new, and very clean, as was the floor. There is even a pleasant little "lounge" attached to the laundry room I used, with a couch, chair and TV.
The pool was still closed for winter when we stayed here. There is a Quality Inn (not apartments) right next door to this RV park and the motel guests do use the pool and playground.
Check in was fine with a very friendly staff. The mini-mart is handy if you don't want to run to the nearby grocery store for something basic. There is also a book exchange which I always enjoy. I got 5 "new-to-me" paperbacks :-)
The park location is convenient for seeing the redwoods whilst having your motorhome or trailer parked in a full service RV park. Just a half mile away on the west side of the freeway is Toni's 24 Hour Restaurant, which is quite good. There is also a Mexican restaurant right at the park's entrance. Ray's grocery store is just across the freeway and there are several other restaurants located in Ray's shopping center.
Mad River Rapids RV Park is just off the 101 freeway at Guintoli Lane / Janes Road exit, on the west side of 101. The small traffic circles look daunting in a big rig, but you will fit around them :-)
This is a pleasant RV park and we'll stay here again.
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Date of stay: May 2014
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Trip type: Traveled as a couple
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Traveling through northern California this appeared to be our best option for the night. Only place we could find between Brookings, OR and Eureka, CA on the 101 with paved pull through sites. $36 a night with the GS discount is a bit steep for this location, but I am willing to pay for the ease of paved pull through sites. Utilities are located in an awkward spot for the site, but did all work. No noise issues while here, nor transients noted. They have a handy mini-mart on location. I would recommend this place for a single night, not long term. They did have some long term residents who had gone so far as to build decks onto their rv's. Management was nice enough, no security issues noted. That being said I wouldn't stay in the town of Arcata longer than the night it takes you to rest and move on.
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Date of stay: December 2012
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Trip type: Traveled as a couple
Room Tip:Get one of the pull throughs from 14-21 and its a breeze in and out.
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
We are typically of the grid campers with our lil vintage trailer. I asked for a place that was off to the side for a little privacy. We were placed literally in the middle at the front entrance, not an ideal location for us. Yes, there were clean facilities, full service amenities, but camping in a parking lot I not our kind of thing. The pic shows our vintage Shasta... A little out of place
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Date of stay: June 2015Trip type: Traveled with family
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Don’t go avoid unless you like being disappointed and like paying for services that do not exist because of a cheap owner that would rather bilk you out of your money versus give you a good experience.
The park was old run down and had a fair number of transient residents in the park that makes you want to guard your property so you will have a vehicle with wheels on it when you get back. Not my idea worthy of $65 dollars a night.
Services: What services the advertised cable on their website and the park brochure they gave me, well come to find out the owner canceled it and said Covid was the reason, hmm Covid has been good for RV parks the exception to the disease. They are just cheap and greedy let alone falsely advertising when I called them out on it the answer was:
” Oops I guess I should take that off the website”, duh and maybe off the park brochure you handed me as well.
Bathrooms and showers: Well, bring your Chia seeds and sprinkle there’s enough filth and dirt all you need is seeds.
Dogs: Pit bulls counted 3 one off leash amazing not what is advertised, and I have a small dog not looking to feed pit bulls.
Attitude: You could tell I am not the first complaint (they don’t care) the difference is I do not put up with crap I flush it.
I am publishing this article in hopes of sparing you the grief I have experienced, and I plan on disputing the charges since it is false advertising to say the least and I can back up my experience with the pictures I took of this garbage hole they call a RV Park Good Sam should be ashamed of giving them a good rating.
The Site: Old tarmac not concrete, worn with holes not level forward to back or left to bring right so plenty of blocks to crank up on and steady your rig you will need it.
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Date of stay: January 2022
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Sleep Quality
Room Tip:Nothing good to say about this place 1 star is 1 too many
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
We pulled into Mad River Rapids RV Park last evening after closing hours, hoping to find a spot to break up our drive hime from Oregon.. Thankfully, there was a “reservations” box AND a “Non Reservation”/ Available Sites box. My husband chose one that showed an available back-in spot along the fence and it was perfect. The park was clean & quiet & had great wi-fi. We got a great night’s sleep & were able to pay before we headed home. We will definitely stay here again! They do not accept checks & charge an atm fee so BRING CASH. It’s obviously what they prefer- no big deal, but I thought I’d mention it.
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Date of stay: May 2021Trip type: Traveled solo
Room Tip:Cash appears to be the preferred method of payment- no checks accepted
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
This place doesn’t send confirmations, which they told me. On the day we were supposed to arrive I called to confirm luckily, because they only had us scheduled to stay 1 night instead of the 3 we requested. The man I spoke with Rick, told me they were sold out and we were out of luck. We were already 2 hours into our 6 hour drive there! Rick (who I scheduled with originally) clearly messed up our reservation, and offered no explanation, except “if you don’t want the 1 night then don’t come!” Don’t plan your vacation here, unless you have a back up place to stay!
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Date of stay: June 2021Trip type: Traveled with family
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
On first impression the Mad River Rapids RV Park seemed nice enough. Grass was green, garbage facilities were tidy and emptied regularly, place was quite. However, that is about where it ended. Staff was quick to tell me that their "Good Sam" certification had recently been pulled. There were two showers in the ladies room. One of them shot water all over the place and was totally unusable. The other was usable but had mildew climbing up the corners. The toilets were clean and so were the wash/ mirror stations. There were numerous sites that obviously had permanent residents, not that that is a bad thing, but some of the RV's had been there so long with no one living in them that there was moss and cobwebs very happily growing everywhere. A bit creepy. The pool was out of order which was disappointing, Would have been nice to have been able to use it. The place was quite quiet though. WiFi was very strong and reliable. It was a bit overpriced for the shape the place was in. I rated it as below average because there were many areas that needed attention.
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Date of stay: July 2023
Value
Location
Service
Trip type: Traveled with friends
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
We enjoyed the clean campground facilities, helpful & friendly staff, & well maintained grounds. The sites are large with beautiful surrounding lawn, trees, & shrubs. The restaurant next door to the RV Park is an added perk. Especially if you like good Mexican food.
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Date of stay: February 2024Trip type: Traveled as a couple
Room Tip:Be respectful. Kindness is contagious.
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Very nice, well maintained RV park. Large spaces with grass and trees. Friendly staff and nice facilities. Came looking for a safe, clean place to stay, and didn't have to look anywhere else. We found it here. Looking forward to a long term stay while attending Cal Poly.
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Date of stay: May 2024
Value
Location
Cleanliness
Service
Trip type: Traveled with family
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
The Good: California Welcome Center is around the corner. There is a good Mexican restaurant next to the park. The pool was warm, but didn’t go swimming. Restrooms semi-clean. Laundry worked and was $2.50 a load.
The Bad: No Security. People from outside the park walked in to use the restrooms. They have a 3 digit “secret” code for their restrooms. Our site, according to the older lady running the “mini-mart”, was the only one available for the night. She either lied, or about 15 reservations didn’t show. We had a site with small children next to the busiest road in the park. The sewer line was too small for our RV. Lots of dog poop all over the grassy areas. You need to register to use WiFi. Over $45 a night.
After staying at a beautiful secure RV park in the Redwoods the pervious three nights, Mad River was a big disappointment. Not sure why the other reviews are so good?
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Date of stay: July 2012
Value
Location
Cleanliness
Service
Sleep Quality
Trip type: Traveled with family
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
There are more places to choose from in the Arcata area.
LOCATION
United StatesCaliforniaHumboldt CountyArcata
NUMBER OF ROOMS
92
Prices are provided by our partners, and reflect nightly room rates, including any mandatory fees. Taxes not included. Please see our partners for more details.
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Frequently Asked Questions about Mad River Rapids Rv Park
Which popular attractions are close to Mad River Rapids Rv Park?
Nearby attractions include Arcata Community Forest (0.1 miles), Ma-le'l Dunes Cooperative Management Area (0.1 miles), and Dandar's Boardgames And Books (0.7 miles).
