kevinrosseel for morguefile.com
Humboldt County, California, offers mountain biking in groves of towering redwoods, backcountry hiking, birding, wildlife viewing and surfing along rugged coastline. If you're road tripping and need a place to camp before you reach your final destination, plenty of accommodations in neighboring counties are available.
Del Norte County
Situated just north of Humboldt County, Del Norte County offers spectacular camping in the redwood groves at Jedidiah Smith, Coast Redwood and Prairie Creek Redwood State Parks. These facilities offer car camping, as well as hiker/biker tent sites. Jedidiah Smith has river access for kayaking and rafting along the scenic Smith River and more than 20 miles of hiking and biking trails. Coast Redwood and Prairie Creek both have coastal access and abundant nature trails. Prairie Creek is also known for its wild elk viewing stations and for hiking along pristine Fern Canyon.
Redwood National and State Parks
1111 Second Street
Crescent City, CA 95531
(707) 464-6101
nps.gov/redw
Siskiyou County
If you're coming off a Mount Shasta adventure and are ready to head west, 18 public campgrounds along westbound Highway 96 are available. Mostly small tent facilities, these grounds are not ideal or available for larger campers or RVs. Siskiyou County is home to excellent rafting and trout fishing along the Trinity and Klamath Rivers, as well as high-country backpacking in the Marble and Siskiyou Mountains.
Six Rivers National Forest
1330 Bayshore Way
Eureka, CA 95501
(707) 442-1721
fs.usda.gov/wps
Trinity County
Trinity County is east of the Humboldt County line. Highway 299 travels along the Trinity River from Shasta straight through to Arcata and has a number of campgrounds available along the way. Weaverville is a good stopping point, and the local ranger district is host to 11 campgrounds that offer both tent and RV access, with opportunity for boating, fishing, rafting and hiking nearby.
Weaverville Ranger Station
360 Main Street
Weaverville, CA 96093
(530) 623-2121
fs.fed.us/r5/shastatrinity
Mendocino County
If you are heading north to Humboldt and need to stop just south in Mendocino County, there are plenty of opportunities to do so. Just south of the border, Smithe Redwoods, Richardson Grove, Benbow Lake and Standish Hickey State Parks are located just off Highway 101 from Leggett to Piercy. All offer a camping experience in the California redwoods, with nature trails and river access along the Eel River.
California State Parks
parks.ca.gov
