Del Norte Coast Redwoods State Park

This is a big park with a couple of camping options and a hundred miles of trail. There are some huge old growth trees and some scenery that you will never forget. But you already knew that. I suggest the Damnation Creek Trail located at mile marker 16 off Hwy 101 four miles south of the Mill Creek Campground. It is an old Yurok trail that will take you approximately two miles down a moderately steep path to the beach where you will pass some of the most magnificent old growth trees you will ever see. It must have been too steep to remove the lumber, so these giants lives were thankfully spared. The way that the sunlight shines through the fog and filters through the trees here will leave you speechless. There are some amazing colors in this forest! The beach is equally awesome. The Hobbs Wall trail to the Mill Creek Trail is another nice trail that is accessible from Mill Creek Campground located within the park. The trail will take you to some nice sections of the park. It is about 8 miles up and back with plenty of water that you could drink after filtering. My wife and I did not see one other human soul on this trail. Mill Creek Campground is relatively uncrowded, covered in second growth trees and has some of the most awesome campsites I have ever encountered anywhere. Bear, deer, raven, banana slug, and stellar jay will be on the trail. Campsite #90 is especially nice.

It is a wonderful place to camp when you are exploring this park.

Patrick's Point State Park

Patrick's Point State Park This park is one of the crown jewels of California's State Park System. It is a seldom used place open year round overlooking Agate and Trinidad State Beaches with jaw-dropping views of the North Coast. The mixed forest within the park is filled with crows, jays, ravens, mountain lion, brown bear, chipmunk, deer, elk and other creatures. Keep your food locked in the bear box and take all the soap and candy out of your car or face the consequences. The Rim Trail is just a few miles long and will take you along a beautiful path where the forest meets the ocean and a couple of paths lead down to the water. The campsites here are huge and private and you are going to have a couple of areas to choose from. The Agate Beach Trail is currently closed, however. At the time of our visit, the fog had burned off by around 2PM offering some astounding scenery from the Rim Trail and the top of Ceremony Rock. Light pollution is relatively low here on the point and looking at the stars here with the sound of the ocean in the background makes life worth celebrating. All campsites in this and every other California State Park are $35.00 a night. A generous two (2) dollar discount is available for seniors. If you hike or bike into the campground, the cost is $5.00 per person.