Miss Peregrine Posted March 11, 2016 Share Posted March 11, 2016 Any suggestions on places to stay? There are seven of us and we will be driving from SoCal. Camping is an option. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eternalsummer Posted March 11, 2016 Share Posted March 11, 2016 We stayed here; it was great: https://www.vrbo.com/134003 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Miss Peregrine Posted March 11, 2016 Author Share Posted March 11, 2016 We stayed here; it was great: https://www.vrbo.com/134003 Beautiful! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TianXiaXueXiao Posted March 11, 2016 Share Posted March 11, 2016 (edited) You will not regret staying in the redwoods along the Smith River at Jedidiah Smith State Park at the tip of the Northern California coast. http://www.parks.ca.gov/?page_id=413 There are also several campgrounds farther south along the Avenue of the Giants but I recommend Hidden Springs http://www.parks.ca.gov/?page_id=425 If you go out Hwy 36 along the Van Duzen river, you can stay in Grizzly Creek which is near location for some of the Return of the Jedi scenes. The campground is small and right off the road so not ideal for real camping. Nearby are some of the best swimming holes to be found. Beautiful country. Look up the Humboldt Visitors and Conventions Bureau. They have the word on all things redwoods. You can find out how to get to the tallest redwood and you can find out how to get to some rare albino redwoods. Ladybird Johnson Grove is a delightful day hike up near Orick and you cannot pass up Fern Canyon. Oh my goodness am I ever homesick now. Enjoy! Edited March 11, 2016 by TianXiaXueXiao 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TianXiaXueXiao Posted March 11, 2016 Share Posted March 11, 2016 (edited) Ok. On second thought, for an unforgettable and unregrettable experience, try to book a cabin in Trinidad or camp at Patrick's Point. https://www.vrbo.com/vacation-rentals/usa/california/north-coast/trinidad There's plenty of sightseeing nearby and you can make day trips north to Jedidiah Smith & Fern Canyon, South to Avenue of the Giants and hit lots of redwoods, rivers and beaches in between. Plus you will love the Farmers Market in Arcata! Amazing! There's a fun restaurant near Eureka that used to be the mess hall for loggers back in the old days. It's called the Samoa Cook House. There you will be fed like a lumberjack and can view their small logging museum. In Redwoods State Park you can take the sky tram at the Trees of Mystery and visit what is a very decent Native American Exhibit at the small museum on site. Don't forget the obligatory photo with the big blue ox! While in Trinidad, you should check out Patrick's Point State Park (dh and I were married there) and enjoy agate hunting on the beach (never turn your back on the oceans! Sneaker waves) and hang out at Wedding Rock. Moonstone beach is a must and so is College Cove (people might be nekkid there but not always). Now I'm really homesick! This is definitely what you should do. Trust me. :) Edited March 11, 2016 by TianXiaXueXiao 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EmilyGF Posted March 11, 2016 Share Posted March 11, 2016 Are you going up to the Northern CA redwoods? Or just to the Santa Cruz redwoods? The NorCal redwoods are much more impressive, but if it just is a few day trip, the Santa Cruz redwoods (Henry Cowell State Park has camping, as does Big Basin State Park) are beautiful, too. Emily 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ms Brooks Posted March 11, 2016 Share Posted March 11, 2016 Muir Woods is an option. It's just over the Golden Gate Bridge in southern Marin. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MEmama Posted March 11, 2016 Share Posted March 11, 2016 Muir Woods is an option. It's just over the Golden Gate Bridge in southern Marin. Yep. And Armstrong Woods is just a bit farther up the coast in Guernville. There are lots of redwood stands to be found without going all the way up (although yeah, the Smith River area really is beautiful if you are up for a loooong drive). 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Forget-Me-Not Posted March 11, 2016 Share Posted March 11, 2016 (edited) If you plan to come so far north, everything TianXieXueXiao said, except nothing could induce me to take Hwy 36, which to me is a miserable drive. I'd find a more southern hwy and come up hwy 1/101 or drive another 30 minutes north on I-5 and take 299 over. Any way you go, you're going to encounter winding mountain roads, but it's a beautiful drive up the coast! Have fun! My profile pic was taken at Patrick's Point state park! Edited March 11, 2016 by Forget-me-not 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TianXiaXueXiao Posted March 11, 2016 Share Posted March 11, 2016 (edited) If you plan to come so far north, everything TianXieXueXiao said, except nothing could induce me to take Hwy 36, which to me is a miserable drive. I'd find a more southern hwy and come up hwy 1/101 or drive another 30 minutes north on I-5 and take 299 over. Any way you go, you're going to encounter winding mountain roads, but it's a beautiful drive up the coast! Have fun! My profile pic was taken at Patrick's Point state park! I agree. Do not take the I5 to Hwy 36 (unless you are traveling by motorcycle and love windy roads) as your route to the redwoods. You can take a short trip down hwy 36 from 101 to visit redwoods and swim in the plentiful swimming holes. I usually take I5 north to Hwy 20 and cut across there to avoid Bay Area traffic if I'm in a rush. The other option of course is to take I5 and cross over to the Bay Area and stop in or near the city for a night before completing the trip up 101 to the Northern California redwoods. It's a long drive as a straight shot...about 12 hours with brief stops from Valencia (my so cal point of origin). Edited March 11, 2016 by TianXiaXueXiao 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Miss Peregrine Posted March 14, 2016 Author Share Posted March 14, 2016 You will not regret staying in the redwoods along the Smith River at Jedidiah Smith State Park at the tip of the Northern California coast. http://www.parks.ca.gov/?page_id=413 There are also several campgrounds farther south along the Avenue of the Giants but I recommend Hidden Springs http://www.parks.ca.gov/?page_id=425 If you go out Hwy 36 along the Van Duzen river, you can stay in Grizzly Creek which is near location for some of the Return of the Jedi scenes. The campground is small and right off the road so not ideal for real camping. Nearby are some of the best swimming holes to be found. Beautiful country. Look up the Humboldt Visitors and Conventions Bureau. They have the word on all things redwoods. You can find out how to get to the tallest redwood and you can find out how to get to some rare albino redwoods. Ladybird Johnson Grove is a delightful day hike up near Orick and you cannot pass up Fern Canyon. Oh my goodness am I ever homesick now. Enjoy! Thanks for all the info! So awesome. I'm jealous you got to live there. Someday. . . 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vonbon Posted March 14, 2016 Share Posted March 14, 2016 Haven't read all responses, but just wanted to chime in and second the ideas of visiting Patrick's Point and Trinidad. Nice camping at Patrick's Point and a beautiful harbor/pier at Trinidad. Two spots not to be missed! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tex-bex Posted March 14, 2016 Share Posted March 14, 2016 Ohhhh, this thread makes me homesick, too! I lived in Arcata until I was 8, and I remember it so well. I live in TX now, and I'm planning to take my kids on an epic road trip within the next year or so. I'm so excited to show the redwoods to them! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Liz CA Posted March 14, 2016 Share Posted March 14, 2016 Non-Camping: Benbow Inn: http://www.benbowinn.com/ Camping KOA: http://koa.com/states-provinces/california/ look at the Crescent City/Redwoods or Benbow KOA sites. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TianXiaXueXiao Posted March 18, 2016 Share Posted March 18, 2016 Thanks for all the info! So awesome. I'm jealous you got to live there. Someday. . . It was my home for over 20 years. Hopefully all the roads will be in good shape by the time you go. This winter has brought a lot of rain and after the drought of the last few years there have literally been road closures due to land slides and rock slides about once a week. Check the road conditions before you go! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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