Jedediah Smith Redwoods State National Park, Crescent City, CA

Jedediah Smith Redwoods is a unique park in that it is a merging of the California State Park and the National Park systems. When staying at this park you will feel as if you are at a National Park more than a California State Park since it is full of helpful, smiling rangers, has a Visitor's Center, and offers the Junior Ranger Program and Ranger Programs found at all National Parks. Set along the Smith River, this campground is heavily spotted with coastal Redwood trees. It is shady, beautiful and has nicely spaced campsites. With just over a 80 campsites to choose from, reservations are recommended for
summer stays. Each campsite is appointed with a table, fire pit and dirt pad. Interior roads are paved, and there are tight turns and many trees to avoid. Those managing to snag a riverfront campsite will be pleased, as this slow moving big river has a beach, summer footbridge and boat launch. Many nature trails are in the area of the park, but it's best to have a car to reach trailheads. Walking along the highway to reach trailheads is not advised, as logging is prevalent here and if you've never been along a road heavily traveled by logging trucks, heed my warning, they look out for no one! Inside the campground, the maximum rig length here used to be 35 feet, but has since changed to 25 feet. We are an inch shy of 35 feet during our stay and found that length and maneuverability to be very difficult. It took the help of 2 additional park staff, a road block, a campsite post removal and a ton of patience to get into our site, so tread cautiously.  I highly recommend this park for its beautiful redwoods, huge river beach and great ranger programs.

Location
Best Sites: 50-58
Poor Sites:13-21, 23-24
Hookups: None
Potable Water: Yes
Dump Within Facility: Yes

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