Tag Archives: mendo

Campgrounds in Mendocino

August 10, 2019 DanaMite

Mendocino Campgrounds

Camping in Northern California / Camp Mendo

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2018 & 2019
Hit especially hard by wildfires recently. Certain campgrounds and roads are closed to the public, due to the significant fire damage.

Mendocino National Forest has an abundance of small campgrounds and 4×4 camps, many of which, due to snow & elevation, can only be accessed in summer months. Many developed campgrounds are located on dirt roads, so know the road conditions before you get out there.

NOTE: all camps 2000′ elevation or lower are OPEN ALL YEAR LONG
Red text for OHV = off road use, dirt bikes, quads, 4x4s, trailers.

campground	elev	spots	veg	toilet	water	notes
Atchison Campground	4300′	6	mixed	yes	creek	road# 22N11 dispersed
Bear Creek Campground	2000′	16	–	yes	creek	CLOSED
Cedar Camp Campground	4300′	5	pines	yes	no	No trailers, June-Oct
Davis Flat Campground	1700′	28	–	vault	no	Fouts Springs OHV
Deer Valley Campground	3700′	13	–	yes	no	Upper Lake OHV
Dixie Glade Campground	3700′	8	mixed	yes	no	CLOSED
Eel River Campground	1500′	16	oaks	vault	piped	bike trails
Fouts Campground	1700′	11	mixed	vault	piped	Fouts Springs OHV
Georges Valley Campground	5000′	3	–	no	no	Yolla Bolly Wilderness
Green Springs Campground	6000′	4	pines	yes	spring	Yolla Bolly Wilderness
Hammerhorn Lake Campground	3500′	9	pines	vault	piped	1 handicap spot
Howard Lake Campground	3500′	12	–	vault	lake	high clearance vehicle
Kingsley Glade Campground	4500′	4	–	vault	piped	June-Oct
Letts Lake Campground	4500′	44	–	–	no	CLOSED
Little Doe Campground	3600′	13	pines	vault	no	June-Oct
Little Stony Campground	1500′	8	pines	vault	no	OHV trails
Lower Nye Campground	3300′	6	mixed	vault	no	May-Sept
Middle Creek Campground	2000′	12	–	yes	no	Upper Lake OHV
Mill Creek Campground	1700′	5	–	yes	no	Fouts Springs OHV
Mill Valley Campground	4200′	16	–	vault	piped	OHV trails
Navy Camp Campground	1800′	20	–	vault	piped	PG&E Camp @ Lake Pillsbury
North Fork Campground	1700′	10	oaks	yes	creek	Snow Mountain
Oak Flat Campground	1700′	12	pines	yes	no	Lake Pillsbury
Old Mill Campground	3700′	10	pines	yes	no	narrow road
Plaskett Meadows Campground	6000′	35	pines	yes	piped	Plaskett Ridge
Penny Pines Campground	3600′	5	pines	yes	piped	Upper Lake OHV
Pogie Point Campground	1900′	50	oaks	yes	piped	Lake Pillsbury
Soldier Ridge Campground	6000′	3	–	no	no	Yolla Bolly Wilderness
South Fork Campground	1700′	4	–	vault	creek	Stony Creek, OHV
Sugar Spring Campground	5400′	3	–	vault	no	Burnt Creek / Eel River
Sugarfoot Glade Campground	4200′	4	mixed	vault	creek	May-Nov
Sunset Campground	1800′	54	mixed	vault	creek	May-Nov
Surveyor Camp	3900′	2	–	yes	no	OHV, Rd# 7
Sycamore Grove Camp	300′	30	mixed	yes	no	Red Bluff, open all yr
Three Prong Campground	4800′	6	pine	vault	piped	June-Oct
Wells Cabin Campground	6300′	15	pines	vault	piped	July-Oct
Whitlock Campground	4300′	4	mixed	vault	piped	June-Oct

OFF-ROADERS NOTE: 3 OHV camps are located in higher elevations; the rest are 2000′ or lower and open year round. Always check with National Forest for road closures and conditions.

Mill Creek Camp @ Mendo — Mill Creek Camp @ Fouts Springs

Mendocino Ranger Stations can be found on link below

Mendocino National Forest

MENDO GROUP CAMPGROUNDS
(reservations required)

GRAY PINE GROUP CAMP @ Stonyford

MASTERSON GROUP CAMP @ Plaskett Lake

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Mendocino & North Coast Maps

Back Roads

20N01- Mendo NF

October 10, 2018 DanaMite

20N01

Forest Road #20N01 – Mendo National Forest

Road 308 Ivory Mill Road. Located on the EAST SIDE of the coastal mountain range, west of Stony Gorge Reservoir.

South Fork of Elk Creek, California

Lodoga Stonyford Rd #306 – also known as just plain Stonyford Road, skirts the coastal foothills in a north south direction, on the east side of the range. Oaks and ranches, livestock grazing and fences everywhere. CHP out in force, so watch your speed (55). Public lands and forests are up the hill, above the valley, on the dirt roads. Free camping, off roading, hiking, creeks, lakes, mountains.

Drive up paved Road 308 passing the ranch lands and private properties.

Just inside the National Forest boundary, 308 peels off sharply to the left, uphill and steep, super sandy. The views over the valley, hills and reservoir are epic, but the dirt road is fluffy dry dirt, tight curves, no guardrails. A long and winding track, with very little spot to turn around. Maybe designated as OHV route?

This whole area is where the Ranch Fire of 2018 was burning; contained at road 308. The wildfire burnt half a million acres in Mendo NF (the largest fire in California history). Some of these roads may be closed off now. Call the rangers for current, up-to-date accessibility!

So… back at the National Forest boundary: Straight. Take the right fork instead, which goes straight into the forested canyon, up the creek. Elk Creek, south fork coming from the higher peaks above. This pleasant forest drive is called Mendocino Rd #20N01 and it climbs upward with hairpin turns; continues up to the top of the forested ridges @ 5000’+ elevation.

Wildflowers in Spring. Snow in winter. This back route may have been paved once in 1960, but it is nearly back to dirt again in most sections. Suitable for passenger car travel at slow speeds. Unless of course, it is raining or snowing, then 4WD may be best. And being that this is real Northern California territory, rain and snow are annual.

SPRINGTIME: Free Camps and Campfires on the Back Roads

Dispersed camping is allowed in this region with a valid fire permit.

Various camping spots near roadside, after mile 8. Reset trip meter when your turn off main drag (Lodoga Stonyford Road).

Mendo National Forest
Mendocino National Forest Map

Snow Mountains Wilderness
Fouts Springs

towns nearby:

Alder Springs
Elk Creek, CA
Stonyford
Williams, CA
Willows, CA

California Coast, Campgrounds, Coastal Cliffs, Redwoods

Mendocino Beach Camping

July 10, 2018 DanaMite

Mendocino Coast Campgrounds

Tent camping directly on a sandy beach can be found at USAL BEACH – on remote reaches of the rugged Lost Coast, via long dirt roads (not recommended for RV or camper trailers). Numerous small, cheap, forested campgrounds can be found on the Kings Range (dirt) roads. The area is also known as Honeydew or the Emerald Triangle. The “emerald” comes from the color of the main economic staple, cannabis. Heed all warnings. Private Property signs and gates mean that you need to turn arund and look for camping elsewhere. (Before you hear the gun shots.)

The remainder of camp accommodations are State Parks and State Beaches on the Mendo coast, offering developed campgrounds and most are first come, first serve.

There are no campgrounds inside the popular, historic village of Mendocino, CA , but two state parks are within a mile to the north and south side of town: Van Damme Campground & Russian Gulch Campground. Local KOA and a few private RV parks make up the rest of the scenic coastline.