Absolutely stunning county park encompassing a truly large lagoon, beaches, and a peat bog. Yes, a peat bog, which is home to native California orchids and carnivorous plants. The park is right next to the Big Lagoon Rancheria, a federally recognized Native American tribe since 1918. While I did not visit the Rancheria, there were signs advertising "Firewood for Sale" on the road to the reservation. There are so many signs all over the park about the dangers of swimming in the water that I would assume there have been multiple drownings at this location. Most of the recreation I saw was kayaking and paddle boarding rather than swimming. You can also launch your own boat here. The lagoon itself is calm and stunning; but once you venture out to open sea, the currents, rough surf and steep drop off lead to very dangerous situations. It's also in a tsunami zone, so there's that. Day use fee applies (cash or... check, remember those?). Clean restrooms and parking available. A concession was renting out kayaks the day I visited; not sure if that's always avaliable, though. The peat bog is to the east of the lagoon and worth a visit. Stunning location! read more

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Beautiful campsite! The location is perfect if you're looking for a secluded campground experience. Theres a few cute trails. The ocean being so nearby is a plus. The restrooms aren't bad, unless you're high maintenance and need a clean restroom. For me, it's camping, you get what you get! If you expect luxury get a hotel. The camp host is accommodating and very nice. I would recommend bringing your own camp fire wood or getting it from a near by store because the camp fire wood that is sold by the camp host is sometimes too moist to start a fire. read more

This Recreation Area is owned and managed by the California State Parks system. Here you can rent kayaks, launch small water craft. The lagoon has little to no water current and has long areas of shallow water, making it perfect for small children and family fun without needing to be worried about losing a loved one in a traumatic mistake. Eek. The lagoon is gorgeous, just watch out for lightning storms in the winter. Aside from the lagoon and renting kayaks, many people travel to Agate Beach (just a quarter mile walk) to collect, you guessed it Agates. But because of rough surf and currents, it's not safe to take toddlers or people who are candidates for hip replacement surgery. If you include Patrick's Point to this Recreation area, there are 3 awesome camp grounds. You can choose camping under redwood trees, camping in meadows, on the beach, or overlooking the lagoon. Side note: Patrick's Point has day use sites that have unique fire pits and bbq's! Large stone sculptures with grills. The Big Lagoon/Patrick's Point Recreation Area is also 15 minutes away from Trinidad. This city has a great independent grocery store and is resplendent with eateries that have breathtaking views. The area is remote and for that reason not a lot of people hang out here. If it was in SF or LA there be a year's waiting list to get reservations. But I so Far (knock on wood), there's always empty sites. read more

Big Lagoon County Park - View of the peninsula that separates the lagoon from the Pacific Ocean. - Parks Near Me - Trinidad, California

With so many world-class natural places of beauty in this part of the world, you might overlook Big Lagoon County Park. And that would be too bad, because it definitely has a story to tell. This Stillwater area features hiking, kayaking, birdwatching, and other outdoor activities. There are many opportunities to see wildlife, migrating birds, fish and marine mammals, and seasonally, beautiful wildflowers. Of course, you can make your way out to the ocean, where waves crash up on the shore. Be careful here: the topography of he beach here makes it steep and can have dangerous conditions like undertow and riptides. Bring a picnic, and take it all in. Since it is overlooked for other more popular places, you can often have a lot of this park all to yourself read more

I love this lagoon camping area! It does get really busy, but that being the only down fall in this area it's safe to say that's you'll have the best night of your life. Exaggerative a bit, but beach access whenever you'd like and all the spots are fire safe and super chill. The host has a spotted schedule but upon meeting him he's the most chill person I've met. Definitely a place I'll come year after year! Big lagoon has a vibe and it becomes a legacy. read more

Big Lagoon County Park - Parks Near Me - Trinidad, California

Big Lagoon County Park, is a secluded park on the far north coast, in northern Humboldt county approximately 15 minutes north of McKinleyville, CA. The park is accessed from the 101 highway, turning west onto the road - look for the highway sign at around 14.5 miles passed McKv - once you turn in follow the signs around a couple hundred yards - the Park entry is on the right (west) - when the road Y's stay to the left - follow it in there is a day use area as well as overnight camping. This beautiful park has one of the most amazing piece of fresh water with a breaker sand bar area on the ocean side. Big lagoon it's a great place to bring the family and dog for a day on the water. Even when its cloudy and overcast here the water is usually pretty nice. You can literally park right next to the sand. Amazing waves and miles of beach front, hunt for agates, build sand castles, letting the dog run, walking on the beach, kayak or sail in the lagoon, overnight camping, and day use area. Sometimes, the ocean side can be very rough - waves well over 15' here - dangerous rip currents and sneaker waves make this beach not very safe for swimming or surfing and caution must be used anytime you are on the water here. The Lagoon side is pretty much always calm, a great place to kayak and even sail small craft. There is a boat ramp on the lagoon side. This park is an honor self service toll park - pay station is by the boat ramp - $2 for day use. $1 for seniors, handicapped and veterans. The park is dog friendly, leash or voice command - we bring our little dog here regularly so he can run and play with the others dogs out. A great beach for sand castles, digging, etc. - This beach also yields some great agates, we look every time we go and usually always find a couple great ones. This past trip was no different. A great county beach park in northern humboldt county california just off the 101. Well worth the effort. 00140 read more

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This park has plenty of room for day use activities and plenty of parking. Dogs are allowed on the southern end of the Bach but not the northern end near the lagoon. There is a fee of $5 for day use that can be paid at the bathrooms where there is a drop slot. Cash only. Beautiful spot for beach combing and taking a walk. Looked like there were some people kayaking in the lagoon side when we were there that also looked fun. Will be coming back here when the other spots are a bit more crowded as there was plenty of room to spread out here. read more

Big Lagoon is absolutely stunning no matter what the weather is. It can change rapidly so bring all your layers. It's a great place for sailing a laser or c-15, Kayaking, Stand Up Paddleboarding, canoeing or even swimming it's unfortunately starting to get really busy there. Camping is first come first serve. There are mediocre bathrooms and the shower was out of service. Another attraction there is walking on the spit but be very very careful as there can be deadly sneaker waves. The only reason not 5 stars is the unfortunate host situation..... read more

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My wife and I camped here for two days. The place was absolutely amazing! Very beautiful clean and accommodating! We though we were experiencing our camp site to the fullest until we met the camp host. His name is Dude Arther. What a interesting man he was so nice and knowledgeable! I highly recommend this camp site and I HIGHLY recommend you take the time to talk with Dude you won't be sorry! Also stop in at his shack check out his coy pond surrounded by various treasures travelers have left behind! You leave a treasure and take one! Oh and tell him Josh and Blaire say hello from Chico! read more

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This is hands down one of my favorite campgrounds in California. The sites first come, first service and generous in size, particularly #2 and #11 are super sized with easy beach access. Our fellow campers were quiet by 10 pm and in the morning things don't get busy until 9 am or so. Very peaceful atmosphere with no worries. HOST things: The camp host is available if you need anything and is a nice guy if you are respectful of the space and his role. He's not a concierge. A lot of the negative reviews seem to be mad that the campground was full. Just remember that once it's full there is nothing he can do to produce more campsites. He keeps the place tidy and running. COVID things: They have done a good job spacing out the sites to ensure social distancing. The showers are closed during the Covid era. Bathrooms are open but there is no soap so bring your own. read more

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Small campsite with beach access lagoon is quiet water is surprisingly warm and calm. Very shallow. Great for playing with the kids or romantic walks. Camp sites are $25. Or $22 for military. $2 extra per animal. Showers and toilets provided showers cost $0.50 for 5 minutes. Not sure if there is portable water, or dump site. For sure trash and recycling. Every campsite has a fire pit. Ocean access from campsite only a few minute walk, but be ware! Danger signs everywhere DO NOT SWIM IN OCEAN! Very dangerous many people have drowned! read more

Big Lagoon County Park - Big lagoon campsite - Parks Near Me - Trinidad, California

My wife, best friend, nephew, and I spent the day enjoying the sun and the breeze in the sand. What a delight! Thre is a lot of open space on this beach and the lagoon is enchanting. We hunted the beach for pretty rocks and smooth driftwood, buried the nephew in the sand, and felt at ease the whole visit. Be very careful where you park. Word is, if you choose the wrong spot, you'll likely be ticketed. Parts of the pathways have broken off and fallen onto the beach due to erosion so there are areas it's simply not safe or advised to travel on. Everyone does, so all I can say is be careful, read signs, and be a well-mannered human. read more

Nice park. With the beach on one side and the lagoon on the other side this is a cool place. Park features include: Lots of easy parking, BBQ areas, picnic tables and restrooms. read more

I think this is a place that time forgot. We pulled in pretty late and only saw the sign that stated campers and big trucks not advised around the main camping loop. So, we ended up camping in a parking area. In reading the reviews, we steered clear of the camp host, which his site never stated he was the host. We paid the fee and slept. The next morning, I took the dogs around and read all the waning signs. No swimming, no eating the sea life and mountain lion sightings. There was a pay shower, which I think some local residents used as they lived in their car. If you are looking for a quick place to stay, this will work. read more

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What a disaster!! Overflow camping, busses parked in the bathroom parking lot, screaming kids 24/7, absolutely no management oversight. Huge difference from other county parks. The hike and bike spots have trailers and multiple cars parked along the road (no pull on spots for those sites so they just crowd up the small road. If there is ever an emergency people will die getting out of this campground. read more

The "host" needs an attitude check. After I payed the fee he informed me that the camp ground was full and proceeded to call me names when I asked for my money back. He'd been sitting there watching me ask people questions and didn't say anything until after I paid. Clever. Then a fellow camper said I could share their area, cool right! Wrong, the host again stopped me saying it would be "double occupancy" despite there being multiple tents on other sites. There are no signs indicating where the host is or that you should even talk to someone when you pay the fee. There is a box and clear instructions on how to pay however. No, I never got my $20 back. read more

Another beach on my little long weekend getaway that pretty much revolved on how much I could exhaust my dog on beaches here in Humboldt County. I didn't see any agate rocks (oh, that would have been too cool), but frankly, I was too busy enjoying the great beauty of the coast. No sea stacks here, mostly flat and wide and easy walks everywhere. read more

Hands down my feet turned to squares when my mommy dug me in the sand. Missing her these years... and Uma too. Uma Thermin. Ya know, the instrument. read more

This place is magical! Our family loves it so much and the camp host makes it perfect. Thanks Dude for a great trip. The comet viewing was amazing. read more

Tried to camp here, found a spot, paid the fee. Then the host told us it was full and that we were "foolish" for paying the fee without talking to him first. He was virtually hiding at a picnic table behind a pile of wood and the bathroom. He also told us he saw us looking for information and asking other folks before we paid the fee and he didn't say anything! Also, there are no signs identifying where the host is or where to find this information. The host didn't offer any help on a refund of our fee. Enjoy your donation, Big Lagoon. Be wary if you try to camp here! read more

Wonderful Camp site with hot showers, flush toilets, boat launch, beach fires and more.

I agree with Matt when he said the campground host needs an attitude adjustment. I've been going to this park for years and they've changed their signage for the pricing. I wasn't sure about some things so I went over to the host's trailer which was fenced in and surrounded by all kinds of junk. His door was open and his gate was locked. When I called "Hello" he didn't come out. I was really looking forward to birdwatching. But I'm not sure if I want to go back there again. The potholes are so bad I could hardly get my trailer through the park and out of there. You've lost a loyal customer in me!!! read more

Love love this campground! Been coming here for the last 4 or 5 years for my b-day! Beautiful sites right on lagoon! Small but pretty campground, about 16 sites! 2 for campers with electric hook up for additional fee most sites not recommended for campers and trailers but drive in with car or truck is fine! Pay showers available, restrooms available and clean! Short walk or drive to the beach! You can kayak,paddle board, sail, float or do almost any other water activity on the lagoon! It's great for viewing wildlife! Lots of birds spend time in the lagoon! Walk along the beach side or the lagoon side of the sand to get great views of both lagoon and ocean! read more