I was impressed by this park because it was so beautiful, family friendly and it had immaculate bathrooms! There's a little loop path that has little signs about Redwood trees, the birds nearby and the fun facts. I appreciate how there's a grassy pasture in case you bring pups (they shouldn't go on the trails). There were picnic tables around too to enjoy a meal. The bathrooms were clean and unique, I'd never seen a skylight in a bathroom. read more

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Beautiful, easy trails with signage to share information. The river is also easy to access. We loved learning about the trees as we walked. We were bummed to miss the visitor center but didn't look up the hours in advance. read more

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Favorite place. Family comes here every year of my whole life and will continue to do so read more

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Awesome redwoods to see on many a variety of hikes - flat and easy or up and down with lots of elevation gain along Durfy Creek. A redwood tree I salute thee preserved among the worlds oldest and tallest immortal to fire, wind, rain and lighting or to the axe of a foolish man redwood tree will you ever be a chimney, goose pen or a grandfather a house for hobbits play another tourist attraction the Big Foot gift shop or shall we drive our truck through you a piece of art, a clock, a chair or a camp fire on a camp cook out night a home for a family or a squirrel I will remember your awesome presence when I walked - all around and above me! read more

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Remember going on vacations to the Redwoods and staying at the cabins at "Overpacks Grove" in the mid 60's....Spending a day on the Ell river.....Taking a ride through the forest on the " Skunk Train ".... Consider it the most tranquil and beautiful area of the state of California..... read more

We camped here on our way up the coast and had a great experience. In the busy months, reserving online in advance is a must--the reservation fee is $7.99 in addition to the $35 campsite. The entrance station was open late for stragglers and we found our site easily. It was a family crowd and nobody was too raucous. Would love to come for a longer stay another time! read more

Amazing Rangers at the pay station & by the the river. Extremely kid friendly. Clean restrooms. Friendly day personable service with all your interactions. Excellent tips from the Rangers for the kiddos looking for gnomes & fairies. Interactive Rangers engaging children along the river while releasing tadpoles. We had a great experience all the way around at this park! read more

This is a state park that my family has been visiting annually for many decades. This year we had 5 generations camping in two sites. I'd love to give the park 5 stars but ill be honest there are some things that could be better. If you have trailer or RV. Be ready with some blocks because there are really only a handful of "level" sites and those require an ADA placard. Generator hours are 10am to 8pm which i was reminded of by a fairly strict campground host several times this year...within the operating hours, they came over almost daily to remind me 8PM was the cut off. Swimming is always great, but could be shallow and algae blooms later in year...cold and fast early in the year...so take your pick... The visitor center keeps getting better and better as do the staff. They were very friendly this last year and on top of stuff like the bathrooms. read more

We camp here every year. The river is pretty far down you need to take a car or a bike and the river is shallow so you have to walk further down to get to the deeper part or cross in the deep part. The bathrooms are okay, they never fill up the soap but they do clean it daily and TP filled all the time. The showers take tokens which you can buy so bring 1$ bills. One token gets you 3 min. There's a lot of mosquitoes here which I don't like- probably due to being under redwoods. And a lot of shaded sites. read more

Great place to camp but,we have been camping here for over 20 years since our daughter was 1, we stayed in site 9 for many years and then site 6 after we bought a tent trailer, after they closed oak flat and it's over 100 sites it has become harder to get a reservation and now they have pulled sites 6,7,8,9 and 10 off of reservations for 1st time campers now making it even harder to get in. Still love going there just wish they would have gave a heads up so we could have found a new site to accommodate us now we are going and hoping we can fit our tent trailer in a new site read more

I wasn't going to post a review on this campground SP because I wanted to keep this place a secret. We went on a 3-day camping trip in June 2020 when some of the state parks started to reopen during COVID19 pandemic. The highlight of this place is its park rangers-- they are friendly, hospitable and helpful. The campgrounds are clean and beautifully surrounded by tall redwood trees. * It gets really hot during the day and chilly during the night. * Make sure to bring quarters for the showers. It's 2.5 minutes for each quarter. * Dogs are allowed as long as they are secured and on a leash. I've taken a star off because we feel like this place needed more shower rooms and bathrooms. Also, you would have to drive from the madrone campsite to get to the river. It's okay to walk it from the campsite but it'll be difficult if you would be carrying chairs, umbrellas, kids, etc. read more

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We have been going to this site for over 30 years. I have been going every summer since I was a child. I have continued that tradition with my family during our winter or fall breaks and have lived all the memories we have made over the years. The interpretive trail and wood side trails are both very family friendly at a max of about 1 mile for the wood side trail. My roof let has down the interpretive trail every year and now as a big kid loves reading all of the signage and asking questions. The visitor center is great. They have plenty of exhibits and items for children to touch and feel. It's a great location if you want a few minutes in a n awesome rustic cabin with e fire roaring and sit down to have a coffee. Every interpreter or camp host we have run into over the years have been so knowledgeable and friendly. The rangers are also very helpful. We usually camp but this year choose a awesome little cabin due to the potential freeze warning. It came with two rooms and a counter space with space for 3 comfortably. It had a small wall mounted heater and a great deck to look out over the trees. read more

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Old-growth redwoods, rare and beautiful as they are, are always worth seeing. Richardson Grove State Park is built around the nucleus of 120 acres of original redwood forest saved by the state in 1922. The Grove Nature Trail, accessible in several points from the park day use area, takes you through these old-growth redwoods on a flat and easy nature trail. We stopped by this park for lunch on the way home from Redwood National Park. The day use area has a picnic spot on the edge of the forest and is adjacent to the Eel River, where most of the day use visitors were on this fine May day. After lunch, we sauntered along the trail, taking pictures and reading the occasional explanatory sign. If you see a bright white stake labeled "INTERP" that is an entrance to the "interpretive trail" (a "Nature Trail" sign might have been a little clearer). Although the day use parking was fairly full, the trail was deserted. These redwoods may be somewhat overshadowed by the Humboldt Redwoods Park to the south and the Redwood national parks to the north but if you have the time Richardson is certainly worth a stop. read more

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We camped here almost a year ago. It was a 4-5 or so hours drive, but so worth it! I would come back and recommend this to many! It's a few mins drive to other scenic places like Avenue of the Giants, drive-thru tree, log house and many other sites.. read more

Richardson Grove State Park - Parks Near Me - Garberville, California

The majestic grove of old growth redwoods that the 101 literally weaves through in the southernmost end of Humboldt county. Use caution during the tourist season, cars and people walking everywhere it can make the drive through interesting, watch your speed. There are cabins for rentals and a visitors center within the park that are open during the tourist season and several day use areas open year around, as well there's plenty of access to stop inside the grove along the 101 without entering the park grounds itself, if you just want to pull off, stretch your legs and stand under the behemoths. "Save the Grove" signs along the way, there's been controversy and conflict over this grove for decades, literally since Cal-trans put the highway through the groves big trees. This one lane each direction passageway through the redwood curtain is a true gem of far Northern California. An amazing cluster of huge old growth redwoods sitting along the south fork of the Eel River, with access to the water, plenty of parking for day use and overnight camping during the season. I've driven the route for decades, stop often and it never ceases to amaze me the beautiful giant trees - few places on this planet compare, well worth a visit and stop to see at least once in your life... 5 Stars 00457 read more

Nice adventure for us today! For a Father's Day weekend! Our kids was able to swim, appreciate Nature, fun under the sun

Okay, I'm getting past the fact that the state parks that are still open cost $35 a night, and that if you reserve, that's an extra $8. Sigh. Apparently, camping is now only for people with excess disposable income. Meanwhile, as campgrounds go, this one is okay. The west side of the highway has the loops that are surrounded by redwoods, and the loops on the east side of the river (over the seasonal bridge) are more oak and open. Both sides of the river have great trails, and the Eel is quite swimmable for kids. We got there ON Labor Day, when everyone else was leaving, so we had a whole loop to ourselves. We saw bear scat up on the trails, and had turkeys wander through during the morning hours. The usual jays and squirrels, etc. We could hear the highway noise, of course, but this is just about unavoidable almost anywere along Highway 101 because there's nowhere else for the sound to go. I've kind of reconciled myself to this factoid over the last couple of years. It quiets down by late evening. However, since this was Labor Day, there were probably less trucks than usual. And jake breaks in the middle of the night have some sort of amplification thing that seems to happen.... So bring your guitar and sing folksongs around the campfire, and you should be able to avoid noticing too much of that stuff. The campground smells like redwoods and bay leaves. The staff was very friendly. Maybe they were glad that the crowds were gone.... read more

Richardson Grove State Park - Oak campground more open, Oak and Bay trees. - Parks Near Me - Garberville, California

Richardson Grove State Park is one of those places that will have you falling in love with camping! My new favorite camping distination! You got the Eel river, hot showers, redwood trees and hiking trails! Good family fun! read more

Richardson Grove State Park - Rock City along Eel River - Parks Near Me - Garberville, California

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I've been going to this park for over 10+ years. it's awesome. Some things have changed such as the convenient store which is terrible now but that's OK because garberville is only minutes away. Plus there isn't much swimming anymore. But what makes this campground so awesome the campsites itself most are very space-us and have trails all throughout the park. Madrone and huckleberry are the best areas to pick from. Redwood camping at its finest! read more

Great camping experience. The cars driving by are a little noticeable but most everyone was very quiet after 10pm and the cars driving along the highway died down around 12am. Definitely would rather camp here than stay at a hotel in Humboldt County anytime. read more

DO NOT RESERVE SITES #156, 158 and 159! Had I read Erin S below's review first, I would've never reserved 159...I tell you, the hurricane level wind will tear your campsite apart. Forget cooking. It will rip your soul in half. It just might break your marriage. And being inside our tent was like, being on K2 (minus the freezing temp). The wind howled like the banshee all night. The weird thing is, if you walk 20 feet out of the site, there is no wind AT ALL. So, we ended up doing some of our cooking on the stove IN THE MIDDLE OF THE ROAD outside our site. Seriously though, the wind pretty much blew the tent next door at site 158, so they packed up in the middle of the night and LEFT THEIR SITE! I'm not kidding. My husband and I are experienced campers who have been camping mainly on the coast, meaning STRONG WIND BLOWN campgrounds, but even for us, this was ridick. And the rangers at this park...man, they have some punks working there. Almost all the younger CA State Park rangers are super nice while the older rangers tend to be a bit peculiar. But at Richardson Grove, the young ones were less than thrilled to be helpful. When we asked about the possibility of changing the site, they were no help. We were just bothering them. OK, now that I've done enough complaining, moving onto the good stuff. The campground is situated in the majestic redwoods and Eel River runs through it. It is a beautiful campground. It is huge, and has showers, so it tends to attract bigger groups and families. If you're looking for solitude, you have to hit the coast. But I really enjoyed our stay, and now thinking back, it was a pretty funny experince to cook our meal in the middle of the road. P.S. 154 is the best site. It's big, private and wind protected. read more

My husband and I camped here with our dog over the 4th of July weekend. It's a fine campground that I would recommend to folks with a few caveats. 1) The Eel River is rain-fed which means that later in the season and/or in drier seasons it's really more of a creek than a river. This can be great for kids in terms of swimming or playing in the river. But adults will have to go in search of the couple of deeper swimming holes. And kayaking or canoeing is pretty much out of the question. 2) If you are a tent camper, DO NOT choose sites 156, 158 or 159. They are right on the river bluff and entirely exposed to the wind that tends to whip through the river canyon. And I mean WHIP! In my opinion, these sights should be disignated for trailers only. I give them credit for moving us after our first night but we were extremely lucky. We are seasoned campers but were prepared to leave if we couldn't be relocated. We couldn't even create a wind break with our car that was sufficient enough to allow us to read, play cards, cook easily or have a fire. And since the river was low, we were really just overlooking a great big dried up river bed. Meh. 3) If you want the redwood experience, be sure to stay in the loops on the west side of Hwy 101. These would be the Huckleberry or Madrone campgrounds. All in all, it's a fine campground and we had fun, as did all the families that were camped around us. They even had a presentation at the campfire center on Saturday night. I don't think there are many state parks that still do this and it filled me with nostalgia for my days as a child camping with my family. read more

How can you not love the beauty of this amazing park? I mean - the redwoods are breathtaking, the Eel River is serene & inviting in the Summertime, the days are warm & the evenings cool... perfect for a campfire & sleeping in a cozy sleeping bag & tent! The campground is BIG with three areas. We've only stayed in Oak Flat... which we love. It's close to the river & offers nice sun/shade combo sites. The price to camp is $35 a night (general tent site). We stayed in site #154 - which was absolutely awesome! I totally think we scored THE best site at Oak Flats. The spot for your tent is super protected and private. It IS shady - with madrones & redwoods... but there's sun by the picnic table. The fire pit is far from the tent area - but I prefer that! Everything was nice & clean - quite well kept. This site is a tiny bit of a walk to the water spigot & even further to the restroom... but it's really not THAT far at all. I actually prefer a bit of a walk - as it makes it more private. The only drag I would say is that there are yellow jackets (and I am a TOTAL yellow jacket phobe). There were 2 traps up in the general area of the site - which helped a lot... and the nights were cold enough from the fog that they were not active after sundown or early morning. We timed our cooking around this - so it was totally manageable. Still - there was always at least ONE when I had food out (max I saw at one time was 5 - but that was at 2pm on a warm afternoon). The other tip... mice WILL visit your food locker. We had our dried goods (i.e. crackers, bread, chips, etc) in a beer box that we left in the food locker overnight. When we opened it in the morning - there were little holes eaten in the bags... little bites out of our bread... mice for sure! The next night - we locked it all up in the truck - and NO problems! No problems with mosquitos at all... which surprised me! Fishing is decent... but the fish were pretty tiny (with a few bog ones mixed in) - so I recommend "catch & release"! read more

Old Growth Redwoods Meet the Eel River Driving along 101, I open my sunroof and breathe in the earthy smell and admire the tallest trees which are literally on the HWY. As we weave between the trees I feel like an excited dog with my head out the window sniffing and taking in the sights at their purest form. The Richardson Grove State Park and Campground is top of my list for regional beauty. Hike on several miles of trails, picnic in the trees or take a dip in the grand Eel River. Wi-Fi does work near the ranger station, however I seem to have issues with mobile phone service at all in the trees. I believe the park kiosk was open in the summer from 8am-11pm. Campsites in Huckleberry and Madrone should be open year round. While Oak Flat and the group camp is open mid-July through Labor day. Reserve a camping spot online with www.reserveamerica.com. Just make sure to put away your food and toothpaste so the bears don't crash your party. read more

I am in love with this place!!!! My family and I used to go every summer and stay for two weeks at a time and I remember dreading the day we had to leave. There is so much to do there! Our favorite thing was to go to the little water hole they have and jump off the huge rock. Every year my brothers and I would get more and more brave until one year we jumped off the highest point(which is pretty f-ing high). We would also hike on the various trails, ride our bikes around the campsites, and go to camp fires. I cant wait to have kids so I can bring them there!!! read more

Richardson Grove State Park - Steph G. jumping off huge rock - Parks Near Me - Garberville, California

We stayed at the oak flats campsite #140. It was close to the restrooms for our girls. The site is on a little slant. We came in on a Saturday night and left on Tuesday. The park emptied out on Sunday and we had no neighbors; not one in-front or behind us. Sites are a little close and for the most part the bathrooms are clean. Bring your own soap, they do not included it in the bathroom. They do provide showers - $1.75 gets you 12 minutes with warm water. The bathroom stole doors could be a little taller considering they go to your chest. The closest little store is a gas station about 10 minutes away. The Eel River was down a little when we went, but still enough to cool off in. read more

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Love camping here! For some reason I always feel at peace camping under the ancient redwoods in this park. The Volunteer at the park entrance was the most friendly person we encountered amongst all of our CA State park visits. After a long drive it really feels good to be greeted with such care and compassion. The sites are large and private and the bathrooms were pretty nice, although they do charge to take a shower. The evening ranger program was kind of cheesy, but perfect for kids and my wife got a kick out of me singing and dancing along with the ranger. read more

Richardson Grove State Park - Site # 50 - Parks Near Me - Garberville, California

Top notch park ! Shhhh :). Great family spot . The eel river has plenty of deep swimming holes and endless river bar access

This park was amazing to camp in at the end of May. Albeit the noise from the 101, which run directly through the middle, otherwise, fabulous. Sites are separate from each other for the most part if carefully chosen, nestled in the tall trees with lots of flat areas to chose from for tent location. Bathrooms, recycling, and garbage facilities make packing in/out easy. Lock boxes on each site allow you to lock up valuables if you've traveled on foot while you go enjoy one of many awesome hikes. Dogs aren't allowed on trails, but it's nice enough to just walk around the paved areas. The Redwoods in this grove are stunning, and you should camp here if you have the chance. And you should get involved in trying to save this gorgeous grove of trees from highway widening plans if you can. read more

Beautiful representation of the famous redwoods, without the crowds! Look forward to visiting again one day. Our family LOVED it!! read more

Richardson Grove State Park - Parks Near Me - Garberville, California

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Awesome To Go when visiting up North. Beautiful majestic trees, it was so tranquil ..... Definitely one of the coolest places i've been... Awesome place to bring the family, lots of rich history. Make sure you visit the welcome center and check out the taxidermy! read more

Richardson Grove State Park - View from up top - Parks Near Me - Garberville, California

So far every time I've been there the food was good a Little pricy for the portions! Nice view of the lake, great entertainment in the summer! Their beer is pricy compared to surrounding area! Don't mind paying extra when entertained by a band or singer, however when no entertainment prices should drop! read more

My huge family has had our reunion here all of my life. So many amazing memories have been made at The Grove.

Booking the sites thru their website is very easy. Driving to the park was beautiful. Highway 101 has great sceneries like driving to Lake Tahoe. Park Staff was very friendly and helpful. Checked in, drove to our site, tent up no problems at all. Some campsites are very close to each other. Great if you have a big group like ours. If not privacy and noise level could be an issue if your neighbors has some noisy kids and/or adults. A lot of trees. Great for shade on bright sunny days. The Eel River had enough water to enjoy. I can definitely tell how much water it had this past winter storm as you can see how wide the river is. Will definitely come back next year. read more

Stayed in cabin 7c and loved it. These little cabins are the perfect combination of modern convenience (heat, electricity) and rustic (no beds or bathroom). Bring an airbed or thick pad to put your sleeping bag on, the wood bed palettes are rock hard. Running water outside is potable. It's comfortable and awesome. Would stay here over and over again. read more

My family has been coming here every year for over 40 years. We have tried many other state parks as well, and have never found one as perfect as Richardson Grove. read more

Based on some of the old reviews, I expected much worse. I like having close access to the swimming areas when I go camping but depending on where you stay in this park you might have to drive there. No big deal but sometimes the parking gets full. The oak campgrounds are filled with poison oak so may not be the best place for small children. I was able to keep my 2 year old away from it but it wasn't easy. It looks like the group campers have the best area, they stay amongst the giant redwood trees and really close to the swimming hole. I made the best of it and had fun, won't be going back but only because of the 4 hour drive. read more

Beautiful scenery but..... too expensive for dry camping and then you have to pay for showers and at that, the water has to heat up first and you get to pay for that time and then it's a trickle. Toilets only flush half the time. First night we were there there were no lights on in the bathrooms. Peeing by flashlight, so fabulous. Park rangers are very unfriendly, except this one sweet girl with three braids in her pony tail. To further piss me off we went into town and when we came back we had to wait 10 minutes because the ranger was in the truck having a pow wow with the park workers in the kiosk. Never mind me, the paying customer who has to wait to get back to my camp. Get the hell back to work or pull the damn truck to the side and let us pass!!!!! It was like teeny boppers in heat. Won't be going back. read more

Flush toilets with TWO-ply toilet paper! This place is Cush for a campground - perfect for introducing the kids/family to camping. Coin-operated hot showers, no danger of bears, and beautiful redwoods. read more

Amazing. Camping here is one of my favorite childhood memories. I now bring my 3 kids every summer. Beautiful, beautiful park, swimming, rocks the kids can jump off of (not allowed but nobody really follows that rule) Paved roads for bikes/skateboards. Close enough to a town if you need a grocery store.. This place is kid heaven. I'm so glad my parents found it. Such a nice family tradition. Also hot showers/well maintained bathrooms are a major plus for women ;) read more