Lassen & Redwoods Advise

[mtnbbud]

Howdy,

I'm new here, but have signed up due to great results using other types of forums to get my questions answered.

I plan to be trailering a 18 ft travel trailer through Lassen and the Redwoods with my family this summer. My wife and I have been to both areas as children. My son hasn't been to either.

My wife wants to spend two nights at each park. We are going to drive from Klamath Falls to Lassen first and then to the Redwoods. I was planning on driving from Lassen to Eureka/Arcata as it appears to be the most direct route from Lassen to the Redwoods.

I'm currently considering a private campground near Lassen for our two nights there and then staying at two separate locations in the Redwoods. For the first day in the Redwoods, I thought I'd drop the trailer off near Arcata and then drive down to see the Avenue of the Giants. For the second day, I thought I'd take the trailer up north somewhere to camp near Crescent City or so. I plan to drive to Coos Bay after that, so much of the last morning/afternoon could be spent in the northern Redwoods also.

If you only had 2 nights in both Lassen and the Redwoods, what would be on your "must see" list? Any campground suggestions?

Thanks for your advise,

Jeff

[profdant139]

Thanks for the kind words, JT -- that is exactly why we have a blog -- to help take us back to those places, especially when (as now) I am stuck in town because of work. (I like my work, but I also like to travel!) Camping season will soon be here again . . . .

Returning to the OP's question about Lassen, be sure to bring either a telephoto lens or a small pair of binoculars to the Bumpass area -- you can get some great close-ups of the boiling mud pots:



Take your time on that trail -- it is at around 8000 feet, and pretty steep. Bring water, of course. It is very worthwhile -- the volcanic area is not only scenic, it comes complete with sound effects (roaring steam vents) and even "smell effects" (sulfur gas).

[JT]

Dan, your photos are a vacation in themselves; thanks. :B

[profdant139]

Here's a blog post with info on several fun areas in the redwoods -- lots of photos:

Redwoods trip

[Tin-bender]

Prairie Creek, in my opinion, is a must stop and stay. Older campground with smaller spaces generally, but with an 18 footer you should have no problems.
Check out on the web, several day trips are available from there, or just hike the trails in the park.
Tinbender

[mtnbbud]

Thanks for the advice so far! Have any of you camped at Prairie Creek State Park off of the Newton B. Drury Parkway? For Google Earth, it looks like it might a neat little campground.

Thanks sdianel for the recommendation for Howland Hill Road. I found that road mentioned on one of the National Parks Webpages and I was thinking it sounded pretty cool.

[YC_1]

Fun place

Very rustic. It has a restaurant if you don't want to cook. It is very close to the Entrance to the park. We have stayed there two or three times with our 40 footer. I would stay there again.

[vermilye]

2X on checking on whether the trails are open at Lassen. I was there on June 26, 2012, and the Bumpass trail was still closed because of snow (as was many of the campgrounds). Stopped again on June 30, 2014, and everything was open.

I also agree with Two hands - The Bumpass trail is well worth the hike.

[sdianel_-acct_c]

We stayed at Ancient Redwoods RV Park right on Avenue of the Giants. Nice little park with paved sites.
In Crescent City we stayed at the KOA outside of town. Be sure to drive the Howland Hill scenic drive through the Redwoods while in Crescent City.

Howland Hill Road
Mostly unpaved; Motorhomes/RVs and trailers not advised.

Distance & Duration: 10 miles, one way (from Crescent City, Calif. to junction with U.S. 199 near Hiouchi, Calif.); 45 minutes.

Directions: From Crescent City, Calif.: drive south 1 mile on U.S. 101 and turn left (east-northeast) onto Elk Valley Road; continue 1 mile and turn right (east) onto Howland Hill Road; after ~1½ miles the road becomes unpaved as it enters Jedediah Smith Redwoods State Park; continue another 5½ miles on Howland Hill Road until it becomes Douglas Park Road (paved); after ~1½ miles turn left onto South Fork Road; after ½ mile South Fork Road junctions with U.S. 199 just east of Hiouchi, Calif.

Description: Just a couple miles west of Crescent City, an unpaved stretch of Howland Hill Road offers motorists an intimate encounter with the towering old-growth redwoods in Jedediah Smith Redwoods State Park. Numerous pull-outs and trailheads along the way, including the Boy Scout Tree Trail and Stout Grove.

[korbe]

We prefer dry camping in the area, but will advise with hookups in mind. For Lassen, I would stay at Rancheria RV Park. Centrally located to visit both Burney Falls and Lassen Park. After heading to the coast on hwy 299, I would stay at Mad River Rapids RV park in Arcata and use that as a home base for a day trip south to the "Avenue of the Giants". I would then head north on hwy 101 with the trailer and stop along the old highway adjacent to Prairie Creek State Park and do some hiking (good lunch break too). I would then stay at the KOA near Crescent City and take a day trip to Jedediah Smith State Park. The pier in Crescent City is pretty neat too, if your into the fishing fleet stuff.

[badbob1]

If you do not mind another night of dry camping I would say Patricks Point State Park is a great choice. This is one of the most beautiful parks on the coast and easy drive both north and south exploring thr redwoods. Do not believe any of the choices you are thinking about will be bad.
Have Fun
BadBob

[4runnerguy]

Another vote for Manzanita Lake CG at Lassen. You should be able to easily make it for a couple of days on your battery. Make sure the wiring for your tow vehicle is set up to charge the trailer battery when you're on the road. You should be able to get a full recharge on the drive from Lassen to the Redwoods.

For camping near Eureka, have you considered Humboldt Redwoods SP? At Burlington CG (which is right on the Avenue of the Giants) you'll camp right in the big trees and you're walking distance to the visitors center. A couple of shower houses there also.

When we want to camp up near Crescent City, we head a little further north over the border in OR and camp at Harris Beach SP. Nice SP with views of the ocean and easy "commute" distance to the Redwoods. Quite a bit cheaper (something like $35 in CA w/o hookups vs. $28 in OR with electric).

[keepingthelight]

Lassen/Shingletown KOA is a very nice and clean CG. Burney Falls to the north is a great day trip with a pretty simple hike around the falls. Definitely go to Mystery of the Trees. Great place. We stayed at Redwoods RV in Crescent City.

Good luck 😉

[mtnbbud]

Thanks for the great advise so far! We'll be staying for two days prior at the in laws in Klamath Falls. My 7 year son hasn't seen the lava tubes or the petroglyphs at the Lava Beds. I suggested to my wife we head down to the lava beds with Grandma and Grandpa on one of the days we'll be staying with them. It's not too far from their house.

I have been considering Manzanita Lake at Lassen, but wasn't sure how many days my battery can last without charging. (We'll probably dry camp both nights in the Redwoods.) I'm new to trailer camping as of a year and a half ago and we have mostly used the trailer at campgrounds with hookups so far.

The private campground I was looking at near Lassen is Hat Creek Resort 11 miles from the park. I did a Google Search on Lassen and Bumpass Hell is at the top most every "must see" list so we'll hike that for sure:). (I noticed there's a lava tube near Manzanita Lake. Is it worth seeing?)

I do think we could spend more time at either park and have plenty to see and do, but I'm not sure how many days we can be away from home.

As far as the drive to the Redwoods, I noticed Blue Lake Casino just east of Arcata allows dry camping in their parking lot. I was thinking that might be a good place to drop off the trailer before the drive down to the Avenue of the Giants? We'd have the rest of the day to explore and then dry camp at Blue Lake Casino that night.

For the next day, I'd head north with the trailer stopping to see some sights along the way. Hopefully I'd be able to drop it off at a campground and have some daylight left to explore without the trailer in tow. The next day would be open for some exploration, but I'm not sure if I'd need to tow along the trailer or not.

Thanks again for advise and suggestions!:B

[J_herb]

If you could come up with more time I would stop at Lava Beds National Monument just south of Klamath Falls in Ca. they have a nice campground, Google Lava Beds National Monument for some good info.

X2 on Hiking the Bumppass Trail in Lassen NP.