EUREKA, CALIFORNIA, USA, 2005- Humboldt County on the north coast of California is home to the tallest trees in the world, the magnificent coastal redwoods. With numerous state and national parks, over 100 miles of pristine beaches and coastline, six wild and scenic rivers, abundant wildlife, charming small towns full of Victorian architecture, many unique attractions and events, lively arts and culture and acclaimed food and wine, the Redwood Coast is the perfect rural retreat.

But the Redwood Coast offers another attraction that few other destinations can claim: camping on the beach.

The Redwood Coast offers several camping opportunities a stone's throw from the surf. Clam Beach County Park and Gold Bluff Beach are within Prairie Creek Redwoods State Park. If you like to rough it, try the Coastal Trail, also in Prairie Creek, the Dry Lagoon environmental camp, or the coastal wilderness of the Lost Coast in the King Range National Conservation Area.

Big Lagoon County Park
Big Lagoon County Park offers a rare treat for a California park--waterside camping. Several of the campsites are directly on the lagoon and the shore is accessible to all campers for small boat launching, fishing and exploring. The campsites are pleasantly situated in a coastal Sitka spruce forest; some are tree-covered and some receive more sunlight. There is a group camp suitable for family gatherings and outdoor parties. Campsites are available at the County Park. Dogs are welcome and no reservations are required. 25 tent sites are available. Facilities include flush toilets, boat ramp, picnic tables, fire rings, beach access. No showers or hookups.

Big Lagoon is separated from the Pacific Ocean by a sand spit. Big Lagoon is a popular destination for sailing, windsurfing, kayaking, parasailing and just about all forms of boating. (No personal watercraft allowed and speed limits prohibit water-skiing.)

The lagoon is large enough (nearly three miles long) to get in some respectable sailing in protected waters. While the lagoon doesn't have the ocean swell or Humboldt Bay's tides, it can sometimes get rough and boaters are encouraged to exercise all safety precautions.

With its long sand spit separating the lagoon from the ocean, Big Lagoon is a beach combing paradise and if one is willing to walk far enough you can truly be alone. The spit is a continuation of Agate Beach (starting at Patrick's Point State Park, two miles south) and offers up semi-precious agates, jade and moonstones as well as the usual shells, driftwood and flotsam. In shallow areas of the lagoon, particularly near the boat ramp, the water temperature is quite pleasant and many visitors enjoy swimming. With the dangerous Pacific surf pounding just 100 yards away, here one can splash around in safety.

Big Lagoon is a favorite fishing spot for cutthroat trout. Fishing on the lagoon is regulated by the California Department of Fish & Game and a valid fishing license is required.

Directions: At Big Lagoon County Park there's camping right on the lagoon and you can jump straight from your tent or RV into your canoe or kayak. Hwy 101, 3 miles N of Patricks Point, 34 miles N of Eureka. 13 miles south of Orick on U.S. 101. Turn on Big Lagoon Road. 7 miles north of Trinidad exit HWY 101 at Big Lagoon Park Road and follow signs.

For more information visit their website Big Lagoon County Park or call (707) 445-7652.

Clam Beach County Park
Very few parks in California allow camping right on the beach, but Clam Beach County Park is one of them. A wide and long stretch of flat shoreline, Clam Beach is part of a continuous ocean frontage that connects with Mad River Beach County Park to the south and Little River State Beach to the north. It's just minutes away from the town of McKinleyville, where all of your picnic, camping and beach supplies are available.

Visit Clam Beach Park for beach combing, clamming, fishing, picnicking and camping. There are two parking and camping areas, north and south, along the frontage road. The ocean topology here creates a long flat wave slope suitable for surfing. Sand castles and kite flying are particularly popular on this beach as well. There is a bicycle path that connects with Airport Road in McKinleyville.

Vehicles, bonfires and horses are currently allowed on this beach--please read the posted regulations, particularly about steering clear of nesting sites for the snowy plover, an endangered shore bird.

Directions: Off U.S. 101 south of Trinidad just past the bridge over Little River. Located 7-1/2 miles north of Arcata (just north of McKinleyville), take the Clam Beach Park exit off Hwy. 101. Visit the website Clam Beach County Park or call (707) 445-7652 for more information.

Gold Bluffs Beach Campground Prairie Creek Redwoods State Park/Redwood National Park
The campground, which lies in the dunes along a beautiful 10-mile stretch of golden beach in northwestern California, is a designated World Heritage Site and International Biosphere Reserve. It is quintessential beach camping. The campground is spread out into one oblong loop with a central bathroom cluster with flush toilets. Solar showers are found on the ocean side of the building. Solar showers use the sun to heat the water, so if there is no sun available for a good time before you shower, the water may be quite cool.

The sites are out in the open wedged between Pacific Ocean and a redwood-shrouded escarpment (bluff). You're exposed to all the elements, wind, rain and fog. A few sites have wind shelters, all have bear lockers. A fair percentage of sites have beach frontage, but these are the most exposed.

The campground is open year-round. Best weather is usually in fall and spring. Summers are often foggy and cool, while winters can be rainy. The annual Banana Slug Derby, with slimy race contestants, is held in the park each August. While dogs are not allowed on any park trails, they are allowed at this campground and the adjoining beach. There are 29 tent sites and 25 RV sites at the beach. RVs must be less than 24 feet long and 8 feet wide. There are no RV hookups. All sites are on a first-come, first-served basis. Pets must be leashed and attended at all times. Please clean up after your pets.

Tips:

• Arrive between noon and 2 p.m. for your best shot at a site. Registration and fee payment are required at the visitor center. No reservations. Peak season camping rates are $15 per site, May 15 through September 15 and $14 in the off-season.
• Trailers are not allowed on Davison Road (and thus at Gold Bluffs Beach campground), nor are any vehicles wider than 8 feet or longer than 24 feet.
• Never approach Roosevelt elk or other wild animals. Observe them quietly from a distance.
• Farther up Gold Bluffs Beach, don't miss enchanting Fern Canyon. Even if you're not a hiker, don't miss Fern Canyon. It's a spectacular sight and an easy walk. An easy 3/4-mile, 20-minute trail loops through a steep, 50-foot-high canyon with walls covered by lush ferns. You might need waterproof footwear for the Fern Canyon Trail, which can be quite wet after a rain.

Gold Bluffs Beach Environmental Sites -- Register and pay fees at the Prairie Creek Visitor Center or at Gold Bluffs Beach entrance station in order to get directions and lock combination to the campground (involves a short hike from the parking area).

Site -- 3 sites (maximum 8 people each for tent camping. Facilities include picnic tables, fire rings and pit toilets. No water and no trash cans (pack out all trash).

Directions: Gold Bluffs Beach campground is about 320 miles north of San Francisco and 50 miles north of Eureka. Take Highway 101 north from San Francisco or Eureka to the town of Orick. About three miles north of Orick, exit 101 onto unpaved Davison Road, which leads west six miles to the campground. The visitor center and Elk Prairie Campground are located at the southern end of the Parkway. Visit their website at Gold Bluffs Beach Campground Prairie Creek Redwoods State Park/Redwood National Park or call (707) 464-6101 ext. 5301.

Patrick's Point State Park
Located 25 miles north of Eureka, Patrick's Point is a 640-acre park in the heart of California's Redwood Coast. The park's dense forests of spruce, hemlock, pine, fir and red alder stretch over an ocean headland with lovely wildflower-festooned meadows and a dramatic shoreline ranging from broad sandy beaches to sheer cliffs that rise high above the Pacific Ocean offers great opportunities to explore tide pools, search for agates and driftwood, watch whales and sea lions and brilliant sunsets.

There are several miles of hiking trails, a reconstructed Yurok Indian Village, a native plant garden, a bookstore, three family campgrounds, a group camp, a camp for hikers and bicyclist and several picnic areas. The Abalone, Penn Creek and Agate Beach campgrounds have 124 family campsites, each with a table, stove and cupboard. Water faucets and restrooms with showers are nearby. Facilities include no hookups, picnic tables, dump station, fire rings, beach access, hiking trails, evening campfire talks during the summer, Native American (Yurok) village, tide pools, whale-watching, surfing, bookstore and group day-use area. Picnic sites are plentiful throughout the park and three group picnic locations can be reserved.

The park's group campground, Beach Creek can accommodate up to 120 people. There is a covered cook shelter, hot showers, seating for 120 and a place to build a traditional campfire.

For more information visitit he website Patrick's Point State Park or call (707) 677-3570. The park is 25 miles north of Eureka and 56 miles south of Crescent City. Patrick's Point State Park is located on Patrick's Point Drive about five miles north of Trinidad, off U.S. Highway 101.

Stone Lagoon Boat-in Camp and Dry Lagoon Environmental Camp Humboldt Lagoon State Park
In the early days, several dairy ranches were established along the shores of Stone Lagoon. Later, when the highway was improved, a motel/restaurant called the "Little Red Hen" was located next to the lagoon. This business continued in operation until 1979. The restaurant building was remodeled into a museum and park office and is now the Humboldt Lagoons Visitor Center and bookstore. There are day use only picnic areas at the visitor center and at the north end of Stone Lagoon on the beach. The park offers boating, fishing, beach combing, hiking. Please contact the park directly for detailed camping availability information.

At Stone Lagoon environmental camp there are 6 environmental campsites accessible by foot or boat only (camper must provide their own boat). The campsites are on a section of the Coastal Trail. Self register for Stone Lagoon boat-in camps near the boat ramp at the visitor center.

Dry Lagoon environmental camp also has 6 campsites. Dry Lagoon camps require obtaining a combination to a locked gate; therefore registration is via the visitor center (Monday thru Friday 8:30-1:30) or by contacting Patrick's Point State Park, 10 miles south on Hwy. 101.

Fees/costs/rates: Boat-in and hike-in environmental campsites -$7, $5 extra vehicle. No Day-use fee. Reservations and permits: First-come first-served only. Bring your own boat and enjoy exploring lagoon. Can land boat on beach and have access to 6 miles of beach combing, bird watching, whale watching, agate hunting.

Directions: On Highway 101, 40 miles north of Eureka and 55 miles south of Crescent City. Lost Coast Trail 707-986-5400.

King Range National Conservation Area
Along the northern coast of California, civilization has left its mark on all but the most rugged or remote stretches of coastline. One stretch that is largely untouched by major highways and towns is the 60,000-acre King Range National Conservation Area. Extremely steep and rocky terrain extends to the beach, and forced the coastal highway (combined Highways 1 and 101) about 30 miles inland from the King Range. The remote region is known as California's Lost Coast, accessed by only a few back roads. A 24-mile section of the Lost Coast Trail leads north from Black Sands Beach to the Mattole River, along the wilderness beach. This is a rugged hike, not a simple walk on the beach, and is one of the few coastal wilderness-hiking experiences in the U.S.

The trail is considered one of the most attractive features of the Kings Range National Conservation Area. The beach is narrow, and at some points it disappears under rock slides or at rocky points that jut out into the surf. This most popular King Range hike offers one of the few coastal wilderness hiking experiences in the U.S. Hikers can view sea lions, tide pools and spectacular spring wildflowers.

Solitude can be difficult to find on holiday weekends, so try to plan your hike during weekdays, or the less crowded spring/fall months. Allow at least three days for the entire hike. Much of the trail is beach hiking with several stretches of 1-2 ft. rounded boulders. Wear sturdy hiking boots. Stream crossings may be impassible during/after heavy winter rains (no bridges). The area near Punta Gorda from Sea Lion Gulch to Randall Creek; and from Miller Flat to Gitchell Creek may be impassible during high tide. Carry a tide table, and when in doubt, hike these stretches during an outgoing tide to avoid being trapped. Never turn your back on the ocean; large "sleeper" waves can occur at any time, sweeping unsuspecting hikers into the ocean. Several privately owned cabins exist along the Lost Coast and are not for public use; BLM does not maintain any facilities along this trail - please respect private property rights.

Shuttle Services:
Many hikers of the Lost Coast Trail choose to park their vehicle at one trailhead and be shuttled via local transport providers either to or from the opposite trailhead. In order to legally provide transport for hire on public lands, shuttle service providers must be issued a special recreation use permit from BLM. This permit ensures that the provider is knowledgeable of BLM's regulations and requirements for hiking and camping in the King Range and has the proper insurance for transporting people. Currently the only licensed shuttle service is Lost Coast Trail Transport, (707) 986-9909, www.lostcoasttrail.com.

Directions:
Take the Honeydew exit from Highway 101 (about 25 miles north of Garberville). Turn left on Bull Creek/Mattole Road and drive 22 miles. At Honeydew, turn west toward Petrolia and drive 13.5 miles. Before crossing the river, turn west on Lighthouse Road. Drive five miles to the parking area. OR: From Ferndale, take Petrolia Road 30 miles to Petrolia. Go 3/4 mile past Petrolia, cross the river and turn west onto Lighthouse Road, continue five miles to parking area. Note: be careful along the long drive from Highway 101, often on narrow, winding, steep paved roads. The drive is not a recommended from motor homes or vehicles with long trailers.