Campgrounds and RV parks near Smith River, CA

Smith River sits in Del Norte County at the far northwest corner of California, a few miles south of the Oregon border and minutes from where the Smith River meets the Pacific. The town is a practical base for RV trips into Redwood National and State Parks, a unit cooperatively managed by the National Park Service and California State Parks that protects 45 percent of California's remaining old-growth redwoods. The closest old-growth park is Jedediah Smith Redwoods State Park, which protects 10,000 acres of primeval redwood groves, rhododendrons and azaleas, and banks of ferns against giant fallen trees. Nearby RV options range from tribal-owned riverfront sites to commercial parks. Xaa-wan-k wvt Village and Resort sits on the Smith River estuary, while Ramblin' Redwoods Campground and RV Park and the Crescent City / Redwoods KOA Holiday line Highway 101 to the south. Apple Hill RV Park offers a smaller in-town option, and Jedediah Smith - Redwood National and State Park provides the only public campground set directly in an old-growth redwood grove.

Public and private campgrounds in the Smith River area use separate booking systems, so plan ahead. For Jedediah Smith - Redwood National and State Park, campsites and cabins are reserved through the online ReserveCalifornia system or by phone with California State Parks. Reservations can be made up to 6 months, but not less than 2 days, before the first night of a stay, with new dates released daily at 8:00 a.m. Pacific. Summer weekends often book out within minutes of the window opening. Hike and bike sites are first-come, first-served and cannot be reserved in advance, and vehicles are not permitted at those sites. Private parks such as Ramblin' Redwoods Campground and RV Park, Crescent City / Redwoods KOA Holiday, Apple Hill RV Park, and Xaa-wan-k wvt Village and Resort take bookings directly through their own websites or call centers.