Ben A.
Yelp
For the last couple of years, the Pandemic seemed to scare people in our lives from getting together for Thanksgiving... so instead of staying home, we decided to redo our "Thanksgiving in the Redwoods" that we enjoyed last year.
With just a few weeks to spare, the delightful and compassionate souls at California State Parks decided to cancel our months old reservations at Patrick's Point State Park.
In short, we were devastated, especially after having our El Capitan reservations cancelled by wildfire. Twice.
Ever the optimist, Mrs. Picante jumped online to try to find a suitable replacement camping spot. She happened upon Emerald Forest, a privately owned camp spot just a few miles south of Patrick's Point, and still well within Trinidad proper. More importantly, still within day trip distance of redwoods, NorCal coast, and all the natural wonders for which we tow a trailer 700 miles north of our native SoCal.
First of all, and maybe most importantly, the staff of this place is extremely nice. We had to make a couple of last-minute changes to our arrival and departure dates, and they were very accommodating. Secondly, the site has full hook ups, including electricity, water, cable TV, and sewer. Considering you have a better chance of finding a three legged ballerina then hook ups in a California state park, this was a bonus. Definitely added to our trip.
Emerald Forest itself is privately on land hosting a stand of second growth redwoods, although there are some rather large trees. Nothing like the ancient old growth redwoods of yesteryore, but still very beautiful. Facility has indoor fully plumbed bathrooms and showers, gazebo, laundry facilities, And a front office that doubles as a convenience store of sorts. Just the essentials, but still pretty nice.
The site also hosts cabins, ranging from two person deals to family size. Evidently, staying at a cabin includes hotel style linen service, cleaning, and the like.
As for us, we enjoyed camping here in our 25 foot trailer. The camping sites were a little tight, and fairly close together, separated by a short fence and the hook up facilities, but no one seems to mind. One downfall if I had to be nitpicky is that our campsite was also right next to the Patrick's Point Dr. roadway, so there was definitely a little bit of automotive noise at certain times of the day, and a few people in the area really drive too fast. Then again, we've camped in lots of places with a lot more road and traffic noise. So it wasn't that big of a deal.
Notably, there were no bear boxes or animal proof trash cans, and maybe they're not needed? After all, Emerald Forest is just a quarter mile or so from downtown Trinidad, and buffered from wilderness by the 101 freeway to some extent.
Overall, we really enjoyed our stay here, and the price was comparable to staying at the state park. That said, this privately owned facility provided a lot more flexibility for changes than any state park I've ever stayed at, and that makes a difference when push comes to shove.
I definitely see us staying here again, and look forward to that opportunity. Thank you, Emerald Forest, for saving our Thanksgiving in the trees once again.