Gold Bluffs Beach Campground

Gold Bluffs Beach extends for 10 miles along the Humboldt County coast in Prairie Creek Redwoods State Park. It requires a day use permit to enter because of the volume of visitors that come here. Mostly because popular Fern Canyon is next to it. Gold Bluffs has a campground with 26 sites. Permits are not required if you have camping reservations. To reach Gold Bluffs Beach, you have to drive on a 6 mile windy dirt road called Davison Rd that you can access near the Elk Meadow picnic area. Trailers are not allowed on Davison Road. Visitors will need to pay the day-use fee, or show their federal pass or CA state park passes at the Gold Bluffs Beach entrance station. You can also hike the 11-mile James Irvine loop trail from Prairie Creek Visitor Center. No permit is required if you are hiking. Gold Bluffs Beach was named after a gold discovery in the 1850's that attracted some interest by miners. If you are going to come here, make sure you check out nearby Fern Canyon. It is a must-see! The 1,200 mile California Coastal Trail runs through Gold Bluffs. After hiking Fern Canyon, I walked over to the coast of Gold Bluff to walk in the water and soak in the sun.

The drive into the campground was something out of a Jurassic park movie! Once you turn down the road you drive about 20-25 minutes through the forest with beautiful rays of sunlight shining through some of the trees. Once we got to the campsite, we noticed how each site was spread out quite a bit and there were plants/bushes to provide some privacy. We had one of the more exposed sites but still felt far enough from others to enjoy our space. The campsite includes a campfire, large picnic table and near box. Make sure to keep all your food in the bear box or car overnight as well as during the day when not in use. The camp host sells firewood but we were told during the weekends the host sometimes runs out earlier. The trek into the site is 20-25 minutes so I'd recommend getting firewood and anything else you need prior to driving down the dirt road to the campground. The campgrounds allows dogs but note that there are prickly plants, similar to burrs, that were easily stuck in our pups during or feet. We laid down some moving pads we had in the car for her to minimize her contact with them. I'm not sure she would wear doggy booties but I would get them for her if we were to come back. Overall, the site was gorgeous and the view since it was on the beach was breathtaking! Next time we would probably chose a site directly on the beach side but we still enjoyed our site (#11 I think). If in the area again, we would definitely come back!

***Beach review only*** A really beautiful beach that should be admired from afar due to rampant sneaker waves. The campground itself can be reached from the Elk Meadows turnoff. However, if you're just looking to explore the beach, it's easily accessible through the Thomas H Kuchel Visitor Center. If you're headed to (or coming from) Redwood National Park, this is a great place to stop along the way. Gold Bluffs Beach is conveniently located behind the visitor center. You can visit the center and retrieve maps and hiking information, and then spend some time at the beach before heading off into the Redwoods. I stopped here before heading to Redwood National Park and really enjoyed the calming waves of the beach. Because of its' location, this beach isn't overly crowded. It's mainly frequented by campers and visitors who are passing to and from the Redwoods. The beach itself is filled with tons of drift wood and provides some stunning views of the northern coast line. The waves can be pretty ferocious at times. Swimming at the beach is not recommended because of the dangerous sneaker waves, but you can walk along the beach and admire it from afar while lying in the sand. Seeing this beach behind the visitor center was definitely quite a surprise. If you're headed to Redwood National Park, try to make some time to explore this pretty beach while stopping at the visitor center.

I'm not sure what makes Gold Bluffs Beach so special. After hiking the James Irvine Trail for almost 5 miles through Prairie Creek Redwoods State Park, I finally arrived here at Gold Bluffs Beach. I had read through my research on the Internet that this place was a worthwhile stop and was scenic. Yet, once I arrived here on the sand I thought to myself...."okay so this is like any ole beach I've come across anywhere. It's not picturesque whatsoever. It's just a plain, average beach". I think what disappointed me about Gold Bluffs Beach was that I had high expectations. Like, it was a recommended to-do spot to capture the essence of the Pacific Northwest coastline. Yet though after very much appreciating the sights and surroundings along James Irvine Trail through the forest and among some of the tallest redwoods in the world, this Gold Bluffs Beach fell very flat me. I was expecting a pleasant change of pace going from the heart of the woods to the refreshing beach air, but this beach didn't have any colorful waters. The sand was pretty basic. I don't know, maybe I just had these images of some sort of Caribbean beach where simply lying around and hanging out is fulfilling enough because of how beautiful the surroundings are, but this Gold Bluffs Beach made me want to yawn. In fact, I didn't even bother taking a picture. I found nothing to be worthwhile. Ultimately, it didn't really matter that I wasn't impressed with this Gold Bluffs Beach. I was actually making a roundtrip hiking trek for the day starting along James Irvine Trail to Fern Canyon to here at the beach and finally back through the iconic redwood trees on Miners Ridge Trail. Overall I'm just happy I got to experience being among the statuesque redwoods this area of the country is known for. My advice would be to not expect anything significant or memorable from coming here to Gold Bluffs Beach. Actually, you can be advised that the dirt road to get here is quite very very rocky. In fact, the Park Ranger at the Prairie Creek Visitor Center mentioned this to me early in the day and that I'd be best served hiking within the forest to get here. And it was very true. I couldn't believe how unmaintained the road was while I walked from the end of James Irvine Trail to the other end of Gold Bluffs Beach to Miners Ridge Trail. Some parts of the road were pretty flooded and I would have been concerned driving my compact car on it. Anyhow, finally, I did not know that you can camp here. Because...I'm an avid camper and during my visit to Redwood National and State Parks over the summertime, I found lodging in the area to be very few and far between along with the limited number of campgrounds available as well. In fact, I had to sleep in my car a few nights on the side of the road. That's how popular the Redwood Parks are and how limited accommodations can be. Just a warning to those folks out there to definitely plan ahead when traveling. Gold Bluffs Beach never sparked any excitement for me. It was simply too bland and dull overall. I just hope others out there don't come here with high expectations like I did only to be frustrated by a mediocre looking setting in the end.

Each time we camp somewhere new in California, I say "This is my new favorite camping spot." This time I really mean it. The remote Gold Bluffs campground is not only my favorite campsite in CA, it's my favorite beach campsite in CA. The long drive was well worth getting to experience the remote and underappreciated north coast. Rating a campground can be tough. You have to consider the site's merits, but also take into account the natural beauty (which, let's face it, is always 5-stars in this great state). Gold Bluffs excels in both categories. First, the campground. Plan on a twenty or so minute drive through thick forest down a gravel road to get there. That in itself might be intimidating to some, but once you arrive to endless miles of pristine beach and beachfront site's, you'll know it was worth it. Each morning I opened our tent to see nothing but beach for miles, with the occasional herd of Elk munching away at grass just a stone's throw away. Each spot comes with a sturdy cement fire pit and grate, not the flimsy beaten down metal rings you'll find elsewhere. The bathrooms were the BEST I've encountered yet as well. A number of relatively clean toilets and showers and free hot water you didn't have to feed quarters to get! Having that bathroom not far from us made it so worth it. While they do sell firewood, the front gate is far from the actual campground and tracking down a ranger is extremely difficult. I strongly suggest buying some firewood beforehand, as we did in the nearby town of Orick, before coming into the park. And always buy more wood than you think you need. It's overcast constantly up here and it's better to err on the side of caution. Now, the beauty. We hiked up the beach one day to Fern Canyon. It's a natural wonder that few know about that's well worth exploring. The hike from the campground is a long one, especially on a beach, so you may want to drive. Also nearby is the Prairie Creek Redwoods State Park a pristine rainforest filled with massive old trees. Our greatest joy was just lounging on the beach, searching for shells with my son and playing in the waves. Between all three, there is plenty to do for a long camping trip.

It's a great campground full of sun and crazy wind. It was our first time beach camping and likely our last -- but not because the park was terrible; we just prefer to be under trees. The restrooms were clean enough, as clean as can be expected when you have sand involved. There are free showers, which were also pretty decent, but with rotted doors and locks. The showers are solar powered, so go early to make sure you get a WARM shower! Bathroom lights turn off at 10pm, so make sure you bring a flashlight at night! The sites come with the best firepits I've ever seen -- cement with a wide platform that's perfect for gatherings. The bear boxes were nice, too. They are raised and can be opened from two sides, which is very convenient! They're quite rusty, though, so beware the sharp edges. There are lots of wildlife to be seen: osprey, peregrine falcons, golden eagles, elk, bats... and a fox and skunk visited us nightly. Make no mistake, this place is gorgeous! I hope it gets more funding for updated amenities. Don't forget to stop by Fern Canyon!

I'd add fern canyon but there's no service down here so I couldn't pinpoint the location, and this is the closest spot I found in yelp, and GMaps will get you to Fern Canyon (get some offline maps). It's cool and apparently iconic Humboldt, so worth doing once if you have the time, but it really does take a while to drive the few miles, and you can drive the whole way through some small creeks or get out and walk, but it's a bit of a stop. Once you get to the fern canyon trailhead it's about a five-minute walk. The canyon is short. It's pretty cool, you can get the idea from the pictures online, and that's about it. I hopped out of the car way early and decided to walk along the beach and was treated to a herd of maybe 10 elk hanging out in the beach, so that and the canyon were totally worth the time and the stop and the rather long detour. There's a fee station a ways down the dirt road, but they'll take a national park pass.

This place is over rated. My husband and I are avid hikers and campers and this campsite was one of our least favorite. Photos online are misleading and the blogs about this place are very exaggerated. This campsite is quite small compare to some other ones along the coast. We felt very cramped. We weren't aware that you had to pay when you get to the campsite... so we self registered before entering Gold Bluff. It's $35 per night (wowza!!) As we pulled up.... we were able to find a site closest to the beach. As my husband was pulling into the campsite....we were immediately greeted by who I am assuming is a "camp host" with the words of "you can't park like that. She's not gonna be happy." She...referring to the park ranger who patrols the area. They prefer side parking only. Anyways...after informing us of the parking situation, then we were informed of where to pay and how to pay... told the lady that we already paid in the front...so in her words...she "will have to go dig for it." Other than this, she was helpful in many other ways. The good thing about this place are the free showers! They get hot water! There are bathroom available too! They aren't the cleanest but they will do. Each camp site has a fire ring and picnic table available. Dogs must be on leash. Food/water must be stored in bear box at all times. Fishing and crabbing allowed but there were no signs. And finally, this place gets 3 stars because of how close it is to Fern Canyon. Short 30 min walk to fern canyon. This place is well kept due to how well it is monitored. But that also happens to be annoying. Instead of being able to relax and enjoy the views this place has to offer, we often found ourselves wondering when the "camp host" or ranger are going to nip pick next. We will not be returning

Stopped by the beach after visiting fern canyon. The beach is the most beautiful beach I have ever seen in my life. It is completely isolated and stretches as far as the eye can see in either direction. We saw a whole herd of elk grazing along the beach as well! There are also shells of huge mussels and razor clams littering the beach, and even a crab graveyard. The view is breath taking.

This is the way to Fern Canyon. Not sure why it doesn't have its own yelp spot. Find this campground and you are 1.5 miles from fern canyon. There is a gate which is sometimes locked and you have to walk that 1.5 miles. If the gate is unlocked you can drive right to the trailhead. Bathrooms and parking. We went June 25th and had to drive through two creeks the last 1.5 miles. I wouldn't do it in a car. About a foot of water 12 feet wide with a pretty step in out. The canyon is amazing. They have boards to cross the creeks my feet did not get wet. Good for children and elderly.

I have to chime in about this campground. It's GORGEOUS. If you book early, you can get one of the coveted spots on the beach. We camped here last year and had elk roam around our campsite, and one plop down a site over. 5 stars for beachside campsites. The rangers are constantly patrolling because (1) morons let their dogs off-leash. I saw one couple yelling at their dog to come back as said dog is chasing an elk. Smh. (2) People leave their food stuffs out. The rules are clear. Yes, it's a pain. But the murrelets are threatened, People. If you leave food out, it attracts wildlife. Certain birds eat the murrelet eggs. We are all there to enjoy nature. We need to wise up and stop destroying what we have with our carelessness. If you can't handle that, go live in L.A. and leave nature to the ones who care about it. The sites are private, and pretty spacious. The bathroom was not spotless, but passable. Don't even bother with the solar shower, it's too cold; go to the shower facility at Elk Prairie CG instead (bring quarters). Getting from the highway to the campground is a 20- to 30-minute drive on bumpy, windy dirt road. Plan accordingly.

Like snowflakes and fingerprints and all God's creatures, each National Park is created differently. What's interesting about Redwood NP is that it's not so much one park, as a group of other parks spread between cities and towns and farms and reservation land. As a result, it turns out your camping options in Redwood National Park are pretty limited. You might be tempted, as I was, to just pull off the side of the road and crawl inside the stumpy hollow of one of those ancient and massive burnt-out trees. But unless you've brought your backpacking gear, it gets cold in the woods, and there are spiders in the hollows, not to mention the bobcats and cougars and bears (oh my!). Though I'd have preferred to be nestled in the woods, Gold Bluffs was the closest sanctioned campground in the middle part of park, and getting there weaved a bit of a bumpy ride through some beautiful and unique features of the woods before depositing you on the serene grassy beach near Fern Canyon. Here there be mushrooms bigger than your head. Here there be giant elk in the fields. In this magical woodland area, I spied least 9 different types of ferns. Beauty aside, there are a few setbacks. At $35 a night, it's not a campsite for the thrifty. And as it's first-come-first-served, you might find yourself without a spot during the busier seasons, which has the potential, after the long drive out, to push even the most zen of wonderland explorers to a panicky tantrum. Protip: ignore the first pay booth. There's another pay station right at the campsite, so you can check out availability before you fork up your dollars. And if you find there's no room at the inn, don't freak out too much, lest one of those giant woodland creatures thinks you're up for a tumble. Just breathe in the salty sea air, soak in the beauty, and roll on down the road.

We are avid campers. We are good, conscientious, family campers and we have never felt more unwelcomed in a campground, ever. The campground is constantly patrolled by rangers, and we were threatened with tickets multiple times. To be clear, you are not allowed to have food or ice chests out at all, even while you are in the campsite, unless you are actively eating. I have never experienced this level of scrutiny, even in places like Yosemite (extreme bear country). My friend even tried to engage a ranger in some friendly conversation, asking if she knew when crab season was (something you would think a ranger would know or at least be willing to discuss), she only said "I wouldn't know, I am a vegetarian. Is that your dog? Be sure it's on a leash"....We have never experienced this kind of rudeness in the parks system. We were under constant scrutiny and felt totally unwelcomed. The 1 star is for the location. It is unbelievably beautiful and perfectly located with a variety of activities to explore. That being said, it isn't the only campground in the area, so it is hard to say if we will be returning. We stayed here for the first time 8 years ago and we didn't experience any of the trouble we did this time, we were excited to return. Aside from the horrible attitudes, it's worth mentioning that the "solar" showers are freezing, a lock on one of the bathroom doors (1 of 4) is seemingly permanently broken (they instead just put a sign asking people to knock), there are lights at the restroom but none work, half of the water spigots were turned off, and a number of other significant repairs needed to be made. They have WiFi though... ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

Love this place. Do yourself a favor and check it out. Great for a date trip or family fun

Camped here several times, and it is one of my favorite campgrounds in Northern California! The views are amazing here! I have camped here before the reservation system, and was first come first serve....so definitely had to get there early. Nice beach. Gotta watchout for the creek and low clearance vehicles, don't suck water or bottom out!

Camping on the beach! If you get a spot on the beach side, that is. Luckily we did, but we were there in December. Thought it would be quieter, but the place filled up completely by dusk (which comes early in the winter!). If you are looking for a novel place to spend the night this might be it. Sure, as the other reviewer mentioned, the facilities weren't super clean and it was also pretty expensive for camping, but we loved the location. Nestling down in the beach grass against a huge piece of driftwood, we watched the sun set, the stars come out, and the moon glow. It was a nice way to experience northern, coastal California.