Pygmy Forest Discovery Trail

Gorgeous trail with a junction where you can make some decisions about how long you want to hike. We did a 4.6 mile loop that had one water crossing. The huckleberries were popping! We also came across fresh bear scat on the trail so stay aware. There are signs reminding visitors that there are NO DOGS allowed. We saw one group with a dog who decided the rules didn't apply to them. Please do your research before bringing your dog to a trail.

A very unique place. The slow growing Pygmy forest is full of endemics and you really have to slow down to see the diversity. Winter is the time to see the mushroom diversity and appreciate the lichens in their most open states

Amazing view, was warned it was 6 miles. Saw a sign that said 2.3 and thought it would be short. 3 hours later after many beautiful views, sweating, swearing, and chugging water we emerged back at the parking lot. If you do the loop, be prepared to walk through water and a lot of up hill.

Fun place, the pygmy forest is pretty interesting. Apparently some of the stick trees are cypress trees which are as old as the giant ones you see closer to the ocean. But the unique soil conditions have lead to intense stunting of the trees' growth. It's pretty cool to read about, there is an elevated boardwalk which loops through the main section of pygmy forest with plenty of interpretive signs. Also several places to stop and rest. The boardwalk is very close to the parking lot, but we made a 5 mile loop out of it taking the Fern Canyon Trail and then back up an old logging trail. The loop part was just as nice or better than the pygmy forest boardwalk, as it gets you deep into the redwoods. The trail doesn't seem to be used very much and there is some detritus around the trail (which is also partially overgrown in spots with ferns), so it adds to the feeling of being far away from civilization. Come in April or May to see the rhododendron bloom. Somewhat difficult to find, the sign along the road is very small, and not well marked. Just use Google Maps to find.

Beautiful, refreshing. No restrooms available here tho.

We hiked the Discovery Trail during a recent Northern California road-trip. It’s a unique eco-system created through ecological staircase. There’s a boardwalk platform which is wheel chair accessible and signs identifying each tree. What an enjoyable short walk.

Really cool exhibit of Pygmy trees and it leads to the forest to hike as far as you’d like. Parking is free.

Completely unique ecosystem to the rest of the coastal fores you're used to. And lots of interesting information as to why and what actually is in the ecosystem (although could go a bit more in depth) short guided boardwalk to force people to stay on the trail. It does link up to a longer trail that goes to a fern canyon that's really enjoyable, but theres another access to the fern canyon that's closer.

This park and its staff are first class! Sean at the front entrance and the female ranger were super-helpful and friendly. The sites are beautiful, clean and quiet. We also had a great time meeting most of our neighbors There is so much to do in this area. Take the left trail when you get to the "lollipop" section of the Fern Canyon Trail and then double back - the ranger told us this is prettier than the rough road to the right. Very special section! Also, a hike in Russian Gulch is recommended.

Went camping here at the end of September. It wasn't as cold as we thought it would be during the day time. It gets pretty chilly at night, so I would recommend bringing some layers. We stayed at campsite 73 & 74. The parking for 74 was more flat and wider than 73. There was also a water spout between both sites. We were right across from the bathrooms/showers/camp host. Bathrooms and showers were both very clean and got cleaned daily. showers are advertised as $1 for 5 min but when I timed it we actually got 8 1/2 min. The only down side is the bathrooms don't have soap. The road up from the south had lots of curves. I would recommend taking motion sickness pills if you get car sick.

Quality/Quantity - 10 miles of hiking trails along the Little River. It is considered one of the best for the west coast. Van Damme is a great place for hiking, biking, birding, jogging, kayaking, botanizing, and watching salmon spawn. Atmosphere - Public beach with approximately 1831 acres. Great place to take a break. Picnic tables, fire pits. Plenty of parking. Beautiful views and 2 outhouses. Service - Self service. Price - From free (to veterans) and annual passes of $195. Ocean side of the park also has free parking. Owner Suggestion - Thanks to Charles Van Damme (1881-1934), who made his $$ from the SF Ferry business, upon his death, the property became part of the CA state park system.

I love Van Damme! Everything is so beatiful! The sites can be very slanted, so be prepared. It also has a Fern Canyon that is about 12 miles in total. It also has very large sites, which allows plenty of room to roam.

Wow, what a hike! What was supposed to be an 8 mile hike, ended up being a 12 mile trek through the park. Definitely wasn't prepared for that long of a trek, so my legs felt like jello afterward and my poor lil' feet were on fire. Despite this, the hike was really beautiful. Van Damme State Park is a gorgeous park located in Little River off of highway 1 right before you reach Mendocino. It costs $8 to park inside of the park, but if you're just going for a day trip, you can park across the street in the beach parking lot for free. If you park in the beach parking lot and are planning on hiking the Fern Canyon Trail, it will add about 1.2 miles to your hike. Speaking of the Fern Canyon Trail, it's absolutely stunning! I had planned to do the 8 mile scenic loop trail but ended up doing the longer 12 mile route because I got a little lost. Would highly recommend that you bring a map or download the Alltrails map because there's no phone reception in many parts of the park and it's easy to end up on other trails by accident. I was also a bit nervous about hiking this scenic loop since there were signs posted about recent bear sightings. Luckily this is a pretty popular trail, so even if you're hiking solo, there will be other people around. The Fern Canyon Trail starts off on a flat dirt path that meanders through a beautifully green forest filled with tall old growth Redwoods, colorful wildflowers, vibrant berries, and lush foliage. The path also follows the rushing waters of Little River and Beal Creek. The trail remains flat for the first 2.5 miles until you reach a trail split. This was when I got lost and ended up doing the longer 12 mile loop. When you get to this trail intersection, go right and cross over the river to continue going clockwise on the 8 mile scenic loop trail. Otherwise, you'll be taken on the longer loop. You can also extend your hike by taking a short detour through the Pygmy Forest. The Pygmy Forest is quite... different. Not gonna like; it's not the prettiest forest that I've ever seen. The plants are very unusual but I still found it to be a pretty interesting stop. The best thing about hiking along the Fern Canyon trail besides all of the beautiful ferns is walking amongst those stunning Redwoods. They're just so amazing. Sooo many picture taking opportunities and so many places to wander off into the woods. Don't wander off too far though because this forest is pretty vast. There was quite a bit of people on the trails, but most were wearing masks. The heaviest amount of traffic was near the Pygmy Forest. This seems to be a popular attraction here at this park. Once you've finished your hike, I'd recommend spending some time at Van Damme Beach right across the highway. It's a nice place to wind down after your hike. The trails are mostly shaded, so visiting in the summertime wouldn't be a problem. Definitely looking forward to exploring more of this park next time.

We camped at Van Damme for two nights and had a great time. The campground is kept very clean (including the bathrooms!). One thing to note is a couple campsites on the upper loop have some trees that were chopped down (I think due to the storms this past year) so there is no longer shade as shown in the booking photos. We booked two of these sites but luckily had a canopy so it worked out. We stayed at sites 62 & 64. Site 64 has room for a small tent (nothing bigger). With the two sites combined we were able to fit two extra large family tents and two 4 person tents. We would definitely stay here again but would either book in the large meadow (if with a large group) or at another site with more shade.

This review is for the campground only. We planned on staying at Site 6 for 2 nights but only ended up staying 1 night due to the rainy weather. Overall I think this campground is good for tent camping if it's sunny but not great if it's rainy (muddy puddles and the sites are uneven). Our site had a small wooden box for storage as well as a fire ring. The restrooms were single occupancy with flush toilets and hot water in the sinks. There are also hot showers available which were single occupancy as well (4 quarters for a 5 minute shower). This campground was an ultra short walk to Van Damme State Beach and is a short drive to Mendocino and other nearby hiking trails.

my husband and i love hiking whenever we're in mendocino county, and this one was on our list, mainly b/c of the pygmy forest! my friend highly recommended the pygmy so we decided to go to van damme to start our journey. i thought it would be 4-5 miles roundtrip, but turns out it was closer to 7 miles (and i didn't have the energy to hike that far). so we hiked the fern canyon trailhead for 1.5mi, then turned around (3mi total). it was a nice flat trail suitable for beginners, but i didn't feel it was all that scenic. we also saw very few people there, maybe 1-2 on a late friday afternoon? so then we drove a few minutes southeast to the pygmy forest discovery trail to enjoy the little gem there. when i say little, i mean little, b/c it was really just 1/4 mi along the walking path, not even 10 minutes to slowly walk through and admire the pygmy trees. it was an interesting little forest, but given that i don't have the horticulture background, i probably wasn't able to appreciate it as much. there is free parking at the pygmy forest, however, for van damme state park, you need a golden poppy pass (valid at many ca state parks) or pay $8 for day use if you want to use their trails.

Vam Damme SP is a great campground in a beautiful area. The sites in the upper interior meadow are good for stargazing. As typical, the campground maps are not quite right. Despite what the map shows, campsite 55 is right across from the restroom. 54 is off to the side and up a bit (more like where they show 52 or 51 on the map). The dumpster is also kind of between 55 and 56.

First time camping here. Just did one night Friday to Saturday night. Had booked site 36. We're in a 4runner with a roof top tent. This campsite, you're unable to pull the suv into the site, you can only park it to the side against the road. Also, this is in the upper camping area, so if you want easy access to the beach, I would suggest getting something in the lower camping area. After walking around a bit in the lower area, I would suggest site 18 if you are tent camping or have a RTT like we did. Otherwise, nice campground, firewood is $10 a bundle, clean bathrooms, showers are $1 for a token for 5 minutes (we didn't use), nice fire ring/pit with a grill on half of it that we were able to grill some steaks, potatoes and corn on the cob. The town of Mendocino was only about a 5 minute drive away. Nice high end grocery store there that we were able to purchase a few snacks. Will definitely come back to this campground in the future

We had planned on six nights at Van Damme. Our first two nights were great. Campground was quiet, sites are spacious and nice. Unfortunately things changed when a large group of around 20 people moved into two sites across the street. They basically turned their area into a group site. They were loud and vulgar from arrival. Regulations at the campground say max of 8 people and 3 vehicles per site. They had 18 people in 12 tents, 3-5 cars per site. We asked the camp host why this was being permitted and we were told unless they were violating quiet hours there was basically nothing they could do. We left after one night with them. We did get a refund from the front gate, who agreed this was against the rules. For family camping, I would avoid the upper loop area because it allows for big groups to abuse the space and the staff is apparently going to allow it even though it's obviously not permitted. It's unfortunate the state parks are not willing to enforce their own rules so that families can camp in peace. The area is great, we'd camp here again other than the upper loop, but would probably aim for another campground if possible. If you are a large group who likes this campground, please be considerate of others and follow the rules. Your trip isn't the only one that matters.

Van Damme State Park is a huge state park (1,831 acres) peppered with lot of different views and terrain to enjoy. We only got a taste of it but it was a real stunner. From our hotel parking lot in Mendocino we could take an easy hike through some flat terrain full of wild flowers, cypress trees, and grasses to the coast. And omg what a view! It's full of jagged cliffs, deep blue waters, succulents and flowers growing along the rocks. We also saw a family of seals sunning themselves and taking periodic dips into the water. I could have sat there all day and stared out at them and the ocean. There area lots lots of trails that will take you to a beachy area, plus kayaking in the inland waters, woods for camping, and more. Unfortunately we didn't have much time to explore but I'm already clamoring to go back. There's really a little something for everyone here at the state park.

This campground is just 2 miles south of Mendocino, CA - and provides great forest/meadow campsites. The meadow sites are a little less private than the "outer ring" sites which provides better/integral forest experiences. As others stated, the numerous hiking trails and the Pacific Ocean so close by makes this a GREAT place to spend a vacation. In addition, the staff was incredibly friendly and helpful. Special shout-out to MIke (Camp Host) as well as two rangers - Keith and Anna. We had an issue with a large tree limb hanging over our site. They suggested we plan to move to another site, but we really liked the site we had (#58), so we were reluctant to pack up and move. After a brief discussion among themselves, Keith, Mike and Anna thought they could get the high-limb down. Mike is a fly-fisherman thought perhaps casting a 30# line over the limb and attaching a rope to it - then easing the rope up and over the limb might enable them to pull the limb down. Well - they actually did it. All three deserve a raise!!!

The pigmy forest is beautiful but the park could use some updates. The board walk has some loose boards and some were pretty soft.

Beautiful, beautiful campground. My campsite overlooks Little River, which is surrounded by lush green ferns and ivy. Towering overhead is a majestic redwood tree. Our site is not as private as I'd like; but a stroll through the campground revealed some sites that were quite private. Before I leave I plan to note which sites are to my liking, because I will definitely come back here. The ocean is just a short stroll from the campground, but you have to cross Highway 1 to get to it. There is no special pedestrian crossing, you just look both ways and move across quickly. So far it hasn't been a problem, though. The best part is that dogs are allowed on the beach as long as they are leashed. We hiked on the Fern Canyon Trail this morning. The trailhead starts at the end of the campground road. The 5-mile loop trail is fairly flat and well maintained, so it makes for an easy hike through a forested canyon. The path is mostly shaded, and crosses back and forth over Little River via foot bridges. We went as far as the environmental campground, which is 1.75 miles from the trailhead. We were very impressed with the nine rustic hike-in campsites. They were all empty, so we chose one and sat at the picnic table and ate our lunch. We debated hiking further, but decided to head back. Trail note: Bikes are allowed on the trail, dogs are not. We have a few more days to explore the area. The staff at the campground kiosk were friendly and informative. They told us about some dog-friendly hikes nearby that we will be sure to check out before we leave.

This is only a review of the Pygmy forest, since that is all we had time to see on our recent trip. You can get to the pygmy forest from the hiking trails, but you can also drive right up to the interpretive loop and park next to the pygmy forest. There is a short loop, raised trail consisting of wooden boards. To be honest, the pygmy forest is not very scenic. I would recommend reading the plaques that help to explain what you are seeing to better appreciate how special these little trees are. Great place for a short walk with kids. There was no charge to park.

Probably one of the best camping spots along the Mendocino/Sonoma coast! My family and I camped here at the end of June and we are awaiting our return for an end of summer camping trip!!! Bathrooms were EXTREMELY clean, washing faucet at every corner for dishes/teeth brushing, all staff was very polite and helpful with daily tips and information. Camp site is across from a super cute beach site and about 5 miles from downtown Mendocino. It's the perfect location! I will say, our campsite was on a slope, but it was also a VERY busy weekend for the campgrounds and we booked last minute, we will try to plan for a more evened campsite next trip, but even then, we still had an amazing time!!

This park is amazing! It's huge and my boyfriend and I only did the 5 mile round trip through the fern trail. We didn't pay for admission since we weren't camping there -- we parked across the street at the beach and walked to the Fern Trailhead through several campgrounds. There are 3 bathrooms that you pass through when walking to the Fern Trail. Water fountains appear to be broken, so come prepared with water! It was a gorgeous walk, but I wouldn't say it's much of a hike; it's a little hidden gem along the highway that not too many people seem to traffic through. The Fern Trail goes along the creek and there are plenty of trees and neat plants to look at as you go further through the trail. Across the way is a beautiful beach (Van Damme Beach), which is small, but has a beautiful view of the sunset. This park has it all, and I would love to come back and camp here one day -- it seems like the best place to come for a mixture of beach and forest.

A jewel! there's something incredible about the site of this park, but it's the people that make it special. Always happy smiles from the staff. Traveling up and down the coast they have a wild me access to drinking water even if I did not have a reservation or was spending the night. As traveler in an RV, the biggest challenge is finding water. I appreciate being able to get water at this location because it's halfway for me on my trips! As usual, I struck up a conversation with Vince, on gatehouse duty. He was knowledgeable and kind! So refreshing.

My family camp here annually. At first the draw was abalone diving but with the closure of abalone we have grown to love the area. We typically stay i spaces 1-5 they are great sizes, close proximity to the bathrooms and less thorough traffic which less noisy and more relaxing when we have smaller kids camping. Clean hot showers, that are coin operated, are such a +++!!! Each site has a pantry (which are well maintained) large picnic table and fire ring. The part i love is the access to the beach each day. The lower camp site area has less trough traffic and is next to the visitor center and a very large grass area. we've played football, catch and hit whiffle balls in.

On our way out of Mendocino, we stopped off at this park for the pygmy discovery trail. The area has a unique geology which has led to the growth of "stu.ted pines and other flora that, in many cases, are unique to just this park. Lovely boardwalk trail with good and interesting signage.

Gorgeous little state park that goes from the rocky coast (with a few small sandy beaches) all the way inland to a lovely redwood forest with some streams and rivers and a short nice hike on a wooden boardwalk through a pygmy forest.

Hands down my favorite park in Mendo. This State park is beautifully kept, clean and staffed with friendly hassle free people. I was so glad to be camping, having a good time and NOT being "babysat" by staff. We were respectful, followed the rules BUT we had fun with our music, beer n dogs! We are already planning our next trip. The campsites are well appointed spaces with a table, fire put and food locker. I think racoons are the main predator here, but we did not make friends with any....this trip. The beach is a short walk through the park and across the single lane highway...access is free to campers and yes...pups allowed on the beach. The little historic district of Mendocino is worth a trip down the highway....like 3 miles. A little further up you will find Casper Beach and Fort Bragg wich is a larger little town with a Safeway and Rite Aid that has all the supplies you forgot .

My family and I camped at Van Damme this past summer and we had a great time. I recommend camping here if you want to camp by the coast in the Mendocino area. BOOK WAY IN ADVANCE as the camping sites are reserved and book way in advance. It was our first real camping experience and it was a great way to go. It's car camping and there are nearby bathroom / shower facilities along with water. You can also have a campfire and easily buy wood. I didn't do it, but you can rent kayaks at the local beach down the street. Warning - the beach isn't very nice. My 5-yo son loved all of the banana slugs and made a few friends with other kids in nearby campsites. From the Website: Van Damme State Park consists of beach and upland on the Mendocino Coast. Of all the park system's units along the Mendocino coast, Van Damme is perhaps the richest in terms of historical resources connected with the redwood lumber industry. Its story is a prime example of the struggles and eventual failures of a small, independent lumber operation. Location/Directions The park is located three miles south of the town of Mendocino on Highway 1. The highway runs through the park separating the campground and the Fern Canyon trail head to the east and the beach and parking lot to the west. Seasons/Climate - Recommended clothing The weather can be changeable; layered clothing is recommended. Facilities - Activities The park features the lush Fern Canyon scenic trail system; the Pygmy Forest where mature, cone-bearing cypress and pine trees stand six inches to eight feet tall; and the bog, or Cabbage Patch, where skunk cabbage grows in abundance. The park's ten miles of trail go along the fern-carpeted canyon of Little River. A paved road is used by joggers and bicyclists. The beach is popular with abalone divers. Kayak Tours Visitors can get a unique perspective of the coast line by taking the kayak tours, available through a concession agreement, at the Van Damme beach parking lot. ABOUT THE PARK Van Damme State Park was named for Charles Van Damme who was born at Little River in 1881, son of John and Louise Van Damme, early settlers of the region. John Van Damme and his wife were a Flemish couple. The patriarch of the family was born in Bredene, Belgium on May 22, 1832. New research indicates that John Van Damme was born in Bredene, Belgium, not Ostend. "Following the sea" for some years, Van Damme, upon his arrival in Mendocino County, later worked in the lumber mill at Little River. In this settlement all of his children were born, including Charles, whose love for the area prompted his acquiring, after some years as a successful operator of the Richmond-San Rafael ferry line, a plot of ground along the redwood coast. Upon his demise this area became a part of the State Park System in 1934. In those early days lumbering was a major economic factor in the development of the northern coastline. Little River was built as a mill town in 1864 by Ruel Stickney, Silas Coombs and Tapping Reeves after the property, formally called Kents Cove, was purchased from W. H. Kent in 1862. Before long it had attained fame, not only as a lumber port, but as a shipyard as well. Alas, a stand of timber, if logged, does not last forever and by the end of the century, even though logging was periodically moved back into the headwaters of Little River, the mill was forced to close in 1893. What was left of Little River soon deteriorated; the shipyard, the wharf, the town, several chutes for loading lumber and the lumber mill itself. Activity at the port, which once hummed with activity, declined. Little River's school, once attended by nearly 100 students, closed; its weekly steamship service ended, and a shipyard where, in 1874, Captain Thomas Peterson turned out full-size lumber schooners for the coast wide trade, phased out. Only the schooner Little River returned, to be wrecked on the very beach from which it originally departed. Plagued by a lack of sufficient timber reserves, fires, substantial loss of business and trade, deterioration of the port's chutes and wharf, the end of coast wide shipping and the attendant decline in population, Little River reverted to a natural state. Its acquisition by the State Park System in 1934, and the subsequent addition of peripheral lands has preserved some of California's most interesting natural resources.

Just got home from having our first camping trip at Van Damme! Wow!! This place was perfect in every way. Lots of campsites, close to the ocean, clean as can be (bathrooms/showers are cleaned daily), garbage service, fire rings, picnic tables, lockable pantry, no very "buggy".

A wonderful getaway. The fern trail alone is worth the price of admission. An easy walk with one or two moderate inclines. The pigmy forest is an interesting example of local adaptation. Blackberries along the trail are a delicious treat at the right time of the year. Enjoy this park as a part of a day of walking/hiking.

Wow, what an incredible place! I visited with my girlfriend a few weeks ago when we were on vacation in California. An absolute highlight of the entire trip. The park is huge (over 1,000 acres), and is packed with the most gorgeous redwoods. We walked along "Fern Canyon" right next to a lovely stream. The farther we walked on this path, the colder and fresher the air got. Beams of light shine through the huge trees in the mid-afternoon. Plenty of trails to chose from, and they all seem very well kept. Walked for two hours in this magical place. So amazing! Loved Mendicino and Van Damme.

Beautiful park in a perfect location. Hard to go wrong getting to camp right across the street from the beach. All the camp sites have a fire pit a picnic table and a racoon food storage cabinet. Most sites back up to the creek and it's very pretty with the trees and ferns. The only reason I don't give it 5 stars is because some of the camp sites are very exposed and don't have a lot of privacy. You definitely need to do your homework on which spot you select. There are a few sets of bathrooms one set is definitely nicer then the others. But overall it's beautiful and with a more private site, I would absolutely stay again!

I hope this place is open year-round. I really do. It's a great coastal camping destination. The ocean is a six minute walk away on the other side of Hwy 1. In the other direction, there's an incredible trail that goes 6ish miles inland through an incredibly fern-covered, redwood-laden canyon along a beautiful creek. The trees...THE TREES. There is a huge amount of gigantic, ancient, and totally fascinating redwood stumps. The history of our coast is amazing. The bathrooms have running water and were clean enough for what they were. Bugs were hanging out everywhere, but that's what bugs do. There is all sorts of life growing all around this place. Tons of different birds, big yellow banana slugs everywhere, big black beetles, and we saw a black salamander with a fluorescent orange undercarriage. So presh. You can tell this place is old, but it's maintained just fine. Everything is covered in moss. Everything. There's so much. I can't wait to camp here again! 35 bucks a night is not bad at all.

This review is simply about the Fern Canyon hike. I'm not the least bit inclined to do any camping, so probably read one of the other reviews if you're coming here to camp. After checking in to our comfy hotel in Mendocino, we drove down here for a pre-dinner hike on Thanksgiving day. We entered through the gates which weren't manned, probably because of the holiday and parked near the visitor center. There were a number of people there in RV's camping for the holiday, it seemed. We realized that to get to the hiking trail there is actually a paved road that goes further up to the trail head. Do yourself a favor and if you plan on going on a long hike, pull up the road and park by the trail head. There were two other cars there. I have to say, it was a little eerie, probably because it was late afternoon on Thanksgiving. But the trail itself was beautiful. The Fern Canyon trail is quiet and filled with, you guessed it, ferns! Beautiful redwood canyon. Not a challenging hike-the path is wide and pretty flat most of the way. It was definitely lovely though-the sun filtering through the trees and the cute little bridges crossing the little river every now and then. I think the trails were very well signed. Once we hiked the length of Fern Canyon, there is a two-way split. To the right is about 1.2 miles to the Pgymy forest and to the left is signage also for the Pgymy forest but it's a longer trail-I think about 2-3 miles to the Pgymy forest. We knew that with it getting late, that there was no time to take even the short trail and make it back before dark so we skipped it. However we did take the lefthand trail for a bit and winded our way through a narrower switchback trail. It was a bit more of what I consider "hiking" since the grade changed and it was deeper in to the forest. We did about another 20 minutes of that, then headed back the way we came in towards the trailhead All in all, a very nice walk (not exactly a "hike")-but still very scenic and peaceful. Creepiness of the silent forest aside and lack of other folks, a great way to spend Thanksgiving afternoon.

We were in town for a day or two hanging out with the 'rents...brought our bikes and went wherever the wind took us. We ended up at van damme state park and thought it was absolutely beautiful. Parking had a minimal cost of $8...lots of camping grounds, packed camping grounds. Drive all the way to the back and your bike trail begins. Our time was limited so we made it about 2 miles in and had to head back. The 2 miles we did see were amazing...I felt like I was in the movie, ferngully. The trails were friendly...minimal hills, paved, room to stop and look around. Can't wait to come back and bike further in!

I've been coming here, literally before I could remember - it's a family tradition and I absolutely look forward to annual camping trip here every year! Great hiking/biking trails! Beautiful, quiet and peaceful campsites. Beach across the way and a quick ride into Mendocino!

We came here specifically for the Pygmy Forest Discovery Trail. It was a beautiful, easy walk with lots of signage explaining what you are looking at.

Van Damme State Park is four miles south of Mendocino on the northern California Coast. Half of the campsites sit along Little River Creek in a lush fern canyon and the other half are on the top of a hill, circling a large grassy meadow. Just across Highway One is Little River beach. This beach is very protected from the wind and high surf, which makes it a great place to take small children. The setting at Van Damme is beautiful. The canyon is lush and green year round. You can hear the sound of Little River creek in all of the lower campsites. The redwood trees tower all around you. Kids can ride their bikes or walk up Fern Canyon. You can walk to the beach. There are ranger led campfires on the weekends during the summer and a nice little visitor's center. The Little River store is just up the hill and Mendocino is just a few miles away. For more information visit my campground review website: http://www.waterbottleweekends.com/camping%20mendocino.htm

The pygmy forest hike is a great hike for kids and is is really good condition even after years with a lot of rain due to it's location, elevated platforms (for small stretches) and elevation gain. There are wonderful little pamphlets near the parking lot that call out the various stops along the way and flora that inhabit the various ecological zones on your way up to the pygmy forest. The only tricky part is getting to the hike which involves ducking under the freeway but then it's wooden stairs and bridges for a little stretch. (going left at the fork in the road form the parking lot take you to a beautiful beach).

I only stayed one night because the other state parks were full. The place was quiet and the staff was nice. It's a bit of a walk to the beach but not much. My biggest complaint (not relevant to tent campers) was that all the camp sights had big logs layed down so you cant pull up too close to the fire pits. Which is inconvenient if you have a little teardrop trailer like me. So we could only pull our trailer as far as we could park the car which was down a slope from the fire pit and bench. So the whole night consisted of walking up and down the hill to the fire pit and back. So yeah the campsites have little privacy and many in the upper loop are not the best lay out. I'd still go again tho but definitely would have to get a better sight at $45 a night.

This review is for Van Damme State Park Ranger N. M. Morris. I was leaving Russian Gulch State Park and had car problems. Ranger Morris happened to drive by and pulled over to see if I needed help. She helped me assess the problem, and due to the late hour, advised me to leave the car at the park and offered to give me a ride back to my hotel. She was kind, patient, and helped make a stressful situation manageable. Thank you, Ranger Morris!

Great place to hike along the bluffs and find coves. Saw a few spear fisherman which was cool. Dogs had a blast out here too. Decent place to find sea glass as well.

Love Mendocino and this park is full of gorgeous hikes! The camp spaces are a bit close together but super nice

This was a Van Damme excellent choice for my recent car glamping/wine tasting Anderson Valley excursion. Barring any forthcoming park closures owing to the need to purge all of those pesky excess overpaid state employees, I will surely be glamping here again. I loved this campground for the following reasons: - It has a BOG! Campgrounds always have their interesting little features, and this one has a bog. The hike to and around the bog is super easy. It's full of big ferns and mossy trees. It was something different, which I appreciated. Miraculously, our site (Site 11 in August) was quite near the bog and the insects weren't too out of control. Also, it's a bog. - The beach is across the street. We dragged our camp chairs down there at night to look at the stars. We walked down with our coffee in the morning. It's very fancy. - The wacky abalone hunter subculture is fascinating to behold. - The ranger told me the water was straight from the river. Mountain spring water...count me in! - It's a pretty thing surrounded by pretty things...and about half an hour from the first of the Hwy 128 wineries. Some things that could be better: - Some of the sites are a bit small. We had site 11 which is decent sized and in the trees. Not sure I'd want that site if there were any chance of rain, but it worked great for us. We also had site 8 which was good sized, with no cover and kind of in some dry grass. - The fire pits could be better maintained. I realize there's salt water across the street so it's hard to stop corrosion, but there was a hole in one of our fire pits and the other one was altogether missing the grate that goes across the top. Luckily, we had 2 camp stoves and 2 boys that were all about figuring out how to get a grill situation to work. If you notice something annoying like the lack of fire pit grate, I suggest you contact your favorite republican and thank him/her for so diligently opposing wasteful government spending on things like research and state parks.

An incredible Cal state park. The staff are so nice and they keep the camp clean and friendly. Showers are clean and there is hot water for the price of a few quarters. It is across the street from one of the most beautiful spots in the Mendocino area. The beach is clean and full of abalone divers and kayakers. Though the coastal weather changes by the hour, this campground and beach are always beautiful and a great place to stay. Leaving today after our 29th consecutive year camping here. .

Beautiful location. Bathrooms and shower rooms are very clean. Bathroom even has the toilet seat cover. Walking distance to the beach. Very friendly park rangers. We camped here overnight and we wish we stayed here longer. Our camp site was #69 and it had lots of spaces, big enough for 3 tents and a little part was shaded but mostly under full sun. Anyways, I would definitely come back here again.

We stopped by this park on our way out of town, thinking we could maybe take a short walk in to see the pygmy forest. There is an $8 day use fee for this park. The ranger at the entry station advised us the wak is 3.5 miles! BUT (and this is a very big butt), she told us we could drive down the road that runs beside the park, enter right at the pygmy forest and there was also no fee! We were quite happy. I was even happier about no fee after we walked through the forest. A guy in Mendocino told us not to bother with this unless you are a botanist and I have to agree. It's kind of interesting, but at the end of the day, it's a bunch of 6-8 food scrawny trees that aren't growing as much as their 100' brethren due to poor (old) soil. So five big stars for the awesome ranger, who also gave us a nice alternative route home, two stars for the forest.

The family enjoyed a two night camping excursion to Van Damme this past weekend. It was our first time visiting and we will be back. We booked Site 32 which provides ample space for two tents and plenty of shade. The site includes a fire pit, wood table, and food locker. It's fairly private as the only neighbors are those across the road, with no immediate neighbors on either side. Only downside is that the bathrooms are up the hill (which BTW are really clean. And its camping people. So if nature calls, feel free to answer directly.) There are two accessible trails from the campsite and you can easily walk to the beach across Highway 1. The rangers are friendly and there are organized events, so be sure to check out the official website for details. Mendocino is about 2 miles away, with Fort Bragg only a dime further up the coast. Seriously, what more can you ask for???

The Mendocino coast is blessed with several excellent state parks. Russian Gulch State Park is my favorite. It has the most interesting hikes, and the headlands are amazing. Van Damme State Park has a lot to recommend it, but it suffers from a few obvious limitations. The biggest limitation is that its centerpiece attraction, Fern Canyon, remains partially closed to hiking due to storm damage from over a decade ago. You can hike about 1.5 miles in (further than the trailhead signage misleadingly indicates), but even getting that far requires scrambling over a few massive downed redwood trees blocking the trail. However, not being able to complete the hike feels somehow like the park is cut in two. Even so, the Fern Canyon hike is very nice, although my favorite Fern Canyon is in Prairie Creek Redwoods State Park north of Eureka. The hike is best in the rainy season, so the canyon was not at peak fern-iness during our mid-July visit. My 7 year old son enjoyed the Fern Canyon hike. The trail is level, wide and well-marked. Ferns and redwoods are everywhere. Most exciting to him was a tree growing out of a downed redwood at an angle that made it look like a "J." All around, this is a very kid-friendly hike. There are two other hikes in the park: a short hike to a bog, and a loop around the Pygmy forest. We didn't do either on this trip, but on a previous trip I didn't find the Pygmy forest all that interesting. Due to the soil conditions, the trees' growth is stunted, so very old trees look like they are young saplings. But to the untrained eye, it just looks like a young forest. (The forests in the Yukon close to the treeline all look like this). Van Damme also has a small beach (with a kayaker concession) at the coast, but no headlands comparable to Russian Gulch's. The campground has about 75 camping spots spread out over a mile or two. The layout is very typical for California state parks. Some sites are very close together; but even the more spread-out sites offer little aural or visual privacy. Fortunately, during mid-week, the campground wasn't too rowdy, but nevertheless you're likely to hear your neighbors for as long as they are awake. The campground "host" was invisible. Each site has a park bench, a firepit and a food locker. Our site (#38) was shaded by a stand of evergreens (unfortunately not redwoods) on a sloping hillside, with two level tent sites. The bathrooms were a brief walk away. They were in OK condition but bring your own soap. The bathroom lights automatically turned on after dark, but we needed our flashlights inside the bathrooms at sunset/dusk before the lights turned on. We didn't take advantage of the various ranger-led activities (which were thin mid-week) but they were fairly typical for the state park system; most of them cater to kids. Firewood is sold at the visitor center, and the website advertises wi-fi at the visitor center too (I didn't try it). In mid-July, we had virtually no bugs and it was light until about 8:45 pm, but temperature were cool--a damp high 40s with a light wind at breakfast-time that required us to put on jackets and use the car as a windbreak. One of Van Damme's many advantages is its proximity to Mendocino town--3 miles and less than a 5 minute drive away. We paid $35/night plus the online reservation fee. I found a few sites still available for our mid-week stay with less than 2 weeks advance notice (Russian Gulch and other nearby state parks were all sold out by then). It was a good value for a prime sleeping spot on the Mendocino coast.

Excellent state park. For day hikers: park across the street for free where the sea kayaks put in, or pay $8 to park in the state park. (We opted for option #3: park for free and then make a $5 donation to the park.) The camping spots look great here, with a good amount of separation between each campground, some in the sun and some in the shade. Bathrooms were clean-ish as well. You start your hike just by walking along the campground road as far as you can go -- it spits you onto the Fern Canyon Trail, which is a flat 2.5 miles in, and then a 3.5 mile hilly loop before exiting along the same 2.5 mile trail you came in on (total = 8.5 miles). The trail is shady and cool, with tons of vegetation and sunlight filtering through the trees. We saw a beautiful blue heron streak by in front of our faces -- really cool. Don't miss this hike -- it's a perfect half day activity.

Our absolute favorite campground to date. However, you want to be in the upper lawn area. Some of the sites not near the lawn are covered in trees making them very cold. I like site#69, very open. You can see tons for stars at night without leaving your site. Bathrooms are the best as far as camping goes. Showers are clean. Wood was $7. The Fern trail was awesome- fairly flat, lots of green, tiny fish in the stream. We saw lots of banana slugs.

Wonderful state park. There's nothing like falling asleep in your tent and being able to hear the ocean waves crashing nearby or the bell ringing in the morning. The campground loop is situated with some really nice drive in sites. You can have as many tents as you want, but no more than three cars per site (if you park creatively, 3 will fit). There are 4 showers (1 wasn't working when I was there) and they are quarter operated. $1.00 gets you a 5 min shower, although it felt like my shower lasted far more than 5 mins. I was in site 47, which was tucked up into the forest and some cohorts were in site 47, which was in a field. The site was great, except the lack of tree cover (just one). The only downside of this site was that everyone seemed to walk through it to get to the restroom/shower building (both people we knew and people we didn't) Food lockers were pretty big and could fit a lot of stuff. There was a fire pit and the camp hosts had bundles for sale for $7 (didn't buy any so I don't know how big the bundles are). The only drawback was for a loop of 15 sites there were only two restrooms...which meant having to wait in line. Very close to the city, other parks areas, the lighthouse, and first class kayaking!

Awesome. This place is one of my favorites for running/hiking. Gorgeous tree-lined Fern Canyon trail into the majestic redwood forest. Van Damme is truly a jewel. Please treat it well. It deserves the very best care for future generations of nature lovers. Fun fact from the friendly ranger: did you know that the multiple footbridges crossing over Little River on the Fern Canyon trail are inspired by the curved bridges in France?