Frank and Bess Smithe Grove
- US-101, Leggett, CA 95585, USA
- (707) 247-3318
- 10/15/2026
Description
Three miles south of Mendocino on Highway One, Van Damme State Park offers a scenic beach, a lush fern-filled forest, and year-round camping. The highway runs through the park, separating the campground and the Fern Canyon trail head to the east from the beach and parking lot to the west. Visitors can launch a kayak in a protected cove. They can explore a pygmy forest. They can hike, jog, or bicycle the splendid Fern Canyon Scenic Trail beside Little River. 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.
Van Damme is a great place for hiking, biking, birding, jogging, kayaking, botanizing, and watching salmon spawn. Its trails including a 0.25 mile-long wheelchair-accessible boardwalk to view stunted trees in a pygmy forest. Its camping facilities include nine hike-in sites in a beautiful redwood forest. The 1930s-era visitor center was once a recreation hall for the Civilian Conservation Corps.
Location
Park Rd, Little River, CA 95456, USA
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Smithe Redwoods State Natural Reserve
- 73201 US-101, Piercy, CA 95587, USA
- (707) 247-3318
- 10/15/2026
Manchester Beach / Mendocino Coast KOA Journey
- 44300 Kinney Rd, Manchester, CA 95459, USA
- (707) 882-2375
- 10/15/2026
Ian Adams
One of our favorite coastal campgrounds! Lower sites are situated along Little River in a line, rather than a loop, making for a bit more privacy and limited traffic. The little valley becomes more and more green as you move inland until you reach the trailhead for the beautiful fern canyon and pigmy forest. At the opposite end is a clean, sweeping rocky beach popular with kayakers and divers.
Kate Nicholson
The camp rangers were helpful. The campsites were not too close or too far apart. The showers and bathrooms were clean. Perfect vibe. As a solo female traveler, I felt safe and welcome.
Steve Lewis (From Boise, To)
We had a great stay here. We were pulling a trailer so we got lucky with our campsite as some of the sites are not very trailer friendly. But we did our research and it worked out.
The bathrooms were well kept and the trails were pretty nice.
Hopefully some of the images I am sharing of some of the sites help you pick the right site for your stay.
Daniel Abrams
Amazing campground right across the street from Van Damme Beach, 20 minute drive to Mendocino so you can get all your firewood ( from town or from the host which cost 10 dollars but goes towards cultural education and events) and what not from there or the gas station up the road across from the inn hours 6am – 7pm. Campground host was super nice gave my girlfriend and I recommendations on trails to hike and really puts attention into cleaning the campgrounds after campers leave. The showers take a dollar in quarters or a token you can purchase from the camp host. We stayed at campsite 3 and although they were pretty close to other campers we had a good time. There are tiny foxes that will steal your food and literally jump on your table and poop all over so keep that in mind when deciding to cook or make a fire late at night. At the moment (March) the Bog trail and the Fern canyon trail are wrecked cause of the storm and are closed down for repairs.
Lina Kozak
This is such a clean, well taken care of campground/park. Restrooms with flush toilets are located in multiple areas, showers are very inexpensive, $1 for 5 minutes. Very peaceful atmosphere, loved the 8.5 mile Fern canyon trail hike. Bridges have been well kept on the hike. Lower sites by the entrance are small and crammed close to each other, not very private, but close to the ocean. The inner sites of Highland Meadows are spaced out further which is better for bigger families or multiple tents. Reservations are a must on weekends since they are always packed. Will be returning here regularly during the weekdays where only a handful of sites are booked.