Elk Prairie Campground
The Quick Take
Elk Prairie is the campground that ruins all other campgrounds for you. You're sleeping under old-growth coast redwoods — trees that were ancient when Columbus was still lost — and there's a genuine chance you'll unzip your tent to find Roosevelt elk grazing a few dozen yards away. The setting is unreal, but the amenities are deliberately spartan: no showers, no flush toilets, no cell service, and definitely no Wi-Fi. You get potable water, food lockers, and firewood, which is honestly all you need when you're six miles north of Orick in the heart of Prairie Creek Redwoods State Park. The seventy-plus sites give you a reasonable shot at availability, and the location puts over seventy miles of trails right at your doorstep. This is the campground for anyone who wants the signature Redwoods experience without backcountry logistics — maximum majesty, minimum fuss.
Booking
Reserve Your Campsite
All 75 sites are reservable.
Book at Redwood National and State Parks LodgesWhat You Get
Sites & Setup
RV Information
RVs allowed. No electrical hookups.
Accessibility
Accessible restrooms available. There is an ADA trail from the campground to the amphitheater. All campsites are level and made of aggregate materials. Paved Roads - All vehicles OK
Pro Tips
Book the moment reservations open for summer weekends — Elk Prairie is the most popular campground in the Redwoods corridor and fills fast from May through October. Midweek stays in September are your best bet for availability and thinner crowds, plus the elk are still active in the meadow.
Drive the Newton B. Drury Scenic Parkway right from camp for one of the best free attractions in the park system — it winds through old-growth groves with pullouts every few hundred yards. Fern Canyon, the famous slot canyon lined with five-story walls of ferns, is a short drive west and absolutely worth the detour.
Pack layers and rain gear regardless of the forecast — coastal Redwoods generate their own microclimate, and morning fog is a near-certainty even in July. Bring a camp stove you trust, because firewood can be damp. And stock up on groceries before Orick; the nearest real grocery store is in Arcata, about an hour south.
Photos
NPS Photo
NPS Photo
NPS PhotoGetting There
Directions
We are a six to seven hour drive north of San Francisco. This campground is located on the southern end of the Newton B. Drury Scenic Parkway. The closest exit off HWY 101 is exit #753.
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