Humboldt County Fairgrounds

This is a fine place to stay but not anything to write home about. We are originally from this area and stayed here during our last visit. Sites are grass but level and we had plenty of space. Because of the position of the campground, you will wear the wind from the ocean which can be unpleasant, especially if you are tent camping. The location is great if you're hoping to explore Ferndale or in town for a certain event in Ferndale or Fortuna but most of the other tourist destinations are closer to other, better campgrounds in the area. Dump station was working when we stayed but I know they often have issues with it. Bathrooms were clean with hot showers and decent water pressure.

We stayed over Memorial Day weekend, during the Kinetic Sculpture Race, and there were still plenty of open sites.

We are familiar with camp host (not personally but through other locals) and while she is certainly a unique character, we experienced no rudeness as others have stated. In fact, she was friendly and helpful, providing an the necessary info needed for a decent stay and even let us make a tentative reservation without issue since we were not sure of the length of it stay. If you aren't familiar with Humboldt county, you may be in for an interesting experience. 🙃

I thought the $30 nightly fee was steep for a fairgrounds camping spot. However, it was extremely convenient because we came here to do an organized bicycle ride (Tour off the Unknown Coast) that based itself here for the day.
The dump station was adequate but not in good condition. Plus it was hard to find. The backwash hose was broken and not able to hook onto my camper, but fortunately I carry my own hoses for non-potable water.
The camp host could be either curmudgeonly or pleasant. I think it depended on her mood. Mostly she was pleasant. There were a couple full-time or long-term guests but they were friendly, helpful and downright nice “camping people.”
Very convenient, within walking distance to most things in town. There is a beautiful Catholic church there worth seeing.

We were going to stay at this campground until we meet the camp host and saw how packed in the sites were. The camp host is the most unprofessional person I have ever met. Before even meeting us in person she was very rude. Once I met her she was rude, disrespectful, angry, and spoke to you like you were the spot on the bottom of her shoe. She really needs to take a class in customer service 101. Do not stay here or was your time making a reservation unless you like being treated badly.

I always try to be kind to those that I meet for you do not know what they are going through. Unfortunately, with this camp host I could not get past her obnoxious behavior. Have safe travels and find that perfect camp site for you.

If you want a RV Park in Ferndale than this is it. This is our second time staying here to visit our nearby family. Usually we stay at a Ferndale Airbnb which is a much nicer visit.
It is not a destination or a place to hang out, but just a place to sleep.
A new hostess is in charge and we wish her all the best. Its a big job managing a Fairgrounds RV Park.

When we stayed here this time there were several , mostly quiet (sleeping in camp) workmen from a tree crew staying in many tents. Leaving at 5am, running their work trucks for a full 30 minutes before taking off to work. Ug, their headlights all shone into our camper. Also some long term residents (complete with barking dogs and too much junk) and mostly travelers wanting electric and power hookups. Everytime you stay here will be a crap shoot as to who your neighbors will be.

Its an ok place for a couple of days but the low star rating is for the condition of the bathouses. They need complete make overs and upgrading. They are the worst, oldest, beat-up bathhouse's I've ever seen in a campground. No improvements in 30 or more years.
We love little Ferndale, the cows, Fall colors, being close to the ocean, and the Redwoods and probably will be back.

I’m going to echo previous reviews by saying it’s an OK place to stop over. Facilities are kind of run down but the people are nice. Bathrooms definitely need updating, didn’t feel safe taking a shower. Stayed in dry camping area after dumping. Dump is $10, shower is five dollars dry camping $15 and includes both dump and shower so just paid to dry camp. Office is closed on weekends so it’s self registration.

walking distance to Main Street in Ferndale, but still a very quiet location in the edge of town. the host was very friendly and helpful. water and electric hookups. The (men’s) bathroom has free hot showers, but is filthy and wasn’t cleaned regularly. This is a great central location for exploring Ferndale, Humbolt Redwoods State Park and the Lost Coast road to Black Sand Beach and Petrolia. i recommend driving 10 minutes to the Centerville Beach County Park for sunset (look for zebras!).

Good base location for things in the area. The hosts are nice, lots of mature trees, green grass and places to walk around the fairgrounds. The 2 downfalls are: 1) The bathrooms. Beat up, neglected, dirty. I used them once. Then just used my tiny trailers potty. Lots of hair in the shower stall floors. Needs a complete work over. Humboldt County Fairgrounds should be ashamed of this bathhouse.

2) The Dump station was covered up and unusable, really gross. We were directed to Fortuna Shell Station when we left.

People living here but everyone seemed tidy and friendly. A little road noise as the road in is well used by the locals going to and from Ferndale.

Stinky cow pastures close by but thats part of the fun.

We wanted to get away from the smoke of all the fires and didn't want to spend a lot. We had hook ups except for sewer, but they do have a dump station. Host were friendly and we would stay there again. Great, cheap base camp. You can see many things from this base camp. The only reason we gave 4 stars was the traffic going in and out, they drove fast thru there.

There’s nothing spectacular here, as it is a county fairground. I stayed in the area without hook ups as I am self-contained. The cost was $12. Showers are included in that price. It was a mix of trailers, vans, and tents. Everyone was pretty close together, but it was quiet, and I slept well. When I checked in, there was a woman on a bicycle in front of me and the hosts were explaining in detail where this woman might want to camp other than the fairgrounds. Very thoughtful and kind.
If you need hook ups, I think the cost is $28, and there were some relatively large rigs parked there.
I wish that all campground hosts were as nice as this couple.

We were sitting in our site at the Alameda County Fairgrounds, looking to get out of the heat and mainly the smoke from all the fires in our area and doing a lot of fruitless searching until we saw a FB post from a guy who had just pulled into this place. We called and spoke to Ken (nice guy) who said that while they don't take reservations, we should have no trouble getting a site. So we drove up (in smoke most of the way) and are sure glad we made the drive. We are parked inside the fair gate, on the midway and were rewarded with an amazing sunset that first night. The sites inside the gate are not numbered and we got to pick the one we wanted. I suspect they are where the food trucks park when the fair is going on. You park beside one of two big yards and there is water and electric and a dump station behind the building that houses the Eel River Model Railroad Club. There is also a number of spaces outside the gate, on grass, but we are on asphalt. The fairgrounds are on the NW edge of town in a very peaceful setting. We have been walking on the horse racetrack in the evenings. We paid our $28/day fee to Diane (Ken's wife) who is also very nice. There is a $5 fee to dump and/or take a shower. Unrelated, but the same price. If you stay here, you have to go to Ferndale Pizza, it is some of the best we've ever eaten. We got the Wildcat and asked them to add onions. You also have to check out Sweetness and Light, which is a small candy store that makes it's own candy. Check out the "about us" story, that is so sweet.