MacKerricher State Park

When I don’t find a “free” spot, my next choice is national and state campgrounds, which I like to support. In this case Mackerricher SP was a good choice for ending my day of driving. Facilities and grounds are showing their age and wear and tear from the weather, but it was clean, quiet, level, and convenient. Two of the three campground loops were closed, which I assume was because of the time of the year (March, 2023). Although the open loop was probably 2/3 occupied and a few had reserved cards, there were plenty of first-come choices….again for this time of the year. I picked 70 because there were no occupied neighbors, it was level, and the site was easy to back in my Promaster high roof. $40 nonresident, $38 nonresident senior (me)…again, I’m happy to support our state campgrounds and parks. After a short trail walk, I was walking on the beach….55 degrees and sunny. I’m guessing it’s booked solid during the high seasons, but I wouldn’t hesitate to stay here again. I boosted my cell service from 1 to 2 bars.

This park has a serious maintenance deficit. It still gets 4 stars because of the great location. It is right on the ocean with a paved biking trail along the coast. It's an easy ride into Fort Bragg, which is a lovely town. We stayed in the West Pinewood Loop and the parking pads at the campsites are small and constricted by wooden posts in the ground. Don't expect to get an additional inch of space on your camping pad. Though you may squeeze in more because a number of posts have rotted through and fallen over. Absent the wooden posts, many sites would fit large rigs. The extensive use of wooden posts and logs in the campsites and along the road seems specifically designed to limit the ability of RVs to maneuver. The campsites themselves are large, many with big grassy areas. There is something seriously wrong with management of this state park. It charges a premium over other state parks ($45 for no hookups vs $35 at other CA state parks), charges for the dump station, and intentionally limits who can camp here. But it's a wonderful location.

[Internet. Verizon via iPhone 12: 5 mbps down and 0.16 mbps up with 56 ms ping. T-Mobile via Nighthawk MR-1100 - 3 mbps down and 0.05 up with 106 ms ping. Our booster marginally improved the speeds.]

PROS

→ Campground is adjacent to the beach. You can hear the ocean and sometimes catch peeks of the ocean from the campground.

→ Campsites have bear lockers.
→ Campground is pretty in the glow of sunlight.
→ There’s a trail to the beach and Laguna Point isn’t far.

→ The camp hosts are easy to approach in that they have an alert button you can press outside their rig and they will come outside. No wondering how to get their attention! We bought our shower tokens from the camp host.

→ This campground is protected by a buffer of coastal trees. It’s not nearly as windy at the campground as it is on the beach.

CONS

→ Showers require tokens. This seems pretty standard in California State Parks but it’s successful at deterring us from showering every night. One token gives 4 minutes of showering. Each token is $1. It’s not a lot for one-off trips but we are on a 6-week camping trip.

→ The dump station has a mandatory fee of $10. You pay with a credit card. When payment is approved, the cap to the dump hole unlocks. We didn’t use it. Again, it was successful at deterring us from using it. With pay showers we’d normal shower in the van and just run to the dump station daily to empty the tank but we didn’t. We paid for the showers. I know they are cost mitigating but it’s a factor when deciding on this campground especially if you camp a lot like us. (We are on a 6-week camping trip up the coast).

→ The shower water temperature is finicky in the women’s bathroom. When it’s just one person showering, it’s nice and hot. When two showers are going, the water temperature drops a bit. To me the temperature is important because it’s still 50° to 60° right now and I only get 8 minutes with the water. I need those 8 minutes to be comfortable not make me move faster than Speedy Gonzalez. For me this isn’t a huge concern but it is for my partner so that’s why I’m detailing it out.

→ Firewood is $10.

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4-stars - The campground is clean, enjoyable and has the camping vibe. Docking a star due to the extra fees and the water temperature. For weekend warriors I’d wager this is a 5-star campground!

[Rig. Mercedes Sprinter. 22 feet]

Dump station? - Yes, mandatory $10
Water fill? - Yes, free
Clean site? - Yes
Clean bathroom? - Yes
Flush toilet? - Yes
Showers? - Yes, token operated
Laundry? - No
Dish washing sink? - No

Been coming to MacKerricher for 30 years, first as tent campers, now in our campervan. Great location - remote enough to get away yet close enough to Fort Bragg to get supplies or eat out. Bring your bikes, you will want to do the easy flat ride on the paved and now complete Mendocino Coast Trail alongside the ocean bluffs and accessible tidepools that connects MacKerricher to the Noyo River bridge. Stop along the way at Glass Beach. Not sure length, maybe 10 or 12 miles round trip, super easy.

The Surfwood portion of the campground is the better choice to get a site- closer to the ocean, smaller and more isolated. It closes October 1 for the winter season. Our site #122 backed up to Lake Cleone, large site, flat pad for our van, space for tents and lots of privacy. Some sites have ocean views. The West Pinewood campground loop is also good, especially if you can get a site that backs to the west side of the campground closest to the ocean and away from roads.

On our most recent visit in late Sept 2021, showers were clean in the Surfwood loop, though in the womens, only one had a good water flow.

This is one of the state parks with the new automatic payment system to access the RV dump. Must have a credit card, $10. It is what it is and I'm happy to support our wonderful CA state parks.

In our section (Surfwood) the bath/shower facility was sorely in need of help--fix the broken faucet and 2 showers to start. Replace the rusty sinks and provide soap. The water was barely warm. On day 2, they shut down the showers altogether, one employee said due to water shortage, one said due to filtration problems. There was tall grass and weeds; a little mowing was done only on one path. The so-called trail around the lake was overgrown with brush, the boardwalk portion was broken to the point of being dangerous. The campsites were mostly open with very little privacy, in our section. However, in many parts of the park I could see there was an abundance of brush and trees around the campsites for shade or screen.

The day use area was nice, with the boardwalk path to a lovely rocky area where you could access tidepools. Just be careful as the last step down to the beach was loose. There is an old road that you can walk or ride a bike on to get to Fort Bragg, 3 miles away. The town is nice, with cute shops and excellent eats. We had a delicious lunch at Mayan Fusion. There was good cell service without a booster.

Overall this could be a nice place to stay, but it needs a lot of work. You do not get hookups so you are paying for a spot near the ocean and that's it.

This campground is located on such a beautiful location it’s hard to not love it, but the campground itself is such a disappointment it’s sad. For $40 a night (less my whopping $2 senior discount) I expect more. The shower/toilet house was a disaster. No soap, towels, or dryers at the sinks. The shower was filthy and considering it cost extra it wasn’t a tough decision to stay away from that. The toilet space was also a mess with toilet paper on the filthy floor. The water spigot near my site didn’t work. I had contact with the camp host who seemed completely annoyed that I should ask him any questions. Seeing his site, which looked like a junkyard helped explain why the campground was a mess. The picnic table at the site was rotting away. I know California has their fiscal issues but they need to get major work done here. And the final straw was when I left I went to the dump station. They wanted another $10 for dumping. Truly sad since the site has a gorgeous beach and the boardwalk out to Laguna Point is beautiful.

Wow! We are so glad we opted to stay in a state park while in Fort Bragg. We are full time travelers and this MacKerricher State Park is one of our most favorite spots! We had no reservations and found a spot to fit our 28ft TT. Spots are nestled in the woods with beach access within walking distance. There was a ton of mosquitoes, so bring something that works. We did not have any hookups at this side but the site itself was fairly leveled. Getting into this spot was TIGHT! But we made it! We loved this location 😍