Portola Redwoods State Park

This was out second outing with our teardrop trailer, and overall it was a very nice stay. The road getting to the park is narrow, steep, and winding, but the pavement is good. We took it slowly, pulling way over to allow approaching vehicles to pass, and we arrived unscathed.

The park took quite a beating in the prior winter's storms, and several of the trails still remained closed, but the campgrounds were in good shape. Most of the sites are for tent camping only, with just a few RV sites. Vehicles are not allowed off the pavement, so we had to set up our teardrop and side tent in the parking space. The length limit for all RVs is 24 feet, so the only trailers we saw were small ones.

Bathrooms were clean and easily accessible, and the coin-operated showers (bring quarters!) were hot and had lots of pressure. Maybe too much pressure, as the entire floor got wet. I recommend wearing flip flops until you can get back to camp, where you can dry you feet properly before putting on shoes and socks.

There are two hazards to be aware of: poison oak and mosquitos. Learn to recognize poison oak on sight, as it is rampant on the hiking trails. We took our hiking clothes off immediately after hiking, putting them in plastic bags, and we showered without delay. We did not get any poison oak rashes, but we were not so lucky with the mosquitos. They are most active in the mornings and evenings, and even though we used repellant, we got LOTS of bug bites. I took my shoes off for just a few minutes at dusk, and the little stinkers got me through my socks. One foot has 24 bites.

To make your stay at this campground tolerable, I recommend doing whatever you can to protect from mosquitos. Citronella candles, bug repellant, mosquito netting, and maybe a screen tent to go over the picnic table (they're most annoying at dinner time).

Nestled in a deep mountain valley among the towering redwoods. This campground is both secluded and close to civilization. I stayed here instead of at a hotel for a recent business trip to Palo Alto. It was about a 40 minute drive to the office each day down a very windy road, but totally worth it. This was in April and it actually rained a bit each day. Keep in mind that this is on the ocean side of the Santa Cruz mountains and it is therefore it gets a lot more rain and fog than Silicon Valley. The road into the park is extremely narrow and down to a single lane in a couple of spots. Go slow and watch for oncoming traffic. Some of the sites are tough to get back to. If you have a trailer or larger vehicle be sure to get a site closer to the entrance. The further back you go, the harder it is to navigate. Very enjoyable and I will be doing this again.