Elk Prairie Campground

The park is nice with lots of trees and brush to provide privacy and shade (aka we got nothing on our solar panels). There is a path that goes to the visitors center and to a lot of hiking trails so no need to move and park a car.

The sites are all different shapes and sizes and angles and we probably should have looked at the pictures better. But we booked last minute and were happy to get one within the length of our vehicle. They way our spot was angled we had to pull in forward, which was fine for us but would not work for someone with a trailer.

We had zero service with both verizon and at&t even with using the booster. There is wifi outside the visitor center and we found it actually worked best near the amphitheater/campfire area.

Showers are coin operated 25 cents per minute, they werent cold but I couldn't get them hot enough to not feel like I was freezing the whole time I was showering.

Site #62 only one in south loop we could fit into with our 24 foot trailer. Fortunately, we were the only ones in the loop. Driveway is very narrow. $35 for dry camping is very high. Unfortunately, weather closed the Drury Pkwy and we couldn't explore much of the park. When CA state parks says 24 foot limit on trailers you better believe it. Doubt many over 18 could fit here.

We paid $17.50 per night with our National Park Pass. This is a combined State and National Park. There is also a $8 booking fee.

Campendium's amenities for the campground are wrong. There is NO DUMP STATION.

The sites are small. We had to go the wrong way up a one way lane to back in our 23' travel trailer which barely fit into our site.

It was very wet here in May 2019.

The area is beautiful with the trees and elk around but this campsite was underwhelming. Agree with a previous post that I would boondock on Nation Forest land or camp somewhere else.

Stayed here while exploring the redwoods in the winter so we stayed in one of the sites out of the trees by the meadow. There is a creek running thru the campground and some sites are right up against creek. There are plenty of trails to explore and it’s a beautiful area.

You can walk out of your camper and experience some of the largest living things on earth. It’s an awesome location. The amenities aren’t great though. No water or dump when we came for a camper, so we had to purchase in crescent city on our way down to the campground. I recommend going online and getting a permit for tall tress grove as well. One of the best hikes in the entire NP system. Bathrooms and showers were subpar from what we have experienced at other NP campgrounds.

So this is a little campground off the 101 that has some fantastic trails through the redwoods. Seriously there are so many interconnecting trails including some that go out to the beach. However - beach access is not easy. It's either a 4ish mile hike or drive south and then out a dirt road for a while. The campground is well named, there are huge meadows that have lots of elk and deer. I saw one on a trail run one morning, they are everywhere.

The campground itself has spots that are very different. Some are full sun and out near the meadow, some are in smallish scrubby kind of trees and some are in larger pines/young redwoods as you might expect. So just pick your site carefully especially if you need solar. There's a creek running along the campground so you can get a site that's right on that as well. Bear boxes are raised up which is nice but on the older side. Campground itself isn't very picturesque but the trails in that area are really amazing.

Cell coverage is good in the parking lot across the street form the visitor center and out on the beach close to Orick. Otherwise not great.

Oct 3 & 4, 2021...These Coastal Redwoods are the biggest in the State. We reserved one of the open Prairie sites as this is a damp, foggy and bone chilling rainforest and we loved the warmth of the sun when it came out. Also great for star gazing...There may not be much privacy but who cares cause we're all really just camping together right?
Most all of the sites' asphalt pads are real short so really pay attention if your rig and tow vehicle will fit when you book. Older bathrooms, showers barely got warm and I really needed a hot shower.

Trails are in abundant right outta the campground. Visitor Center is quite sparse since the covid. Only guest wifi was at the unmanned kiosk, no cell coverage...Unmanned due to staffing shortage the sign said. We never saw a Ranger here just mantinance staff and a camphost. Half price for seniors with pass.

This is a very isolated area so bring everything you will need. There is at least an Indian Casino just north of here with hotel. gas, and a small market.

[Internet. No Verizon or T-Mobile signal in the campground. You might get a blip by the park entrance but the park entrance also has a wifi station you can park near and use.]

PROS

→ Lots of sites on the creek!
→ Provides a wonderful outdoorsy camping experience.
→ On Fridays (and perhaps Saturdays too) you can walk to the visitor center and catch a ranger guided tour.
→ You are guaranteed many elk sightings.
→ The bathrooms and showers were clean.

CON

→ The showers are quarter operated at 25¢/minute. The water pressure is very low and the shower rooms are chilly. The water is warm. Not all showers have signage on how to operate the shower. Put a quarter in and pull the shower handle towards you.

4.5 stars - As always, the shower gets me. But as always, I mark 5-stars on my 4.5 star reviews since I believe it’s a great campground overall and don’t want my shower obsession to affect the rating at all.

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[Rig. Mercedes Sprinter. 22 feet]

Dump station? - No
Water fill? - No but there are water spigots
Clean site? - Yes
Clean bathroom? - Yes
Flush toilet? - Yes
Showers? - Yes but they are 25¢/minute
Laundry? - No
Dish washing sink? - No

Enjoyed stay at elk prairie. Lots of hiking trails through impressive redwoods. Saw elk herd daily as they wondered through the large meadow. Last day they grazed through the campground sites lining the meadow!
Negatives. Showers were ice cold, didn’t warm up despite feeding 3 quarters.
Dump station out of service, doubt it’s functioned for several years.
Campground built by ccc, therefore many sites are smaller, most would accommodate our 26 ft class c . However a few could only generously be called a camp site with large roots and very uneven parking pad.
Would stay again but would recommend being careful of site chosen.
No Verizon service.
Water available.

A beautiful area with many accessible trails through the giant redwoods. Our main issue was that many of the sites, including the one we were assigned, were angled the wrong way for backing in a trailer. Fortunately for us, we only had a small teardrop. Still, it took far longer than it should have to manuever into our spot. The couple who came in behind us were not so lucky. While their rig wasn't particularly long, there was not enough space for them to make the turn into their reserved site. At least they were allowed to park overnight in an overflow lot.