Hidden Springs Campground

We pulled in here late after a long tow from Hendy Woods on Highway 128 and just needed somewhere to stop. Finding a site that would work for a 25' trailer was a bit tricky but there were a lot available on the very twisty and steep campground loops all up along a hillside. We found one that looked good, drove down the hill to pay for it and came back to back ourselves in. Required a bit of leveling. Too bad we were just there for a night, the picnic table area for this site was pretty neat on a level below the site with a wooden railing. Pretty much every site in this campground is unique so do a few loops (if you dare) and pick one you like. Note: later in this trip, we stayed at Burlington Campground farther north. Very flat and central to a lot of great hikes in the groves.

We tent camped here over Memorial Day weekend. We arrived on Friday mid-morning, knowing that they reserve 12 or so spots for walk-ups. The booth was staffed and after paying the requisite $35 per night plus $8 for an extra car (we had 2 cars, 3 adults, and 5 children) we were assigned spot 79. I am used to being able to pick my own spot, so was a little surprised they assigned us one, but they said we could switch if we found a free one we liked better. The campground was pretty full, considering the holiday weekend, but our site turned out to be perfect. Plenty of room for two cars, as long as they were parked nose to tail- could maybe squeeze in two cars side by side, but it would be challenging.
From the parking spot up to the site was a small incline, and the site itself was quite large- plenty of room for two tents, and could even fit two more easily. The campground is heavily forested and plenty of places to hang a hammock.
The picnic table was pretty worn out, looked like a bear had made friends with it at some point and gnawed up one of the benches. The "bear-box" was a simple wooden pantry with a weak metal closing mechanism. It certainly wouldn't keep out a bear, or even an eager raccoon, but did the job for keeping out the plentiful crows and jays. The fire pit was raised, making it much safer with 5 little kids running around it. It had a simple grate over part of it, so we were able to keep the coffee pot hot over the coals.
Mosquitos were plentiful, but we kept them at bay with a combo of the fire, mosquito repellent coils, and bug spray. We only suffered a handful of bites. Poison oak is definitely present, but not in all the sites- we were lucky enough to be PO free, but I had to show an unsuspecting family that their site was crawling with it, much to their dismay. It seemed the lower level sites that get a little more sun had more of it. The trail across the Ave of the Giants that leads down to the river is absolutely covered in poison oak, so tread carefully. Also, from what we could see, the beach there has washed out and isn't a great place to access swimming. Better to drive a few minutes on the Avenue and access a better swimming hole.
Our campsite was directly across the road form the amphitheater, which all the kids loved playing around. The bathrooms were right next to the amphitheater and featured running hot water, a utility sink in the back with hot water, and coin op showers that we didn't test out, but were not working great, according to overheard conversations in the bathroom.
The campground itself is very hilly, with lots of redwoods and a little creek running through parts of it. There are lots of old redwood stumps (leftovers from the logging days) to climb and jump off of. Our kids all rode around on their scooters and met lots of other little kids running around.
All in all, it was a lovely stay and we will definitely be camping here again in the future.

On our way south this CG was a nice find. Not to expensive and participates with Passport America and the second day was discounted 10%. It's also close to the Avenue of the Giants. I didn't find any creepy people here, everyone was helpful and kind. I will admit it's very run down, the first part of the park is full of full timers and not kept up at all. A little elbow grease could go along way. Wifi was not worth the struggle.

Worked remote here in early August. With MIMO antenna I was consistently getting 40 down and 12-15 up. The roads are in bad shape and take a long time to drive around on. Showers were hot but only one of the ones in my area worked and even then it was really weak pressure.

The campground does have river access if you’re into that but it’s really shallow and they’re having algae issues.

Hilly loops but pretty easy access for our 15’ Aliner. Medium close together but lots of trees make it seem secluded. Some neighbors didn’t understand the physics of sound. Easy access to potable water, clean bathrooms and warm (quarter fed) showers $1.25 for 5 min. Great location on Avenue of the Giants, quick to fuel and groceries at Fortuna to the north. We liked this 3-day stay over July 4th, and by Tuesday it was maybe half occupancy.

Plenty of privacy between sites but there is bit of noise from the road. Restrooms and showers are clean. Was originally optimistic about cell coverage as I was able to boost from 1 bar to 4 but couldn’t get above 1.5mbs down and .5mbs up. Was at site 20 and walked the road around most of sites 1-78 but didn’t find any better coverage. Ended up having to drive a few miles towards Miranda to be able to work during the day. There are numerous turn outs along the way with their own little walking paths so it worked out other than having to pack up every morning.

We never book so this one was good because it had many spaces even in the summer peak. Some of the sites are not great but most are excellent with flat parking and picnic tables in the bush. Hot water showers etc. A lot more sites than burlington and others in area so I'd try here if you are doing it last minute.