Mendocino Woodlands State Park is tucked into a lush redwood canyon just 7 miles inland from Mendocino village. It offers a serene dive into nature. Visitors can also explore history and community. This 720-acre National Historic Landmark was once a New Deal-era camp. Now, it thrives as California’s only continuously operating group camp in a coastal redwood forest.
What Makes Mendocino Woodlands State Park Unique
The WPA and CCC built Mendocino Woodlands during the 1930s. It is one of just two surviving Recreational Demonstration Areas west of the Rockies. Its handcrafted cabins, stone lodges and bridges remain beautifully preserved in their original form. It is more than a forest escape. It’s a living museum of landscape architecture. It offers community-based camping in a cathedral of redwoods, ferns, and creekside habitat.
Top Activities & Amenities
🏕️ Group & Individual Camping
The park is centered on three group camps—Camp One, Camp Two, and Camp Three. Each camp offers fully enclosed cabins and communal dining halls with kitchens. They also include amphitheaters, rec halls with coin-op showers, and restrooms. Camp One hosts 120–200 people, Camp Two accommodates 40–130, while Camp Three allows smaller groups of 30–64. Private bookings are required. However, individuals may join existing groups. They can also volunteer through Friends of the Woodlands or attend fall workshops open to the public.
🌲 Hiking & Trail Access
Public trails weave through redwood groves, sunny meadows, and granite outcrops along the Little North Fork of the Big River. Hikers and mountain bikers rave about the well-maintained paths, beaver ponds and possible sightings of deer, otters or foxes.
🏐 Recreation & Amphitheater
Cabin circles include campfire rings and rustic amphitheaters for songs or skits. Outdoor courts for volleyball and basketball are tucked into forest clearings. The communal rec halls often host dance, music or nature programs.
🏊 Nature Programs & Swimming Hole
Along the river’s edge you’ll find a popular swimming hole—sun warms the water in summer and the flow is gentle. Informal interpretive programs and seasonal environmental education workshops are offered through the Woodlands Camp Association.
🛖 Historic Architecture & Dining
Stroll past stone fireplaces, log bridges and shingled lodges built with hand tools during the New Deal era. Dining halls serve both private group meals and workshop participants; some cabins and rec areas offer limited Wi-Fi.
🚻 Facilities & Access
Each camp includes flush toilets, bathrooms, coin-op hot showers, drinking water and parking areas. RV trailers are allowed only up to 25 feet and must park at designated spots. Trail access is open to the public daily, even when camps are reserved.
Visitor Tips
- Reservations: Group camps require advance booking through the Mendocino Woodlands Camp Association. Individuals may participate by volunteering, attending public workshops or joining existing groups.
- Fees: Camping and program fees vary—Fall workshops and volunteer stays often include lodging and meals for a modest cost.
- Pets: Dogs are not allowed in cabins or campgrounds. Only ADA service animals permitted.
- Accessibility: Rustic paths and cabin porches may not be fully wheelchair-accessible; request specifics when booking.
- Swimming & Safety: The creek is shallow and calm in summer—ideal for swimming, but bring water shoes and supervise children.
- Seasonality: The rainy season (Nov–Mar) makes trails muddy; summer may require extra hydration and sunscreen.
- Programs: Fall workshops fill quickly—herbalism, wildlife tracking and traditional crafts are popular.
- Connectivity: Wi‑Fi is available only in lodge common areas; expect limited cell coverage within the forest.
Local Insight & Seasonal Tip
Plan your stay during autumn when russet ferns carpet the forest floor and cool creek flows ease perfect relaxation. Arrive at dusk for campfire storytelling beneath giant redwoods and early morning hikes to spy river otters sipping in the creek. For a hidden delight, slip out after the public workshop ends and follow the forest trail downstream to a secret swimming hole—shaded, seldom shared and serenaded by birdcalls.