Redwood National Park campgrounds and camping.

All 4 Redwood campgrounds, compared.

The short version: pick Jedediah Smith to sleep in an old-growth grove on the Smith River, and it's the one to try in winter, first-come from November through April. Pick Mill Creek, the biggest at 145 sites, for the longest RV, 28 feet, between mid-May and early October. Pick Elk Prairie for ancient redwoods and grazing Roosevelt elk at the south end, or Gold Bluffs Beach to camp on the coast near Fern Canyon, as long as you aren't towing. All four have flush toilets and showers. Seasons, fees, RV limits, and amenities come from the NPS developed campgrounds page, each campground's NPS page and record, and California State Parks, checked September 11, 2026. Jedediah Smith and Gold Bluffs Beach are open all year, and Elk Prairie's NPS listing gives no seasonal closure. NPS lists Mill Creek as open mid-May to early October, and its NPS hours close it from October 4, 2026, to May 7, 2027, so the chart shows about May 15 to October 4. Fees are per site, per night.

How to book on ReserveCalifornia.

California State Parks runs all four campgrounds, and you reserve them on ReserveCalifornia or at 1-800-444-7275. NPS's tip: search by the campground's name, like "Jedediah Smith," rather than "Redwoods." NPS strongly recommends reservations, especially in the busy summer months, and its fees page says they're required at least 48 hours ahead. California State Parks' Prairie Creek page says campsites can be reserved six months ahead. At Elk Prairie, reservations are essential from May to October, and Jedediah Smith goes first-come, first-served from November through April.

Fees and passes. A standard tent or RV site is $35 a night. Federal Senior and Access Pass holders and California State Parks Disabled Discount Pass holders pay $17.50, and California Distinguished Veterans Pass holders camp free. Show the pass at check-in. Federal annual passholders pay the standard fee. Del Norte Coast, Jedediah Smith, and Prairie Creek Redwoods are the only parks in the California State Parks system that accept the federal Access Pass discount.

Cabins and special sites. Jedediah Smith and Elk Prairie also have cabins, and four at each are ADA accessible. "Tent Only" sites can't take trailers or RVs, and reaching the tent pad may mean a short walk, sometimes with steps, from a parking area. "Hike and Bike" sites are only for campers who arrive on foot or by bike.

There's no entrance fee for Redwood National Park, but the three state parks charge $8 per vehicle for day use. A Gold Bluffs Beach or Elk Prairie campground reservation means you don't need a separate Fern Canyon reservation. See Redwood fees.

RVs, trailers, and tight roads.

Many sites were built before the 1940s and may not fit today's bigger RVs and trailers, and the size limits are strictly enforced. Mill Creek takes RVs up to 28 feet and trailers up to 24, Elk Prairie 27 and 24, and Jedediah Smith 25 and 21. At Mill Creek and Jedediah Smith, NPS says narrow lanes and tight curves set the limit. Every vehicle, including bumpers and hitches, has to fit inside the site's parking space, and there's extra parking if your car doesn't fit next to your RV or trailer.

Gold Bluffs Beach. It's reached by Davison Road, a narrow, single-lane dirt road with two stream crossings that can be hard after rain, and NPS recommends high clearance. NPS says RVs aren't advised, and trailers of any kind are banned at the campground and on Davison Road. California State Parks limits vehicles on the road to 8 feet wide and 24 feet long. Our Redwood road closures page covers Davison Road.

None of the four campgrounds has electric hookups, and Gold Bluffs Beach has no water, electric, or sewer hookups for RVs. Jedediah Smith has a dump station all year, and Mill Creek has one in season. Showers are coin-operated at Jedediah Smith all year and at Mill Creek in season, and hot and free at Elk Prairie and Gold Bluffs Beach.

Camp rules that change your trip.

Everywhere in the parks, food, garbage, and anything you store food in, like an ice chest, has to be secured: inside a closed vehicle, a hard-sided camper, a bear-resistant container, or a campground food locker where one is provided.

Campfires go only in park-provided grills or designated fire sites, and all fires are banned during very high or extreme fire danger. Don't hang hammocks or ropes from trees, which can strip the bark.

From October to May, the Newton B. Drury Scenic Parkway closes to cars on the first Saturday of each month for Bike and Hike Day.

Camping and the crowd calendar.

Redwood's visits peak in June. March averages 34% of June's visits and April 43%, with three campgrounds open and Jedediah Smith first-come through April. May climbs to 68%, reservations become essential at Elk Prairie, and Mill Creek opens in mid-May. July runs 96% and August 85%. September is still 76%, and Mill Creek closes in early October, when visits fall to 52%. November drops to 30%, and Jedediah Smith goes first-come again. Our pick is the second half of September: all four campgrounds are open, visits are below the summer peak, and nights at Klamath, on the coast, average 50°F.

Month-by-month tradeoffs are on the best time to visit Redwood page.

Backcountry camps and Redwood Creek.

Backcountry camps. The parks have seven designated backcountry campsites along 200 miles of trails, reached on foot, by bike, on horseback, or by raft. Each needs a free permit, requested online up to 160 days ahead and at least 24 hours before your trip. A site holds up to eight people, or twenty at group sites, and you can stay 5 nights in a row and 15 nights a year. Backcountry horse camping is allowed only at Little Bald Hills Camp and Elam Camp.

Gold Bluffs Beach hike-and-bike site. It takes at least a 5-mile hike or a 10-mile ride to reach, and hikers need a free backcountry permit. The NPS fees page lists the Gold Bluffs Beach backcountry camp at $5 per person per night.

Redwood Creek. It's the only area in the parks where dispersed camping is allowed, as part of the backcountry permit system, and permit holders there may build fires only on the gravel bars. The conditions page lists it closed October 15 through April 1 for high water, and those dates can shift with the creek.

There are no hotels or lodges inside the parks, but nearby communities have lodging and more camping. We don't track those. The NPS camping options page has the full list of what's inside the parks.

Common questions.

How do you reserve a campsite at Redwood National Park?

All four developed campgrounds are run by California State Parks and booked on ReserveCalifornia or at 1-800-444-7275. Search by the campground's name, such as "Jedediah Smith," rather than "Redwoods." California State Parks' Prairie Creek page says you can reserve six months ahead, and the NPS fees page says reservations are required at least 48 hours in advance.

Is there free camping near Redwood National Park?

Inside the parks, the developed campgrounds cost $35 a night, though California Distinguished Veterans Pass holders camp free. Backcountry permits are free for the designated backcountry camps, except Gold Bluffs Beach, at $5 per person per night. Redwood Creek is the only area where dispersed camping is allowed. We don't track camping outside the parks.

Which Redwood campground is best for an RV?

Mill Creek takes the longest rigs, 28-foot RVs and 24-foot trailers, but it's open only mid-May to early October. Elk Prairie takes 27-foot RVs and 24-foot trailers, and Jedediah Smith 25-foot RVs and 21-foot trailers. None of the four has electric hookups. Skip Gold Bluffs Beach with a trailer, which is banned on its dirt access road.

Is Jedediah Smith Campground open in winter?

Yes. It's open all year, and from November through April its sites are first-come, first-served. It's the northernmost campground in the parks, in an old-growth grove on the Smith River, with coin-operated showers and a dump station.

Can you drive an RV to Gold Bluffs Beach Campground?

NPS advises against it. The campground is reached by Davison Road, a narrow, single-lane dirt road with two stream crossings, and California State Parks limits vehicles on it to 8 feet wide and 24 feet long. Trailers of any kind are prohibited, and there are no hookups.

Where these facts come from

The four campgrounds, California State Parks management, size limits and their enforcement, and the ReserveCalifornia tip come from the NPS developed campgrounds page and each campground's NPS page. Fees and pass discounts, RV and trailer limits, showers, dump stations, cabins, seasons, settings, and coordinates come from the NPS API campground records. Backcountry camps, permits, stay limits, food storage, fires, hammocks, and Redwood Creek come from the NPS camping options and backcountry pages, and Redwood Creek's October 15 to April 1 closure from the NPS current conditions page. Jedediah Smith's winter first-come season, the Access Pass rule, Mill Creek's limits, the six-month booking window, and Davison Road's vehicle limits come from California State Parks' Jedediah Smith, Del Norte Coast, and Prairie Creek pages. Day-use fees, the 48-hour booking rule, backcountry fees, and Fern Canyon rules come from the NPS fees and Fern Canyon pages; Davison Road and Bike and Hike Day from NPS road pages. Visit shares are five-year monthly means (2021 to 2025) of recreation visits from NPS Visitor Use Statistics, as a percentage of June, the parks' busiest month. Temperatures are NOAA 1991 to 2020 climate normals for the Klamath station on the coast. Crowd numbers are five-year monthly means (2021 to 2025) of recreation visits from the NPS Visitor Use Statistics Data Package on NPS IRMA Stats. Independent site, not affiliated with the National Park Service.