Summer Recreation Areas in California - Camping in Northern California - North Coast - Tolowa Dunes

Camping in California

Summer is quickly approaching and for those of us who enjoy camping, it's almost that time --time to get out the camping gear and get ready to go camping!

Whether you are tent camping, using a tent trailer, enjoying yourself in an RV, whatever your choice, camping is fun and can be an inexpensive way to vacation with the family. Camping is great for children and it's a good way for kids to learn about nature, "roughing it"; team work, and a whole lot more.

* indicates RV access

** Indicates Wi-Fi is available

This is the first hub in a series of hubs I am working on highlighting various campgrounds in California.

Beginning on California's north coast/redwoods and Northern California inland, I will work down the state including mostly California State Parks as illustrated by the maps to the right. ➨

Each location will have the GPS coordinates, name of the city where located, and the telephone number. A California State Parks price list by region will be added at the end of each hub.

This hub is about Towola Dunes State Park. ☼

Towola Dunes is the first campground at the top of the State, laying about two miles north of Crescent City, California, off of Highway 101. The access roads are Old Mill Road, off of Northcrest Drive (which becomes Lake Earl Drive), making a left onto Lower Lake Road, taking that to Kellogg or Pala Roads. The coordinates are: Latitude/Longitude: 41.8258/-124.1875. 1375 Elk Valley Road, Crescent City,CA 95531. Telephone: 707-465-2145.  

The campground is open year-round.  Day use hours are Sunrise to Sunset.

Temperatures/Climate

Summer days range from the 60's to 70's (degrees fahrenheit). Nights are in the 40's.  Winter days range from the 40's to 60s (degrees fahrenheit). Nights are in the 30's.  Rainfall average is about 60" to 80" per year, falling mostly between November and May.

This is a first come-first served campground.

Tolowa Dunes State Park is located on California's North Coast and is a beautiful area that includes some wetland habitats and an ancient sand dune complex. This area has evolved into several ecological communities including: ocean beach, river, open and vegetated sand dunes, wooded ridges, and wetlands, and there are a wide variety of plants, animals and birds that thrive there. It is also a Pacific flyway stopover for thousands of migrating ducks, geese, and swans.  There are basic amenities for campers with two primitive campgrounds, including a ride-in horse camp and six walk-in sites.

This area was home to the Tolowa People who were the most recent Native Americans in the area and the natural resources of the area were very important aspect of the Tolowa's economic and political way of life.

Throughout the spring and summer, there are displays of beautiful wildflowers. There are also hundreds of species of birds including rare Canadian Aleutian Geese and the Peregrine Falcon, which can be seen in the forests and the wetlands. There are deer, coyote and raccoons in the area and marine mammals such as harbor seals and sea lions as well as gray whales which migrate from Alaska to California. In the Smith River, there are seasonal salmon and steelhead; cutthroat trout and starry flounder are in Lakes Earl and Tolowa; crappie are in Dead Lake.

California Reminds Boaters and Water Users: Don't Move a Mussel!

To make online reservations now, click here.  Prices for California State Park campgrounds are $35.00 per night this year, 2011.