Our full-time RV adventure began in California. It’s been home to us for over 10 years and really, there is no shortage of beautiful places to see here.
And yet, there are so many amazing places we have never visited. This was a great opportunity for us to experience some beautiful spots in Northern California.
Our first stop was not really worth noting other than that it’s important to keep it real and note everything, like how our first stop wasn’t all that great. We got a flat tire our very first day and I almost burnt our whole house down the 2nd day. Also, our campground wasn’t exactly enjoyable and we were all sleep deprived and emotional from leaving our friends. But, more on that another day…
Once we ventured up to Northern California, it was pretty much paradise. Here is what we loved:
Russian River
We stayed at the Thousand Trails Russian River Campground near Cloverdale, CA. It’s a beautiful campground, but it’s small. Small roads and small sites. I heard it described as a campground designed back when RV’s were just fancy tents, not small houses.
I am not exaggerating when I say I almost had an anxiety attack watching Anthony back into our site. Uphill and at a sharp angle. Fortunately, this amazing ranger was there to help him get into it because if it were up to me, it would have been ugly. Scott literally saved us. (And he saw that we were leaving on his day off and he came back anyway to help us get out. He was a huge answer to all my anxious prayers.)
But aside from the narrow roads and sights, it’s beautiful. It’s right on the river and we spent our days camped on the side of the water, tubing and playing and relaxing. We also took a drive over to Lake Sonoma and had a picnic dinner overlooking the water.
There are also many vineyards in the area that would have been fun to tour, but they were all still closed due to Covid.
Klamath River
The Redwood Highway is unreal. In all my years living in California, I have never made it north of San Francisco. I was missing out.
The 101 from Eureka to Crescent City is breathtaking with towering redwoods covering the mountainous terrain.
We stayed at Klamath River RV Park and basically said, “Is it too early in our adventure to say this is the best campground ever?” Large, grass covered lots are laid out overlooking the river, surrounded by mountains and trees. It’s perfection.
We took a drive up to Howland Hill Road, a place I was excited to see but unfortunately the road was closed at the time due to Covid restrictions. We still explored the area a bit and loved it. Beautiful redwoods and thick ferns cover the ground in Jedidiah State Park. Definitely worth seeing.
We loved Prairie Creek Redwoods State Park. It’s a beautiful scenic detour that runs parallel to the 101. The Fern Canyon hike was a definite highlight and a must see. It’s at the end of a long and winding dirt road and admission is $8 per car. It’s an easy hike through a canyon, crossing back and forth over a stream. (Bring water shoes if you can) Ferns grow along the sheer canyon walls and trees are everywhere. It is one of the filming locations for The Lost World: Jurassic Park Lost World.
There are so, SO many more beautiful places to see in California. Hopefully we’ll hit some more on a second trip. But for now, off to Oregon!
