The best camping near Crescent City, California.

At the tippy top of the California coast, this tiny city faces the Pacific with its back to redwood forests. The city takes its name from its crescent-shaped harbor, a popular spot for harbor seals and sea lions. Long jetties stretch over the waves. At low tide, you can walk out to Battery Point Lighthouse, California's most northern lighthouse. If you want to stay close to Crescent City, there are several RV parks along Highway 101. But most campers prefer the vast forests nearby. A short drive east is Jedediah Smith Redwoods State Park, part of the Redwood National and State Parks. Only a few roads cut through, giving the old-growth forest a primordial feel. That same feeling fills the campgrounds, with the bonus of hot showers and bear lockers. The camp has tent camping and RV sites sans hook-ups, as well as cabins with electricity. Campers can pick a spot near the Smith River, with a winter boat launch nearby. To the south is the Del Norte Coast Redwoods State Park. These redwoods groves are younger, but the trails lead to gorgeous bluffs above the ocean. The Mill Creek Campground has trailer and tent sites, plus hike-in sites for total immersion in the deep forests.