California's redwood forest is a mix of national parks, state parks and private property. The result is a wide range of camping options for a wide range of campers. However, there are some guidelines that should be followed by everyone who wants to stay overnight in the redwoods.
Decide what kind of camping you will be doing: recreational vehicle (RV) or tent. The two are not always mutually exclusive, but tent campers rarely like setting up next to RVs, and RV campers usually want hookups--water, electrical and sewage--for their rigs. These considerations will rule out a lot of campgrounds.
Head to a private campground, such as a KOA, if you are camping in an RV. While the national and state parks in the redwood forest area accept RVs, they do not offer hookups. It is probably better for RV campers to either stay elsewhere or make only short stops inside the parks.
Choose the style of tent camping you want: tailgate camping with facilities (showers, flush toilets, etc.), tailgate camping with few or no facilities, and backcountry. Both Redwood National Park and the California state parks, such as Humboldt or Del Norte, offer a range of options. Redwood National Park has tailgate tent camping with facilities, primitive camping sites that require a short hike from the road to access, and backcountry camping by permit.
Make reservations, especially between May and October. The redwood forest is an enormously popular destination for campers of all stripes, so the only way to guarantee access to your first choice of a campsite is to reserve it.
Remember you are in bear country. Use the bear-safe food containers that your campground provides. If it doesn't provide them, consider moving to somewhere that does.
Start fires only in designated areas. If there are none, use a charcoal grill or a camp stove. Use only fallen or dead wood from the forest, or purchased firewood for campfires.
Bring water treatment gear on backcountry hikes or to primitive sites that lack running water. You will be reliant on local water sources--you must disinfect and filter water before it can be consumed. A sound method is to boil or treat the water with chlorine or iodine, then run it through a carbon filter.
Practice the "leave no trace" philosophy when camping in a state or national park. This means do not build improvements such as windbreaks, stone pit toilet seats or fire pits. Also, carry out all refuse or dispose of it only in designated dump sites.
Exercise proper sanitation by using established toilets or by digging properly sited latrines in the backcountry. Set up the latter downhill and at least 50 feet from water sources. Throw a layer of soil into the latrine after each use.
