A white Tacoma with a camper shell parked on a rise above a broad, empty basin under building cloud.

Forest Service campground

Patrick Creek Campground

Forest Service campground in Six Rivers National Forest, Del Norte County, California. 818 feet. 19.7 miles from Crescent City.

Managed by
Forest Service Six Rivers National Forest
Elevation
818 ft USGS elevation model, at the mapped point
Sites
13 13 standard non-electric
Longest rig
45 ft The longest vehicle any site is listed for
Hookups
None listed
Reservations
Recreation.gov

Overview

Patrick Creek Campground sits at the confluence of Patrick Creek and the middle fork of Smith River in the vast Six Rivers National Forest of northern California.

The campground has a special charm, with steps, rock walls, restrooms and sunken campfire circles built in the 1930s by the Civilian Conservation Corps.

Recreation

Popular activities include swimming, sunbathing, rafting and fishing in the Smith River, which is just adjacent to the campground. Anglers can expect healthy fishing populations of salmon, steelhead and cutthroat trout.

Visitors also enjoy hiking, horseback riding and biking in the area. There are no trailheads in the campground, but Elk Camp Ridge, High Dome and French Hill trailheads are all within 10 miles of the site.

Facilities

The campground offers multiple single-family accessible campsites, available for tent and RV camping. Tables and campfire rings with grills are provided. Accessible flush toilets and drinking water are also available.

Natural Features

Patrick Creek is located in a mature forest of Douglas firs in the northernmost part of California. A popular historic lodge and restaurant lie just across the highway from the campground. The Six Rivers National Forest lies east of Eureka in northwestern California, stretching southward from the Oregon border for about 140 miles. U.S. 101, the famed "Redwood Highway," parallels the inland Forest along the coastline. The Forest is just east of the Redwood National Park.

The description, directions and fees are the Forest Service’s own words, from its record on Recreation.gov.

What people do here

  • biking
  • camping
  • fishing
  • hiking
  • historic & cultural site
  • swimming site

The land around Patrick Creek Campground

The ringed pin is this campground; the others are its nearest neighbours. Switch on forest roads or BLM routes to see the way in.

Interactive map. Drag to pan, scroll or pinch to zoom, and select any point to see which agency manages the land. Arrow keys pan and the plus and minus keys zoom when the map has focus. A list of every state with its share of federal land is on the Explore page.

Map layers

Layers
Base map
Legend

Federal land, by managing agency

  • Bureau of Land Management (BLM)
  • US Forest Service (USFS)
  • National Park Service (NPS)
  • US Fish and Wildlife (USFW)
  • Bureau of Reclamation (USBR)
  • Department Of Defense (DOD)
  • Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA)
  • Other Federal
  • State
  • Local
  • Alaska Native Lands (Patented or Interim Conveyed)
  • Alaska Native Allotment

Federal campgrounds, by agency

  • Forest Service
  • Bureau of Land Management
  • National Park Service
  • Army Corps of Engineers
  • Reclamation, Fish and Wildlife and others

State and local land (USGS PAD-US)

  • State land
  • County and city land
  • Regional agency or district
  • Land trust or conservancy

Gaps with no tint inside public land are private parcels, often old mining claims and homesteads. They are not open to the public.

Dashed clay lines on the base map are unpaved tracks from OpenStreetMap. They show what exists on the ground, not what is legal to drive.

Select any point to see who manages the land.

Boundaries are approximate and land status changes. This map is a planning aid, not a survey or a statement of access. Confirm routes, closures and camping rules with the managing office.

Source: Recreation Information Database (Recreation.gov), record updated February 25, 2026. Elevation from the USGS 3D Elevation Program. Seasons, fees, water and fire rules change; the managing office has the final word.