The Mystic Forest RV Park is situated on the Northern California coast, three miles north of Klamath, California. Close to the famous Giant Redwoods of California! In this post and video we review Mystic Forest RV Park. Our review includes some of the top local attractions, where to shop, where to get cheaper gas, and where to buy propane. We are posting this review so you can decide for yourself whether the pros outweigh the cons at this RV park. We are publishing similar reviews for all the parks we visit. We also invite readers to submit their own reviews. Share your knowledge, and help us to create a large collection of in-depth reviews to help others in the RV life! Please contact Maggie for more details.
Video showing Mystic Forest RV Park
In this very short video, you can see what the park looks like. In the second video, you can see more of the local attractions.
Most of this next video is about the local attractions.
Location of the Mystic Forest RV Park
The park is small, less than 50 sites, and is located directly off US 101. If you are coming from the north, expect to cross a challenging mountain just before you get to the park. When we went through it was having extensive roadwork, so it was even more challenging than usual. You can see some of that road at minute 4:37 of the video above. However, once through this, you will drive a few miles more and then easily locate the Mystic Forest RV Park on the right of the highway. It is easy to drive into it.
This map shows the Mystic Forest RV Park is. You can zoom in and out on this map, and also change to satellite view if you want.
Sites at the Mystic Forest RV Park
There are only 30-amp sites; there are no 50-amp sites. All of the sites have full hook-ups. This is a small park, and there is just one camping loop. The sites are level and grassed, and also contain grassy areas suitable for tents. There is also a separate camping area, although that was not in use when we stayed there in November.
The sites on the perimeter are back-in, and most of them are enclosed with trees for privacy. However, if you have a large rig, you are probably better off with one of the central sites, which are all pull-through and situated on a large, open, grassy area. Most of the sites had a fire ring and a picnic table.
The park is well treed and the sites are large, but there is little privacy between the sites in the center. The water pressure is poor. The park is reasonably well organized; however, there are few staff and the office was not open very often during our stay. We were here in November, so I would assume this is not the case in the high tourist season.
Local Attractions at the Mystic Forest RV Park
There is a convenience store with a small restaurant across the street from the park, but the prices are pretty steep. Don’t expect to stock up on alcohol there, unless you are OK with $7 for one cider! There are no gluten-free sandwich options. If that is not a problem for you, the sandwiches (eat-in or take-out) are said to be very good.
There is no direct access to the beach, but there is a mile-long forest trail directly off the back of the park that is very pleasant. There is a convenience store with a small restaurant across the street from the park, but the prices are pretty steep. Don’t expect to stock up on alcohol there, unless you are OK with $7 for one cider! There are no gluten-free sandwich options. If that is not a problem for you, the sandwiches (eat-in or take-out) are said to be very good.
Apart from that, various local attractions are available via US 101, including several scenic drives. You can get a map of the scenic routes from the RV park office.
Trees of Mystery Theme Park
We visited the Trees of Mystery theme park nearby (about two miles north on US 101). You can see the park at the beginning of the video above. You can’t miss it from the 101, thanks to the giant statue of Paul Bunyan (49 foot tall) and Babe, his blue ox, outside. Both have been standing next to US 101 for more than 50 years!
Trail of Mysterious Trees
The park offers an interpretive walk along the Trail of Mysterious Trees through a beautiful forest. It features many Giant Redwood trees and a number of unusual tree formations. We were also able to bring our dogs with us!
A feature of the park is a gondola ride on the park’s Sky Trail, riding high above the giant redwoods. We enjoyed it – the dogs, not so much! At the top you can disembark and take in the view from the observation deck. The primary view is treetops, but you can see the Pacific Ocean too!
This theme park is well worth a visit. It features 3,000 year-old trees, and trees that soar to 300 feet.
The Magic of Giant Redwood Trees
We also learned a whole lot about redwood trees, which turn out to be quite magical. Did you know that these giant trees have very shallow roots? They stay up by linking roots, essentially holding each other up. We thought there was a lesson for our times in that!
Also, giant redwoods are almost fire proof. Their barks are extremely resistant to fire, as it contains neither pitch nor resin, and contains a great deal of water. We saw one gigantic tree that had burned out completely in the middle, but its fire-resistant bark kept the fire contained. If. not for that, this entire forest could have burned down. The indigenous people believed this forest was sacred, and did not set foot in it.
Redwood is widely used in buildings as it is impervious to disease and insects.
The Legend of Paul Bunyan
We also learned a great deal about Paul Bunyan. Along the trail you can enjoy about 50 chainsaw sculptures and carvings, with interactive exhibits that which tell you stories about legendary logger Paul Bunyan.
Paul Bunyan is seen as a symbol of the American lumberjack. The tall tales will have it that he was super human and about the size of the Hulk. He originated in the oral tradition of North American loggers. Some historians believe the legend of Paul Bunyan is based on the French-Canadian logger Fabian “Joe” Fournier. However, he emerges in the oral tradition as an impressively hardworking – but not gigantic – American logger. As his legend evolved, so did his size, so that he is now portrayed as standing as tall as the trees!
End of the Trail Museum
Also in the Trees of Mystery theme park is a gift shop, plus the End of the Trail private museum. This features a truly impressive collection of aboriginal artefacts, and is well worth a visit if you have any interest in history.
The Town of Klamath
Three miles south, the “town” of Klamath is essentially a gas station, a friendly post office, a casino (which is said to have a reasonably decent restaurant), and a visitor’s center that was always closed in November. The gas is the cheapest in the area, probably owing to its location on the Yurok Reservation lands. You can also get your propane tanks filled there, but have your ID with you – they will hold onto this until you have paid for your propane! Not the friendliest gas station in the world, but it’s handy and cheap.
Crescent City
A bigger center is Crescent City, 20 miles north, where you can find shopping malls and restaurants. We did not see a Walmart or a Fred Meyer in Crescent City, but there was a Safeway and a Home Depot. There was a Verizon store there, but we highly advise you to avoid it. The staff were grossly incompetent, and mischarged us by about $300. It is now several months later, and we are still fighting to get our money back. We talk about Crescent City from minute 4:35 of the video above.
Crescent City has at least one decent seafood restaurant, the Chart Room Restaurant. It is right on the Crescent City Harbor, in a converted marine shop. In the second half of the video above, we are sitting inside this restaurant.
Pet Policy at Mystic Forest RV Park
The park allows any type of pets, with the usual leash rules. There is no dog park or off-leash area. However, the mile-long forest trail directly off the back of the park is a good trail for an off-leash dog walk. Also, we did take them to for a walk on a wind-swept beach outside Crescent City.
Bike Trails and Hiking at the Mystic Forest RV Park
There is one nature trail in the park, but there no cycling trails. You will need a car to go anywhere, unless you are one of the fearless souls who enjoys cycling on the narrow shoulder of US 101.
Public Transport
We saw public transit on the highway, but did not see any bus stops near the park.
Accessibility and Availability
We drove to this park from Humbug Mountain State Park, Oregon (reviewed here). This drive was 91 miles along the US 101. The drive south from Oregon was a challenge with a lot of hills and sharp turns.
The last 20 miles from Crescent City to the park was the worst. It crossed a mountain: six percent grades for miles upwards, and then six percent grades for miles downwards. The road was narrow, with some precipitous cliff edges – and all complicated by road works that made much of the road one-way, so we had cross in a convoy with pilot drivers. Even without road works, I would not recommend that anyone drive that road in the dark. Even the locals prefer to avoid it at night.
Crossing the Border from Oregon to California
Expect to be stopped at this border for an agricultural inspection. We were asked by a very friendly woman if we were bringing any fruits or vegetables into California. I had kept our fruit handy so that I did not have to open up the RV. I showed her what we had – oranges. She inspected them and discovered that they were Californian oranges, so she told us we were very welcome to bring them back into California!
Entering the Park
The entrance to the park is well signed on the highway. The drive way is wide and smooth. Also, the roads inside the Park are wide, with no speed bumps. We found it very easy to pull into the park, and to access the drive-through spot we had reserved.
There were plenty of spots available in November, but I cannot say what it would be like in high season. Best to phone ahead and reserve – it is California, after all!
General Atmosphere at the Mystic Forest RV Park
We stayed at this park during November so it was cold at night, and it was a very rainy week. There were very few people staying there, but everyone we met in the park was very friendly, especially the owner, Cindy.
Noise Level at the Mystic Forest RV Park
The park was very quiet the week we were here. Despite being just off US 101 we did not notice any traffic noise, particularly at night.
Staff at the Mystic Forest RV Park
Staff is minimal in November. The office was closed when we arrived, but we had already confirmed our site number in advance. We communicated with Cindy mainly by text, which she promptly replied to.
Value for Money at Mystic Forest RV Park
The price is reasonable for sites with full hookup in California, and we got a discount for booking for an entire week (one night free). The park also offers 10% discount for Good Sam Club and 10% for AAA members.
Wi-Fi at the Mystic Forest RV Park
There is very poor Wi-Fi at the Park. It is slow at best, and often does not have an internet connection at all. The park was advertised as having free Wi-Fi, and this was the reason we had booked in for a week, instead of camping in a State Park.
This seems to be a very common and distressing feature of RV parks. It would be good if there was some kind of regulation to prevent parks luring you with the offer of “free Wi-Fi,” when in fact the Wi-Fi is all but useless. This is a particular stressor for us, as we rely on Wi-Fi to get our work done. It is very annoying to drive hundreds of miles to get to a park because it has Wi-Fi, only to find that it is useless.
Wi-Fi at Starbucks
The closest decent Wi-Fi is in the Starbucks at Crescent City, which involves driving 17 miles north over a mountain pass. Once there, the Wi-Fi is free and excellent, so we spent many hours working there.
Cable TV at the Mystic Forest RV Park
There was cable TV, but the reception was poor and we only were able to tune into one channel. Thankfully it was a national news channel, so we got our news “fix.”
Cellular Reception at the Mystic Forest RV Park
Cellular coverage was non-existent for Joe’s AT&T service, but I was able to get two bars on my Verizon service. We spent the week hot-spotting to my phone to get caught up on our work.
Washrooms at the Mystic Forest RV Park
The washrooms were always clean, and the free showers had a plentiful supply of hot water with good pressure. The bathroom and showers were heated. The shower area was only curtained off, and there was no lock on the bathroom door, so I did not use the facilities after dark.
At some point the doors were locked, but Cindy provided us with keys when we asked. Make sure to get keys before nightfall! Apparently, they are locked at night for security reasons. Cindy has multiple sets of keys for guests.
Facilities
There is a large office with a gift shop, and it contained a lot of maps and brochures about the local area. These came in very handy.
The park has adequate facilities, including a laundry room with three washers and three dryers, but they are a bit rundown. The park also offers RV storage, so there is a row of slowly rusting RVs, which contribute to a bit of a rundown feeling.
There was also a games room and a miniature golf course, but these seemed to be closed for the season.
Guest Parking
We did not notice any guest parking area. However the park is spacious, so guests could most likely find a spot.
Bottom Line on the Mystic Forest RV Park
The park was quiet with adequate, spacious sites. It was easy to access and navigate. The nature trail was a nice little bonus, as was the close proximity to the Trees of Mystery theme park. Good shopping was 17 miles away, while gas and propane were available close by. The only negative was the lack of Wi-Fi.
Since we were at Mystic Forest RV Park in the off-season, it is hard to know what it would be like in the high tourist season. At that time, the games room is probably operational, and the miniature golf as well. In the off-season, in the rain, without Wi-Fi, we found it pretty depressing. However, Cindy was very friendly and helpful.
Weigh up these pros and cons, and decide if this is the RV Park for you!
Did you enjoy this post or find it helpful? If so, please support our work. We write this blog because we love our RV life and want to share it with you. But we also need to earn a living, so we REALLY would appreciate if you click through to one of our reputable affiliates for your online shopping. We are proudly affiliated with Amazon, which sells pretty much everything, and has outstanding shipping and return policies. You can even have items shipped to a convenient pick-up point, if you are traveling and don't have a permanent address. Plus, many private camp grounds accept deliveries for their guests. When you buy from our affiliates by clicking on highlighted links such as Amazon, we make a small commission, and this is the only way we earn any income. Plus, it costs you nothing at all - a real win/win situation! |
|---|
