Van Damme State Park campground offers a scenic beach, a lush fern-filled forest and year-round camping in a location that feels genuinely removed from the world. You’re situated three miles south of Mendocino on Highway 1, which runs through the park and separates the developed areas—the campground on one side, the beach and parking areas on the other, with Fern Canyon stretching eastward. It’s a setup that takes some getting used to if you’re expecting a traditional park layout, but it actually works well for dogs since the main campground road itself is a paved 2.5-mile loop that’s perfect for walking.

Dogs need to stay leashed at all times—six feet maximum—and they can walk the campground road, but you won’t be able to take them on the actual forest trails or down to the beach. They also need to be confined to your tent or vehicle between 10 p.m. and 6 a.m. It’s a fairly structured set of rules, so the campground road loop becomes your main recreation option, though it winds through some lovely redwood and fern areas that are still worth exploring.

Making reservations is important here—you can book up to seven months in advance and no less than 48 hours out. The campground stays open year-round, which means you have flexibility in timing your visit based on what the weather’s doing. Just north of the park boundary, Little River Inn sits right on the bluffs about half a mile away, so if you want to grab dinner somewhere that overlooks the ocean, it’s an easy walk from the campground.