Veteran's Weekend -- Sycamore Grove

I thought I would try this Forest Service campground because I have been camping at Thousand Trails a lot and the members of the Camping with Dogs Meetup expressed that they would like more variety.  However, after booking this, no one else signed up.  I decided to check it out anyway and we had a great time.

Although this is part of the Mendocino National Forest, it isn't actually connected to the main forest.  It's on the eastern side of Highway 5 along the Sacramento River just south of Red Bluff, CA.  This is a large recreational area that sees a lot of day usage also although some of the education facilities are no longer funded which is sad.  There's a boat ramp, miles of hiking trails, a botanical garden, a nature museum, a group camp area, a fish ladder viewing area for salmon, and of course, the camping area.  After chatting with some volunteers, I was told that the group camping area isn't used much any more since schools stopped doing field trips and the fish ladder viewing area was no longer in use.

After checking in and driving around, I realized that the spot I reserved was not what I had envisioned.  We drove around some more and picked another spot clear on the other side that was perfect.  It wasn't very crowded, but being a public campground, there were some people I wouldn't normally see. There were a group of teens that stayed up talking loudly way past 11:00.  And there was a homeless couple that chatted with me a bit, they had been evicted and needed someplace temporary.

I was able to get power and water for $25 a night but no sewer dump.  Luckily, there is a large Pilot Flying J truck stop just about 30 miles down the highway on the way home. 

We enjoyed our nature walks and visiting the gardens and the river.  All in all, a pleasant experience.