Dean Creek Resort- A Great Camping Experience

When traveling through Northern California, there are so many diferent campgrounds to choose from. How do you know which one to stay at? Oh, of course, there are a lot of resources available to you. For instance, Good Sam Club, AAA, Woodall's, RV Journal, and other travel publications. Another good way is through word of mouth. If you know someone who has camped in the area before, they can usually give you a few places to try or avoid. Well, in our case, even though we had stayed in the area before and had enjoyed the campground we stayed at, we decided to try another place. After a little research we decided on Dean Creek Resort in Redway. We couldn't have made a better choice. I will admit that on first entering the park, we said, " you're kidding me, this is it." The campground is very nice, our first reaction came because of the residential rv's in the park. Our first reaction quickly changed however, when these very friendly people came out to help us get parked in our site. We stayed at Dean creek resort for seven nights and by the time we left we had made several new friends and plan to return again.
Dean Creek Resort is a hotel and campground located in Redway California, just north of Garberville and a little south of the Avenue Of The Giants. They offer AAA discounts if you are a member and if you are camping they don't charge for pets. They just ask that you keep them on a leash and clean up after them. This, to me, is very unusual because most campgrounds charge anywhere from one dollar to five dollars a day for pets. Having three dogs, Dean Creek won my approval right there. The campground has access to the Eel River, mini-golf, a pool, a sauna for adults, an arcade, a playground, and horseshoes. They host a horseshoe tournament every year as well. The weather there was beautiful in July. I come from a place that is usually over 100 degrees in July, so I enjoyed the temps in the 80s. Most people go there from Eureka to get out of the cold. In Redway, there is a wonder little restaurant that serves delicious fresh baked pizza, Mateels Cafe. The campground also has a little store with reasonably priced merchandise, and a small laundromat.
Now, the best thing about this place is the people. I have always said that going camping is a great way to make friends. Nowhere is this more true than at dean Creek Resort. By the time we left we had made friends with everyone from the managers to fellow campers. They are an entertaining sort, believe me. Now, don't get me wrong, everyone still has to follow the strictly enforced rules regarding quiet times and behavior, but we all had a great time. This is probably the first time I have ever exchanged e-mail adresses and info with a new friend from camping and we have been e-mailing each other since we got home! So, here is a quick rundown on our new friends, first you have Kathy and Lloyd, they are very friendly people who will be moving back to Crescent City soon to be closer to their grandkids. Then you have Less, aka Uncle Cookie, Uncle Cookie is known as such because he always carries dog cookies in his pockets and gives them to every dog in the campground. Yes, the dogs know him very well and love him! Then there is Dennis and Linda, they are the managers of the park and make a point of checking on everyone through out their stay to make sure there are no problems, and are always willing to help when needed. Then you have Joe and his whole family, they were camping there for a few days and have been camping off and on each year for five years at Dean Creek. I'm sure we will see them again sometime! The craziest one there is Pete. Pete is a proud father of grown boys and is your typical hillbilly. Pete brags about his son who until recently held the record for the most horsepower, 1400, in a street deisel truck. Pete is very entertaining to the kids because he sometimes acts like one himself. We have great video of Pete doing a handstand on a skateboard riding down a hill in the campground. This is the only way he can ride a skateboard and it is hysterical to watch because of his excitement. We had a great time at this campground and on the Avenue of The Giants. If you are heading up that way and want a great place to stay, try Dean Creek Resort, you might make a few new friends yourself!