Reviews

Michella Hatherill

The campground is beautiful but the camp host was a complete nightmare. I don’t recommend doing the first come first serve camping even though the website directs you to, because the host doesn’t update the reservation signs on time and then will kick you out due to it. We had looked up the campground on line ahead of time and thoroughly read through their first come first serve policy. We were nervous about getting a spot so we were there at 10 am. The directions are: Step 1.Check the reservation signs Step 2. Find a site that doesn’t have reservations for that day. Step 3. Pay for the site in cash, fill out the envelope, hang the pass in your vehicle. We did everything exactly how it said. I even called a friend who had been camping there for decades to double check the instructions. The camp host sign said “camp host is off duty” so there was no one on sight to check in with. We stayed at our site until 12:30 setting up and playing cards. Then we left to the river to swim. When we came back at 5 with two wet, hungry kids to cook dinner, someone else was in our campsite. They were very nice and I realized they must have double booked our site. That was a bummer but not that big of a deal. I could have just gone to a different site. The other guest wasn’t mad, I wasn’t mad, it was a simple mistake. The issue was that I had dropped my 12 year old daughter off at the bathroom that was only a few sites down but the road was a one direction road so I had driven the loop around and she showed up at the site before me and was sent away so I had to go find her before I could more my stuff. She had panicked when the host tried to lecture her and she ran off to find me. There was no phone reception so I had to go find her. Once I had my daughter I came back and we started packing up. The female host came and was very aggressive towards us. I explained that we followed all the steps and the reservation sign clearly was for yesterday and not today. The male host asked her if she had updated the reservation sign. She said “yes I did it at 10am.” But we had got there at 10:30 and it wasn’t updated. We were there until 12:30 and it still wasn’t updated. It was clearly her fault but she was yelling at us. I raised my voice and told her to stop speaking to us with so much disrespect. I said we were leaving and there was no need for her to yell at us. Then my daughter and I went back to packing. The host had moved all of our stuff and put our clothes in the dirt. The guests who had also books the site kept apologizing to us. They were very sweet and I told them it was ok and not their fault. When we were done packing up the ranger came. I explained the situation and he asked if he could find us another site. He said there were plenty. I thanked him but my kids had already been traumatized and I had to get them home. The ranger had the right response, this wasn’t an emergency or a crime like the Host was making it out to be, it was a simple misunderstanding. Oh and there was no way for them to reimburse me because my payment was in a lock box and it was after 5 on a Friday. So my conclusion and advice to campers is 1. I hope they don’t keep that host and 2. If you are camping do not do the first come first served option even though the website tells you to. We were lucky to only live 2 hours from home but if you traveled further and then was treated like this it could be a real emergency and leave you scrambling to find a place to stay.

Thom Mahoney

It’s nice and well cared for by the camp hosts but the road noise ruins it. It’s not in the old growth redwood trees either so doesn’t quite hit the mark for camping in this area. Sites feel a bit close together as well.

Melissa Aleman

The cleanest campground we’ve stayed in. Sites are fairly private. You can hear the rushing river always. There’s a great cafe down the road.

Britt Riggs

Clean Campgrounds, welll kept sites with fire ring. Clean bathrooms with showers. Self pay at front of Campgrounds that honored national parks disable pass with half off camping fee. Camp host was present but non intrusive.

Plyply

Great campground with decent space between campers. Has restrooms and showers in two locations, with the showers being coin operated so bring some quarters.

Dima Tsoy

Fantastic base camp for Six Rivers adventures! We stayed at Panther Flat and it exceeded expectations! At just $15/night, this hidden gem offers incredible value with clean flush toilets and hot coin-operated showers (50¢ for 3 minutes—rare for Forest Service!). Our spacious site (#16) was surrounded by towering Douglas firs with privacy from lush huckleberry bushes between campsites. The short 3-minute walk to Smith River's crystal-clear swimming holes was perfect for cooling off after exploring nearby redwood groves. Highway 199 creates some road noise, but the pristine river access and proximity to Redwood National Park make it worthwhile. Camp host kept facilities immaculate. Note: book through Recreation.gov for summer; first-come first-served off-season.

Karina

One of the cleanest campgrounds I've stayed in. I still had cell service but my boyfriend didn't. Nice large sites and parking spots. There was a standing dead tree with bring green marking. I reported it to the host and the FS showed up and removed the flagging. Said it was a "watch tree" and not a remove tree. It was in striking distance of 2 tent pads and 2 tables.

Sarah Barker

Really beautiful campground. The whole thing is protected by a bluff so even if there is a lot of wind on the highway, the campsite itself is calm. Each site is clean and spacious but with enough foliage that you get decent privacy. And bathrooms are really nice, they have flush toilets, motion-sensor lights at night and are kept quite clean. And there is a cute creek a 5-minute walk away. Was really impressed with this one, highly recommend!

Christine Blakeney

Fabulous campground. Sites are nicely separated. If you can get a spot closest to the river, you’ll have less road noise and more sounds of the river. It even has showers but bring quarters.

Michelle R

Came here in 2024, had a lovely, lovely time. The site is clean, the showers are hot, and the location is divine. But we visited again this year and had a drastically different experience. We stayed Tues-Monday. The only day that didn't have hours, literally hours, of noise coming from a gas-powered leaf blower was Sunday. It echoed through the campground making it hard to hold a conversation. It drove us out of our campsite to seek peace elsewhere on more than one day. When it happened Wed-Fri, I thought maybe they were preparing for the weekend but it happened Saturday morning too starting at 9am. I go camping for peace and quiet of the wilderness, not endure the fluctuating roar of a 90 decibel leaf blower for hours on end. Sad to say, we won't be returning because I won't risk our much anticipated vacation being ruined by this nuisance again.

Carl Strohmeyer

Excellent, well maintained National Forest campground near the Smith River. Clean restrooms with pay shower. Some sites will accommodate an RV up to 30 feet, such as our 30' travel trailer. The current hosts worked hard at keeping the campground nice. My only minor complaint is that I wish they allowed reservations all year, as our trailer length makes planning ahead often less stressful.

Louis Hubbard

We really enjoyed our stay at Panther Flat Campground. The swimming hole on the Smith River is deep and water is very cold. Very refreshing to take a swim in. The campground itself is very clean and well taken care of. Campground has showers available and the bathrooms are well maintained. The sites have a good amount of space and are separated enough between campers that you feel like your not camping right on top of another site. Be mindful that at certain times there are fire bans in effect and this means no campfire or charcoal bbq’s. Overall I highly recommend this campground for a family vacation spot.

Sherry Jacobs

Quiet and you do not have to have a reservation. Best of all is it is right by the river. Beautiful!!

* Adams

This is a beautiful campground. There is a picnic area in the vicinity that is right next to the river. Watch out for the poison oak though because it's everywhere along the river.

Matthew Bier

Pretty nice. Parking and bathrooms (pit toilet), and easy river access. Plenty of camping sites. The kids and dogs loved it. Nice swimming holes.