CA State Park Patrick's Point SP (Trinidad)

Mick'nSarah · Jun 6, 2016

Patrick's Point State Park

http://www.parks.ca.gov/?page_id=417

We stayed here for 2 nights, the during the second week of June. School hadn't gotten out for the summer, so there were lots of spots available. From what I hear, reservations are recommended most of the summer, as it is a very popular location. They say things pick up after 15 June.

We were camped on the Abalone Loop (it was the only loop open, other than the hiker/biker section and the tent only Penn Loop). The sites are relatively private, especially in the area we were. We stayed in spot number 44, and really liked it. I would pick that one again. I felt like we were in our own little world. That spot is very private and mostly level. The spots on the outside of the loop are going to be more private, so if you prefer that, target those spots. 45 is a great spot and has ocean views (somebody was in that one, and it is slightly less private than the spot we were in.

Our campsite

The park offers lots of different activities. There is some hiking (they say 6 miles of trails, which was more than enough for laddy, but more serious hikers might need to look outside the park for longer jaunts). We really enjoyed their Sumeg Village, which is a replica of a traditional Yurock village (built by the Yurock people), and there is a small native garden, which was interesting as well.

Off to the village

The Sweat House and other buildings in the Sumeg Village

We did the walk out to Wedding Rock and we climbed to the top. We had a good look around and watched for whales. No luck there, but we did see 2 harbor seals swimming around. We also saw lots of flowers in bloom.

Wedding Rock

Facilities were updated with flushies (as we call the flushing toilets) and showers. Showers are $0.50/5-minutes, and our showers at night were cold. We heard the showers in the morning were warm, so maybe target that.

They offer fire-side talks in the evening. We didn't make it as laddy's bed time was a little more pressing. There is also a nice visitor's center to teach you about the native people's and animals of the area. We did not find the volunteers very helpful at this location. Cordial, but not overly friendly or brimming with info (but then, I come from a place where you say hello to strangers downtown, so I might not be the best person to comment on that). Other parks we visited also excelled at this, so we had been really spoiled up to this point.

Trinidad is also very close for cell coverage, fuel, groceries, and a little looky-loo. The back road that goes directly from PP there is very rough. The freeway might be a better option for your car's sake.

Looking toward Trinidad from the lookout

We really liked it here and will go back again one day. We would recommend it.