• Welcome to Toad Hall

    The home of the WXToad
  • Clam Beach County Park, CA

     clambe01

    Clam Beach Park is located on US-101 just north of Arcata, CA. It's operated by Humboldt County and provides a place to camp near the beach. Not much to it, but we enjoyed it for its view of the ocean and bright sunshine.

    clambe02
    We arrived late on a Friday morning, concerned about whether it would be full for the weekend. We needn't have worried - plenty of room in the parking lot that serves as a campground. We chose site 19, for it was at the end of the row next to the handicapped space, so we'd be less likely to have neighbors close by on each side .

    Date of visit: May 2008

    clambe04
    This shows just about the entire parking lot. There are 31 parking spaces; some are for use by tenters. The spaces are pretty narrow, so your neighbors will be awfully close when it's busy here.

    clambe12
    By the next morning we had gathered a few neighbors.

    clambe07
    Not much in the way of amenities here - just a vault toilet, and there is a water faucet outside.

    clambe05
    The campground is at the northern terminus of the Hammond Trail - a hike/bike/horse trail that leads back to Arcata.

    clambe06
    From what I've read, Clam Beach is one of the very few Pacific beaches on which vehicles are allowed.

    clambe28
    The sand is lot softer than places like Daytona Beach or St Augustine Beach in Florida where cars on the beach are quite common.

    clambe10
    Sur two-night stay was well worth it in terms of entertainment! All sorts of interesting characters showed up here. one was this fellow living in an old step-van. He spent the entire afternoon cleaning it out. The best, though, was when he brought out one of those singing fish plaques and tried to figure out how to hang on the side of the van. We loved the songs it played: "Don't worry, be happy" and "Take me down to the river, throw me in the water.".

    clambe11
    This crew pulled in, much to the host's dismay. A guy and a gal in the lead truck, with another woman in the little truck to brake and steer. Her skills were marginal, as she nearly smashed into the back of the green truck when they stopped. The fellow tried some repairs to the truck, to no avail, and half an hour later, towed it out.

    clambe14
    Too bad she doesn't show up better, but this lady pulled in for a few minutes. Seemed to be well into her 70's, had a large white dog for a traveling companion, and smoked cigars! Quite the jaunty straw hat, too.

    clambe23
    This gang arrived by taxi! Four of them with huge packs and four dogs. A few days later we encountered them a little further up the road.

    Amenities

    No dump station available

    Verizon Broadband Access service

    Rates: $10 ($8 for Seniors/Veterans)

    Coord: 40.995951 N, 124.114671 W

    Activities/Nearby Attractions

    Redwood Forests

    Hike/Bike trail