The national park proper has five small campgrounds. Four of the walk-in (more like backpack-in) camps are free -- Little Bald Hills, Nickel Creek, Flint Ridge, and Butler Creek. Only one (the Redwood Creek Gravel Bar) requires a permit from the visitor center in advance.
Most car campsites are in the Prairie Creek and Jedediah Smith state parks, entirely inside the national park. Prairie Creek has two campgrounds, at Elk Prairie and Gold Bluffs Beach. Sites are $15 per night and can be reserved via ReserveAmerica (tel. 800/444-7275; www.reserveamerica.com). It helps to know which campground and, if possible, which site you would like.
You'll find a number of bed-and-breakfasts and funky roadside motels in the surrounding communities of Crescent City, Orick, and Klamath. The Crescent City/Del Norte Chamber of Commerce (tel. 800/343-8300) can probably steer you toward the proper match.
