Patrick's Point is definitely a superlative among state parks. We camped here in June '08, in the
Penn Creek loop, which is tents only. The vegetation is heavy in this area- the campsites are almost carved out of the encroaching growth. We had a fantastic site that was like a wonderland for the kids. There were trees to climb, a creek running right through, and the dense understory provided plenty of hiding and "kid club" spots. Our site was mostly in the shade, but in the morning and afternoon, we could move our chairs out to the edge or in a little open space near the bathrooms and warm up or dry out from a day at the beach.
Patrick's Point State Park has plenty of activities to keep the critters (and adults) busy. Kids + beach= serious wholesome entertainment. They never seem to get enough. Agate Beach is a wonderful place. You can spend hours sifting through the rocks there. We also spent time at the tide pools, and checked out the visitor center and nearby recreated Yurok village. As with most state parks, this is not a dog-friendly place, but you can throw the ball to Fido's content at the public beach in Trinidad, just south of the park. We also unintentionally stumbled upon the Oyster Festival in Arcata, which made for an excellent afternoon of beer drinking, oyster eating, and taking in the hippy-trippy-feel-good aura of the home of Humboldt State U.
