Roosevelt Base Camp
121130 Highway 101
Orick, CA
On the Redwood Coast, where the elk come to you and Fern Canyon is ten miles down a dirt road.
This property is an Honorable Mention. It has been vetted and approved for our highest standards of cleanliness, safety, and operational excellence. While it is still evolving toward our full design-led designation, it is a proven, reliable anchor for any road trip. We recommend it with confidence.
About Roosevelt Base Camp
The former Palm Motel and Cafe opened on this stretch of Highway 101 in Orick in the 1950s, one of the last remaining motor lodges on this section of the redwood coast. Gregory and Carrie Hufford acquired the property and began converting it into Roosevelt Base Camp in 2022. Gregory's family has lived in Orick for three generations. Carrie texts every guest before arrival with check-in information and area recommendations calibrated to the season, then meets them at their car. The property takes its name from Theodore Roosevelt, who visited this stretch of the redwood coast on a conservation tour and for whom the Roosevelt elk are named. The same elk, the largest subspecies in North America, treat the property grounds as part of their range.
What Roosevelt Base Camp Is Known For
The Huffords built Roosevelt Base Camp on the premise that the most dramatic stretch of the California redwood coast deserved lodging worth staying in. The 4.9-star rating and consistent top ranking in Orick are the result. What Carrie does before a guest arrives, texting recommendations, sharing check-in details, meeting people at their car, is a level of personal hospitality most properties would not bother with at twice the price. It is also the reason guests come back.
Amenities
- Pets Welcome
- WiFi
- Free firewood and communal fire pit
- Blackstone griddle available for guest use
- Roasting sticks in every room for fire pit use
- Eco-friendly bamboo paper products and toiletries
- TV and Bluetooth speaker in every room
What Guests Love
- Carrie Hufford texts check-in information and local recommendations before arrival and meets every guest at their car, a level of personal welcome that sets the register for the entire stay
- Roosevelt elk are native to this stretch of coast and routinely graze on the property grounds and cross the parking lot. No arrangement required
- 4.9 stars across all review platforms, ranked first among all lodging in Orick, built entirely on consistent personal hospitality rather than managed expectations
- The Suites sleep families or groups in separate spaces with a full room setup in each, a configuration rare at this price point on the redwood coast
- The interior rooms contrast dramatically with the plain Highway 101 exterior: velvet chairs, high-end linens, and a design that was chosen, not defaulted to
Worth Knowing
- The exterior reads as a plain roadside motel from Highway 101. First-time guests are consistently surprised by the interior. The renovation is ongoing and exterior curb appeal is improving
- Breakfast is not included. A convenience store is directly across the street. Arcata, about 45 minutes south, is the nearest town with full grocery and restaurant options
- Cell service is unreliable on the Redwood Coast. The property has WiFi, but download offline maps before leaving your last major service area
- The Suites book up fast for summer weekends and holiday periods. Reserve three to four weeks ahead if your dates are flexible on configuration
- Davidson Road to Fern Canyon is unpaved and requires a high-clearance vehicle. Standard sedans may have difficulty, especially after rain. Ask Carrie about current road conditions when you arrive
- Pets are welcome. A pet fee applies; contact the property directly to confirm current amounts and any restrictions before booking.
The Room
Four configurations: Queen Suite, King Suite, and Suites that sleep families or groups in separate sleeping spaces. Every room has a private bathroom with toilet, sink, and shower. The interiors depart sharply from what the plain Highway 101 exterior suggests: plush velvet chairs, high-end linens, TV, mini-fridge, microwave, coffee maker stocked with a range of teas and coffees, toaster, and roasting sticks for the fire pit. Eco-friendly bamboo paper products and toiletries throughout. First-time guests who arrive expecting a standard roadside motel and find what's actually inside these rooms write about the gap with something close to delight.
The Grounds
The property sits directly on Highway 101 in Orick, which means elk in the backyard is not a figure of speech. Roosevelt elk routinely cross the parking lot and graze behind the motel in the evenings. A communal fire pit with free firewood is on-site, along with a Blackstone griddle available for guest use. A convenience store sits directly across the highway for supplies. Free parking is directly at each room. The surrounding landscape is old-growth redwood forest beginning less than a mile down the road, with the Pacific coast accessible about 10 miles west via Davidson Road.
The Experience
Carrie texts before you arrive. Check-in information, parking details, recommendations specific to what's accessible and worthwhile at the time of year you're visiting. She meets you at your car. This is the baseline register at which Roosevelt Base Camp operates, and it explains the gap between a plain roadside motel exterior and a 4.9-star guest satisfaction record. You arrive in a room that was designed with intention, on a property where the elk come to you. Fern Canyon is twenty minutes down a dirt road. The Tall Trees Grove requires a free permit from the national park and about forty minutes of drive time to the trailhead. Condors circle if the thermals are right. The coffee maker works well and the fire pit uses real wood.
Details
Orick, CA 95555
The Boutel designation is earned, not purchased. Boutels is editorially independent and has no financial relationship with any listed property.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does Roosevelt Base Camp have EV charging?
No, Roosevelt Base Camp does not have EV charging.
Does Roosevelt Base Camp have WiFi?
Yes, Roosevelt Base Camp has WiFi.
What is there to do near Roosevelt Base Camp?
Fern Canyon: 10 miles, about a 20 minute drive. Prairie Creek Redwoods State Park: 6 miles, about a 10 minute drive. Lady Bird Johnson Grove: 5 miles, about a 10 minute drive, or you can bike there.
How far is Roosevelt Base Camp from Fern Canyon?
10 miles, about a 20 minute drive.
How far is Roosevelt Base Camp from Prairie Creek Redwoods State Park?
6 miles, about a 10 minute drive.
How far is Roosevelt Base Camp from Lady Bird Johnson Grove?
5 miles, about a 10 minute drive, or you can bike there.
Is Roosevelt Base Camp pet friendly?
Yes. Roosevelt Base Camp welcomes pets. A pet fee applies; contact the property directly to confirm current amounts and any restrictions before booking.
Do Roosevelt elk actually come onto the property?
Yes, regularly. Roosevelt elk are native to the Redwood Coast and treat the property as part of their range. Guests find them grazing behind the motel in the evenings and crossing the parking lot at any hour. They are wild animals and should not be approached, but watching a bull elk move through the grounds at dusk is one of the defining experiences of a stay here.
How far is Roosevelt Base Camp from Fern Canyon?
Fern Canyon is about 10 miles from the property, accessed via Davidson Road from Orick. The last several miles are unpaved and require a high-clearance vehicle or can be impassable for standard cars, especially after rain. The canyon itself is a 30-foot-deep gorge carpeted entirely in five-finger ferns along both walls, one of the most photographed spots on the entire redwood coast.
How far is Roosevelt Base Camp from Prairie Creek Redwoods State Park?
Prairie Creek Redwoods State Park begins about 6 miles south of the property via Highway 101 and the Newton B. Drury Scenic Parkway. The park has 75 miles of trails through old-growth coast redwood forest and is home to a large resident elk herd at the Elk Prairie meadow near the visitor center.
Does Roosevelt Base Camp include breakfast?
No. Breakfast is not included. A convenience store is located directly across Highway 101. The nearest full grocery and restaurant options are in Arcata, about 45 minutes south on Highway 101.
What room types does Roosevelt Base Camp offer?
Four configurations are available: a Queen Suite, a King Suite, and Suites that sleep families or groups across separate sleeping spaces. Every room has a private bathroom with toilet, sink, and shower, along with a mini-fridge, microwave, coffee maker, toaster, TV, and roasting sticks for the fire pit.
Does Roosevelt Base Camp have a pool?
Roosevelt Base Camp does not have a pool. The property has a communal fire pit area.
Is parking available at Roosevelt Base Camp?
Yes. Free on-site parking is available at Roosevelt Base Camp.
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Things to Do Near Redwood Coast
Fern Canyon
10 miles, about a 20 minute drive.
A half-mile loop through a 30-foot-deep gorge carpeted entirely in five-finger ferns, 10 miles west of the property via Davidson Road. The canyon was a filming location for Jurassic Park: The Lost World and remains one of the most distinctive landscapes on the redwood coast. Access requires a high-clearance vehicle on the final unpaved section of Davidson Road, which can be impassable for standard cars after rain.
Prairie Creek Redwoods State Park
6 miles, about a 10 minute drive.
Old-growth coast redwood forest with 75 miles of trails begins 6 miles south of the property via the Newton B. Drury Scenic Parkway. The Elk Prairie meadow near the visitor center is home to a large resident Roosevelt elk herd, a different herd from the animals that visit the Basecamp, and accessible trail systems cross through redwood groves that see far fewer visitors than the parks further north.
Lady Bird Johnson Grove
5 miles, about a 10 minute drive, or you can bike there.
An accessible 1.4-mile loop trail through a ridge-top old-growth redwood grove 5 miles east of the property on Bald Hills Road, dedicated by President Nixon in 1969 at the same ceremony that established Redwood National Park. The grove sits above the coastal fog line and is often clear and sunny when the coast below is socked in. One of the most rewarding short hikes accessible from Orick.