Camping in the Redwoods!

In 1849, Louis Williams Ridenhour was a young man farming in Missouri. He, like so many others, made the overland passage to California in search of gold. He worked the gold fields near Marysville for less than a year. He was one of the lucky ones and found a small amount of the yellow metal. Not a fortune, but enough for provisions for a couple of years while he settled on this property and cleared land for a ranch. 

He was successful at ranching and eventually paid others to homestead the land, later buying those plots and adding to his own. At one time, the Ridenhour Ranch was nearly one thousand acres between Hacienda Bridge and Korbel Winery. About a third of the ranch is still in the family, including the redwood grove that is now Schoolhouse Canyon Campground.

Ridenhour Elementary School - 1950s

By 1962, this portion of the ranch, about 200 acres, had been passed down through the family four generations. John M.C. Fuller, the great Grandson of Louis Ridenhour, decided that a campground would be a good use of the redwood grove that was Schoolhouse Canyon. His life was never the same. John worked the campground for over 40 years and left his nephew Chris in charge of the camp when he passed. 

A public school for the children in the area was needed and a three-acre parcel of land was donated to the State of California for its use. Ridenhour School sat just up the hill from the campground in the current location of the Hilton CDF Fire Station. It was a one-room elementary school with two doors. Boys went in one door and the girls went in the other. 

Our First Road Sign

Schoolhouse Canyon Campground is a family campground. The park is run by the same family that has worked this land for over 150 years. We invite you to come to the park, to camp and to relax. Be our guest and become part of the family.