Benbow Airport

Economic redevelopment. The privately-owned airfield was closed and sold to be developed into a commercial RV park and campground (the Benbow KOA Journey). This was deemed a more profitable use for the prime real estate located along the Eel River and US Highway 101.

The site is now the Benbow KOA Journey campground. The transformation is complete, but the airport's legacy is clearly visible. The former runway has been paved and now serves as the main access road through the campground, officially named 'Runway Rd'. RV pads, cabins, and other campground facilities are situated along both sides of the old runway.

This was the second airfield to carry the 'Benbow Airport' name. The original airstrip, located closer to the Benbow Historic Inn, was established in the 1920s or 1930s to serve wealthy guests flying in to visit the resort. That original field was destroyed in the catastrophic Eel River flood of 1964. The airport at the US-0954 location was its replacement, built on slightly higher ground just to the north around 1965. It featured a single turf/gravel runway (approximately 2,600 feet long) and primarily handled general aviation traffic. Its main purpose was to provide fly-in access for tourists visiting the Benbow Inn and exploring California's Redwood Coast.

Zero. The site has been permanently and extensively redeveloped with significant infrastructure for the campground. Reverting the land to an airfield is economically and logistically infeasible.