If you could do a mini camping / road trip. New to CA (1 Viewer)

[TJDIV]

I was talking to a friend who moved out here in 94...said he and his wife did a week of driving / camping from south to north and back....

I'm thinking that would be cool...also looking for closer places to go here in the Dana Pt / OC area. Never been camping out here but usually tried to go 10 times or so a year back in FL.

Anyone have any pointers, tips, etc? I should have the Troopy by the end of April. Would still like to go before then somewhere I can drive to in the car and hike?

I like to be alone. Not much of a Mickeycrowd kind of dude.
(I'm afraid I may be asking too much having moved to CA).


Any advice would be great. TIA.

Tom

 

[calstyl2]

Joshua Tree, Angeles NF on the backside, Santa Barbara Coast, Warner Springs, Julian, Anza, Big Bear/Holcomb Valley in a month, coastal campgrounds south of you before school gets out.

 

[RAYJON]

what he said....


most of us are married with kids so the Mickey's lifestyle doesn't work, but is fun to watch...

 

[Brentbba]

Biggest problem here is that you just can't pull into ANY campground w/o a reservation made 6 months to the day BEFORE you want to camp there. It's just too damn crowded. Joshua Tree in the middle of the summer would be the obvious exception to that rule!

 

[Sno bored]

If you have never been to Yosemite you have to check it out, not really in your area but it would be a good road trip. You wouldn't be alone, it gets really crowded in the summer. If you went in April or early May it wouldn't be as bad.

 

[D'Animal]

Are you talking about Mickey Mouse or Mickey Rubicon?

I like to be alone. Not much of a Mickeycrowd kind of dude.

Tom

what he said....

most of us are married with kids so the Mickey's lifestyle doesn't work, but is fun to watch...

You could join the Central Valley Crawlers club run at Calico later this month.

 

[TJDIV]

Are you talking about Mickey Mouse or Mickey Rubicon?





You could join the Central Valley Crawlers club run at Calico later this month.

I don't like rough-neck, disrespectful characters that trigger my head-butting skillz..

And I don't like camping where others camp.


I know that for that to work for me is going to require some driving or mid week timing minimal.

I'm just interested in local input on places I can start looking into.

Thanks guys.

 

[e9999]

this is not a mini trip unless one lives up there but I find that I really like spending time up in Norcal. Much nicer nature wise than SoCal IMHO. I like green trees and rivers on mountains...

 

[D'Animal]

You could look into the San Jacinto mountain range east of you. Find Hemet on a Map and go a little further east up the mountain. There is a little town called idylwild. There are quit a few camp sites that are pretty remote up in the mountains in that area. Dark Canyon is one of them.

 

[calstyl2]

What the beagle guy said, Try Mt Toro or Santa Rosa Pk, Same for some secret quiet parts of Big Bear......

 

[mkfour]

You mentioned that you're also interested in long distance trips. Since you're new to Ca. there's nothing better than a drive up the coast (HWY 101) and back down the other side (HWY 395).

(day 1) Get onto the 101 and head north. This should put you near Pismo in the evening. You can stop/camp at Pismo Dunes for the night.

(day 2) Continue north, you may want to stop in SF or you may want to continue straight on to Napa Valley. Go for some wine tasting and rent a bed for the night. Or you can do both.

(day 3) Continue up the 101 heading towards Arcata. About 30 miles south of Arcata is the Lost Coast. This is a nice place to chill out for a day and night.

(day 4) Continue up 101 along the coast and then take the 199 up into Oregon, through Grant's Pass and down the 5 to Redding. Right as you enter Redding take HWY 299 east. Along the HWY 299 corridor, there are numerous places to camp in solitude.

(day 5) Continue east on HWY 299 and and onto HWY 139 south. Take this past Eagle Lake and to Susanville. At Susanville you can get onto HWY 395. Take HWY 395 south until you find a good spot. This would put you near Lake Tahoe.

(day 6) Continue on HWY 395 south. Check out Bridgeport, Mammoth and Bishop. You can find a good spot for the night at any of these places.

(day 7) Continue on HWY 395 South and go home.

This should be a good exploration of California. The only thing you won't be seeing is the Western Sierra, but you'll have plenty of time for that later. This will also give you a quick introduction to some places that you might want to check out again later.

 

[TJDIV]

You mentioned that you're also interested in long distance trips. Since you're new to Ca. there's nothing better than a drive up the coast (HWY 101) and back down the other side (HWY 395).

(day 1) Get onto the 101 and head north. This should put you near Pismo in the evening. You can stop/camp at Pismo Dunes for the night.

(day 2) Continue north, you may want to stop in SF or you may want to continue straight on to Napa Valley. Go for some wine tasting and rent a bed for the night. Or you can do both.

(day 3) Continue up the 101 heading towards Arcata. About 30 miles south of Arcata is the Lost Coast. This is a nice place to chill out for a day and night.

(day 4) Continue up 101 along the coast and then take the 199 up into Oregon, through Grant's Pass and down the 5 to Redding. Right as you enter Redding take HWY 299 east. Along the HWY 299 corridor, there are numerous places to camp in solitude.

(day 5) Continue east on HWY 299 and and onto HWY 139 south. Take this past Eagle Lake and to Susanville. At Susanville you can get onto HWY 395. Take HWY 395 south until you find a good spot. This would put you near Lake Tahoe.

(day 6) Continue on HWY 395 south. Check out Bridgeport, Mammoth and Bishop. You can find a good spot for the night at any of these places.

(day 7) Continue on HWY 395 South and go home.

This should be a good exploration of California. The only thing you won't be seeing is the Western Sierra, but you'll have plenty of time for that later. This will also give you a quick introduction to some places that you might want to check out again later.

Very cool.

This is what I was thinking about. My buddy's brother did this trip back in 94.
I guess I'll have to see how reliable the old Troopy'll be coming back from Bullsac.


Thanks for the post.