well off the beathen path

Total Escape is turning 30 years old this Autumn (2026) and we are still here making you aware of the hidden destinations around California. Site founder, DanaMite relocated up to Lassen Forest a several years ago and has been without a real internet connection, but that could soon be changing. The website was launched on a 33k dial up modem in 1996. 56k soon gave way to real high speed DSL in downtown San Diego in 1999. We've dealt with with the numerous satellite internet companies and ISPs. Dana has moved homes different five times in the past 30 years. So much for "settling down" Looking forward to the completion of the Lassen Highway 36E   Middle-Mile RURAL INTERNET PROJECT .  Until then, it's the mobile hotspot and local WiFi locations only. Been redesigning all our old HTML pages to a new WordPress format, so you can find all of our categories more easily: OUTSIDE DESTINATONS  RECREATION LODGING JOURNEY  MAP SHOP  Amazon, by far, has been our most reliabl...

Lost Coast Camping, NorCal The USA Lumber Company ran a big wood mill on this part of the redwood coast back in the early days. This camp's name gets shortened to USAL. Usal Beach Campground near Shelter Cove, California This idyllic prime yet primitive, hard-to-reach beach campground is tucked well away from the crowds along the Pacific Coastal Hwy 1.  The region is California BLM land King Range National Conservation Area, or better known as the Lost Coast of California ... a famous stretch of wilderness coastline in between Mendocino and the Humboldt Redwoods. Dense forests and steep terrain located on the county line of Mendocino & Humboldt. Sinkyone Wilderness State Park is nearby. Usal Camp is the only place for drive-up car camping on the beach front in Northern Cal. All other developed camps in the area are located further inland (with forested surroundings), or backpacking, hike-in primitive campsites. Usal Campground on Usal Creek , has several idyllic se...

Eastern Sierra Camping - Bridgeport, CA NEW EDITION ffor 2014 -  Humboldt Toiyabe National Forest USDA recently updated most of their National Forests maps to a new plastic waterproof versions, with El Dorado being the very last of the paper maps. Front cover design takes a twist with the new retro-looking map featured here - Toiyabe's Bridgeport Ranger District . It was updated and printed in 2014   This USDA Eastern Sierra map covers places like: Mono Lake   Lee Vining   Conway Summit Bridgeport   Buckeye Hot Springs Travertine Hot Springs East Walker River Lundy Lake   Twin Lakes   Virginia Lakes  Bodie Ghost Town   Green Creek   Upper Summers Meadow Dunderberg Meadow Hoover Wilderness This rural Eastern California National Forest region is located on US Highway 395 (north of Mammoth and south of Lake Tahoe). Autumn and aspen colors are quite impressive in this area, so make plans to visit in late Se...

Ferguson Fire 2018 96,901 Acres burned 10 buildings destroyed 2 firefighter deaths Bryan Hughes Braden Varney El Portal, CA Foresta, CA Wawona, CA Yosemite West, CA Sierra National Forest Stanislaus National Forest Yosemite National Park Highway 120 Highway 140 Highway 41   Merced River     Areas affected by the wildfire: El Portal Foresta Yosemite West Eagle Peak Cedar Lodge Bull Creek Rd #2S05  Big Grizzly Mountain Forest Road #20 Forest Route #1S13 Harden Pass Rd Pilot Peak Crocker Ridge (lower) Glacier Point Road Hite's Cove Indian Flat Jerseydale  Jerseydale Campground Clarks Valley Scott Road Nutmeg Gulch Devils Gulch Sweetwater Ridge Sweetwater Creek Ferguson Ridge Wawona Road Wawona Campground El Portal Trailer Court Miller Gulch Ned Gulch Montgomery Gulch Brown Peak Pinoche Peak Kirby Peak Footman Ridge Cathewood Saddle Chinquapin Eagle Peak Buena Vista Chowchilla Mountain Iron Creek Trailhead     Areas that were under evacuation orders: ...

One great thing about Redding California is its proximity to awesome Northern California forests. Another is the big Sacramento River flowing right through the middle of town.   UPDATE: 2022 Updating this original 2007 blog post because of all the recent wildfires that have drastically affected the North State. Shasta Lake is due north & beyond that lies gigantic Mount Shasta. The Delta Fire & Hirz Fire have both burnt acres of terrain along Interstate 5 and many region may still be closed to camping and hiking. The PCT (Pacific Crest Trail) crosses this forest, north of the Shasta Lake/Reservoir. To the east is Lassen Volcanic National Park and half the park was burnt by the massive Dixie Fire. Both communities of Mineral and Mill Creek were spared and the forest is still intact. 2021 DIXIE FIRE - https://totalescape.blogspot.com/2021/12/dixie-fire-2021.html The first place you will see along Highway 299 after historic old town Shasta is Whiskeytown.  The whol...

2021 Monument Fire Panther Fire Trinity County, California 223,124 Acres burned 52 structures destroyed Lightning strike fire that lasted 3 months, until full containment  Communities & Towns near this wildfire: Big Bar, CA Big Flat Burnt Ranch, CA Cedar Flat Coffee Creek Del Loma Hawkins Bar Hayfork, CA Helena, CA Hyampom, CA Junction City, CA Trinity Center, CA Trinity Pines Trinity Village Willow Creek, CA Highway 299 West Shasta Trinity National Forest Trinity Alps Wilderness New River Trinity River Bell Creek Bear Creek Bidden Creek Big Bar Creek Buckhorn Creek Canadian Creek Cedar Flat Creek Conner Creek Don Juan Creek Donaldson Creek Dutch Creek Dyer Creek Eagle Creek Farmer Ridge French Creek Hayfork Creek Hayshed Creek Italian Creek Jud Creek Love Letter Springs Maple Creek Mill Creek Miller Creek Miners Creek Packers Creek Panther Creek Price Creek Rowdy Bar Creek Rusch Creek Sailor Bar Creek Sandy Bar Creek Smoky Camp Creek Stetson Creek Swede Creek Tu...

Whaleback Fire 2018 18,703 Acres burned Lassen County, California Eagle Lake (westside) Spaulding, CA Along the road to Spaulding Eagle Lake Road 201 (also known as Road A1) Lake View Drive (to Spaulding) Lassen National Forest Rain showers at Eagle Lake in 2011 Whaleback Mountain Brockman Flat Lava Beds Lava & Western shore of Eagle Lake, CA Campgrounds affected by this wildfire: Pine Ridge Campground Prison Spring Campground Forest Routes affected by this wildfire: Forest Rte #32N02 Eagle Lake Road 201 (Road A1) Road A1 (aka 201) Eagle Lake Rd https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Whaleback_Fire