well off the beathen path

Los Padres NF: Half Moon Camp 2006 Day Fire wildfire burned most of the Sespe Wilderness Piru Creek Camping Lockwood Valley, Sespe Wilderness Trailheads Late afternoon sun at uncrowded Half Moon campground   Los Padres National Forest West of Frazier Park & north of Ojai Camping - 12 camp sites on creek @ 4700' elevation vault toilet, creek, pine forest, Sespe Wilderness first come, first served camping Max Camper Length: 0 RV, motorhomes, camper trailers are not advised Access by long dirt road with creek crossings, high clearance recommended. Lockwood Ranger Station: 661-245-3731 Backpacking, car camping, fishing, hiking, horseback riding, hunting, mountain biking, off-roading. Piru Creek valley overlook on the way to Mutau Flat and Half Moon From Ojai, California take Hwy 33. Turn right (east) on Lockwood Valley. Turn right (south) on Mutau Flat Road #7N03 and continue 9 miles to the campground at junction with #7N13. From Frazier Park,...

Camping without a campfire sounds like swimming without water to some people. Half the reason to go camping is to sit around the group fire at night enjoying the gorgeous night air & good conversation. Here in California we have many fire restrictions in place, especially in Southern California. With the expanding population moving in to the state, we now have less rural lands available than ever before. Current ongoing drought conditions in much of California means tight restrictions on campfires - inside and outside of campgrounds. You are responsible for knowing the campfire restrictions in the forest you are visiting, so make sure to find out ahead of time. NFS   Late Summer to Autumn season campfire restrictions can apply to backpacking in the high country, back roads dispersed camping, and sometimes even regular campgrounds. When wildfire danger is greatest no campfires are allowed anywhere in the forest, even inside developed campgrounds. Our over-managed f...

Campground Reservations w/ Reserve America are back! just in time for summer No hurry, no worries, as you coast down the forested route to your premiere camping destination. A shady campground near an alpine lake or fishing creek is a favorite destination for many in California. Summer time is here and it seems everyone is on vacation; but alas, you have camping reservations at this perfect spot - a camp site held specifically for you. Over the past two decades Total Escape has seen numerous affiliate programs disappear, hundreds of independent lodges go out of business and recreation outfitters close shop. About 5 years ago ReserveAmerica , the nationwide campground reservation system, was acquired by Active.com. Soon after most of our campground links were null and void, so DanaMite updated them to something more relevant. Well it has taken a several years but we finally got all the new camping reservation links back up, so you can now reserve a campground through Tot...

Hidden Campsites small campgrounds, tent camping, free camping We know, we know, you want a lake to yourself and don't really wanna share a huge campground with hundreds of other folks. Picking a decent campground online is difficult enough - with the numerous managing agencies , confusing park names, long driving times, freeway routes and hefty reservation fees. Avoid reservations all together and discover travel off the beaten path. Mid week campground stays can be better than weekends, but during summertime all week long is peak season w/ maximum visitors circulating. Neighbors at camp can often mean annoyances - children, generator noise, vehicle engines, boating trailers, music and partying. Quiet time is usually 10pm to 7am, but that doesn't mean the loud garbage truck won't wake you at 6:50am. big campgrounds vs. small Big campgrounds are developed parks with more than 20 camp sites, usually found along paved roads and highways. Level tent spots, pa...

California Campsites Beach Most of the beachfront camping available on the California coast is located within developed campgrounds, usually inside State Parks, National Parks, National Forests. A few located in local county parks and regional parks, and some private RV parks too. The campgrounds listed below are camp sites located on or near the Pacific Ocean. Free camping might be found on back roads near the coast, so those options are mentioned if available. (listed from south to north) San Diego Beach Camping Orange County Beach Camping Los Angeles Beach Camping Ventura Beach Camping Santa Barbara Beach Camping Central Coast Beach Camping Big Sur Camping Monterey Bay Camping Marin Camping @ Point Reyes Sonoma Beach Camping Mendocino Beach Camping Humboldt Beach Camping Redwood Beach Camping Lost Coast - Usal Beach Campground

Tent Camping in California Car camping is also referred to as 'tent camping', where you drive to your destination and pitch a tent to sleep in. Minimal crowds w/ maximum scenery is what most seek. Peace and quiet all weekend is often the goal. Hiking trails, biking trails, horseback trails too. Few RV campers,  if any; Small campgrounds located on one-lane roads, or better yet - dirt roads! mountains • foothills • deserts • beaches • rivers • creeks • meadows • waterfalls • trailheads •  parks • forests • groves • lakes Whether you seek a developed campground: paved, level parking spot w/ toilets; or a primitive spot on a dirt road w/ creek and rock campfire ring... we have all of them listed on this web site. National Parks, National Forests, State Parks, county campgrounds, backpacking trailheads, free car camping, PG&E lake camps, 4x4 camp sites . Here at Total Escape we focus mainly on the secluded camping - off the beaten path, forested back roads camp sites...

General Store at Kennedy Meadows, on the Kern Plateau, California There are 2 different places in the Sierra Nevada mountains called Kennedy Meadows. This one photographed above is on the Kern Plateau, located in the Southern Sierra in between Dome Land Wilderness & Golden Trout Wilderness . The infamous Pacific Crest Trail (the PCT) passes through this region. Sequoia National Forest spans most of the land to the south and west of Kennedy Meadows. Inyo National Forest sits directly to the east. Monache Meadow s and Olancha Peak are to the north side kennedy meadows on the kern plateau -  High elevation Sherman's Pass Road leads uphill from the west, where the steep turn off, next to the Kern River is often gated. Way north of Kernville, CA . Shermans Pass Rd is a paved back road that closes annually for snow, so call the local ranger for up to date weather & road conditions. Access to Kennedy Meadows from the east side, Inyo County Road # J41 off of Easte...

The Sierra Nevada mountains range in elevation from 2000' - 14,494' above sea level. From rolling foothills with creek, oaks & wildflowers to tower granite peaks, alpine lakes & high country meadows of the Eastern Sierra. Imus Geographics makes a nice overview map of the Sierra Nevada mountains and this one is a hot seller on Total Escape! Over at the Total Escape map store we have an epic selection of Sierra Maps - see all Sierra Nevada Maps Eastern Sierra Map Gold Country Maps Lassen Maps Mammoth Maps Mt Whitney Maps Sequoia Maps Tahoe Maps Yosemite Maps Northern Sierra Forest Map Set Central Sierra Forest Map Set Easterm Sierra Forest Map Set Southern Sierra Forest Map Set California Sierra Wilderness Maps PCT - Pacific Crest Trail Maps  

NorCal Lakes & Reservoirs Our northern California lakes region designates recreation reservoirs and lakes north of San Francisco, Sacramento and Truckee (Interstate 80 Donner Pass) California Lakes near Interstate 5 Lake Oroville Black Butte Lake Stoney Gorge Reservoir East Park Reservoir Shasta Lake Whiskeytown Reservoir Castle Lake @ Castle Crags SP Siskiyou Lake Lake Shastina West of Interstate 5 Lake Berryessa Hennessey Lake Indian Valley Reservoir Clear Lake Lake Mendocino Lake Pillsbury Ruth Lake Lewiston Lake Trinity Lake East of Interstate 5 Lake Almanor Mountain Meadows Reservoir Butt Valley Reservoir Antelope Reservoir Lake Davis @ Portola Eagle Lake @ Susanville Lake Britton @ Burney Falls Juniper Lake @ Lassen NP Iron Gate Reservoir @ Oregon border Copco Lake @ Oregon border Tule Lake Big Sage Reservoir West Valley Reservoir Northern Sierra Lakes Lake Tahoe Donner Lake Boca Reservoir Prosser Reservoir Stamp...

The rivers and creeks are all flowing extremely well this season, as snow is still melting in the higher elevations. Some folks have lost their lives recently because of the wild water, so be VERY careful around all water sources this summer. Just got back form a week exploring Plumas County back roads in the Northern Sierra Nevada. From Donner Pass to Downieville, Susanville to Lake Almanor, Total Escape R&D camped, GPSed and photographed some great camping sites, amazing lakes and some fierce waters. Lassen National Park was still closed on the south entrance due to snow. Mill Creek (shown above) is a small river this summer. Not the clear mellow stream we are accustom to seeing. You can expect mud or snow above 7000' elevation well into late summer. And be warned many developed Campgrounds are still closed.

This is the term, the key phrase, the #1 thing campers & RVers type into search engines to find the Total Escape web site, the independent travel site of the back roads and California Wilderness. We used to be the very first listing on Google for the phrase "California Camping", ahead of the State Park system , the National Forests , the KOA's. Why ? Because I was here first, DanaMite on the world wide web, with Total Escape way back in 1996... pre-Y2K, pre-9/11. With modern web marketing, SEO and search algorithms changing we have slipped off this tip top mountain peak, but we still have a big following of outdoor enthusiasts. The web industry calls it 'organic searches' or 'grandfathered into the system'. Yippee! I have the content to prove it, now let's get this mega California A to Z database rollin' baby ! Total Escape was here before digital cameras, before hi-speed, before YouTube, before social media, before the GPS, and bef...