well off the beathen path

Lake Sardine California upper sardine, lower sardine lakes One of the best camping lakes in California. Any lake near Gold Lake is prime pickens. This picturesque lake called Sardine Lake, or Sardine Lakes, is located within the Lakes Basin Recreation Area , north of Gold Country Highway 49 next to the peaks of Sierra Buttes and in between Tahoe National Forest and Plumas National Forest . A two tiered water storage in granite basin bowls, with the larger upper lake situated up above at the base of the mighty granite spires of the Sierra Buttes. Very impressive views all around the Gold Lake highway. Sardine Lake Campground , elevation 5,800' developed NFS campground near lower lake w/ fee, 29 camp sites, piped water, vault toilets. 530-862-1368 Tahoe National Forest nearest town: Sierra City California, on Historic Hwy 4. Frasier Falls, Gold Lake, Long Lake Trail, and Sierra Buttes are just a few of the area attractions. more on Sardine Lake Lake fishing,...

California has the most amazing and diverse terrain you can imagine. Ancient lava beds to dense forests, giant boulder rock outcroppings to sand dunes. Off road motorcycles, otherwise known as 'dirt bikes' can find riding trails near home or across the state, in far away locations. dirt bike routes dirt bike camping dirt bike trails Dirt biking off road trails can be found outside of nearly any urban city in California. In National Forests, on BLM lands, all across the many deserts and in a good portion of the mountains. The Sierra Nevada mountains located in the middle of the state has many high elevation OHV routes to small alpine lakes and primitive camp sites. SoCal has the winter prime-time desert warmth, Central Cal has coastal dunes, steep canyons, and rugged foothills, plus the giant Mojave desert which stretches from Joshua Tree area to Vegas. NorCal has the endless forests, solitude and rivers you seek. SoCal Off Road Areas Imperial Sand Dunes Heber Dunes ...

Camping sites in Southern California While camping in California is an amazing experience overall with thousands of picture perfect settings to pitch your tent, camping in SoCal definitely has it's limitations. The primary reasons are.... Camping in SoCal is - 1. crowded (half the population is located in the lower third of the state) 2. dry terrain (minimal rivers, dry seasonal streams, few waterfalls) 3. wildfire prone (with average rainfall of only 10") 4. costly (all developed campgrounds charge fees) 5. not secluded (with suburbia spread into foothills, busy roads nearby) With the California population nearing 40 million, you will need to do your research in order to find a good, secluded, scenic camping area. Coastal camp sites are the most popular on the list and you should seek advanced reservation w/ the State Park system. City camping is mostly RV parks and a few county parks. Beyond the neighborhoods, countryside camping in the coastal footh...

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...

SoCal Off-Road Camping Big Bear, California Big pine trees & good space at this developed camp in the San Bernardino National Forest , which is better known as Big Bear Lake , California. Green Valley Lake is about 6 miles away. Off-roading trails are nearby. Crabflats campground is best suited for off-road campers, so note - it can be busy & noisy on weekends. Not recommended for large RVs. Southern California Camping - 27 camp sites near Big Bear @ 6200' elevation fee, vault toilet, picnic tables, OHV reservations accepted Max Camper Length: 28' Dirt road access. Trailers, 5th wheel campers and motorhomes over 28' not recommended. San Bernardino National Forest Road #3N16 Big Bear Discovery Center: 909-382-2790 San Bernardino National Forest trails nearby - PCT (Pacific Crest Trail) 2W07 (Crab Creek Fishermen's Trail) 2W08 (Holcomb Crossing OHV) 2W03 (Cox Creek Trail) 3N34 (Dishpan Springs @Deep Creek) DIRECTIONS to CAMPGROUND: ...

Sequoia Camping @ Frazier Mill Mountain Home State Forest On the western slopes of the Sierra Nevada mountain range, at the base of the Western Divide (California SR 190) this campground is within Mountain Home State Forest . The unheard-of park is worth a weekend jaunt, located south of the big park, Sequoia National Park and north of Giant Sequoia National Monument & Sequoia National Forest . Frasier Mill Camp is positioned on fern-lined Bear Creek; a good size campground on a historic lumber mill site. Accessible to numerous Sequoia groves, Balch Park fishing pond, wilderness trailheads. A fork of the Tule River flows through this section of Sequoia National Forest land & there are meadows all over. Bring your mountain bike to easily explore all the dirt roads. East of Springville, CA - Sequoia Camping - 46 camp sites on creek @ 6000' elevation fee, vault toilet, piped water, hiking trailheads, creek first come, first served camping Max Camper Leng...

There are millions of people in California searching for that perfect weekend in the mountains. That secluded stream side camp with no one else around. Dense forest with mountain peaks, bluebirds, fresh air, total nature everywhere and maybe a view. Free firewood around every corner. No fees, no camp host and no camp fire restrictions. These awesome secret outdoor places do indeed exists, but they are not located in SoCal within an hours drive from your home. Nor are they located in the nearest State Park Campground. These rare finds are on the back roads of California, usually in the Sierra Nevada mountains or further north - in the vast spans known as Northern Cal. First off, you will need to drive (more than 3 hours) to reach these awesome wilderness retreats. Pack days ahead of time to make sure you are truly prepared and ready for serious back roads camping. Plan an early day departure from the city, so you can be at camp relaxing by sundown. Your goal that day is to ...

creek recreation includes fishing, hiking, kayaking, rafting, tubing, gold panning, and finding swimming holes. People love secluded lakes inside alpine mountains, well away from the city. Folks also love rivers and creeks - of all sizes. Most all of the California National Forest have recreation creeks running thru them. SoCal would be seasonal creeks - which means it often dry up annually, or goes underground. In the golden west, the desert's dryness reigns, and some smaller creeks are 'seasonal' and tend to dry up every year. The flow stops completely and you are bummed, cuz your hike isn't what you had hoped it would be. There are only a select few creeks for camping in Southern California. Drought conditions are often. Call ahead, ask the field ranger about your creek destination. The best streams & creeks are located in the higher elevation mountains. If you are seeking that hidden creek with a forest to hike or bike in, or a new fly fishing spot, you...

Mammoth Pool Reservoir Originally uploaded by danamight Dreaming of 90 degrees and sunshine? Sick of June Gloom on the coast? Will the California mountain thunderstorms last into July? Is global warming causing season shifts & more erratic weather patterns? And what are you gonna do about it?  enjoy it while you can Who wants to play on the lake? This weekend, or next? MAMMOTH, California two Mammoths in Cali? MAMMOTH POOL RESERVOIR is a virtually unknown recreation lake, way, way back there in Sierra NF; campground and boat launch ramp on a steep dirt road; located on the western slopes of the Sierra Nevada mountains, due south of Yosemite National Park. MAMMOTH LAKES, CA  this is the well known ski mountain and upscale (bankrupt) village in the Eastern Sierra, north of Bishop, CA and south of Yosemite National Park. Fishing on Lake Mary near Mammoth Lake, California

Walkway of Redding Originally uploaded by danamight My impromptu holiday road trip to NorCal was wet, very wet, to say the least. A full solid week of rain & wind, totally drenched. Camping in the mud, not so fun. Meeting locals in Redding & Willow Creek were the highlights. Pinnacles National Monument off of Hwy 101 & King City - was my first stop, where I paid a whopping $27 to camp. The most expensive overnight in a park I can ever recall. Motel 6 might have been a better choice, since the temps dipped to 26 degrees that night. Up in Redding I opted for a cheap hotel, downtown. Walked in the drizzle to find an open restaurant & Sunday night is not a big out-to-dinner night up here, so I had trouble locating a meal. Johnnie's Bar was lit up with neon, looked new & had a Santa ping pong tournament going on. I stopped in for a bite & met Larry, a local who introduced me to his whole crew. A blues/jazz band set up around 7pm & they were pretty de...

  If you are searching for maps on the mighty Sequoia region of California, we may be able to help here at Total Escape. First, decide what park or forest. There are up more than 6 'agencies' managing our Giant Sequoia Trees in the Sierra Nevada Mountains. See the list below w/ maps. Big, Old, Huge, Tall Trees : overview page for the Redwoods on the California North Coast, the Sequoia of the Sierra Nevada mountains and the oldest trees, the Ancient Bristlecone Pines over on the east side. Sierra Nevada SEQUOIA GROVES can be found in: Sequoia National Forest Sequoia National Park Kings Canyon National Park Yosemite National Park Mountain Home State Forest Calaveras Big Trees State Park Giant Sequoia National Monument SEQUOIA MAPS below: printed on polypropylene plastic, waterproof maps, tear-resistant, recyclable Sequoia National Forest Map USDA Sequoia National Park Map (NatGeo) Sequoia / Kings Canyon Map (Tom Harrison) Sierra National Forest M...