well off the beathen path

Yes indeed, Total Escape is alive and well - and still online! the redesign is finally here 2019 October marks the 23rd year of our presence on the world wide web. Site founder, DanaMite has been redesigning the site and making it easier to find everything - over 10,000 pages on just California. This particular overhaul has been years in the making and I needed to 'hire out' on certain skills in to accomplish it. Big thanks goes to  Jamison  who helped me get CSS headers in order and looking great, and the new navigation launched last month on Total Escape. Mobile users will be pointed to the main URL  http://www.totalescape.com/index.html Desktop users can still use the classic feel http://www.totalescape.com/classic.html Search Bar is located back on top, the Outside Blog now visually matches the rest of the site, and we have created some new sub-sections of the site, which include: DESTINATIONS - http://totalescape.com/destinations/ JOURNEY - h...

If you are searching for an alpine lake near a National Park to visit - that is driving distance from Southern California, the dual region of Kings Canyon & Sequoia National Park are easy access. These 2 popular parks are located in the southern most sections of the Sierra Nevada. Hume Lake is located in between both of these parks & offers a variety of camping options - cabins, campgrounds, primitive camping, backpacking and horse packs. Giant Sequoia groves are to the south via Highway 198, which leads down the hill to Mineral King Road & the riverside village of Three Rivers. Big Meadows Road #14S11 is a prime choice for folks who want to camp away from the National Parks, but still be within driving distance. The further back on this narrow road you drive, the better it gets. The wilderness boundary is 12 miles back, becoming dirt roads forking off in many directions. Great horse camping near a big meadow too. Buck Rock Fire Lookout is worth a hike up with s...

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...

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...

Free camp sites may seem hard to come by in Southern California - or anywhere along the ocean on the popular west coast, but these no charge camps are quite common in the rest of the golden state. The very best camps are found inside the Sierra Nevada mountains and most any forests of Northern California. Free camping usually means remote, secluded and private. Many accessible via dirt road. Creekside, lakeside, 4x4 not required. Minimal tourists, maximum privacy. USDA rangers like to call it dispersed camping . Some parks refer to it as open camping . RV campers refer to free camp sites as boon-docking . If you wish to camp overnight outside of a developed campground , then you will avoid fees and steer clear of any crowds. Many Californians crave the seclusion and privacy of the back roads, totally saturated inside real nature with the wildlife and all. Developing your self sufficient camping techniques means you will have more options and skills to choose your perfect camp ...

Camping is great here nearly year round, but campfires restrictions are often tight in dry summer months and into late fall. The Kern River draws visitors from Southern California, as well as Central Cal. It is the southern most big river of the Sierra Nevada mountain range. Located near a few big Sequoia trees, the Kern River winds thru Golden Trout Wilderness & Sequoia National Forest, dumping into Lake Isabella before heading west to the flatlands of Bako. The smaller & lesser known south fork of the Kern River is located way up top at Monache; Granite peaks, joshua trees, sage meadows & wilderness near Olancha Peak, on the very border of the North Mojave desert. Plenty cool stuff to see and do around the Lower Kern Canyon: Alta Sierra Domelands Wilderness Fairview CA Golden Trout Wilderness Kennedy Meadows Kernville CA Lake Isabella Pondersosa Remington Hot Springs Road's End Sequoia National Forest Wofford Heights CA Upper Kern is often thought ...

California is the most epic place to live for those who love the outdoors and camp often. Terrain can be extreme like the vast deserts and higher elevation mountains. Moderate elevation forest, mountains and rural regions, such as river canyons in the gold country and Northern California. Mild and mellow landscape w/ developed campgrounds along the coast and near the urban centers. The weather is always decent somewhere in the golden state. Deserts are prime areas for wintertime camping, off-roading, old mines and ghost towns, as well as early Spring wildflowers. Wine country camping , farm-stays and recreation reservoirs are abundant all around the Central Valley and areas north of San Francisco. Coastal and beach camping is the most popular and sought-after destinations, so make your reservations if you want a guarantee spot. City camping is primarily offered by State Parks, county parks, regional parks and private RV resorts. California mountains are the place to be in the...

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 ...

Brewer Lake Campsite , a photo by totalescape.com on Flickr. If you still need me to spell it out - in every photo, in every forest, at each lake, enticing descriptions - every year, year after year.... just so you can be inspired to go outside and enjoy California, I will do so repeatedly. Or you could just cruise thru the years of archives on this California Back Roads Blog . Some of my suggested destinations require a 4x4 to reach, but many do not. Maps are essential. Road trip ideas and cheap travels await. Please also visit my ancient totalescape.com web site. California LAKES LIST Eastern Sierra Lakes Lassen Lakes Sequoia Lakes Shasta Lakes Sierra Nevada Lakes Wilderness Lakes Yosemite Lakes

Winter months in California is prime desert camping time. The perfect time to plan your desert trip is November thru April. If a seasonal storm is not in the forecast, the weather is usually sunny and mild, wind is always a given & wildflowers bloom as early as February. Go enjoy the Mojave Desert , Death Valley , Anza Borrego Desert , Joshua Tree , the Lancaster Poppy Fields or the Eastern Sierra lava flows. California Desert Camping Ideas Surreal Box Canyon near Mecca, California is free camping BLM land located perfectly in between Anza Borrego Desert and Joshua Tree National Park .  This area is totally worth a hike, stretch break, or sightseeing visit, if not for an over night stay. Many superb camp spots tucked in near the cliff edges. Be prepared for late night traffic noise as semi-trucks from Interstate 10 use Box Canyon Road as a frequent through route. desert destinations Anza Borrego Desert SP Ballarat Benton Hot Springs Bodie California B...

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...