well off the beathen path

California Lake Destinations Record low lake levels at most reservoirs & lakes! The mega drought continues. Don't be disappointed on vacation: Lack of water at your lake destination may leave you mad this season. Know before you go. Check out the California Water Information page for more specific information. Reservoirs listed below are the lakes with the most water in California (as of June 2015). Number represents percent of capacity. WHISKEYTOWN LAKE West of Redding, CA 98% full  LEWISTON LAKE Trinity County, Weaverville, CA 94%  ANTELOPE LAKE Northern Sierra, Susanville, CA 99%  ENGLEBRIGHT LAKE Yuba Gold Co, Grass Valley, CA 95%  BULLARDS BAR Reservoir Gold Country, Grass Valley, CA 59%  ICE HOUSE Reservoir Gold Country, Placerville, CA 84%  UNION VALLEY Reservoir Gold Country, Placerville, CA 81%  LAKE TULLOCH Central Valley, Modesto, CA 96%  INDEPENDENCE LAKE High Sierra, Truckee, CA 95%  PYRAMID LAKE L...

Romance for Camping Couple Vacations in California Why not keep the passion alive all year long. Take solo weekends away from one another and also vacation as a couple. All local, outdoors and on a budget. Kick your creativity into high gear and plan something totally spontaneous: Get a cabin or condo on the slopes for a few days. Book a lake view suite at a small resort, read, relax and fish all day long. Walk in the forest, bring a picnic and lay out to stargaze at night. Travel locally to enhance your love life, snuggle up close to a cozy fireplace, with a good bottle of wine. Hike, bike and enjoy the outdoors. Holiday season road trips & Valentine weekend ideas Local small towns in California is what Total Escape is all about. We have only small, independent lodges , but focus more on bed & breakfast inns , camping sites and cabin rentals . Discover more, stay local, spend less and enjoy your honey pie more often. top romantic places in California Auburn A...

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,...

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...

lake in ca watershed: mountain ridge lines dividing two drainage areas; water parting; divide. the region or area drained by a river, stream, or drainage area. Many Sierra Nevada lakes are considered watersheds, due to the heavy snow pack found in this high elevation region of Cali. To name them all would be ridiculous, since most are in remote Wilderness locales - only accessible by foot or on horseback. Several rare and special ones are accessible by vehicle; 4WD might be required. Camping is sometimes primitive style, but there are a few with awesome small developed Campgrounds, usually run by the National Forest. Be very eco-conscience while visiting such areas and always practice good outdoor ethics in these extremely sensitive environments . Yep, that mean you too! COURTRIGHT COYOTE LAKE EDISON LAKE GOLD LAKE JUNIPER LAKE RED LAKE Lakes in California are often located inside or next to protected wilderness areas. The impressive Sierra Nevada wilderness with lak...

Bass Lake is a very popular outdoor recreation area in Gold Country California. Lake Camping, due mainly to the fact that it is next to Yosemite National Park 's south entrance, Hwy 41. Bass Lake has good fishing, boating, plenty campgrounds & this pine forested lake is close to the Central Valley, north of Fresno, CA. aka - Crane Valley Reservoir  Crane Valley Dam Bass Lake offers outdoor recreation: marinas, fishing, permits, public boat launches, boat rentals, kayak rentals, jet ski rentals, horseback rides, horseback and hiking trails. Residential cabins, homes and condo neighborhoods surround the lake on all sides. There are numerous Sequoia Groves tucked way back near Yosemite, behind Bass Lake in Sierra National Forest. Miles and miles of forest roads to explore will lead to secluded, primitive camp sites (free), small campgrounds, creek fishing, lake fishing and recreation, higher elevations, backpacker trailheads, hiking trails, kayaking creeks and rock cli...

Huntington Lake, Sierra National Forest Alpine Cabin Homes, Soda Springs near Donner Pass I-80 Cabins to Rent California has some amazing locations for cabin rentals. Gorgeous scenery in so many places, nearby hiking, mountain biking and fishing. Cabins in the redwoods, cabins on the coast, cabins on rivers, or in the mountains and rustic cabins in the desert. Cabin Communities in California Alta Sierra Bass Lake Ben Lomond Big Bear Big Sur Dardanelle Downieville Fawnskin Huntington Lake Gold Lake Idyllwild Julian June Lake Kernville Lake Almanor Lake Arrowhead Lake Tahoe Mount Laguna Nipton Panamint Springs Pine Mountain Pinecrest Ponderosa Shaver Lake Silver City Truckee Willow Creek  Wrightwood Rental Cabins in California North Coast Shasta/Cascade Gold Country The Sierras San Francisco Central Valley Central Coast The Deserts Los Angeles Orange County Inland Empire San Diego  

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  

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...

Lotsa mid-western transplants typing in Google "Southern California Lakes". Well campers, I hate to break it to ya, but California has mostly reservoirs. Man-made lakes & river dams to supply our cities & crops with valuable water. The few more natural lakes in Southern California - Henshaw , Hemet , Cuyamaca nearly dry up in late summer. California is a dry state, the whole west for that matter. Face it, inland San Diego is almost a desert. It's right next to Baja & Anza Borrego Desert . If you wanna see clear mountain water, with trees, maybe pine forest views & hear bluebirds... with big rivers flowing & decent fishing, then you are gonna need to drive. When the crowds at Big Bear & Arrowhead annoy you, then the plan B is obvious. Drive further. Drive north, about half way up the Golden State Freeway I #5. About 6 hours from the busy hub of SoCal. For recreation lakes, alpine lakes, real lakes in California. The Sierra Nevada mountains ...

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...

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 ...