well off the beathen path

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...

Wildfires in western states are common place each summer with the typical "wildfire season" starting in mid summer and lasting into late Autumn, or until the first significant precipitation. The less rain in winter, the drier the land. The less snow in the mountains, the less water in the rivers, creeks and reservoirs. When significant drought conditions in California meet with dry springtime chaparral, wild land fires can easily be ignited.  Campfires restrictions are tighter than usual this summer 2013, so knnow the current conditions and restrictions by contacting the nearest ranger station. Remember that campfire safety is always key. NO CAMP FIRES, what?   What a way to start the summer! as of June 3, 2013 : The lower half of California is in extreme drought conditions and backcountry fire restrictions are already in place.  This means you can only legally have a campfire inside a developed campground. Severe conditions may escalate to 'no campfires anyw...