well off the beathen path

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 ...

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  

While it may be a bit hot to visit here during summer, I thought I would let everyone know about this awesome "stretch break" along US Hwy 395 , where the Mojave meets the Sierra Nevada. When you are on your way northbound toward Bishop, entering the lava corridor of the Eastern Sierra, look for a red cinder cone volcano on the right side of the highway. This easy to miss turn off is after Little Lake (which is the remains of a burnt hotel) & before Coso Junction. If you are driving over 55 mph, you may actually miss it. To find Fossil Falls (which is not a waterfall anymore) -- turn right off Highway 395, on to a well marked gravel road called CINDER ROAD. High clearance vehicle is not required. Follow road to the right w/ signs approx. 1 mile & you will be at a small primitive BLM campground & trailhead parking lot. Surrounded by a field of black lava chunks, the Sierra Nevada mountains to the west and Death Valley Park to the east. New picnic tables ...

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 ...

Most people moved to California for the great weather, the awesome scenery & the forward thinking culture. Or maybe you just relocated here for a job, a career or college. Either way, you are here now & all the plans you had to travel have slipped by the wayside. Computers have now taken over your daily entertainment, your life and society. NOT! No matter what your excuse is the need to be outside enveloped in nature and to explore new trails is still buried deep within you. You crave the sunshine, the fresh air, the real true connection w/ the earth. Caves & caverns of Gold Country, the High Sierra peaks, the wineries to tour.. it's all still out there. Not all the forests have burned - yet. California  A to Z In case you don't already know the back roads of California like you really wanted to, DanaMite has compiled the awesome California small town list , an ever growing compilation of all small towns & some not-so-small cities. It's the perfect...