well off the beathen path

Cold Springs Campground

2013-06-18T00:34:00.000-07:00

Mineral King Campground, Sequoia NP Cold Springs Campground, California on the East Fork of the Kaweah River closest campground to Mineral King Valley Atop the mighty canyon sits mountain passes, peaks and lakes above 10,000' elevation. A rocky alpine valley of wonder and water, granite, dark skies and a good night sleep. Black bears and hikers are everywhere, anytime. This sweet

Lily Pad Campground

2013-06-16T01:55:00.001-07:00

Lilypad Campground @ Lake Wishon ReservoirSierra National Forest, California The long journey up the mountain into the Sierra National Forest is only for the true adventure seekers. First off, get a good forest map. Second, plan several days if not a full week off of work to explore this region in depth. It is a long drive from most anywhere in California, and this spot is way, way

Picacho River Campground

2013-06-14T18:57:00.000-07:00

California Desert RV CampingColorado River Camping Picacho SRA: Picacho State Recreation Area not to be confused with Picacho Peak State Park on Arizona side of the Colorado River. This riverside Picacho Camp is also not the "Paso Picacho Campground" inside Cuyamaca Rancho State Park, in the neighboring San Diego mountains. Picacho Campground Southern California Desert Camping - 54 camp

California Wildfires 2013

2013-06-04T00:19:00.000-07:00

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

California Tent Campgrounds

2013-05-04T21:41:00.002-07:00

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!

Free Camping California

2013-05-03T00:42:00.002-07:00

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.

Bass Lake Camping

2013-04-20T20:08:00.000-07:00

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

Cabins for Rent

2013-04-18T00:51:00.000-07:00

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

Fossil Falls on Hwy 395

2013-04-11T23:28:00.000-07:00

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 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

Kern River Camping

2013-04-10T18:28:00.000-07:00

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

The ABC's of California

2013-04-09T20:44:00.000-07:00

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

Mokelumne River Canyon

2013-04-09T19:50:00.000-07:00

Mokelumne Peak is at a towering 9334' elevation in the High Sierra known as Mokelumne Wilderness. Granite scenery, high country, big water at high elevations. 105,165 acres straddles the crest of the central Sierra Nevada, within the Stanislaus, Eldorado, and Toiyabe National Forests; bordered by Highway 4 on the south and Highway 88 on the north. The Mokelumne River starts way up here

Mohave Preserve

2013-04-08T12:04:00.000-07:00

Mojave Desert / Mohave Camping Mojave, one of the largest deserts in the USA. Named after the Mohave tribe of Native Americans, it contains a number of ghost towns, the old railroad depots, and nearly 2000 plants species. The Mojave Desert is crossed by major routes - Interstate 15, Interstate 40, US Highway 395 & US Highway 95. READ MORE Right in the middle of the Mojave Desert is the

Camping without a Campfire

2013-04-07T20:18:00.000-07:00

Camping without a campfire sounds like swimming without water to some people. Half the reason to go camping is to sit around the group fire at night enjoying the gorgeous night air & good conversation. Here in California we have many fire restrictions in place, especially in Southern California. With the expanding population moving in to the state, we now have less rural lands available than

Kennedy Meadows California

2013-04-07T19:03:00.000-07:00

General Store at Kennedy Meadows, on the Kern Plateau, California There are 2 different places in the Sierra Nevada mountains called Kennedy Meadows. This one photographed above is on the Kern Plateau, located in the Southern Sierra in between Dome Land Wilderness & Golden Trout Wilderness. The infamous Pacific Crest Trail (the PCT) passes through this region. Sequoia National Forest spans

Sierra Nevada Map

2013-04-07T18:04:00.000-07:00

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

Baja Atlas - Baja Maps - Baja Almanac

2013-04-05T16:34:00.000-07:00

Called the BAJA ATLAS (6.75"x8.75") @ $19.95, this smaller one has full color ads & road maps. Some major dirt roads, hotels & general tourist info. For those real Baja adventurers wanting greater details on roads & visuals for comparison, I have scanned a page from each of these 2 top selling Baja map books - so you can see the difference. Both images are of the same coastal region just south

Camping in California

2013-04-04T22:04:00.000-07:00

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

Lake Powell Boat Rentals

2013-04-04T21:13:00.000-07:00

Boating Powell: The Couples Choice No need for a big houseboat? Try a power boat rental instead. Cheryl and Jay rented a 21 foot power boat. This was MUCH less expensive than a houseboat rental, and a much faster way to get around the lake. It allowed them to motor deep into some of the slot canyons & find private coves for overnight stays. Obviously, they gave up a lot of the luxury of the

Southern California Lakes

2013-03-28T00:28:00.000-07:00

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.

Northern California Lakes

2013-03-25T13:05:00.001-07:00

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

Secluded Camping

2013-03-24T01:35:00.000-07:00

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

South Fork Kern River

2013-03-24T00:18:00.000-07:00

The Kern River is the biggest waterway in the southern Sierra Nevada mountains. Its headwaters start near Mount Whitney and eventually make their way down the granite gorge of the Lower Kern into the citrus groves near Bakersfield, CA. The Upper Kern is the stretch of river above Lake Isabella, north of Kernville, along the paved highway leading to the Forks of the Kern. The smaller South Fork

Don't Frack California

2013-03-23T00:00:00.001-07:00

Petition to urge California to ban fracking. Don't Frack California

Free Lake Campsite

2013-03-19T19:22:00.000-07:00

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