Are we the only people in all of So Cal who love to camp?

[funfinderlisa]

Hello - I am new here, and I was wondering...are we the only people in all of So Cal who enjoy camping? :0
I'm beginning to think so! We got our TT last June. My Husband is an experienced camper, and I loved camping as a kid, so we were really excited to hit the road and meet some fellow campers.....but everywhere we go in CA, the people we meet are visiting from another State! There must be other people out there who are camping, from So Cal? We enjoy camping at the State parks and places where we have the feel of really camping...so maybe that has something to do with us only meeting out of town folks? Just curious... 🙂

[WandaLust2]

funfinderlisa wrote:
Hello - I am new here, and I was wondering...are we the only people in all of So Cal who enjoy camping? :0
I'm beginning to think so! We got our TT last June. My Husband is an experienced camper, and I loved camping as a kid, so we were really excited to hit the road and meet some fellow campers.....but everywhere we go in CA, the people we meet are visiting from another State!

We've run into the same problem here in TN. Most of those we meet are just passing through.

There must be other people out there who are camping, from So Cal? We enjoy camping at the State parks and places where we have the feel of really camping...so maybe that has something to do with us only meeting out of town folks? Just curious... 🙂

Some places have camping clubs. You can Google or inquire at your local RV dealership. We belonged to one for awhile but they only did weekends and not always at places we cared to camp. Retired, we had hoped to camp with others for more than a weekend at a time. With our TT and at our age it was just too much work for just a weekend.

[revump]

Not according to Pismo Beach

[napadan]

Profdan and Wheelingit have great blogs about SoCal camping. Try the Santa Ynez Valley, north of Santa Barbara. Paradise Road has several campgrounds with nearby swimming holes. I grew up there, and it's beautiful. Lake Cachuma is nice, too.

[WoodGlue]

funfinderlisa wrote:
Oh my gosh, I couldn't get my Husband to leave the house on a major Holiday - like this weekend for instance. I would have LOVED to go camping, but since I'm way too scared to even attempt pulling that trailer, even though I'm a good driver, and not afraid of much when it comes to driving, that trailer scares me....so we're stuck here at home. The traffic here makes me wonder why people would even want to live here at all. I would give anything to live in Montana...Now that would be the life!

OMG, get in there girl and learn how to pull that trailer! You should know how to in case you're out somewhere and hubby dislocates or breaks his arm or is unable to drive!! You should practice at the local mall parking lot or something and then join:

SistersOnTheFly

They take the occasional trip to Montana (caravan style) to fly fish, drink wine and enjoy themselves without hubbys or children LOL

If these girls can, so can you!

WoodGlue

(You're right about living in Montana! It's beautiful!)

[funfinderlisa]

dadmomh wrote:
Neither of those names in Idyllwild sound familiar...I'd bet that Marriott sold it years ago. Trees!, lots of trees! No flat parking lot stuff for us, either. Our very BFF and his DW pay $60+ per night to park on asphalt with no hookups or MAYBE water only. This bargain gives them a VIEW of the ocean, but cannot get there from the "campground". I don't think so.

He came to visit a couple of years ago and we went to our fav CG only 45 minutes from home. We had our hybrid and when we woke up the next morning he had unzipped the bunkends and was watching the birds, enjoying the huge trees, the peace.....all for $14 a night....because we're old folks. $16 a night if you're not. We rarely pay over $25 and that's full hookups. I've been to the beach, for $60 a night, I don't need any more beach. BTW, no shade at the beach, but they do have some shrubbery looking things here and there around the sites. Nice.

What a dream to have your favorite campground only 45 minutes from home! I cannot imagine such a thing. Yes, the beach camping here is not the camping I enjoy either...there is El Capitan State Beach in Santa Barbara, and as far as I know - that campground is as good as it gets for beach camping with a few trees scattered around. Well you guys must really be Happy Campers with so much to enjoy that close to home! :C

[funfinderlisa]

profdant139 wrote:
I have to confess that although we do a lot of camping, we would do even more of it if we could quickly escape from SoCal traffic. We rarely take advantage of a three day weekend, for example, since we know we will spend three hours just getting out of town before we hit the open road. It's just not worth the hassle.

The only solution we have found is to leave the house no later than 5 am and then to return after 9 pm. Otherwise, the traffic is horrible, even on weekends.

Oh my gosh, I couldn't get my Husband to leave the house on a major Holiday - like this weekend for instance. I would have LOVED to go camping, but since I'm way too scared to even attempt pulling that trailer, even though I'm a good driver, and not afraid of much when it comes to driving, that trailer scares me....so we're stuck here at home. The traffic here makes me wonder why people would even want to live here at all. I would give anything to live in Montana...Now that would be the life!

[dadmomh]

Neither of those names in Idyllwild sound familiar...I'd bet that Marriott sold it years ago. Trees!, lots of trees! No flat parking lot stuff for us, either. Our very BFF and his DW pay $60+ per night to park on asphalt with no hookups or MAYBE water only. This bargain gives them a VIEW of the ocean, but cannot get there from the "campground". I don't think so.

He came to visit a couple of years ago and we went to our fav CG only 45 minutes from home. We had our hybrid and when we woke up the next morning he had unzipped the bunkends and was watching the birds, enjoying the huge trees, the peace.....all for $14 a night....because we're old folks. $16 a night if you're not. We rarely pay over $25 and that's full hookups. I've been to the beach, for $60 a night, I don't need any more beach. BTW, no shade at the beach, but they do have some shrubbery looking things here and there around the sites. Nice.

[profdant139]

I have to confess that although we do a lot of camping, we would do even more of it if we could quickly escape from SoCal traffic. We rarely take advantage of a three day weekend, for example, since we know we will spend three hours just getting out of town before we hit the open road. It's just not worth the hassle.

The only solution we have found is to leave the house no later than 5 am and then to return after 9 pm. Otherwise, the traffic is horrible, even on weekends.

[Highway_4x4]

Somehow i don't feel like I am camping until I have crossed at least one state line or I am somewhere I can't see another person. My TT is self contained for a reason and my truck is 4x4 so it can get there. Too bad I don't get to cam that way enough.

[funfinderlisa]

dadmomh wrote:
In SoCA the question is not "how FAR", it's "how LONG A DRIVE". Even back in the day, Friday afternoon traffic heading outbound was bumper to bumper. Then you got to do the same thing coming home Sunday afternoon.

Isn't THAT the truth. Driving through LA on the 405 is awful! And I don't know if it's as bad in other states, but people here pull out in front of the truck,from the freeway onramp, and then they proceed to drive slower than we were going which is always a fun time.:R

[funfinderlisa]

MontanaCamper wrote:
Sooo while reading all the information on Southern California on this thread..a question arose...How far do you have to drive to be able to camp? Never been there so don't know anything about it, know only what I've seen in Rockford Files as a kid...

You live in Montana....Why on Earth would you ever need to go anywhere else? :B That's funny, I used to watch Rockford Files all the time as a kid.
The really good places are all in Northern California, and that's the kind of camping I like, so I don't like a lot of places in So Cal for camping, but you can drive to Big Bear and camp if you don't mind the windy twisty road, and people madder than heck at you for holding up the traffic....we've never attempted camping there for that reason.Palomar Mountain in San Diego was beautiful and it was only a 2 hour drive, but not as steep a grade.

[funfinderlisa]

dadmomh wrote:
Born and raised SoCA and more than happy to be gone since.....a long time ago. No offense intended to those in SoCA. We used to tent camp at a gorgeous CG in Idyllwild. At that time it was owned by Marriott - they had a thought of expanding into the CG thing. There was a mix of tenters to Class A's even then. Can't remember the name, but it was huge so I would imagine it's still there. Had 3 lakes - 1 for adults only, 1 for kids only and 1 for everyone. Great fall festival. Wish I could remember the name, but maybe someone will have that info. Pretty area.

Our very best DFs still live in SoCA, even though they've seen TN, and they usually end up in a parking lot looking area at the beach for an ungodly site fee with no hookups or primitive camping at one of the dry lakes out toward Palmdale area. Neither appeals to us. You could come to TN....we have great CGs and actually visit with our neighboring campers!

No offense taken....I'm a native Californian myself, and I would move away in a heartbeat if we could. Thanks for reminding me about the Idyllwild camping....I showed my Husband Dark Canyon online awhile back, and he was worried the trailer wouldn't fit....but I have since learned that he says it won't fit when it will. There's also Stone Creek, I'm not sure if either of those are the ones you were talking about? I do not like camping in places that look or feel like a parking lot...and no Thank You to camping in Palmdale. My idea of camping is being out in the middle of the Redwood forest surrounded by nature - with full hook ups! Haha....that doesn't exist in So Cal, so I choose bird bath style - in exchange for beautiful scenery. 🙂 I would love to go camping in TN....but we'd have to fly there and tent camp because my Husband will never drive that far! 😞

[MontanaCamper]

dadmomh wrote:
In SoCA the question is not "how FAR", it's "how LONG A DRIVE". Even back in the day, Friday afternoon traffic heading outbound was bumper to bumper. Then you got to do the same thing coming home Sunday afternoon.

yeah, forgot...in Montana we gauge travel by the milage, not time...Our traffic jam could be a deer/cow in the road not wanting to move..Or just two people standing in the middle of the road talking.

[Highway_4x4]

Been in So Cal all my life, 61 yrs now. If you know where to go there is good camping all over So Cal, mostly in winer. I try to excape from the Republic of Kaliforna when I can.

[dadmomh]

In SoCA the question is not "how FAR", it's "how LONG A DRIVE". Even back in the day, Friday afternoon traffic heading outbound was bumper to bumper. Then you got to do the same thing coming home Sunday afternoon.