OT: Camping Spots in Coastal Northern Cali

[bladeruner143]

I know that a lot of you are avid campers, so let me know of some of those secret spots you like to go to. I didn't want to go any further than Fort Brag and it would be ideal if there was either beach access or directly on the beach (which I know is hard to find). Thanks!

 

[shiveley]

Well, if you're looking to really rough it on the beach you can't beat "the lost coast"

 

[quan325i]

I like San Simien near Hearst Castle on highway 1

 

[silentscream]

http://www.mendocino.org/html/parks.html

I've camped at the Navarro Beach, it was windy, but fun. Wherever you end up, bring fire wood with you, as most places have been picked over by previous campers.

 

[JahReefster]

Van Damme State Park. 3 miles south of Mendocino.

 

[mikid]

reef camp ground

reef camp ground

north of the town of jenner at the red/white barn,lots of shade,divers everywhere,close to tide pools and great location,out of gernville................

 

[bristlew0rm]

I know this may sound really lame, but we went camping at Folsom Lake (Beals Point) last year, and it was pretty fun...

 

[d0ughb0y]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=15249060#post15249060 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by quan325i
I like San Simien near Hearst Castle on highway 1

but that place is almost impossible to get a campsite (like yosemite).
we ended up camping at ventana (the only place with campsite available and I can see why, it is way overpriced and campsites are lousy and filled with bugs. The stream they show in the picture in their website is actually a drainage canal lol) and just made the day trip to hearst castle.

I am also looking for a good campsite for later this summer.

 

[GreshamH]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=15250120#post15250120 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by d0ughb0y
but that place is almost impossible to get a campsite (like yosemite).
we ended up camping at ventana (the only place with campsite available and I can see why, it is way overpriced and campsites are lousy and filled with bugs. The stream they show in the picture in their website is actually a drainage canal lol) and just made the day trip to Hearst Castle.

I am also looking for a good campsite for later this summer.

And Hearst Castle is hardly the North Coast Central Coast by nearly everyone's definition

But don't get me wrong, if you can get a spot there it's always worth a visit

I like Salt Point area myself. The campgrounds are OK in Salt point but there are others close by that are great. Sorry, I won't post my favorite one, but if you PM me I'll tell you :lol:

http://mappery.com/map-name/Salt-Point-State-Park-Map

 

[d0ughb0y]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=15250448#post15250448 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by GreshamH
And Hearst Castle is hardly the North Coast Central Coast by nearly everyone's definition

I was merely adding to quan's suggestion of san simeon, to second the motion to not completely rule out central coast. In fact, the highlight of our big sur camping trip was the trip to san simeon. there are many reasons why central california spots are more popular than other places.

 

[bladeruner143]

Hey Grash, PM box is full buddy

 

[TAB]

what type of camping are you looking for? do you need showers? bathrooms?

 

[bladeruner143]

I'm more of the "roughing it" kind of camper. The less facilities the better. Of course on the flipside, the more activities the better as well

 

[mikid]

as for camping, anything north of sf is great,point reyes for crabing,dillins beach,jenner...............ps the chalices are doing great buy the way......just to let you know..talked to kevin at the meeting................mike:rollface:

 

[Rysam]

about 17 miles north of fort bragg is a campground named wages creek. it does have showers and stuff but the cool part is that you can camp on the sand as close to the water as you want. i had my honeymoon there and it was awesome. ft. bragg is close enough to hit the store or do something in during the day.

http://www.hikercentral.com/campgrounds/102579.html

 

[VacavilleFC3S]

lake pinecrest, or anywhere near tahoe

 

[shiveley]

Lassen, and the rest of the Trinity Alps for that matter, are pretty cool and relatively close as well.

 

[Rysam]

now there is a secret spot just above paradise that has the whole pit toilet,17 spots,a good sized mountain lake,4x4, very few people. its a pg&e campground and is really very nice. i could be killed by the locals here for divulging this info. theres no ocean though...just a nice lake.

the water is way low in the pics on this site but that's it!
http://www.camping.org/philbrook-lake-082607-17/

 

[bladeruner143]

Hey Josh, can you reserve the sites at Wages Creek or do you just show up?

 

[Jacob D]

If you're looking to pack in I can recommend a few places a little off the beaten path, PM me.

If you're not a backpacker Point Reyes and Mt. Tam offer some great tent camping that you can access by car and is close to or on the ocean. The Marin Headlands also offer camp sites that you can drive to. There is plenty of local coastline to explore, but if you're set on driving an extra couple of hours there's also a lot up north (don't forget it's colder and damper up there).