Date: Tue, 20 Apr 2004 07:50:03 -0700
Reply-To: Jeffrey Earl <jefferrata@YAHOO.COM>
Sender: Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From: Jeffrey Earl <jefferrata@YAHOO.COM>
Subject: Camping question
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii
J-W Kim wrote:
Is there a way to camp for free without checking into
a campsite? Also, can some listees in SoCal suggest
some good family campsites? My children want to go
camping again."
J-W Kim,
Congratulations on getting your family away from the
TV and out into the real world for some fresh air. If
your kids are anything like me when I was that age,
they will grow up with fond memories of the camping
and road trips you took them on.
The posts you will find in the archives regarding
"Stealth Camping" will likely provide you some great
tips on how to sneak a night's sleep while parked in
your van on city streets, truck stops, and Wal*Mart
parking lots. That's fine if you're only trying to
catch a few winks while hurriedly bisecting the
continent, but for a more ... uh, outdoorsy
experience, there are alternatives.
We often camp in National Forests. In addition to
their developed campsites, which are usually more
rustic than a state park and cost around $8 per night,
many also invite "dispersed camping."
From the US Forest Service website:
"Back Country and Undeveloped Camping Areas
If you prefer undeveloped camping areas, most of the
forest is open for camping unless specifically
prohibited. Dispersed camping is free of charge and is
limited to 30 days per year. Your site must be at
least 1/4 mile from developed sites."
You can tent camp just about anywhere, but we often
camp in our Westy by simply following old logging
roads and trails, then pulling off and out of the way.
Needless to say, there are no facilities such as
toilets or water when dispersed camping, but there is
a lot more wildlife and natural scenery.
You can find national forests in your state here:
http://www.fs.fed.us/recreation/map/state_list.shtml#California
Also, check out the Bureau of Land Management's
website for more ideas on free camping on
federal-owned lands, some of them quite remote and
scenic.
http://www.blm.gov/nhp/index.htm
Good luck, and happy camping!
"OK, I'll leave it at that since I've already gone on
for far too long about something I don't know a whole
lot about ..."
Jeffrey Earl
1983 diesel Westfalia "Vanasazi"
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