Offering essential details on facilities, reservations, fees, and more, as well as accurate, easy-to-read maps, Best Tent Camping: Southern California presents 50 of the region's best campgrounds for car campers.

Charles Patterson, a Southern California native, daydreams about his next outdoor adventure every time he finds himself indoors, bound by some professional or otherwise mundane obligation. Naturally, he relishes the opportunity to explore further, pushing himself to greater lengths than most would tolerate. Writing Mountain Bike! Los Angeles County: A Wide-Grin Ride Guide forced Charles to spend many hours in the sticks, often alone, occasionally pondering the size of local mountain lion populations. It was a true adventure, and getting to write about it afterward and share his love for the outdoors was a blessing. Revising Best Tent Camping: Southern California is a natural progression because Charles's banged-up body certainly can't tolerate two-wheeled pursuits forever, and tent camping is an activity he'll still be able to enjoy after his first walker, cane, or wheelchair purchase.

Southern California Campground Locator Map

Map Legend

Preface

Best Campgrounds

Introduction

The Coast

• Catalina Island: Two Harbors Campground


• El Capitán State Beach Campground


• Fremont Peak State Park Campgrounds


• Kirk Creek and Plaskett Creek Campgrounds


• La Jolla Valley Hike-In Campground


• Leo Carrillo State Park Campground


• Malibu Creek State Park Campground


• Montaña de Oro State Park: Islay Creek Campground


• Pinnacles Campground


• Point Mugu State Park: Sycamore Canyon Campground


• Point Mugu State Park: Thornhill Broome Campground


• Reyes Creek Campground


• Topanga State Park: Musch Trail Camp

The Desert

• Anza-Borrego Desert State Park: Arroyo Salado Primitive Campground


• Anza-Borrego Desert State Park: Blair Valley Primitive Campground


• Joshua Tree National Park: White Tank Campground


• Mid Hills Campground


• Red Rock Canyon State Park: Ricardo Campground


• Saddleback Butte State Park Campground


• Vallecito County Park Campground

The Northern Sierras

• Atwell Mill Campground


• Buckeye Campground


• Cold Springs Campground


• Dorst Creek Campground


• East Fork Campground


• Fairview Campground


• Four Jeffrey and Sabrina Campgrounds


• Horse Meadow Campground


• Kern Plateau Dispersed Camping Area


• Lower Peppermint Campground


• Minaret Falls Campground


• Moraine Campground


• Princess Campground


• Quaking Aspen Campground


• Rancheria Campground


• Redwood Meadow Campground


• Saddlebag Lake Campground


• Tillie Creek Campground


• Trapper Springs Campground


• Trumbull Lake Campground


• Twin Lakes Campground


• Vermillion Campground


• White Wolf Campground

The Southern Sierras

• Dark Canyon Campground


• Flat Campground


• Heart Bar Campground


• Laguna Campground


• Marion Mountain Campground


• Palomar Mountain State Park: Doane Valley Campground


• William Heise County Park Campground

Appendix A: Camping Equipment Checklist

Appendix B: Suggested Reading and Reference

Appendix C: Sources of Information

Index

About the Author