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ngkellyk · 07-07-2011, 06:35 PM

thanks. our towing vehicle for the '67 caravel is a '59 Caddy. Anybody know the best site to camp at the Doran beach? I understand there were more than 100 sites. Also anybody looking to do a trip up the coast in this month or next or in the fall?

jspafford · 07-08-2011, 12:31 PM

Hi, ng,
Lynn and I will be in Humboldt State Park 7/22-24, Panther Flat Nat. Forest campground 7/25-27, and our favorite of all campgrounds, Prarie Creek State Park, 7/28 - 31, watching the moose bugle and giant redwoods sway. If you're nearby, say hi!

Airslide · 07-09-2011, 07:50 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ngkellyk

thanks. our towing vehicle for the '67 caravel is a '59 Caddy. Anybody know the best site to camp at the Doran beach? I understand there were more than 100 sites. Also anybody looking to do a trip up the coast in this month or next or in the fall?

Doran is a great place to camp but it can be hit or miss.. Usually full this time of year on weekends and you can wing it during the week. The best sites are all the way at the end of the peninsula as you are closer to the opening of the bay but all the sites nearly offer ocean or tidal bay views.. Oh and it can get windy...

Vinnie

Globie64 · 01-02-2012, 09:13 PM

What a great thread! Now I've got a list of close-in places to camp, thanks all

Road Geezer · 01-03-2012, 11:02 PM

We bought out Airstream last February and during 2011 camped 17 times. Most were weekends less than couple hundred miles of Sunnyvale where we live. Here are some of our favorites.

Near you. Calaveras Big Trees near Arnold, Spectacular sequoias, good roads. Yosemite Valley, use the Arch Rock entrance to avoid nosebleeds coming thru the high country. Upper Pines open all year, no hookups.
Three-day weekend Destinations: Casini Ranch, private w/ full hookups available, on the Russian River near Jenner. Salt Point State Park 16 mi north of Jenner on Hwy 1. Pomo RV Park, private, a few miles south of Fort Bragg on Hwy 1. Close to Mendocino, Very nice, clean, full hookups. Pinnacles Nat Monument, south of Holister, partial hookups, real condors flying around and lots of trails. Big Sur State Park, off season you can actually get reservations. Coastal scenery nearby is breathtaking. Twenty five miles further south on Hwy 1 is the ultimate coastal gem, Kirk Creek. It can be a white knuckle trip getting there but worth it. See my avatar, the pic was taken there. Half Moon Bay State Park. On the SF Peninsula, within sight of Mavericks. Flat, miles of trails, lots of sandy beaches, no hookups.
One week trip: Lassen NP, Manzanita Lake. Hat Creek 30 or so miles north, couple private camp grounds that are pretty nice. Burney Falls State Park. No hookups, but one of the most beautiful waterfalls we've ever seen in CA. Worth a visit.

Enjoy!

TerraYacht · 01-03-2012, 11:20 PM

I have not seen anything posted yet, but the West Coast AS gang usually gets together at Casini Ranch in April for a killer weekend. Keep an eye on the events listings to see what Big Dan posts for a date and then book a site quickly: we fill up fast.

Road Geezer · 01-04-2012, 11:19 PM

Here's a link to the info on Casini Ranch in April, 2012. http://www.airforums.com/forums/f288...2-a-83877.html

I called Casini this morning, their reservation system is down until early next week and they're not taking any reservations until it's back up.

Suzzeee · 01-04-2012, 11:33 PM

We love going up to Lake Berryessa .. they've ripped out all the facilities up there with the changeover to BLM but they are slowly putting them back in. Right now it's dry camping but the lake is fabulous and there's a boat launch where we camp at Berryessa Shores - they have huge spaces (you could put two trailers and vehicles easily in one of the spaces) with fire pits and picnic tables and there are porta potties and they keep the dumpsters empty... we just bring generators and it's great! I like that it's in the forest and you have some privacy from other campers.

zlee · 01-04-2012, 11:44 PM

I have fond memories of Lake Berryessa growing up. The time we had to retreat into the car to get away from the yellow jackets, the time my dad caught a seagull while he was fishing and "flew" it for quite some time before he could reel it in and release it, not to mention that we thought it was a horribly long way as kids and sometimes got carsick on the way! (As adults, we can't imagine why we thought it was such a long way away from home.)

HootMon-Frau · 01-28-2012, 01:22 AM

We've been dry camping for the last year and a half and our favorites are Butano State Park, near Pescadero, in between Santa Cruz and Half Moon Bay near the coast. Also near there is San Mateo Memorial County Park. Both these are in beautiful Redwood forests.

Another great spot just above Morgan Hill on Hiway 152 is Mt. Madonna County Park. It has full hookups as well as dry camping spots.

Jeff & Silvia
___________________
2008 16' Bambi DWR

Road Geezer · 01-29-2012, 01:01 AM

Jeff & Silvia. The Butano SP website says the max RV/trailer length is 24'. Ours is 27'. Based on your experience there, do you think a 27 would fit in any of the sites? How about the rangers, do they have tape measures :-) ?

barrettjl · 01-29-2012, 05:13 AM

We really liked Jedediah Smith Redwood State Park outside of Crescent City. The Stout Trail was amazing, and an easy walk.

No hookups.

HootMon-Frau · 01-30-2012, 10:22 AM

Our experience there has always been with friendly and accomodating rangers. Since we had one of the tiniest trailers around (T@B), length was not an issue. There are at least five or six sites around the outer circle that seem like 27 wouldn't be a problem. We preferred site 14 (for privacy) or 16 (for space). If you said you had a 24 I don't think that they would check, although the road in is pretty tight and has a couple of switchbacks which could cause concern. You definitely couldn't back your way out if yoiu couldn't make it around the turns.

Jeff
__________________
2008 16' Bambi DWR

Jeff & Silvia. The Butano SP website says the max RV/trailer length is 24'. Ours is 27'. Based on your experience there, do you think a 27 would fit in any of the sites? How about the rangers, do they have tape measures :-) ?

Road Geezer · 02-02-2012, 10:36 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by HootMon-Frau

Our experience there has always been with friendly and accomodating rangers. Since we had one of the tiniest trailers around (T@B), length was not an issue. There are at least five or six sites around the outer circle that seem like 27 wouldn't be a problem. We preferred site 14 (for privacy) or 16 (for space). If you said you had a 24 I don't think that they would check, although the road in is pretty tight and has a couple of switchbacks which could cause concern. You definitely couldn't back your way out if yoiu couldn't make it around the turns.

Jeff
__________________
2008 16' Bambi DWR

Jeff & Silvia. The Butano SP website says the max RV/trailer length is 24'. Ours is 27'. Based on your experience there, do you think a 27 would fit in any of the sites? How about the rangers, do they have tape measures :-) ?

So I took a short trip over Hwy 84 and dropped in on Butano just to check things out. It is closed until March 31, but the roads are open to walking. I ended up talking with a State workman about the 24' length limit. He wasn't aware of it and told me that he regularly camps there in his 30' RV. He said he's seen 40' RVs in the camp ground. I walked up to the campground and checked things out. The "hairpin turn" would be no problem for our 27' and many of the campsite look as if they would accommodate our AS & TV even without unhitching. It's now on our list as a local getaway.

About 7 miles further inland on Pescadero Creek Rd there's Memorial Campground, operated by San Mateo County. It's part of Pescadero Creek Park Complex that sort of surrounds Portola Redwoods State Park. It has 159 level sites compared to Butano 30 or so along with ranger station, visior center and camp store. Same beautiful redwoods and thick forest. Like Butano, the campsites are really large. Portions are open year round, and I reserved a riverfront site for next weekend. Just to get away ... They have a dump station.

Thanks for the heads up on Butano, I think I've found a new Airstream playground just outside my back door.

So if you like Butano, it's worth checking out Memorial Park.

HootMon-Frau · 02-04-2012, 10:10 PM

We definitely love Memorial County Park as well. We actually went there first, then found Butano. While Butano is quiet and sedate, Memorial is not so much. During the peak season, let's just say it's more "active". We love it all the same and camp there 2-3 times a year.

Jeff
____________________
2008 16' Airstream Bambi DWR
2007 T@B Clamshell
2006 Toyota Tacoma 4dr, V6, 2WD

CaddyGrn · 03-02-2012, 05:10 PM

We live in "real" Northern California and there are oodles of great camping places around. Earlier someone asked about camping near San Francisco. Not too much nearby, but if you can camp somewhere and find a bus/train/taxi that gets you to the city, go that way and ditch trying to park any vehicle. Cheaper to take a taxi than to pay for most parking!

If near SF I like Half Moon Bay State Beach, and further up on Hwy 1 is some wonderful country... getting a trailer through the city is tricky a bit... just don't go off on any side roads and get stuck at the top of a steep hill pulling your trailer at a stop light!

Siskiyou County is one of the northernmost counties (in the middle of the state) and we have some great camping, fishing, hunting, you can find the super duper convenient RV parks with all the perks and a cement slab to park on, or you can get a little dusty and head off into the wilderness! If anyone is interested in what there is... just ask!

Globie64 · 03-05-2012, 11:15 PM

We just camped at the KOA in Westport,
Westport Beach / N Mendocino Coast KOA | Camping in California | KOA Campgrounds
which is about 190 miles north of San Francisco on highway one. We're taking little steps toward dry camping, I wanted to be able to plug in our heater if the gas one went kaput, hence the KOA. We had seen the location for years, the campground straddles a river and is on a wonderful beach. The facilities were well kept and being March, it was pretty sleepy. Westport is very cool, one of those tiny, scenic villages along the coast that time forgot. It's about a half hour north of Fort Bragg, which has coffee and good stuff to buy to eat, the Skunk train for excursions and a most excellent used book store. A little farther south is Mendocino, for strolling and shopping and eating. Between Fort Bragg and Westport is McKerricher state park,
MacKerricher SP
the next place we'll hit, no hookups but a stunning site and hopefully open for business

CaddyGrn · 08-22-2012, 05:19 PM

If traveling Interstate 5 going towards Oregon.... just at Dunsmuir is a wonderful campground perfect for an overnight stay. Sims Campground. It is a NFS campground, but right next to the Sacramento River and only a short 1 mile from the Interstate... it is open only seasonally, winter it would be under snow.