Leaving Big Bear Lake soon.... suggestions where next?

[JBBeaubeaux]

We just started our new life as full-time Airstreamers (I retired July 1st) with our first stop leaving San Diego being the wonderful mountain community of Big Bear Lake. We plan to stay a week or two, but have no plans where to go next.

Our idea is not to travel more than 100 to 200 miles between camp stays, so does anyone have any suggestions of a great place to go next this time of year that is within a couple hundred miles ?

[Hittenstiehl]

Jbb that really is a loaded but vague question.

Take a map and draw a 100 mile circle, what looks fun inside there. Or pick an end destination and see how many 100 mile trips it takes to get there. Are you needing to be home at a designated time, maybe a loop trip. How far can you go on just state highways. Are you looking for cool temps. Do you needs hookups or boondocking.

Have fun however this trip pans out, happy retirement.

[Hittenstiehl]

Looking at the map maybe north on 395. Keeps you tucked next to the mountains on the less populated side. Lots of forests possibilities, some little towns.

[KJRitchie]

200 miles to Santa Barbara or to Lone Pine from Big Bear. Since you lived in San Diego maybe the mountains are more to your liking vs the beach. Pretty hot all over the interior southern California right now, even Lone Pine is 101F.

Kelvin

[SouthForkAS]

Do you want warm/hot?
Or cool and breezy?
This is tourist season in SoCal- so expect full campgrounds and sky high motel rates.

For warm and hot, you have Joshua Tree and Anza Barrego to the East and south. I just came from going 395 north (Death Valley to Yosemite) and didn't see anywhere I'd want to park from SBC to Lone Pine/Bishop that wasn't already crowded, especially further north, like June Lake and Mammoth Mountain area - even Yosemite packed to the rafters- but you could Google "bishop camping" and see a bunch of spots that appears to be in the mountains. Anything over 5k' feet should be relatively cool

Cool and Breezy- in CA today, ya gotta hug the coast (its almost 90 here at Big Bear Lake right now)- semi wild at Leo Carillo (West of Malibu) or on tarmac at Doheny state park (on the beach behind LAX- if you can stand the jets taking off) with a private park in between, or totally wild 100 feet from the water at Thornhill Broome- (only noise is the waves, PCH traffic, kids and dogs) but check websites for availability- theses spots are few and stupidly popular.

Or stay on the mountain 'til it cools off. Green Valley Lake is mellow (but booked solid mostly. And a campground by Lake Arrowhead (next to the hospital- strangely convenient...)

There's other "off the beaten path" stuff in Holcomb Valley off 3N14- Crab Flats, Pine Flats, Hannah Flats (probably crowded), enter thru Fawnskin-
all these suggestions are mostly primitive (except Doheny), some have dump stations (but I don't remember. sorry)

I prefer cool so I'd head to the beach :-) There's even a heat advisory in Malibu but that's a mile or so up into the Santa Monica mountains (the difference is night and day).
Hope this helps.
Happy camping :-)

[kdickinson]

just stay there and keep drinking those cool smooth raspberry shakes! Great area. We stopped at Dinosaur Ntl park on the way there (from the Colorado Springs area) and once you are there you can get all sorts of places in your 100-200 mile radius. Maybe do mountains for the next 12 weeks when it starts getting to seriously cold at night and then start to head south for the winter?

[CruizinDux]

you're kinda limited with the 100 max range, but up 101 to Santa Barbara area, (El Capitan Canyon, and a few other SP's) just N of Goleta. For the next 100 leg, Jalama Beach, a remote SB county park. In A curvy road in from Lompoc but worth it. We parked next to a S I-28 and there webe bigger rigs than that there. It is tucked in next to Vandenberg AFB, with killer burgers at the generalstore/burger shack. Next day...Pismo...Morro Bay, then either up hw1 to Big Sur...or continue on 101 a taste some wine in the greater Paso Robles area.

[lindaebrewer]

Originally Posted by CruizinDux

you're kinda limited with the 100 max range, but up 101 to Santa Barbara area, (El Capitan Canyon, and a few other SP's) just N of Goleta. For the next 100 leg, Jalama Beach, a remote SB county park. In A curvy road in from Lompoc but worth it. We parked next to a S I-28 and there webe bigger rigs than that there. It is tucked in next to Vandenberg AFB, with killer burgers at the generalstore/burger shack. Next day...Pismo...Morro Bay, then either up hw1 to Big Sur...or continue on 101 a taste some wine in the greater Paso Robles area.

Absolutely work your way north along the coast.

[Jerry Ski]

Drop down the back side of Big Bear Lake, be careful there's three very tight turns on hwy 18, but my 35' Excella makes them. And head up Hwy 395, lot's of great places to stop and visit. Then on to Tagoa Pass !

Enjoy!!!