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High Altitude Spring Expedition 

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High Altitude Spring Expedition
May 31st – June 18th, 2026 (17 nights)

Almost a year has gone by since our fantastic Fourth of July Lake Tahoe trip last summer and, it was so great, we thought it was worth repeating.  This time we planned it to be even bigger and better, although not during the 4th of July weekend.  We’ve introduced some new locations and new campgrounds and extended our stay time at Lake Tahoe.   Additionally, we shortened some of the drive time by taking Highway 395 (which we typically avoid during the summer due to high temperatures in parts) and strategically chose a couple of campgrounds which are known to be beautiful and typically “not too hot” during spring and summer.

Whitney Portal Campground (8,300’ elevation)
This campground is only about twenty minutes up Whitney Portal Road from the quaint town of Lone Pine.  But, to get here, one must drive the treacherous steep mountain road which climbs over five thousand feet from Lone Pine to the base of Mt. Whitney.  It serves as the base camp for climbers hiking Mt. Whitney (the highest mountain in the continental US at a height of over 14,000 feet).  Due to the campground’s elevation (at around 8,300 feet), it is usually about 20 to 30 degrees cooler than campgrounds surrounding Lone Pine (at about 3,000 feet elevation).  On this trip, it was in the upper 80’s when we arrived in Lone Pine and enjoyed lunch at the popular Alabama Hills Cafe, but only in the 60’s when we arrived at our campsite at Whitney Portal Campground.  This makes summer camping possible in the high desert Lone Pine area in the warmer months.  Note:  we greatly enjoyed staying in the famous Alabama Hills (free dispersed camping right outside the town of Lone Pine) on a past trip, but it’s too hot there this time of year.

The Whitney Portal area is absolutely stunning with magnificent sheer granite cliffs standing thousands of feet in all directions above the campground.  The area feels very similar to Yosemite, which is about 155 miles away by road.  The Jon Muir Trail connects the two areas via a 211 mile trail.

Whitney Portal Campground is a small USDA Forest Service campground with 43 campsites.  Lone Pine Creek runs right through the middle of the campground, which makes it nice to fall asleep to the soothing sounds of rushing water.  Most of the campsites ($34/night or $17/night with a Lifetime Senior Pass) are small, so it’s important to check the pad length when making reservations on recreation.gov. (although even on the reservation website it may be hard to tell the exact length).  We walked the campground and our favorite site (which we think will fit our Scamp 13′  and Volvo XC40 tow vehicle) is campsite #28 due to partial shade / partial sun and magnificent views of the granite mountains which loom thousands of feet above the campground.  We had campsite #17 on this trip, which is a nice shaded campsite within the pines (pad length about 28′).  There is a water spigot close by this campsite and, with the host’s permission, we connected our three water hoses to connect this spigot to the Scamp.  There are no dump stations or electrical hookups.  Verizon mobile service is poor here — we were able to get one bar (enough for texts without images).  We were able to use our Starlink Mini dish, but even this wasn’t optimal as the campground is heavily forested with pine trees.  Even still, the Starlink speeds were fast when positioned flat looking straight up.

This campground is an active bear area, so all food and scented items should be stored in the metal bear box at each campsite.  We were told it was probably ok to keep toothpaste and shampoo in our Scamp as well as items in the refrigerator.  The host told us he’s been working at this campground for the past six years and has seen car windows smashed, car doors opened, and other bear vandalism (but never a bear attacking a person).  He said the black bears here are like racoons and generally avoid direct confrontations with campers.  He did also say the bears are opportunistic and will swoop in when people aren’t watching and grab food or a backpack.  The first night we were here we were told a bear stole a climber’s backpack in the middle of the night.  The host told us the bears only come out at night here.  Currently there is a mama black bear and two cubs that like to frequent this campground during the middle of the night.  The host told us that sometimes a bear might stand on their hind legs and put its paws on the side of a camper and shake it.

Plan to take it easy on the first day or two as the campground is at high elevation (around 8,300 feet) and altitude sickness may be possible (this sickness has no correlation with fitness levels).  The campground is beautiful, nestled within the pines, and a river rushing through it:  a great place to set up chairs and/or hammocks to laze away the afternoons.

There are lots of hiking opportunities right from the campground, even if one isn’t hiking Mt. Whitney.  One of the popular hikes is the Meyson Lake Trail, with the first lake being about 5 steep miles up from the campground.  It’s a highly demanding 11.5 mile out-and-back “acclimation” hike used to prep for hiking Mt. Whitney.  The trail climbs over 4,000 feet of elevation to a stunning alpine lake, offering gorgeous Eastern Sierra views.  Campers can also take the campground hike to the Whitney Portal Store & Grill, yum!  The trail to the store/grill is steep with plenty of obstacles, so a good alternative is to walk the main road or drive up to the Whitney Portal Store & Grill (which is located right next to the Mt. Whitney trailhead).  We enjoyed a couple of meals here — 1) a breakfast which included their “World Famous” giant pancake (cake-like delicious and about 14″ in diameter), easily feeding four people, and 2)  great burgers for lunch.

Gull Lake Campground (7,600’ elevation)
We had several things to do and stops to make before checking in at the Gull Lake Campground (right on the shores of beautiful Gull Lake, near the quaint town of June Lake).  We filled our Scamp’s fresh tank before leaving Whitney Portal Campground, stopped for gas at Fort Impendence, and shopped at the well-stocked Manor Market in Bishop for more essentials.  Lastly, we stopped at the “hard-to-find but free” dump station at Convict Lake (on the left side when climbing the hill towards the campground and right before the campground starts).

Gull Lake Campground (USDA Forest Service, elevation 7,600 feet) sits next to small picturesque Gull Lake within walking distance to the little town of June Lake.  This area is aptly named “The Switzerland of California” for it’s beautiful alpine lakes, meadows and snowcapped granite peaks.  Seagulls can regularly be seen flying along the shores, thus its name.  There are 11 campsites ($32/night or $16/night with a Lifetime Senior Pass)  and a number of them are directly on the lake (our lake front favorites – #7, #9, #10, and #11) .  There are no hookups or central dump stations.  There are water spigots (painted blue).  Verizon mobile phone service was good during our stay.  We had campsite #10 which even has it’s own small boat launch!  Note — because there are only a small number of campsites here, it’s difficult to get a good one.  We were only able to reserve one adjacent to the main road, but we saw a “See Host’ sign on a great river adjacent site (#10) and we asked the host and she switched us!

There are lots of fun activities to do at the campground including hiking, paddleboarding, fishing, and boating.  There are a couple of trails here — one goes around the lake (about an hour walk) and the other trail heads into town (5 – 20 minutes).  The Gull Lake Loop is an easy, mostly flat nature trail with spectacular alpine and mountain views.  If walking into town, make sure to try some of the delicious gourmet meat and fruit pies at Pinos Pies.  Kayaks, paddleboards, and pontoon boats can be rented at the marina (47 E. Granite Avenue — short walk from the campground).

Fallen Leaf Lake Campground (6,342’ elevation)
We  stayed at this beloved “bear country” campground last year and came back to visit our friends Kat & Dave, who we met last summer at Nevada Beach Campground (and attempt to see a bear this time).  Our friends have incredible knowledge of life on the road with a travel trailer as they spend most of the year in their Airstream at campgrounds.  On this trip we were able to get a campsite (#80, $47/night or 1/2 off with a Lifetime Senior Pass) right next to theirs.  There’s a central RV dump (currently $10).  There was little to no Verizon mobile phone service at our campsite but we used our Starlink mini satellite dish (pointing straight up as trees surround our campsite) for fast internet and phone calls.  There are water spigots throughout the campground.

Fallen Leaf Lake is a beautiful small lake adjacent to South Lake Tahoe.  Our campsite is within an easy walk to the lake.  Campers can swim (cold water), stand up paddle board, kayak, and fish on Fallen Leaf Lake.  There’s a nature center close by and bald eagles are sometimes seen.  There are many bike paths that wind along Lake Tahoe’s beaches.  Having a bike is a fun way to wander through the campground and along the lake. There’s a large private campground next door, called Camp Richardson, which has a very popular ice cream shop.  Last summer a bear broke into this shop and was found behind the counter eating all of the strawberry ice cream.

Camping at Fallen Leaf Lake has at some campsites become synonymous with “almost for sure” bear encounters.  It’s common to hear campers banging pots and pans and blowing air horns to scare bears away during mealtimes.  Food is required to be in the bear box at each campsite.  We had a close encounter of the bear-kind while staying here on this trip!  The female black bear was very large and walked toward us while grazing on shrubs and berries on the outer perimeter of the campground.  We kept some distance, making sure not to startle her.  The bear looked at us calmy and continued foraging.  Currently there are no grizzly bears (AKA brown bears) in California.  However, a California senator currently wants to reintroduce them because the grizzly is on the state flag, but this would make bear encounters and camping much more dangerous, as grizzly bears are regarded as much more aggressive than black bears (and they can be much larger).  Note:  Bear types can’t be accurately identified by color, as black bears can be many colors (including brown or cinnamon like the one we saw).  The way to identify the difference between a brown and black bear is by anatomy (grizzlies have smaller ears, wider faces, and large humps on their backs).

Sugar Pine Point State Park Campground (6,229’ elevation)
About 30 minutes north of Fallen Leaf Lake, Sugar Pine Point State Park Campground is the largest state park campground in the Tahoe area.  The park has about 2 miles of coastline on Lake Tahoe’s west shore and spans 2,339 acres with a primeval forest, sandy beaches, and the historic Hellman-Ehrman Mansion.  It is located about 10 miles south of Tahoe City.  The area (then owned by the Ehrman family) hosted the cross-country ski and biathlon events for the 1960 Winter Olympics.  The legacy continues at the park as the biathlon and cross-country courses were built within the current campground area.  About 15 kilometers (about 25%) of the original 1960 Olympic Nordic trails have been restored for hiking, biking, and cross-country skiing.  The campground is one of the only California state parks in the Sierra Nevada to allow winter camping.

This is now one of our all-time favorite campgrounds.  We love it because the campground is positioned in a pristine forest on Lake Tahoe’s beautiful West Shore within easy reach to many area highlights by bike (accessible by taking the West Shore Bike Trail).  One can even ride the bike trail to Tahoe City (about 10 miles north).  There are a myriad of enjoyable hiking trails within the campground’s forest and beautiful beaches within walking distance.  There’s a free RV dump station when driving into the park.  The Verizon mobile phone reception during our visit was adequate (about 2 bars).  We had campsite #131 ($35/night) which is a good one and the park is very spread out so it doesn’t feel crowded (despite its 175 campsites).  There are water spigots throughout the campground.  We found this campground much more accessible (e.g. easier to make reservations) compared to some area local area favorites, like Nevada Beach Campground (which was recently rated by the popular RV camping website, The Dyrt, as the most difficult campground to get reservations at in the entire country!).

We took a drive north to Tahoe City (about 20 minutes by car) and spent the day checking out shops, museums, and restaurants.  Tahoe City feels like a very nice upscale village which sits right above the water.  There are a couple of malls (Cobblestone Center and Boatworks at Lake Tahoe) which have boutique shops and restaurants which are worth a visit (including a chocolate shop specializing in home made chocolates).  We had a fantastic lunch at Mountain Slice Pizzeria and Creamery, which included a crunchy thin crust pizza featuring truffles and onions, and for dessert homemade mud pie and banana chocolate chip cream.

On our last day at the campground, we toured the historic Hellman-Ehrman Mansion ($15/person at the time of our visit).  It was sold to the park by the Hellman-Ehrman family in 1965.  The family completed the building of the estate (also known as Pine Lodge) in 1903.  The Mansion is over 11,000 square feet and sits on a hill looking down on Lake Tahoe’s west shore.  This historic summer home features Craftsman architecture, extensive use of local pine, and a massive two story fireplace as well as modern indoor plumbing and electric lights.  The tour takes about 50 minutes and is very historically interesting (how American elite families vacationed in the early 1900s).

Nevada Beach Campground (6,100’ elevation)
Nevada Beach Campground was named in 2024 by the popular online camping website The Dyrt as the hardest campground at which to get a reservation in the entire country!  To learn more about how we secured a reservation, click here.

We stayed at campsite #11 ($47/night, 50% off with a Lifetime Senior Pass) for five nights.  It’s a prime campsite with a lake view and a short walk to the lake.  There is good Verizon mobile internet as well as water within the campground (threaded water spigot near the bathroom). There’s no RV dump station here, but there is one a few minutes down the road at Zephyr Cove Resort ($10).  We did notice many people using outdoor showers within the campground so as not to fill up their grey tanks.  A ranger I asked said this is OK as long as biodegradable soap / shampoo is used (since the shower water falls directly onto the ground).

This is one of the most beautiful campgrounds we’ve ever been too – the combination of striking views of Lake Tahoe with dramatic snowcapped mountains in the background and awe-inspiring trails through meadows and pine filled forests is amazing.  And, the beach is very beautiful.  Dogs are even welcome on part of the beach!  With only 54 campsites the campground never feels crowded.  Definitely bring your bike (our new rack worked out really well) as there are fantastic paved paths through wonderful pines to enjoy. Walking is fine too if you don’t ride.  You can even ride your bike or drive into town and do some shopping at The Shops at Heavenly Village.

Looking across the lake, one can usually spot the snow high up on a peak in the shape of a “T” on the mountain (Mt. Tallac).  The “T” on Mt. Tallac is a cross shaped snow formation visible in spring and summer associated with interesting folklore, particularly among the Washoe people.  The Washoe people considered Mt. Tallac sacred.  One legend says that if the snow melts out of the cross completely then a harsh winter will be coming to Lake Tahoe.  This natural phenomenon is particularly famous because it was used as the backdrop for the opening sequence of the classic TV show Bonanza (aired 1959 – 1973); the specific location where the opening sequence was filmed was Nevada Beach!

Mammoth Lakes (7,800’ elevation)
Mammoth Lakes, located seven hours north of San Diego by car, is an outdoors playground high up in the Eastern Sierra (almost 8,000 feet above sea level).  During the winter and spring, there is fantastic skiing/snowboarding at the world famous Mammoth Mountain ski area as well as opportunities for cross country skiing, snowmobiling, snowshoeing and sledding nearby.  Spring, summer, and fall allow for camping, hiking, mountain biking, fishing, horseback riding, canoeing, paddle boarding, as well as many more activities (such as leaf peeping when the leaves change colors to vibrant yellows and oranges in the fall)!  Click here to see our fall leaf peeping adventure!).

This was our second stay in town at New Shady Rest Campground (note – there is also Old Shady Rest Campground right next store).  New and Old Shady Rest campgrounds are run by the Inyo National Forest service.  The campground is right in the middle of all the great things Mammoth Lakes as to offer, so it makes for an excellent location for exploring.  There are no hookups at this campground, but there are water spigots and central dump station ($12). We reserved site #158 ($32/night, half price with a Lifetime Senior Pass) which is very spacious and at the top of a hill.  We received two bars of Verizon mobile phone service.  There is a water spigot close by and the spigots are threaded:  so, we were able to use our hoses to pump the water to our trailer, instead of having to use our dolly.

New Shady Rest Campground is within the town center of Mammoth Lakes and the 7.8 mile paved Town Loop bike path is right at the campground as well.  The Mammoth Lakes Welcome Center is walking distance and offers a lot of information on things to do (including trolley maps) as well a nice tourist shop.  We brought our mountain bikes (hitched to the back of our Scamp 13’) and enjoyed riding from the campground through town as well as on the paved Town Loop bike path.  The path leads high up above town and offers spectacular views of the Eastern Sierra (still snowcapped in mid-June).  We road our bikes to the Warming Hut restaurant one day for lunch and enjoyed some great meals!  There’s also a nice mostly flat paved trail that goes from the campground through a Jeffrey Pine forest to Shady Rest Park (about 1 mile each way).  We enjoyed walking this path every day during our stay.  The smells of the pines are wonderful.  Although we were warned about bears, we never saw any.  The last bear seen in the campground was a day before our arrival.  The black bears are mostly regarded as a nuisance in the campground by foraging for food, but are rarely aggressive towards people.

Mammoth Lakes has an excellent free trolley system which traverses all over town as well as to the lakes.  Some of the trolleys even look like the old fashioned bright red trolleys with open sides!  Each trolley route is designated with a color, so it’s important to get a map at the Mammoth Lakes Welcome Center (or view online) to determine which colored route is the right one for your destination.  Some of the trolleys even have bike racks, so you can bring your bike with you.  The trolley stop right up the street from the campground is designated #12.  We found most of the trolleys, regardless of colored route, go to The Village, where one can catch the Lake Basins trolley to the lakes.  The Village is designed like a posh European alps village and has various stores and eateries.  We had fun taking the trolley up to the lakes and hiking the Panorama Dome, which features spectacular views of the mountains, Twin Lakes, and waterfalls.  We also took the trolley to the last stop and enjoyed a picnic lunch on beautiful Horseshoe Lake.

Although we only stayed three days in Mammoth Lakes, there are so many fun things to do, that one could easily spend a couple of weeks here and not get bored.  In the late spring, there is great biking, fishing, hiking, boating, shopping, restaurants … to try.  Don’t forget about taking the shuttle to the Devils Postpile National Monument and hiking to Rainbow Falls.  And, Yosemite is less than an hour’s drive away!  We also found it very relaxing sitting in a comfortable chair at the campsite and watch the puffy white clouds pass high above the tall Jeffrey pines.  Whatever, you choose to do, make sure to get outdoors, inhale the fresh air, and wonder at the beautiful natural surrounds.  The sign at the entrance of town has it right as it says, “The mountains are calling, … John Muir”.

Big Pine Creek Campground (7,700’ elevation)
The last stop on our way home was Big Pine Creek Campground, which is accessed via a steep high mountain road with plenty of switchbacks, climbing around four thousand feet from the town of Big Pine, which sits on the desert floor of the Owens Valley.   It was 96 degrees in Big Pine when we started our ascent up the windy mountain road to the campground.  When we reached the campground the weather was in the upper 70’s and much more comfortable.

There are many similarities with this campground and Whitney Portal Campground.  Both campgrounds are located high up a mountain above towns which sit along the desert floor.  And both campgrounds are surrounded by stunning snow-topped granite mountains which are perched thousands of feet above them. Additionally, both campgrounds are small, limited space USDA Forest Service campgrounds with roaring creeks running through them.

Big Pine Creek Campground only has 30 campsites ($26/night or half off with a Lifetime Senior Pass), which are nestled along Big Pine Creek.  Like all the other campgrounds we stayed at on this trip, all food must be stored at the bear box at your campsite.  Although this is listed as an active bear area, we didn’t see any bears.  During our visit in mid-June, the creek was moderately full, flowing rapidly, with the sound of rushing water creating a relaxing atmosphere.  We had campsite #25 which is nicely shaded but very difficult to pull into (very narrow campground road and obstacles like rocks and trees on each side of the road and campsite).  Our favorite sites are #21, #22, and #24 which are situated along the creek and would all likely be able to accommodate our Scamp 13′ and Volvo XC40 tow vehicle.  Campsite #30 isn’t right next to the creek but is close and scenic.

Because there are few amenities here (only trash receptacles), make sure to bring plenty of water and dump your trailer before arriving.  Bring solar panels if your “travel trailer house batteries” don’t have plenty of capacity for a couple of days (e.g. lead acid batteries).  The water spigots at the campground are not functioning.  We made sure our Scamp 13′ had a full fresh tank before leaving Mammoth Lakes (and we also filled two 6-gallon jugs) and we dumped at Convict Lake dump station before arriving.  Bring your Starlink Mini if you want internet and mobile communications (there is no mobile carrier service here up in the mountains).  We received fast Starlink speeds at our campsite by pointing our dish straight up (in the North direction).

Next door to the campground is the private Glacier Lodge, which is a tiny store with a sometimes operating small grill and also rents cabins.  We asked about a meal during our visit and were told they ran out of food over the weekend.  They said they sometimes also have outside BBQs on the weekends.  The Glacier Lodge Trailer Park is an RV area on terraced dirt pads ($55/night) next to the lodge which have water and electricity.  Unless you need these hookups, the Big Pine Creek Campground next door is much greener with well-spaced campsites by the river (at less than half the price).

Campers here come to enjoy 1) fishing for trout from the North Fork of Big Pine Creek, which runs through the campground, 2) hiking spectacular mountain trails, and 3) relaxing by the creek on its private beaches.  We saw many families with children who seemed to also enjoy fishing at the The Trout Pond next to Glacier Lodge.  The hiking here is phenomenal as the area is a launching point for the John Muir Wilderness, which is tucked into a massive alpine bowl directly below a wall of majestic 14,000 foot snow capped peaks.  The Palisade Glacier which sets the backdrop for the campground is the largest glacier in the Sierra Nevada and the southernmost perennial glacier (the farthest south a block of land ice can exist while surviving the summer without completely melting) in North America.

The hiking route of most interest here, the North Fork Big Pine Creek Trail, is the one that goes up to Lakes 1 through 7.  These alpine lakes are collectively known as the Big Pine Lakes.  It’s an out-and-back trail which is about 14 miles round trip.  It’s rated as a challenging hike, with altitude gain of about 4,000 feet of elevation.  The lakes are famous for the turquoise blue-green waters and the trail features spectacuar alpine scenery.  Lakes 1 and 3 are directly fed by the melting waters of the Palisade Glacier.  As the glacier grinds down the mountain, it creates super-fine rock powder called “glacial flour” or “rock flour”.  This flour stays suspended in the water and scatters sunlight, producing a stunning, milky turquoise color (most intense during late summer and early fall).  Since Lake 7 receives mostly normal snowmelt and fresh rainwater it looks like a classic, clear Sierra lake (dark blue, emerald, or deep forest green depending on the sky and surrounding trees).  Allow a full day for a hike up to Lakes 1 – 3 (13 miles round trip, about 7 to 9 hours).  We didn’t have time to complete the full hike on this trip, but we plan to come back to reach the lakes!

Final Thoughts
This trip was definitely filled with unusual travel adventures and exciting times.  Being prepared through extensive planning and having the right gear made our travels flow smoothly.  Although weather can be hard to predict, scheduling this adventure in early June and picking campsite locations strategically resulted in optimum conditions (not too hot or cold).  We were able to make a direct path up Hwy 395 through the high desert, choosing high altitude locations along the way for lower temperatures (e.g. Whitney Portal Campground above Lone Pine and Big Pine Creek Campground above Big Pine).  This strategy allowed us to traverse the hot Owens Valley while staying cool (and still being in beautiful locations!).

Careful equipment choices also made things easy on this journey.  1)  The new epoxy coated magnets we substituted for the old steel ones work much better by preventing corrosion in the shower (used for holding down the shower curtains in the Scamp 13’s wet bath).  2)  Having two propane tanks allowed us to stay warm at night throughout the trip where average nightime temperatures were in the 40’s and the Scamp 13’s furnace and hot water heater kept us comfortable.  Two tanks allowed us to refill one at Lake Tahoe when it was empty while the other was in use.  And the new propane regulator we recently installed automatically switches between tanks when one runs out.  We ended up using over two full tanks of propane on this trip, which is a record for us.  3)  Although we packed rain gear (e.g. water proof rain pant shells, waterproof jackets), we never needed it (although it’s always good to be prepared; it snowed in Lake Tahoe the week before our trip started!).  4)  Having the Starlink Mini allowed us to stay connected with friends and family while also not wondering what was happening in the world news while we were in remote areas.  We maintained a balance of only using it at select times during the day so it wouldn’t distract from the adventures.   5)  Having a 100Ah lithium battery and DC-DC charger is a game changer — we can spend almost 10 days without electric hookups or solar panels and can charge the battery while driving at 30% per hour (while running our 12V refrigerator!).  This allows us to easily stay at state campgrounds (which often don’t have hookups) witihout the trouble of placing solar panels on the ground.

Being flexible allows one to make adjustments when necessary to keep the adventure going strong.  Because of some last minute scheduling changes in Lake Tahoe with our friend Bruce, who we were visiting at Nevada Beach Campground, we decided to leave after five nights (leaving us three nights to schedule somewhere else).  Having the recreation.gov app on our phone made the process easy.  There was no charge to reduce the number of days from 8 to 5 nights at Nevada Beach Campground and we got a full refund back on our credit card for the unused nights.  Using the same app, we decided to reserve a few nights in Mammoth Lakes since it was almost four hours south in the direction home and we enjoy the town.  This made the drive home easier, reducing the number of driving hours in one day.

So, everything we did in preparation for this trip made it a lot smoother and more fun.  A famous ancient philosopher (Sun Tzu) once said, “Plan for what is difficult while it is easy.”  We find this advice to be very true.

 

Disclaimer:  You will get the same great Amazon price by clicking on the links here compared to buying directly on Amazon, but by buying here you will also be supporting the continuation of this website as we get a small commission from each sale.  These are products and procedures we use for our own Scamp that we selected and developed from our own research and experiences.  However, we do not endorse any specific product and cannot guarantee that the products we use are exemplary and the procedures we use are complete, accurate, detail the correct recommended procedures, or apply to your model small travel trailer.  It’s always best to double check with your manufacturer or operation manuals to ensure you are doing everything right.

California Redwoods & Oregon Adventure

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California Redwoods & Oregon Adventure
May 31st – June 20th, 2023 (20 nights, 2,425 miles)

This was the longest trip we have taken to date in our Scamp 13′ and one filled with the most adventures!  The reason the trip was long is because the farthest destinations on this itinerary are not close to our home in San Diego (and we try not to drive more than four hours per day and like to stay at least a couple of days when exploring notable sights).  We only packed enough clothes and food for ten days (our usual trip length) and, instead, did laundry once midway through our trip (at the Laughing Alpaca Campground) and shopped for food a few times.  We really enjoyed shopping at the outdoor farmer’s markets in Oregon and were able to purchase organic produce including fresh organic duck eggs, fruits and vegetables, and local honey.  We did have one notable mechanical failure at the start of our journey which could have meant the immediate end to our travels (more on this later).  This trip also was the first test of two new systems (new marine grade SOK lithium house battery and new Victron smart lithium solar controller).  Usually we would have done a shorter trip first to test new systems just in case, but we didn’t have time.  So, there was some degree of risk on going out on a big journey without trying out these new items in the field.  Below are some of the trip highlights at each location.

Santa Barbara (Cousin Jon’s House):  Days 1-2
This was the first and last stop on our journey and always very memorable because we get to see our cousins!  Santa Barbara is about 4 hours from our home and makes for a good starting point on the way north.  We took a hike during the day (Jesusita Trail) and then went out to dinner with my cousins at Ruby’s Mexican Food.  Whenever visiting my cousins in Santa Barbara, we stay in my Cousin Jon’s driveway and are fortunate enough to be allowed to pick fresh fruit from their orchard (lemons and oranges).  This time we took a bag of lemons which gave us enough juice to make lemonade for half our trip (we made sure to bring our hand fruit juicer).  Although short, we had a great visit with my cousins.

During the drive to Santa Barbara, I was able to use the SOK lithium Bluetooth battery smart phone app to monitor the Scamp’s new lithium battery status.  This was important to get an understanding of the power draw while running our Scamp’s 12 volt option to power the refrigerator while driving.  With our Scamp’s original lead acid battery, we didn’t use the 12V option to run the refrigerator because it would drain the Scamp’s battery quickly (and we also chose not to run the refrigerator on propane while driving for safety reasons).  In turn, in the past, the refrigerator would stay off during drives – it would be cool but not cold inside since it wasn’t running.  Fortunately, the new lithium battery provides plenty of power to keep our refrigerator running using 12 volts (on this drive, using about 5 amps power draw per hour, so about 5% depletion of the 100ah battery per hour).  Because our 7-way connector was providing about 5 amps of power from the car to the trailer during driving, we arrived in Santa Barbara at 100% State of Charge (SOC).  Based on this successful test of the new lithium battery, we continued to run the 12V refrigerator throughout the trip while driving and it worked great!

Morro Bay (Morro Strand State Park):  Day 2-3
About two hours north of Santa Barbara, Morro Bay is best known for the giant rock that sticks up from the water.  Morro Rock is actually a volcanic plug formed about 23 million years ago when it exploded off the top of a volcano.  It’s been used as a navigational aid for over 300 years since it stands at around 576 feet tall.  In Spanish, “Morro” means crown shaped hill.  It’s also known as the “Gibraltar of the Pacific”.   There’s a road (causeway) that connects the rock to the mainland.  This is the first time we have visited Morro Bay when it was actually sunny.  On all our other visits, Morro Rock had been shrouded in fog.

On the drive up to Morro Bay, the SOC on the Scamp’s lithium battery ran down from 100% to 86% SOC.  We learned that there are many variables (including the tow vehicle’s battery charge) that may affect the current draw on the lithium battery while driving with the 12V refrigerator running.  On this drive, the lithium battery depleted at about 7% per hour of driving.  No worries though as this was the perfect opportunity to try out the new Victron smart lithium solar controller on our 100W solar briefcase.  And, it performed really well – providing over 6 amps per hour of energy back into the Scamp’s lithium battery under partly cloudy skies!  The Scamp’s new lithium battery was fully charged to 100% SOC within a few hours!

We had the opportunity to stay on the beach at Morro Strand State Beach Campground.  Morro Rock is visible from the campground and is a little over three miles south.  Normally, the campsites here are very difficult to reserve.  However, because our Scamp is only 13’ long, we were able to fit into the van and tent camp area (which was relatively empty).  There are water spigots in this area and good Verizon service.  The RV area down the beach has full hookups (water, electric, sewer) and was very crowded.  We had spot 001 ($35/night) and really enjoyed it.  We had a very memorable visit partly because we had a fantastic bike ride from the campground along the beautiful bike paths (some along the beach and others in wooded areas) all the way to Morro Rock (via the causeway)!  We saw seals and sea otters during the journey.  And, the bike ride took us through the charming seaside village of Morro Bay (with its quaint shops and restaurants).  It was a leisurely four hour ride which stretched into the early evening.

After sunset, we tried out a new 4K Roku stick which allows phone mirroring (our old Roku stick gave out after years of use).  So, instead of having to hook up our laptop to play downloaded movies, we were able to connect our phone wirelessly to the Scamp’s television through the quick pairing setup and play a movie from the phone to the Scamp’s TV.  The mirroring on the device works really well and makes playing movies much easier than the laptop setup.  Note:  we had previously played movies from a Samsung Galaxy S9 directly to the TV via a cable, however, once we upgraded phones (to a Samsung Galaxy A52 5G), we discovered the new phones do not support HDMI video out.  In turn, we switched to the laptop method of playing movies.  So, it’s great to be back to the phone method since some services (like Paramount Plus) only allow downloading of content to mobile devices like phones and tablets (and block downloading to laptops / pcs).  For more information on how we play movies in our Scamp, click here.

The next morning we took a long walk along the beach, almost reaching Morro Rock.  We found a lot of sand dollars along the way and the fog had returned to Morro Bay.

Oakland (Sister’s House):  Days 3-4
We made it up to my sister’s house in about 4 ½ hours (parking in her driveway for the overnight stay), just in time to have lunch on College Avenue in Berkeley.  The area is usually buzzing with activity and this visit was no different.  We went to Rockridge Market Hall, a large indoor marketplace and deli, and ordered a garbonzo salad, some cooked bbq chicken and ravioli and sat at a table on the sidewalk to enjoy the meal.  Later, we had a great dinner with family and did a nice hike the next morning with everyone before heading farther north.   Just before leaving though, the mechanism that closes the ball in the toilet valve (which separates the contents within the black holding tank from the toilet bowl and preventing odors from coming out of the black tank below) broke (leaving the valve open)!  I was later told by the toilet manufacturer, Sealand, that it is likely the spring snapped in the mechanism and needed to be replaced (specialty part that needed to be ordered).  Just two days into our twenty day trip, we were presented with an obstacle that had the potential of turning us back towards home.  Instead, we borrowed my sister’s toilet plunger, removed the stick, and used it to cover the hole when the toilet was not in use.  It turned out to be a perfect fit and worked as well as the ball valve to close off the black tank!  Crisis averted!  Phew (Not Pew!)!

Bodega Bay (Wright’s Beach State Campground, Sonoma Coast State Park):  Days 4-5
With our toilet issue controlled, we still needed to dump our tanks before our next stop at Wright’s Beach campground in Bodega Bay.  This campground doesn’t have a dump station, but its sister campground, about five miles south, offers a free dump and water filling station for those staying at Wright’s Beach campground.  After dumping, we set up our Scamp 13’ on the beach (campsite WB13, with slight view of the ocean, across from the campsites directly on the sand which weren’t available when we made our reservation) at Wright’s Beach Campground.  There are no electric or dump services here, but there are some water spigots.  The Verizon service here is poor (although there is better reception above the campground when walking the Kortum trail).  The highlight here was walking the beautiful Kortum Trail high above the campground along the bluffs.  This easy flat bluff trail offers beautiful views of Bodega Bay.

Humboldt Redwoods State Park (Burlington Campground):  Days 5-7
We reached our first stop in the California coastal redwoods (Humboldt Redwoods State Park) after a five hour drive from Bodega Bay (with a brief stop in beautiful wine-country Healdsburg to break up the trip).  Our redwoods campsite, 037Bu ($35/night), was great – very private, spacious and within beautiful old growth giant redwoods.  There is a water spigot close to the site and we had poor Verizon service (although across the street on Grove Trail there was better reception).  There’s also free WiFi (about 3Mbs download when we were there) at the Visitor’s Center.  Because the water spigot was threaded, I was able to connect two hoses together (“two hoses” trick) to fill our Scamp’s fresh tank (and avoid having to use a water jug and dolly to move the water).  The campground is located within a dense forest which results in shade throughout the day, so using solar panels to recharge our Scamp’s battery was not possible.  Fortunately, our new SOK lithium battery has the equivalent energy of roughly two equivalent lead acid batteries – so, being in the forest for a week without electrical hookups or solar power wasn’t a problem.

There are a variety of great trails in the redwoods and we walked a lot of them.  They are mostly “easy” paths which meander through beautiful redwoods.  The size of these old trees is amazing (width as well as height).  We particularly enjoyed the Drury-Chaney Loop Trail, Founder’s Grove Trail, and Hidden Springs Trail (which leads down to the Eel River).  You can watch a video we took of the area here.

Jedediah Smith Redwoods State Park:  Days 7-10
Driving about four hours farther north, we reached Jedediah Smith Redwoods State Park (about 18 miles east of Crescent City, California).  We stopped in Crescent City for gas and groceries (Wild Rivers Market, good selection of organic and healthy food) before heading inland to the campground.

The first thing we did when driving into the campground was use the free Dump and water fill.   We were fortunate enough to have reserved one of the premium river campsites (#56, $35/night) for three nights.  There was no Verizon reception, but we did get it on some of the trails (most notably on the Hiouchi trail, where we were able to stream the morning news from Sling while walking to the Hiouchi Café).  We were also able to use the “two hoses” trick to fill our Scamp’s fresh tank from the water spigot located across the road from our campsite (best done in the early morning before anyone is awake and driving around to avoid having your hose driven over).  This was an awesome campsite, with a private trail directly to the Smith River behind it.  Just like the Humboldt Redwoods, there was mostly shade at this location.  There are two visitor centers here with similar goods and services – however, the Hiouchi Visitor’s Center offers ranger talks.  We went on an afternoon Ranger led walk on the Simpson Reed Loop Trail (one of our favorites).  The Ranger had a particular interest in forest bathing (like sun bathing, but in the forest) which we learned is the process of calming and healing just by being in the forest and exposed to the oxygen producing trees for a couple of hours.  We really did feel a quiet calming being in the redwoods.  We learned that the redwoods are the tallest trees (like NBA players) while the sequoias are the biggest volume trees (like NFL players).  Grove of the Titans Trail is another great trail which leads through spectacular old growth redwoods.  We met a very friendly deer on the trail who followed us for a little while and didn’t mind being close.  On our last day, we tried the Hiouchi Café and ordered their famous 16” giant pancake (although we couldn’t eat much of it).  We were told by our waitress that in the four years she has worked at the café, she has only seen four people finish the pancake (and one was a skinny 14 year old girl)!

Click here to see a video we made while visiting Jedediah Smith Redwoods State Park.

Cave Junction, Oregon (Laughing Alpaca RV Park):  Days 10-12
We made it to our first stop in Oregon, Cave Junction, in an hour’s drive from the redwoods.  We had a beautiful campsite (#19) along the river at the Laughing Alpaca RV Park ($35/night, full hookup site).  There was free WiFi, cable TV, and good Verizon coverage at this park.  The owner, Jeff, is very gracious and greeted us upon arrival, helped us back into the campsite, and spent time telling us about all the things to do in the area (including a weekly farmer’s market which we attended).

The main draw for us here was to visit Oregon Caves National Monument and Preserve (we had reserved the Discovery Cave Tour long in advance).  But, the short two day visit turned out to be much more.  We made friends with the owner of this RV park (along with his family and alpacas) and made a promotional video for his business (click here to watch).  We also found ourselves in the middle of an RV club outing (The Rogue River Ramblers), became friends with a number of the Ramblers, and were invited to their meals!  They were very generous and we had a fantastic rockfish dinner which was freshly caught and cooked up by one of their members from Newport, Oregon.

On Friday afternoon (starts at 4 p.m. on Fridays), we went to the Cave Junction Farmers Market in Kerby, OR, just down the road from Cave Junction.  It was a lively affair, with plenty of seller tents and a lot of produce.  We purchased organic duck eggs ($5/dozen), fresh strawberries, and local honey.  The next morning we drove to the caves (about 45 minute drive) to take the two hour cave tour.  There are some parts of the tour where low crouching is required and there are a lot of stairs and climbs.  Some of the rooms are very cavernous.  Overall, the caves were spectacular and the tour given by a park ranger was excellent.  Click here to see our video in the cares.  We did a little hike outside the caves which offered fantastic views of the Siskiyou Mountains.  Later in the day we washed our car because it was really dirty and a little sappy from sitting in the redwoods for a week.  I also purchased a really nice super slim and bright rechargeable flashlight (Nebo ) at NAPPA Auto Parts that works really well in the Scamp (it has a magnetic base so I can hang it on the wall).  We also fit in laundry and the Rogue River Ramblers’ fish dinner, making it a very long day.  The next morning we left for Ashland.

Ashland, Oregon (Ashland Creekside RV Park):  Days 12-14
We made it to Ashland Creekside RV Park in about 1 ½ hours.  Our site, #24, was by the river with partial hookups (electric & water).  There is a free central dump station which we used when leaving.  Although the park offers free WiFi (which we found to be slow at our campsite), the campground does have fast (120Mbps download/16Mbps upload) Verizon connectivity.  There was a nice bench alongside our Scamp, so we were able to set up an outdoor mobile office with our laptop plugged into power from the Scamp’s external 120 volt outlets.  There are a few wineries in the area (we visited Weisinger Family Winery), but the main place to visit is the cute little town of Ashland which is about 5 miles away.  We walked Lithia Park, browsed the stores on Main Street, had homemade ice-cream (cherry-oatmeal flavor) at Mix Bakeshop (which was very refreshing on this sunny and warm day), and saw historic Victorian homes.  The town has a very friendly feel and is home of the world famous Oregon Shakespeare Festival.  We stopped for a visit at the Rogue Valley Growers Market (Tuesday mornings) on the way out of town on our last day.  It’s a very large farmers’ market and offers a wide variety of produce (among other things).  We purchased some local honey, coffee beans, and jams.

McArthur-Burney Falls Memorial State Park:  Days 14-16
We drove the 5 Freeway south along Siskiyou Pass over Siskiyou Summit on our way back towards California.  It’s one of the most hazardous stretches of road along Interstate 5.  The summit is at an elevation of 4,310 feet and is the highest point along the 5 Freeway.  The road goes straight up and straight down (a steep 6% gradient) with plenty of curves!  In the winter, it can be covered with snow and ice.  Fortunately, we had no issues with our tow vehicle and trailer.

McArthur-Burney Falls is a special hidden gem (a couple of hour’s drive south from Ashland).  It’s located at the top of California about an hour north of Lassen Volcanic National Park.  We had a nice quiet campsite, #86, in Pioneer Camp (with great spacing between other sites).  There was enough sun at our campsite that we were able to recharge our Scamp’s lithium battery to 100% SOC every day.  We are glad we didn’t stay at Rim Camp because it was loaded with lots of tent campers and families all packed in fairly close together and there was a lot of noise and smoke whenever we walked through it.  There are threaded water spigots (and the “two hose” trick worked again to fill our Scamp’s fresh water tank!) and a central dump station here.  We had no Verizon reception at our campsite, but there was fast free WiFi and electrical outlets for charging devices at the visitor center (walking distance from our campsite).  Since the area is along the PCT (Pacific Crest National Scenic Trail), lots of hikers with big backpacks would often congregate at the visitor center in the morning (there’s a PCT camp here as well here).  Note:  plan your visit mid-week and make campsite reservations as far in advance as possible, as this campground is extremely popular (especially among day use visitors on the weekends).

The main draw here is the falls, which are spectacular.  They are visible right near the park entrance.  But, if you are willing to do a short hike (about a mile), there is a great loop that goes down to the base of the falls (highly recommended).  Click here to see our video.  This hike is minimally strenuous (it’s on both flat pavement and groomed dirt).  There are some really nice bridges that cross the river along this loop.  We did this hike every day.  There’s also a hike, Pioneer Cemetery Trail, which goes to an old settler cemetery and then on to Lake Britton (there are boat rentals and fishing).  The small town of Burney is about 10 minutes’ drive away and is the closest place to get gas and groceries (the visitor center does sell snacks).

Update:  8/26/23
An article came out today in the LA Times about the new found over popularity of McArthur-Burney Falls!  However, if you reserve a camping spot here midweek, you can avoid most of the problems mentioned in this article!

Castle Crags State Park:  Days 16-18
Only about half hour’s drive from McArthur-Burney Falls, Castle Crags State Park is very close to the 5 Freeway.  We decided to stay here because we had seen the unusual rock formations in the past while driving by on other trips and wanted to explore the area.  There is good Verizon reception at this campground.  We stayed at a campsite, #26 ($25/night), on one of the lower campground loops on our first night (we could hear freeway traffic from the campsite).  We were planning on leaving the next day, but decided to stay another night to avoid extreme heat at our next planned campground.  Our original campsite was rented for the following night, but the Ranger gave us a list of available openings and we found a really nice site, #54 ($25/night), at the top of the upper loop that didn’t have traffic noise.  The site did require us to use our Anderson leveler to its maximum position so we would be level.  There’s a nice trail, River Trail, which crosses a train track and then a pedestrian suspension bridge which goes over the Sacramento River and follows the river for some time.  But, the hallmark trail here, which we completed twice, is the View Trail.  As you may have guessed, the trail ascends up to a spectacular viewing area where both Mt. Shasta and the unusual granite rock formations (formed more than 170 million years ago) of Castle Crags are visible.  There are even free viewing telescopes and benches at the top.

We stayed overnight again in Oakland (Days 18-19) (about 4 hour drive from here) on the way to our next destination of San Luis Obispo.

Harford Pier, Port San Luis Harbor District (San Luis Obispo):  Days 19-20
Four hour’s drive south from Oakland is the small beachside community of Avila Beach in San Luis Obispo county.  Harford Pier is a commercial pier located on a beautiful seaside bay.  We stayed at one of their premium campsites, site CG8, which has full hookups (although the sewer hookup is at the very back of the campsite which was too far a reach for our Scamp’s short hose).  Even the big rig RVs staying at these campsites either had very long sewer hoses or two long sewer hoses connected to each other.  That being said, it wasn’t a big deal since we didn’t need to dump– but, since this is the most expensive campsite we have ever stayed at ($100/night), we did expect better hookup service.  However, the campsite views and location more than made up for this inconvenience.  We were located right across the street from the water and had a spectacular view of the entire bay.  Additionally, the tourist town of Avila Beach is a short bike ride away and is loaded with nice shops and restaurants.  We had a great meal at Fat Cats just a brief walk from our campsite along the water.  The fresh fish and chips and crab cakes were excellent (just make sure to arrive early as they fill up fast and it’s first come first served!).  The cherry on top of staying here was being able to ride our bikes (we also walked it) on the Bob Jones Trail (also known as the City to the Sea Trail, about 4.6 miles one way from the Harford Pier to the Bob Jones Trailhead).  This is a wonderful environmental trail (mostly smooth and flat) that wanders next to San Luis Obispo Creek and passes through many natural scenic locations.

We ended our trip back in Santa Barbara (Days 20-21) with some more great times with our cousins before heading home to San Diego.

Final Thoughts
Taking a longer trip is definitely worth doing as it can lead to more interactions with locals, more experiences, and more adventures.  This trip seemed a more immersive and present experience than our usual trips as we weren’t thinking about an imminent return to home but were more focused on enjoying the present moments. The usual thoughts of the responsibilities regarding our home seemed to drift farther and farther out of our minds as we moved forward on our journey.  We found we were very busy every day and didn’t really even have time to sit in our Scamp for any significant amount of time.  We learned that being flexible and thinking out of the box was essential to making such an adventure work (such as the time we had to come up with an immediate solution to solve the toilet valve crisis).  Also, being prepared with the proper tools and equipment paid itself off with dividends.  For example, upgrading our Scamp’s house battery to lithium right before the trip saved the day when we realized there would be no solar charging for a week in the redwoods.  And, having two hoses really made things easy (I actually didn’t use the dolly/jug I brought to move water the entire trip)!  We learned that slowing down and appreciating nature can be very healing (as we witnessed and experienced during our time Forest Bathing during our stay in the redwoods).  We were blessed with perfect weather the entire trip which was almost unbelievable (our rain gear stayed neatly packed away in the back of the Scamp closet)!  Our top favorite new places we visited during this trip were: Jedediah Smith Redwoods State Park, Ashland, McArthur-Burney Falls, and Harford Pier.  Our favorite local experiences were shopping at the farmers’ markets in Oregon and interacting with other campers.  It seems campers are some of the nicest people.  Usually, they have a similar mindset of wanting to be out in and enjoying nature.  Now that we are back home, we can’t wait to plan the next long adventure!

 

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