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Idyllwild

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Idyllwild
April 17th – 20th, 2023 (3 nights)

Idyllwild is a small mountain town located high up (elevation 5,300 feet) in the San Jacinto Mountains (above Palm Springs) about two hours’ drive from San Diego.  The town is known for outdoor activities, art galleries and quaint shops.  The town hosts a variety of cultural events, including the Idyllwild International Festival of Cinema (March) and the Jazz in the Pines music festival (July).  For hiking, the best time to visit is spring and fall as the temperatures are moderate and pleasant.  Summer can be hot and crowded and winter can bring lots of snow (making certain trails inaccessible).  A few weeks before our visit, the campground and town area was covered in snow (heaviest snow fall in decades)!  We were lucky that the weather warmed up and the snow cleared by the time we arrived (for the most part)!   For those without trailers, consider staying at the historic Idyllwild Inn (est. 1904) right in the center of town.  This hotel gets good reviews and is reasonably priced.

We chose to stay at Idyllwild Campground (Mt. San Jacinto State Park) which is right in town and an easy eight minute walk to all the shops and restaurants.  The other main campground (Stone Creek), which is about a ten minute drive from town, doesn’t open until May 1st.  We found that even though Idyllwild Campground is close to town and adjacent to the main road (Hwy 243), it was relatively quiet during our mid-week visit.  The 28 campsites are well spaced apart and three (01, 02, 26 @$45/night) have full hookups and three have electric hookups (04, 05, 06 @ $35/night).  The tent campsites are $25/night.  There are water spigots throughout the campground (and flush toilets), but no dump station (other than the sewer hookups at the campsites that have full hookups).  We found Verizon mobile phone service to be very good.  There is a PCT (Pacific Crest Trail) campsite section that accommodates many of the PCT hikers that pass through the area and need a place to set up tent for a night or two.  We saw many of these hikers in the campground!

We reserved site 02 with full hookups (which allowed us to leave our solar panels at home and travel with an empty Fresh tank).  The maximum trailer length listed for the campground is 24 feet, although we saw some spaces that possibly could accommodate much longer trailers (e.g. our friend’s campsite, 04, looked like it could fit a 30 foot trailer along with a tow vehicle).  We met another couple who fit their 27’ Class A motorhome in campsite 26.  So, if you stay within the 24’ maximum, there shouldn’t be any issues fitting into the campsites.  However, one thing we did notice though is that the angle between the road and the campsites isn’t correct if following the direction of the signs, making backing in almost impossible.  So, we drove into the empty campsite opposite ours to make backing into our campsite easier and our friends (with their longer RPOD) could only get into their site by driving the opposite direction of the implied traffic route.  Though, some of the campsites are pull through.

The weather during our stay was ideal for hiking and shopping, with sunny cool days (in the high 50’s) and chilly nights (30’s).  We rarely saw any bugs as well with the cool temperatures.  We brought our new, small, lightweight, electric, ceramic space heater and we left it running all night long every night and it worked great (quietly keeping our Scamp as warm as we wanted and saving from having to use our propane).  We very much enjoyed hiking the trails with our friends Phil and Claudia on this trip.  Many popular hiking trails include:  Devil’s Slide Trail (2.5-mile), Ernie Maxwell Trail (5.2-mile), Suicide Rock Trail (6-mile), Mount San Jacinto Peak Trail (10.6-mile), and South Ridge Trail (7.6-mile).  We could not complete the Ernie Maxwell Trail because the river was running too hard to cross.  We instead hiked a portion of the Deer Springs Trail which is very scenic.  Make sure to get a free Wilderness Permit at the campground ranger station before going on any of these trails (one copy immediately goes into the permit box and the hiker submits the white copy when they return — this allows the rangers to see who didn’t make it back safely at the end of the day and send out a search party).  One day we drove over to the closed Stone Creek Campground to hike Saw Mills Flats Trail (1.7 miles).  We made it about halfway before getting stopped by very heavy snow on the trail (hip deep).

In addition to hiking and enjoying the campground, we also had fun strolling through town.  There are a number of fun shops selling all sorts of tourist novelties (e.g. tshirts, cups, etc.) as well as some good places to eat.  We purchased t-shirts and local blueberry jam.  One morning, I spotted the mayor of Idyllwild (Mayor Max) and his assistant (Assistant Mayor Meadow), both golden retrievers, along with their handler in front of one of the local donut shops, Donuts and More!  The handler let me sit down with them and hug both.  To learn about the history of Idyllwild dog mayors visit here.   We had great burgers for lunch at The Lumber Mill Bar & Grill.

Idyllwild is a fantastic place to relax and rejuvenate for a few days or even a week.  Breathing in the fresh mountain air and smelling the pines are great ways to de-stress and reinvigorate oneself!  And, being able to stay at the campground amongst giant trees … well, we hope it stays idyll and wild!

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 correctly. 

Joshua Tree National Park – Ryan Campground

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Joshua Tree National Park – Ryan Campground
February 13th – 15th, 2023 (2 nights)

Joshua Tree National Park is a fantastic place in the high desert to visit in the winter, spring, and fall (too hot in the summer).  The Joshua trees (not really trees but succulents), unusual rock formations, hiking, rock climbing and dark night skies are the main draws.  The best reason for staying overnight in the park is because once the sun sets, the daytime crowds go, leaving quiet peacefulness.  And, the stars are so bright here; it’s the perfect place for stargazing (away from all the city lights).  It’s also not too far a drive for us from San Diego, making it a fantastic mid-week break for rest and solitude.  We chose to visit Ryan Campground (one of many campgrounds inside the park) because it is small and away from the busier tourist areas.  We purchased an annual park pass (America The Beautiful Pass, $80) when we visited Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks in September, so we avoided the $30 entrance fee.

Located at an elevation of around 4,400 ft., Ryan Campground has only 31 campsites @$20/night (reservation only) and is centrally located within the national park.  There are also 4 equestrian sites ($15/night) and 3 bicycle sites ($5/night, first come first served).  There is no running water at the campground and only pit toilets.  There is no cellphone reception here, so if you want to be connected bring your Starlink (or be prepared to drive about 10 minutes back toward the entrance where the hilltop overlooks the valley below).  There are some nice hikes from within the campground and exhibits within a close drive.  On our first day, after setting up our Scamp 13’ in campsite #5 (a nice one) and having lunch, we hiked from the campground to Ryan Ranch and then onto Lost Horse Well.  It’s a short hike (only .3 miles) to the decaying adobe walls of the ranch house and bunk house (circa 1896).  Lost Horse Well is just a little farther.  We also walked part of the Geology Tour Rd. trail from the campground (6.6 miles).  Although we didn’t see any Bighorn Sheep (which are known to be in the area,  we did see a number of strikingly beautiful bluebirds (bright sky blue color) called Mountain Bluebirds.   After hiking, we drove to Keys View — a short drive up to the top of a crest of the Little San Bernardino Mountains.  There are benches at the top and panoramic views of the Coachella Valley below– including the Salton Sea, Santa Rosa Mountains, 10,800 peak of San Jacinto Peak (behind Palm Springs), and the snow-covered peak of 11,500 San Gorgonio Mountain.  The San Andreas Fault can be seen below along the eastern part of the Coachella Valley with its jagged slabs of rock and other geological anomalies.

The wind started kicking up strongly on our first night with 20 to 30 mph winds with gusts up to 60 mph.  We had received a Severe Weather Advisory email from recreation.gov when driving into the park without further details (and we didn’t have internet access to research what was coming our way once we arrived at the campground).   Tent campers were having a rough time with their tents sometimes folding up in the wind; many of these campers slept in their cars for shelter.  One man, who is travelling the country by bike, told me he was almost swept off his feet when trying to go to the bathroom in the middle of the night.  Since campgrounds here have no water, we arrived with our Scamp 13’s fresh tank full (giving us some extra ballast).  Our rear stabilizers were down which also helped weather the gusts.  We were unhitched, but the Scamp handled the strong wind well (with only occasional shaking, despite the wind hitting the Scamp directly on its side – the Scamp’s aerodynamic shape likely helped).  The wind was so loud that, despite wearing earplugs and playing white noise, it was difficult to sleep (it sounded like we were on a boat in a fierce storm at sea).  Meanwhile, temperatures dropped into the 20’s and we cranked up our Scamp’s furnace to stay toasty.

The wind continued to blow hard the next day.  It was sunny, but cool and windy.  We bundled up in our down jackets with wind breakers over them.  We drove to the visitor’s center (about 30 minutes) to see their exhibits and souvenirs and also spent some time on our phones (since we had cellphone reception here).  On the way back to Ryan Campground, we stopped at numerous outdoor exhibits and trails which included Cap Rock & Intersection Rock (including .3 mile nature loop) and Creosote Trail.  We also stopped at some popular rock climbing spots.  Some of the names of these rocks are interesting:  Hemingway Buttress, Banana Cracks, Heart of Darkness, Target Rock, The Oyster Bar, Split Personality Rock, Agent Orange, East Wall Hall of Horrors, Exorcist, Diamond Dogs, and Nurn’s Romp.  We tried to visually connect the names of the rocks with the rock shapes, but they didn’t really match.  We guess the rock names are more aligned with the climbing experiences rather than the rocks’ appearances.  The most epic experience though, was walking along desert trails filled with Joshua trees (sights that cannot be matched anywhere else).  The trees, actually a type of Yucca, were, according to legend, named by Mormon immigrants crossing through the desert in the 1850s.  They saw the gnarled outstretched limbs of the trees as reaching their hands up to the sky in prayer (and/or pointing toward the Promised Land) and, so, named them after the biblical figure Joshua.

The wind calmed a bit in the evening of our last night, only to pave the way for an unexpected snowstorm!  Click here for a short video of the snowstorm at our campsite.  Yes, it was actually snowing!  We sure were glad to have two filled propane tanks on board (although we only used a small fraction of one) so we could run our heater all night.  We were very comfortable inside the warm cozy interior of the Scamp (watching movies and playing Sequence and Backgammon games). Looking out the Scamp’s panoramic windows watching the snow blanket the desert floor was a mesmerizing site.  Equally as captivating, was watching the tent campers scrambling to their cars for supplies during the blizzard.  It was difficult to imagine how they were able to bundle up enough in the cold to sleep in their tents (most likely didn’t have propane heaters and we witnessed some sleeping in their cars).  We heard some scary stories the following morning from tent campers who battled extreme cold during the night (temps in the teens).  People also exchanged hot food and hot drinks the morning after the snowstorm.

Our last morning at Ryan Campground was calm with blue skies (temperatures in the 20’s).  We had a chance to take a nice early morning hike (Keys View Rd trail) from the campground (around a two mile round trip flat desert walk) before heading home.  Because we plan to come back, we made note of a number of ranger programs which look interesting–including, Keys Ranch Tour  ($10 for adults, reservations the day before), All About Joshua Trees, and the Evening Program.  Although we experienced a wild weather ride on this trip, it was really exciting and satisfying.  It was great to see how our Scamp 13’ pushed through the challenges with flying colors.  And, these experiences will no doubt elevate our game for future trips.  Speaking of future trips, our next planned trip is back here next month at Jumbo Rocks Campground!  Stay tuned!

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 correctly. 

Temecula

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Temecula
January 27th – 29th, 2023 (2 nights)

Temecula is a wine and olive tree growing region about an hour northeast of San Diego.  It gets really hot here in the summer, but is the perfect winter location to hike and go on wine and olive oil tasting tours.  It’s a great destination for a long weekend coming from Los Angeles or San Diego.  We made our trip plans last minute, so we couldn’t make an online reservation at Dripping Springs Campground (about a 20 minute drive from Old Town Temecula); reservations for the campsites are blocked four days before each date. However, we decided we would risk it and show up before noon on Friday and see if we could get a spot.  The process of getting a campsite in person is easy.  Just drive into the campground and find an open campsite and park.  We really wanted campsite #10 (a normally first come first served campsite anyway) because it is at the farthest end of the campground right near the hiking trails.  We arrived at Dripping Springs Campground around 11:30 a.m. after a short drive from Carlsbad and drove straight back to campsite #10.  It turned out to be open and we parked!  After parking, campers have thirty minutes to get a pay envelope and fill out their vehicle information and campsite number, put money (cash or check) in the envelope ($15/night for trailers), and deposit the envelope in the iron ranger drop box (located next to the host trailer at the campground entrance).

After setting up our Scamp 13’ and having lunch, we drove to Old Town Temecula to explore.  Along the way, we stopped off at the Olive Plantation, a family owned and run small olive oil farm.  The sign said tours are available on weekends, but, being a Friday, we were lucky when the owner saw us in the driveway and opened the gate!  She gave us a private tour and tasting.  Of course, they also sell olive oil, and we purchased a $25 bottle of one of their first pressings.  Although small, this olive oil farm has won global awards for the quality of their oil.  After our tour, we continued toward Old Temecula.  Many of the buildings here went up around 1883, when the Southern California Railroad brought travelers and commerce to the Temecula Valley.  Some of these old structures still stand, but have been converted to shops, restaurants, and bars.  We strolled down the main street of Old Town and also walked up and down the side streets.  There are antique shops, places to eat, an olive oil tasting room (Temecula Olive Oil Company), and even a community theater.  We spent a couple of hours wandering and then were ready to retreat to the quiet solitude of Dripping Springs Campground to relax.

Dripping Springs Campground, located in the Cleveland National Forest, is a small but very beautiful campground run by the US Forest Service / USDA (U.S. Dept. of Agriculture).   Sitting in a canyon nestled between mountains and adjacent to the Agua Tibia Wilderness, the campground has a creek that runs alongside and a number of very popular hiking and horseback riding trails.    This is also the home of the two inch arroyo toad (a species of toad endemic to California and Baja California, Mexico) whose picture is featured on a sign next to the creek.  The campground has 34 single campsites, 9 equestrian sites (although we saw tent campers using these sites), 2 horse corrals, potable water, and vault toilets.  The best sites are the ones on the farthest end, closest to the trailhead and creek (the host said if you can fit into it, including tent only sites, you can take it!).  We really enjoyed the peacefulness of site #10, which is adjacent to the creek.  We could only get Verizon cell reception at the entrance to the campground.  We downloaded movies onto our laptop at home, so we were able to enjoy cinema in our Scamp in the evenings!

We scheduled an olive oil farm tour at the Temecula Olive Oil Company for Saturday; eight minutes south of our campsite in Aguanga.  We also invited our friends Colleen and Perry (travelling from Canada and who happened to be staying at an RV park in the area for a couple of weeks).  We met at the farm at 10 a.m. and had a really interesting tour which lasted until noon.  The farm owners and tour leaders (a married couple) began their careers with extensive experience in the wine industry and worked in various roles for large corporations.  They then switched their focus to olive oil and have worked their farm for the past twenty years.  During the tour, we were given an inside look at what it takes to grow olive trees and mill olive oil, as well as told personal stories of the owners’ lives and how they came to establish the Temecula Olive Oil Company.  We sampled over ten varieties of their oil and vinegars while listening to the farm and family’s history.  With our bellies full of high quality olive oils and our minds full of olive jokes (yes, olive ‘em)…, we walked the grounds and saw some of their animals (including their pigs) before enjoying a great picnic lunch next to the magnificent olive grove.

We had two beautiful clear sunny January days during our Temecula visit, with rain approaching on Sunday.  So, we did what any meandering Scamp nomad does when foul weather approaches: we cranked up our stabilizers, hitched up, and headed out!

Southern Arizona Fall 2022

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Southern Arizona Fall 2022
November 13th – 22nd, 2022 (9 nights)

Late fall and winter bring cool temperatures to most U.S. locations, prompting many campers to place their travel trailers into storage until spring.  However, southern Arizona’s weather is very welcoming during this period (usually 60’s-70’s during the day and cool nights) and, in turn, lots of snowbirds flock here for the pleasant temperatures.  We wanted to capture the best weather southern Arizona has to offer, so we planned a trip along its southern border.  We chose six locations across the state and kept most drive times to three hours or less.  Our longest drive was from our home in Carlsbad, California (San Diego county) to our first campground, Painted Rock Petroglyph Site Campground in Arizona (about 4 ½ hours).  We chose Painted Rock as our first stop because we needed to break up the drive and it sounded interesting.

Painted Rock Petroglyph Campground is about 1 ½ hours east of Yuma on the 8 Freeway.  There’s a gas station in Sentinel, AZ (they sell Middle of Nowhere t-shirts) about thirty minutes away from Painted Rock Campground, which is a good place to fill up before leaving the 8 and turning off at Painted Rock Road to the campground.  The campground is about 12 miles up Painted Rock Road (paved road, with a small gravel section at the very end) and is an easy drive.  There are no facilities here (no water, electric, or sewer/dump station), so come with your fresh tank full and black and grey tanks empty.  We received good Verizon cellular phone signal here at this very isolated and desolate location.  The fee at this BLM campground is $8 per night (payable to the “iron ranger”, metal box).  However, the fee is only $6/night with an “America the Beautiful Pass” and $4/night with the “Golden Age or Access passport”.  We paid $8 for the night despite having the “America the Beautiful Pass” because the discounts were only posted at the Day Use section of the campground!  So, most people driving in will pay $8/night since the discounts are not posted at the RV campground entrance.  We did save $8 by not making a reservation and avoiding the reservation fee.  We read in advance that the campground usually has a lot of empty sites and since we were going on Sunday afternoon we figured we wouldn’t have an issue getting a spot.  As it turned out, the campground was mostly vacant with only a handful of campers spread out over a very large area.  We chose site #27 which is a great open location.  There is a camp host here, but we only saw someone in the morning near the host trailer riding a tractor and playing with a dog.  We enjoyed the remoteness, quietness, and privacy at the campground, the stars at night, and walking around the volcanic stone mounds trying to decrypt the petroglyph symbols (ancient graffiti) displayed on the rocks.  This stay over was a perfect place to get a great night’s sleep and refresh before the drive to our next stop, Catalina State Park.

Catalina State Park is a two and a half hour drive from Painted Rock Petroglyph Campground and is located in the upscale community of Oro Valley (Valley of Gold), about fourteen miles north of Tucson.   The campground is at the foothills of the beautiful Santa Catalina Mountains and only a quick bike ride to the nice town of Oro Valley.  We immediately noticed on our drive into Oro Valley the vast network of bike paths alongside the roads, a large number of popular stores and restaurants, a Ritz Carlton resort, a large hospital, and nice homes all set within the stunning backdrop of the Santa Catalina Mountains.  This place obviously is a well thought out planned community, where many families and retired people call home.  The first thing we did when arriving at Catalina State Park was to use the free central dump on the way to our campsite.  Our site, #18 ($35/night), has electric and water hookups with a spectacular view of the mountains.  Verizon cell coverage was poor, but a useable signal was obtainable by walking around the campground.  The daytime temperatures were in the 60’s, but our water filter was icy the next morning which slowed water flow inside the Scamp (overnight temperatures in the 20’s), so we switched to our internal fresh tank the next night and had no issues.  Fortunately, the fresh tank is inside the Scamp 13’ (underneath the right side bench seat), so it stays warm even in freezing temperatures (assuming the interior of the Scamp is kept heated).  We spent a couple of days here enjoying numerous hikes, including the Romero Ruins hike.  One of the highlights of our stay was when an owl landed on our Scamp’s roof right above our heads and hooted (similar to our Scampgrounds logo)!  Scamper quick tip:  when the night temperatures are forecasted to be cold and electric hookups are provided, bring a small electric ceramic heater (like this one) to avoid using your propane gas (save your propane for when no electric hookups are provided to use for the furnace, refrigerator, gas stove, and hot water heater).

It’s about a two hour drive from Catalina State Park to Patagonia Lake State Park, directly south on the 19 Freeway.  The route goes almost straight down to the Mexican border town of Nogales.  Patagonia Lake is very isolated and is surrounded by rolling hills.  The campground is spread out with its own store, boat ramp, marina, and plenty of picnic tables and small docks available to launch canoes and kayaks.  Cabins are also available to rent for those without RVs.  We had a nice campsite by the lake, #22 ($30/night), which has electric and water hookups (there is also a free central dump at the campground).  Because lush vegetation grows along the shores of the lake, there are few campsites with expansive lake views.  But, campers can walk down to the area of the Visitor’s Center and there are plenty of picnic tables with great water scenery.  Verizon service was only useable in certain locations (e.g. near the Visitor’s Center).  We ran our ceramic heater at this location as well since it was chilly at night and we had an electric hookup.  Individuals and families who enjoy time out on the water with inflatable boats and other types of kayaks/canoes flock here throughout the year.  We also saw people fishing (both from shore and boats).  The area is also popular for birders, as there are a large variety of bird species in the area (including ones from Mexico).  There is also access to Sonoita Creek State Natural Area (which we hiked) close by that is a popular preserve among birders.  There are a lot of trails near the lake and the Sonoita Creek area.  We spent a couple of days hiking, watching wildlife (including birds and deer), and even seeing some free range cows.  Pontoon boat tours ($7 per adult/$5 per child) are offered on Saturdays and Sundays at various times which focus on both avian and discovery interests.  And, bird walks are led by rangers Monday and Friday mornings at 9 a.m. (meet at the Birding Trail near site 12).  Note – tour types, days and times are subject to change, so call ahead to confirm.  We made sure to use the free central dump on the way out of the campground as our next stop was somewhere quite remote and without dump facilities.

Continuing our journey further east for two and half hours, we made our way to Chiricahua (pronounced cherry-cow-a) National Monument (Bonita Canyon Campground), not far from the Arizona – New Mexico border.  The campground is hidden in the mountains thirty five miles southeast of Willcox, the closest town to the area.  We filled up our gas tank in Willcox before heading out onto quiet Highway 186; we didn’t see any cars the entire forty five minute drive to the campground (the drive was easy on paved roads).  Not having learned much about the campground, we expected it to be fairly isolated with minimal facilities or support staff.  We made sure our fresh tank was full (just in case water spigots were not working) and black and grey tanks were drained before arriving (since there is no central dump).  Our expectations were happily turned upside down upon arrival; we passed a beautiful Visitor Center (with a natural rock exterior similar to ones found in Yosemite) and were greeted at our site by one of three volunteer rangers who live at the campground!  Several deer stood by next to us, seemingly unfazed, as we navigated our Scamp 13’ into our site, #14 (nice spot looking out at the mountains, $20/night, no cell phone service, no hookups, but there are working water spigots, a grey water sink for disposing of grey water, and free WiFi at the Visitor’s Center)!  The ranger gave us a brief rundown on some of the trails and made some recommendations on where to explore in this “Land of Standing up Rocks”.

The terrain here is much different than many of the Arizona desert campgrounds.  This mountain campground sits at over 5,000 feet elevation and there are over 1,200 species of plants in the surrounding area.  There are pines, firs, yuccas, agaves, prickly pear cactus and many others.  There is also abundant wildlife, including birds, coatimundi (raccoon like creatures), Arizona white-tailed deer, Javelina (pig like, but not a pig), black bears, Chiricahua fox squirrels, mountain lions, black-tailed rattlesnakes, and mountain spiny lizards.  Our site, #14, has a fantastic view of some of the mountains with stone rock formations for which this area is famous (note:  Site #13 has unobstructed mountain views and is, along with #14, a top choice for future visits).  The Mexican Jay birds are very bold and will stand at one’s feet looking for handouts.  Just ignore them (it’s also prohibited to feed wildlife) and they will go about their business foraging for acorns.  The first thing we did after setting up our Scamp 13’ was to take the half mile trail to the Visitor’s Center.  It’s well stocked with Chiricahua related items (including t-shirts) as well as snacks.  We were given a large map and one of the rangers gave us her list of must see attractions.  We still had enough time before dark on our first afternoon to hike to Faraway Ranch (a ranch homesteaded in 1886 by Swedish immigrants Neil Erickson and Emma Peterson) where a number of ranch buildings are preserved.  Along the way, we saw numerous deer, wild turkeys, and a band of coatimundi (about 20 of them with their tails straight up)!  None of these animals were startled by our presence and walked right by us within a few feet.  It seems this is a land time has forgot where wildlife hasn’t been too disrupted by mankind.  We felt like visitors to the animals’ home and they treated us well.  Here is some video of animals we took close to the campground.

We took the eight-mile scenic drive above the campground to Massai Point (elevation 6900 ft.) on our second day to look out over the Chiricahua National Monument vistas.  We walked the easy half-mile Massai Nature Trail (some Verizon signal here) and marveled at the expanse of standing rock columns formed by volcanic eruptions 27 million years ago.  The unusual rock formations reminded us of our time spent in Cappadocia, Turkey, known for its distinctive “fairy chimneys”.   We were astonished that something like this existed in Arizona.  To get an even more immersive experience, we parked at the Echo Canyon parking lot a little way down the mountain and hiked the moderate 3.3 mile Echo Canyon Loop Trail which winds its way through the mesmerizing Echo Canyon Grotto (a fairytale like series of stone columns nestled closely together).  We didn’t have time for the Heart of Rocks Loop (7.3 miles strenuous loop) which has some of the famous balancing rock structures (like the Big Balanced Rock, Pinnacle Balance Rock, Punch & Judy, and Duck on a Rock), but hope to return and do it in the future.  We are glad we had at least two days here, but if we had known there are so much fantastic scenery and things to do in this area, we would have booked a minimum of three nights.  We met one fit hiker who told us she had been here six days and was just able to complete all of the Monument’s main hikes!  The ranger was right when he told us when we first pulled in that this place is a hidden gem!

We left Bonita Canyon Campground the next morning with a full fresh tank as the next campground, Picacho Peak State Park, notified us that fresh water was not available due to the drought (this was a first for us)!  We headed down the mountain back into Willcox and then continued west past Tucson (a two and a half hour drive from Chiricahua National Monument).  Picacho Peak State Park is located off the 10 Freeway between Tucson and Phoenix.  It’s a largely flat desert landscape with some tall mountains (including Picacho Peak, of which the campground sits at the base).  The freeway can be seen and heard (along with trains) in the distance from the campground (some noise).  We were excited to arrive because we planned to meet Canadian friends (Colleen and Perry) in person for the first time who we know from Instagram (who also travel by fiberglass travel trailer).  We used the free central dump when pulling in and then found our site, #C27 (electric hookup, no water, $30/night, good Verizon cell service).  Site #C27 is fairly private and well located with nice mountain views.  As we finished setting up our Scamp 13’, a horn honked, and we saw our friends pulling in with their Oliver Elite II travel trailer.  We found we had a lot in common and all took a nice walk together after lunch.  Our friend Colleen cooked a fabulous Mexican dinner for us and we enjoyed it at their campsite.  The next morning, we took a very challenging hike to the top of Picacho Peak!  It’s a strenuous hike and some parts are very vertical, requiring the use of steel cables which are anchored into the rock.  It’s recommended to wear leather gloves to avoid getting hand injuries while grabbing the cables.  We made the ascent in about one and a half hours and the descent in a little over an hour.  It’s a thrilling and strenuous hike, and definitely not recommended for the faint of heart (or those with a fear of heights)!  We had a marvelous time here with our new friends and really enjoyed the campground (even though it is close to the city and freeway).  The desert scenery, including cactus and mountains, made for a peaceful stay.

To avoid a six hour ride straight back home to San Diego, we headed to Yuma (3 hours from Picacho Peak SP) for a stay over at Hidden Cove RV Park ($45/night, full hookups).  Hidden Cove RV Park (located in Arizona) is situated right on the Colorado River on the Arizona-California border.  The people here are very nice and this RV park is very close to the highlights of downtown Yuma.  We didn’t have much time though in Yuma to explore, since we hiked Picacho Peak the same day as our departure to Yuma.  We enjoyed a late lunch at a local burger place, Eddie’s Grill, in Yuma before relaxing in the evening (including a walk along the Colorado River path).  There was a beautiful sunset allowing for a nice opportunity to launch the drone for photos.  The next morning, before leaving for home, we walked along the long dirt road across the street from the RV park which parallels an aqueduct and meanders along farmland (which provides miles of peaceful walking terrain).

This turned out to be a fantastic trip.  We didn’t know what to expect, which is part of what makes trips to new places so fun.  We always read about our destinations in advance when planning trips, but the reality is usually different and the sights, sounds & smells of what’s experienced can never be replicated online.  It’s the excitement of the unknown–visiting new locations and meeting new people—that has the potential to greatly broaden one’s horizons.  We never come back from a trip exactly the same as when we left (and this is usually a positive thing!).  It’s the mystery and discovery of what’s just around the next corner that keeps us going!

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 correctly. 

California Highway 1

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California Highway 1
October 19th – 25th, 2022 (6 nights)

October is the perfect month to drive up California Highway 1.  The weather is often clear and not too cold and the coastal scenery is magnificent.  On this trip, we chose to stop in Santa Barbara, Big Sur, Oakland, and Bakersfield (on the way home).  The main goal of the trip was to see my sister’s new puppy in Oakland.  Here’s a short video of some of our drive up California State Route 1.

Our first stop after leaving San Diego was Santa Barbara.  We departed on a weekday and purposefully waited until around 10 a.m. before leaving San Diego so that we would be driving through Los Angeles after rush hour traffic.  This strategy worked out really well; we were able to have a mostly traffic free drive.  We parked our 2020 Scamp 13’ in my cousin’s driveway for an overnight in Santa Barbara.  We had a great afternoon exploring Alice Keck Park, which has a nice variety of bird species (e.g. hummingbirds, ducks, geese…) as well as fish and turtles in this pond.  We sat down on a bench near the water and several ducks walked up to where we were sitting and sat down close by (very welcoming).  Some of the ducks are very colorful.  We also observed turtles swimming with their heads occasionally popping up above water.  Some turtles were sunning themselves on top of semi-submerged rocks.  We could have stayed at the park longer walking the nature paths and admiring the wild life, but needed to leave to meet up with my cousin Jon and his wife Ida for dinner.  My cousin, who is vegan, took us to Rascals, a vegan Mexican restaurant which offers tasty food (even for non-vegans!).  We had a great dinner catching up since it had been a couple months since our last visit.  We were treated to a colorful sunset that night as well as a beautiful sunrise the next morning.

We travelled up the 101 from Santa Barbara and joined California Highway 1 (SR1) where it starts in San Luis Obispo.  The four hour drive from Santa Barbara to Big Sur offers magnificent views of the coast and sheer cliffs.  But, be warned, the narrow windy stretches can be very dangerous, so it’s very important to be fresh and aware when driving (especially when towing!).  We passed some beautiful places along the way to Big Sur, including Cambria, San Simeon (Hearst Castle), and Ragged Point (especially windy) before arriving at Pfeiffer Big Sur State Park.  Note: before arriving at the campground we planned to stop at Julia Pfeiffer State Park (day use only) to see McWay Falls (a waterfall that drops onto the beach sand/ocean).  However, the parking lot is very narrow and doesn’t allow campers or trailers, so we couldn’t stop.  Additionally, since we were only spending one night at the campground, we didn’t have enough time to backtrack the ten mile / 30 minute windy drive to Julia Pfeiffer State Park.  Pfeiffer Big Sur State Park campground is within a lush forest, including large old growth redwood trees.  Our site, #17, is under a dense canopy and almost completely shaded.  Fortunately, we didn’t need to bring solar panels on this trip because we were only staying one night and all our other stops provided power.  There is a threaded shared water spigot by campsite #17, although we didn’t need to use it this trip.  There is very limited cell phone service at the campground (we were just able to send texts without images).  There are lots of trails here and we did a bit of walking before dinner.  Along the way, we met a couple who had just purchased a Scamp 13’.  They came over to our campsite and we filled them in on the updates we had made to our Scamp over the first several years of ownership.  It’s always fun to run into other Scampers (Scamp owners tend to be very enthusiastic about their Scamps as these trailers have a cult like following)!

The next morning, we used the campground’s free central dump station (2 dump stations side by side) before making our way further north onto Carmel-By-The-Sea to visit the old mission.  This drive was much less windy and took us less than an hour.  Along the way, between Big Sur and Carmel-By-The-Sea, we passed several beautiful areas along the coast.  We took some aerial photography at a scenic seaside location on California Highway 1 as well as at the famous Bixby Bridge (built 1932).  The Bixby Bridge is Big Sur’s version of the Golden Gate Bridge!  It’s one of the highest bridges of its kind in the world (over 260 feet above a steep canyon).   We were able to pull over at the north end of the bridge on the side of the road (there is also a small parking lot at the end as well, but it was full and a bit crowded for our setup).  People were trying their best to get good photos of the bridge by positioning themselves at the edge of a steep bluff, which looked a bit risky.  Fortunately, our drone allowed for a safer approach – a flight out over the ocean for some stunning views of the bridge, dramatic cliffs, and sea below.

After our photo touring, we headed north to Carmel-By-The-Sea to visit the old mission.  An aerial video I took can be seen here.  The Mission San Carlos Borromeo del Rio Carmelo was built in 1797 and is one of the most authentically restored Catholic mission churches in California ($13 admission fee).  It’s a beautiful church and one of only three California missions built of stone (made from native sandstone quarried from the nearby Santa Lucia Mountains).  Fortunately, there was plenty of street parking at the side of the Mission for our Scamp 13’.  After a nice visit, we continued our drive to my sister’s house in Oakland (about a two hour drive).

Driving into a big populated city like Oakland while towing a trailer requires special care.  It’s important to be extra cautious as many city drivers in dense urban environments can be reckless.  Fortunately, we managed to arrive at my sister’s home without incident and quickly positioned our Scamp 13’ into its very cozy spot in the driveway (just a couple of inches from the chimney!).  We greatly enjoyed our three days visiting my sister and family in Oakland.  We got to meet the new puppy (and nephew’s new kitten) for the first time and had fun taking walks throughout the city.  We walked on Alameda Island (nice homes and pretty streets), Mills College campus (now a part of Northeastern University’s many campuses), and the Skyline National Recreational Trail (up in the hills with beautiful views above the bay).  We even took a tour through a famous cemetery, Mountain View Cemetery, and walked Millionaires Row (where many wealthy and famous people from San Francisco chose to be buried).  We saw the Ghirardelli Mausoleum where Domingo Ghirardelli (of chocolate fame) and his family are buried.  An interesting story of how he and his family came to rest at this cemetery can be found here.  No visit to Oakland would be complete without lunch at A+ Burger, and our visit didn’t disappoint.  We visited Treasure Island on our last night to take in the beautiful view of the City lights at night from across the Bay.

We divided the eight hour trip home into a couple of four hour segments, with a stay over at the halfway point in Bakersfield.  We selected the Buena Vista Aquatic Recreational Area (our first time here) to spend the night.  Located in the middle of seemingly nowhere (amid farms and dry earth), is a large lake, Lake Webb, surrounded by beautiful trees.  An aerial video I made can be viewed here.  The campground is only about a five minute drive off the 5 Freeway, down a long mostly deserted straight road.  The campground appears as an oasis (very green with trees and water) in the middle of a desert.  There were only a few other campers when we arrived and the late October weather was in the low 70’s.  We were warned at the entrance that the temperature here can get well above 100 degrees during the summer!  We had site #51 ($25/night plus $8 reservation fee) which is right on the lake and is an 84’ long pull through site (full hookups, there’s also a central dump for those sites without a sewer hookup).  We had beautiful wrap around views of the lake inside our Scamp.  There was one bar of Verizon cell phone coverage and plenty of HDTV channels.  Note:  the sewer hookup diameter at site #51 is the same as our hose (which we’ve never seen before), so I had to physically hold the hose over the sewer pipe while dumping.  We noticed on the drive getting to the campground, there is a bike path parallel to the road that provides a nice long ride through farmland.  We enjoyed walking near the lake and watching the ducks, coots, hawks, and other birds swimming on and flying over the water.  This is a popular lake for boating activities (swimming is not allowed).  We were told the busiest time is the Fourth of July (also one of the hottest times of the year here).  We found the Buena Vista Aquatic Recreational Area to be a perfect midway rest stop on the way from San Diego to the Bay area.

So, if you are planning a trip along California Highway 1, consider going in October.  The views are incredible and the weather can be practically perfect in every way!

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 correctly. 

Sequoia & Kings Canyon National Parks

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Sequoia & Kings Canyon National Parks
September 11th – 18th, 2022 (7 nights)

Visiting Sequoia & Kings Canyon National Parks in the shoulder season is a fantastic way to experience the parks without heavy summer crowds.  The weather was very pleasant during our visit in September with highs in the high 60’s (perfect for hiking) and lows in the low 40’s (perfect for sleeping) and the trails were fairly unpopulated.  Because of the cool nights, we used the furnace in our Scamp 13’ while sleeping and set the thermostat at 58 degrees, which was very comfortable for a great night’s rest.  Because the drive from our home in Carlsbad to these parks is around 8 hours, we stopped halfway for overnights at Bear Mountain RV Park in Bakersfield to break up the drives both going to the parks and on our way home.  Fortunately, we brought along our portable AC system, because it was in the 90’s in Bakersfield!

When searching for a convenient half way overnight stop, our biggest priority was finding a place which was along the route so we didn’t add unnecessary driving time.  Additionally, since we knew it could still be very hot in the Central Valley in September, we also wanted to make sure the place where we stayed had electrical hookups so we would be able to run our AC system.  Lastly, we wanted a reasonable nightly rate since we weren’t going to have time to take advantage of any extra facilities (like pool, laundry room, clubhouse, miniature golf course, etc.) or location (e.g. proximity to the downtown, etc.).  Bear Mountain RV Park in the Central Valley (Bakersfield) meets all of these criteria; it’s just a few minutes off the 99 Freeway (located in between farmland), about halfway from our home to Sequoia & Kings Canyon National Parks, it offers full hookups, and the rate when we stayed was only $34/night (although they just raised the rate to $39/night).  Most of the park is occupied by monthly renters, but the last row of campsites is set aside to accommodate overnight guests.  We were assigned site #17 and our friends, Phil & Claudia, who accompanied us on this trip, were parked right next to us.  It was hot (about 95 degrees) when we arrived, so we set up our portable AC system which chilled the Scamp down very quickly.  The park advertises WiFi, but we couldn’t get a good signal at our location.  However, there is a cell tower close by and we got fast internet and good phone service anyway with our Spectrum/Verizon mobile service.  HDTV signals were also plentiful and crystal clear here.  As an added bonus, we enjoyed evening walks along a farmland path of pistachio trees across the street from Bear Mountain RV park.

Because we were towing a travel trailer, we had to take the longer route, Highway 180, to reach Sequoia & Kings Canyon National Parks.  Driving up the more direct route, Highway CA-198E, is not permitted for vehicles over 22 feet long due to severe hair pin turns (our Volvo XC40 is 14.5 feet long and our Scamp 13’ is 13 feet long = our total length of 27.5 feet).  The road into the park during the last hour of driving is windy, but not too bad.  Because Sequoia & Kings Canyon National Parks are national parks, a $35 entrance fee is required at the entrance station.  We opted to purchase the $80 annual America the Beautiful Pass instead which allows access to all national parks in addition to other government lands for a year.  We arrived at Lodgepole Campground in Sequoia National Park to a fantastic site (#160, $22/night) right alongside a creek.  This site is spacious and situated in the middle of a beautiful pine forest.  There are no hookups here, but, despite the campground being heavily forested, we were able to get all the electricity we needed by using our solar panels.  We also arrived with two fully filled propane tanks, which provided all the gas we needed to cook, heat our water for nightly showers, and power our furnace to keep our Scamp’s interior nice and warm in the middle of the night.  There is a threaded water spigot close by to site #160 and we used our super hose extender for quick water fills whenever needed!  Also, there is a free central dump station at the entrance of the park (only a few minutes’ drive from site #160) which we used during the middle of our five night stay here (quick and easy).  So, despite the campsites having no hookups here, one can still experience a fabulous long stay at Sequoia & Kings Canyon National Parks with the right gear and planning.  And, Lodgepole Campground is a great location when visiting these parks because it is right at the center of most of the natural attractions.  Note:  there is no cell phone reception at most places within the park (though, there are payphones at Lodgepole Campground, and Waksachi Lodge – a few miles down the road- offers free very poor quality WiFI [when we visited], but the best value in gifts we encountered within the park ).  A ranger informed us that there is a helipad (perhaps the large overflow parking lot at the entrance to Lodgepole Campground) and there are rangers available 24/7 in case of emergencies.

The highlight of a trip to Sequoia & Kings Canyon National Parks is walking among the giant sequoia trees.  These trees are among the largest and oldest trees on Earth and are magnificent to behold.  What’s amazing too is that they only exist on one place on Earth, and that’s here within a narrow 260 mile path of forest on the western slopes of the Sierra Nevada Mountains (between 5,000 and 7,000 feet in elevation).   Some of these trees are over 3,000 years old!   These giant sequoias are awe inspiring and a trip to this national park should be at the very top of everyone’s bucket list of places to see in their lifetime.  The main trail to see these giants is the Congress Trail.  To get here, one can either hike a 2.8 mile trail from Lodgepole Campground to the General Sherman Tree, or drive to the General Sherman parking area just down the road.  The Congress Trail is a gentle 2.7 mile paved round trip path that goes by some of the largest and well know sequoias in Sequoia National Park.   The trail begins at the General Sherman tree, which is the largest living tree on Earth and stands over 275 feet tall.  Also along the path are the President Tree, Chief Sequoyah Tree, The Senate Group, The House Group, and McKinley Tree.  The President Tree, named after President Warren G. Harding in 1923, is the oldest living sequoia tree at over 3,200 years old (about 250 feet tall).  Curiously, we didn’t see the famous General Lee Tree name on the path.  We speculated that the name was “cancelled” due to him owning slaves and other injustices (which we later confirmed when reading this article).  However, Google Maps still listed the tree and we were able to find it unlabeled.

There are also numerous trails which originate from Lodgepole Campground (some tens of miles long and requiring a backcountry permit for overnight camping in the wild).  One of the most famous is the Tokopah Falls Trail (allow 2 – 3 hours). It’s a roughly 3.8 mile moderately challenging out and back hike which meanders its way up the Kaweah River and comes to a head at the bottom of a 1,200 cascading foot waterfall (although dry during summer and fall months if no rain).  The falls were flowing a little bit during our visit because it had recently rained (hikers previously reported no water flow the week before).  The falls are formed as the marble fork of the Kaweah River slides down a magnificent granite face into the Tokopah Valley.  The trail has areas with sections of stone steps as well as short wood plank bridges.  The last short section of trail is over uneven granite rocks and should be avoided by those with stability issues (the waterfall can still be seen before this section though).  It’s a beautiful hike that passes though forest and meadows.  It’s also common to see bears near the trail in the early morning.  We saw one on our visit.  Sequoia National Park is an active bear area for the American black bear.  It’s mandatory to use the metal bear food lockers to store your food at the campsite.  There are many stories of bear encounters like this one here and this scary one for a camper at Sequoia & Kings Canyon National Parks.  Be “bear aware” and try never to sneak up on an unsuspecting bear since startling the animal at close range could provoke a defensive attack.  Usually, the bears will hear hikers and stay at a distance or move away.  If a bear approaches, make yourself look big by raising your arms (and if you are in a group huddle together) and make a lot of noise by clapping and yelling.  It’s generally not recommended to try to outrun the bear (unless you have some slower hikers with you!).  The same advice applies to mountain lions which like to chase running prey.

Make sure to visit the Giant Forest Museum during your visit.  The small free museum has some excellent displays and information on sequoias and the area (as well as a nice gift shop).  There’s also a nice one mile round trip meadow hike from the museum.  On the south side of the museum is a short paved road which leads to Beetle Rock, a large granite rock which you can climb on and offers nice mountain views to the south and west.  It’s a great place to watch the sunset.  Speaking of sunsets, if you have time, also plan a visit to Sunset Rock.  Sunset Rock Trail can be accessed across the road from the Giant Forest Museum.  It’s an easy mile forest trail that leads to a large granite dome (Sunset Rock) which offers superb western views (best visited at sunset).  And, speaking of rocks, climbing Moro Rock should be on your radar (as long as you aren’t averse to climbing a bunch of stairs – about 350 steps to the top – or have a fear of heights).  It’s considered a moderately challenging hike, but it is fairly short (only about .5 miles round trip) and can be completed in about half an hour without stopping (there’s a parking lot at its base).  No serious rock climbing is necessary as this granite dome has rock stairs along with metal handrails to keep visitors safe.  The 360 degree views at the top are spectacular, offering sights of an incredible mountain range on one side and looking way out over the Middle Fork of the Kaweah River toward the Great Western Divide of the High Sierra and down to the San Joaquin Valley below on the other (highly recommended).

There’s so much to do in Sequoia & Kings Canyon National Parks that we only scratched the surface during out five night stay at Lodgepole Campground in Sequoia National Park.  We noticed some campers left some days to make long drives (over one hour to the Kings Canyon side of the park) to explore areas, such as Mist Falls and Hume Lake, on the Kings Canyon side of the parks.  But, with the windy roads and drive time of over an hour to cross the parks, we decided to spend most of our time in Sequoia National park and touch the highlight of Kings Canyon National Park (visiting the General Grant Tree at Grant Grove Village) on our way out of the park on our last day.  I’m glad we decided to spend the majority of our time in Sequoia National Park, staying at Lodgepole Campground, because there are more groves of the giant sequoias here.  I would definitely consider coming back in the future and staying within Kings Canyon National park to see some of the waterfalls and other natural wonders though (there are numerous campgrounds within Kings Canyon National Park including:  Azalea Campground, Crystal Springs Campground, and Sunset Campground).  On our way to Grant Grove Village, we refueled at Stony Creek gas station (free WiFi that actually works too!).  There is a visitor’s center and gift shop (the most expensive we visited in the park) at Grant Grove Village as well as some RV parking.  We avoided the two mile round trip hike from Grant Grove Village to the General Grant Tree and back by driving down the road and parking in the small General Grant Tree parking lot.  We got lucky and found a couple of RV spaces to park (there are only around 4 bus/RV spaces).  After viewing the magnificent General Grant Tree, which is just right in front of the parking lot, it got a bit crazy on our way out.  A large tourist bus pulled in and blocked the exit path for a little while.  We were fortunate to have been able to plan our visit to stay during the week and were reminded that, even during the off season, weekends can be very busy in national parks.

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 correctly. 

California Central Coast 2022

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California Central Coast 2022
August 20nd – August 27th, 2022 (7 nights)

Santa Barbara
When heading to the Central Coast, Santa Barbara is a great stop.  It’s a beautiful place to visit and we have relatives there with whom we enjoy spending time.  We left our home in Carlsbad early Saturday morning (a must to beat the Los Angeles traffic) and arrived in Santa Barbara in about 3 ½ hours (a quick drive).  We packed breakfast so we could get right out and eat on the road.

On this trip, we visited Montecito, home to the rich and famous (including Meghan Markle and Prince Harry)!  This tony city has a small downtown, called Coast Village, where there are swanky stores and tasty eateries.  It takes about half an hour to walk up and down both sides of the main street.  If you look closely, you may see some famous people (locals told us Ellen DeGeneres hangs out at the Starbucks)!  But, we are more interested in seeing nature and animals, so we headed for the trails right up the road.  One trail close to Coast Village, Hot Springs Canyon Trail, leads to natural hot springs where one can soak in multiple pools (the hottest at the top).  We took the McMenemy Trail for a short hot August late afternoon hike; then dinner with relatives for some delightful paella.

Since check-in time at Islay Creek Campground in Montaña De Oro State Park, about a 45 minute drive up the coast, isn’t until 2 p.m., we had time on Sunday morning to take a hike at the Douglas Family Preserve with my cousin Jon and his wife Ida (as well as with their yellow lab, Charlie).  It’s a beautiful public park high on a mesa above Arroyo Burro Beach overlooking the Pacific Ocean.  Hope Ranch, another exclusive enclave, can be seen on the ridge opposite the park.  Douglas Family Preserve, the largest area of coastal open space within the city limits of Santa Barbara, has over three miles of park trails (and dogs can run wild once inside the park).

We could have stayed in Santa Barbara much longer with so much to see and do, but we had reservations at Islay Creek Campground in Montaña De Oro State Park!

Montaña de Oro State Park
Montaña de Oro State Park is about two hour’s drive north of Santa Barbara and is very close to Morro Bay.  With over 8,000 acres, including seven miles of shoreline, Montaña de Oro is one of the largest state parks in California.  Because Islay Creek Campground within the park has no RV dump station, we dumped our tanks ($7.50) at the 76 Station on Winchester Road in Goleta on the way up the 101.  We also filled our Fresh tank in Santa Barbara, which was good because the water spigots at the park are gravity fed from large drums and, thus, are very slow to fill water jugs.  We arrived at Islay Creek Campground at around 3 p.m.  We had site #16 ($25/night + $7.99 reservation fee).  The spacing between sites is good and each site can accommodate RV lengths of up to 27’ (and tow vehicles can generally park side by side with the trailer).  There is no cell phone reception within the park, but cell phones will work just a short five minute walk up the road to the beach.  The beach is easily accessible and wide, but the surf can be rough with rip tides.  At the water’s edge, there’s a large rock some like to climb onto (it can be more tricky than it looks because of slick sand) — great for photos above the rocks and sea.  One of the first things we explored upon arrival was the Visitor’s Center, housed in the historic Spooner home.  The home was owned a rancher family and has beach views and great docents anxious to tell the history of the place.

Being right inside the park, Islay Creek Campground is the perfect base to explore the many trails that Montaña De Oro State Park has to offer.  The most popular trail, the Bluff Trail, is high up on the bluff and goes on for a couple of miles (about two hours round trip from the campground).  There are spectacular ocean views on the Bluff Trail, featuring dramatic rocks towering high above the rough ocean below as well as pelicans and gulls constantly flying by.  We also had a chance to go into PG&E property (sign in required at entry) and explore the Point Buchon Trail (open 8AM – 5PM, Closed Tuesdays & Wednesdays).  Similar to the Bluff Trail, the Point Buchon Trail has other unique aspects, such as a large sink hole which features an ocean cave and beach!  Security inside the PG&E property is high as the Diablo Canyon (Nuclear) Power Plant is just miles down the road.  We were advised that if we didn’t check out by 4:45 p.m. that a security detail would be sent to get us.  We made sure we were back in time!

There are also some great back country trail hikes right above and behind the campground.  We hiked the Oat Peak Trail, Beebee Trail, and took the Badger Trail through Rattlesnake Flats back down to the Bluff Trail.  Some of the trails go on for over 30 miles.  There are certainly plenty of trail hikes to keep an avid hiker busy for days!

Pismo Beach
Just about forty five minutes south of Montana De Oro State Park (or an hour and a half north of Santa Barbara) is Pismo Beach.  Our favorite campground here is Pismo State Beach North Beach Campground.   We reserved site #29 for four nights – it’s a premium site directly in front of the beach.  To get this type of site, one usually needs to reserve it right when the reservation window opens six months in advance.  This stretch of beach also has a number of private campgrounds, but the campsites at the private campgrounds are generally very tightly spaced together (but many have full hookups).  There are also two fully equipped RV supply stores right across the street from the campground, so if you need any parts for your RV, this location has you covered!

Pismo State Beach North Beach Campground is fantastic.  The campsites are very spread out and the beach is just over a little sandy hill adjacent to the campground.  There are no hookups, but there are water spigots and a central dump ($10 at this time).  We set up our solar panel briefcase to recharge our batteries during the day and used our “Holy Grail Portable Grey Water Tank Solution” to drain our Grey water tank after a couple of days.  The beach in front of the campground is very wide and beautiful with a great view to the north of the Pismo pier.  There are some nice walking paths that are on the perimeter of the campground.  One goes south on a wooden boardwalk above the beach toward Oceano.  We saw many whales feeding close to shore while walking along this path (look for a “feeding frenzy” – this is when there are swarms of birds low over the water and indicates a run of sardines or anchovies)!  We could see whales popping their heads out of the water as well as blow spouts.  Don’t ever paddle into a feeding frenzy or this could happen!  Another trail from the campground goes into the Pismo Beach Monarch Butterfly Grove.  This site hosts over 10,000 butterflies annually.  The Monarch Butterflies flock to Pismo Beach from late October through February, seeking shelter from freezing northern winters.  The butterflies cluster in the limbs of the large Eucalyptus trees that tower over the grove.

Walking over the sand dunes from the campground onto the beach and taking long walks is a favorite activity for many campers here.  We enjoyed walking the sand from the campground to the pier and strolling out to the end of the pier.  Exploring  the town of Pismo Beach is also entertaining. There are a lot of shops and restaurants and plenty to see.   For example, we enjoyed perusing the toys and kites at “The Sky’s The Limit” on Dolliver Street.

We met with my brother-in-law Bob for a couple of days during the trip, and then we needed to replenish our food supplies.  San Luis Obispo County has a number of farmer’s markets and we went to a couple on a Wednesday (Arroyo Grande & Pismo Beach).  We were able to buy farm fresh fruits and vegetables from various farmers.  There are also popular food stores close by, such as Trader Joes and Sprouts markets.

Other notable places within a short drive (or bike ride) of the campground which we enjoyed are Margo Dodd Park and Eldwayen Ocean Park.  Both are ocean front bluff parks which offer great sea life watching, including birds and sometimes whales.  There are giant rocks that rise high out of the ocean which the gulls and pelicans roost on.  We also drove over to Harford Pier, a commercial pier which also has some recommended restaurants on it, and enjoyed walking down the pier.  We saw a playful sea otter diving and surfacing and swimming on his back right below us!  Here’s some video we took from Pismo Beach.

We didn’t stay long enough to explore everything this area has to offer and we definitely would like to come back sometime in the Fall to see the Monarch Butterfly migration.  Our friend Jim who lives in Avila Beach gave us some additional places to visit for next time, like exploring the Architectural Graveyard on the Cal Poly San Luis Obispo campus,  taking a walking tour of the old Victorian houses in San Luis Obispo, enjoying a docent led tour of the Mission of San Luis Obispo, going to the Mission Plaza, visiting Cave Landing, and having lunch at Fat Cats or Mersea restaurants.   Until next time!

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 correctly. 

Central Sierras (Huntington & Shaver Lakes)

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Central Sierras (Huntington & Shaver Lakes)
July 9th – 19th, 2022 (10 nights)

Summer is usually a great time to head for the mountains (which are often inaccessible other times of year due to harsh weather).  A neighbor recommended we visit the Central Sierra, specifically Huntington Lake and Shaver Lake. He has spent a lot of time in this area and reported the lakes to be spectacular.  Because the drive directly from our home in San Diego to Huntington Lake is a long one (over seven hours), we decided to make a couple stops in between to make the drive easier.  We first stopped at my brother’s house in Pacific Palisades (Los Angeles area) for a night.  Then, we headed to a stop in the Central Valley.  Our neighbors, Phil & Claudia, also joining us on this trip with their RPOD trailer, recommended we stay at Success Lake in the Central Valley.  The only hitch (pardon the pun) with this plan is that the temperature during this time of year is often over 100 degrees at Success Lake and our Scamp 13′ didn’t come with AC (see article, “No AC, No Problem”).  Fortunately, I had a couple of weeks to prepare and I was able to build a mounting system for a mini window AC unit.

We were curious about the fully loaded (full Fresh and Hot Water tanks) weight of our Scamp 13’ (with front bathroom), so we stopped at one of the many CAT Certified Scales (big yellow signs with a Cat head) prevalent throughout the Central Valley.  California’s Central Valley, which provides a quarter of the nation’s food (including 40% of the nation’s fruits and nuts), has many public weigh stations due to the considerable amount of trucking in the area.  The California standard weigh fee is currently $13.  At the weigh station, there are multiple scale platforms (designed for tractor trailers) defined by bright yellow outlines.  Just make sure the trailer is on one and the tow vehicle is on another to get an accurate weight.  Push the Call button and the weigh master will print out a weight certificate for you.  Our Scamp weighed in wet (full Fresh, Hot water, and Propane x 2 tanks) at 1840 lbs., which is considered a light trailer.

Success Lake is a recreation lake in the Central Valley and is popular for boating, waterskiing, sailing, kayaking, swimming and fishing.  There are about 103 campsites at the campground, called Tule Campground, and a small marina which has boat rentals.  The campground is operated by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and is a dammed reservoir.  We had an electric hookup site (water also included, free central Dump), site #54, which was $30/night and has a view of the lake.  There was good cell service during our visit (three bars on Verizon and good streaming).  We were also able to pick up 11 clear HD channels over the air on our HD TV.  The campground was nearly empty during our stay and it was easy to understand why – the temperature was well over 100 degrees.  However, the lake was busy with families enjoying the water.  As soon as we hooked up and set up our new window mini air conditioner, we spent most of our time in the Scamp playing games.  We set the temperature inside the Scamp at a nice cool 74 degrees.  The hot weather outside during the day was inhospitable.  Just a short walk was very uncomfortable.  However, the heat cooled a bit by early evening allowing us a walk with our friends along the lake and marina.  The next morning, we left right after breakfast, avoiding the extreme heat of the day (dumping at the free central dump station on the way out).

The flat and arid nature of the Central Valley changes to a mountain landscape with dense pines, after passing Fresno and climbing high up into the lake country.  Once we left Success Lake, it took us about three and a half hours to reach Rancheria Campground (no hookups or dump, but shared water spigots) at Huntington Lake (elevation 7,028 ft.).  Rancheria Campground is a beautiful lakeside campground nestled among tall pines.  There are beaches along the lake and the crystal clear water wasn’t too cold to take a dip.  The lake is known for being windy and popular for sailing.  There is a marina close to the campground.  Our campsite, #74 ($37/night), has a nice view of the lake and is well spaced between other campsites.  This campground has numerous sites with nice lakes views (our favorite sites are #65, #68, #71, #70, #69, #72, #81, #67, #66, #74, #69, #76, #82, and #81).  A bear paid a visit to the campground one night and enjoyed some s’mores left out by campers.  We enjoyed hikes along the lake as well as a long hike up to Rancheria Falls (about four miles from the campground, which took us about 3 hours).  Despite it being July, the waterfall had a really lively flow.  We also had some really fun games of the board game Sequence with our friends.  For an overview video of our stay at Rancheria Campground, click here.

After a couple nights at Huntington Lake, we headed down to Dorabelle Campground (at Shaver Lake, elevation 5,627 ft.) (only about 30 minutes away).  We needed to dump, so we stopped at the only dump station in the area (Camp Edison).  We were scheduled to spend the weekend at Camp Edison, but since we needed to dump outside our stay dates we were charged ($30) – the highest dump fee we have ever paid (it’s usually around $7 – $10).  Dorabelle Campground seems more oriented toward families with beaches jumping with children.  Unfortunately, almost all the campsites (except one) do not have a lake view.  There is no dump here or hookups.  There are shared water spigots.  The cell phone reception is a bit spotty.  Even though this campground did not live up to all our expectations, we still enjoyed our campsite (#31, $42/night) (which was located in a beautiful meadow).  Our Scamp 13’ was often in considerable shade, so we had a chance to try out for the first time our 50’ solar extension cables to allow our solar panels to be positioned out in the sun!  There are many hiking trails adjacent to Dorabelle Campground, giving access to walks through grassy fields filled with beautiful flowers (e.g. lupine) and tall pines.  On our hikes, we saw ospreys flying as well as tree top nests with osprey chicks’ heads bobbing above the rim high above the lake.  We also had the chance to go out on the water when our generous campsite neighbor offered us a lake tour. The lake was very active with people swimming, boating, jet skiing, fishing, and sunbathing.  During the boating excursion, we got out of the boat on a secluded beach and hiked up to Shaver Lake Falls!

We spent our last couple of days in the Central Sierra at Camp Edison, also on Shaver Lake (a utility run campground just 10 minutes down the lake from Dorabelle Campground).  Camp Edison has the feel of a privately run campground with many amenities (including well stocked camp store, adjacent museum, basketball court, volleyball court, walking trails….).  We were about 45 minutes early for the 1 p.m. check in, and, were told we couldn’t check in until exactly 1 p.m.!  This was surprising because we’ve never had an issue with early arrivals in the past at other campgrounds.  Our campsite also was a bit pricey (the most we’ve ever paid for a campsite at $70/night).  The site, #129, was listed as a premium lake side site and we were expecting a grand lake view given the price.  We were a little taken aback when we pulled in and found the site unpaved, not level, and without a lake view from our Scamp (although there is a lake view from the site’s picnic area above the site pad)!  We had electric power (which was good because there was a mini heat wave while we were there and we were able to run our AC system!).  There is no dedicated water hookup at this site, but there is a shared spigot close by.  Luckily, the shared spigot had enough threads that we were able to hook up our hoses (25’ hose + 50’ extension hose) to reach our Scamp without having to haul water up the hill.  Despite some of these issues, we did have an enjoyable stay at Camp Edison.  On our first night, there was a fantastic thunder and lightning storm and a tree was struck by lightning in town.  There is a great museum, The Museum of the Sierra, adjacent to the campground which has wonderful displays which show how the logging and utility industries developed in the area.  There were live demonstrations of machinery including steam engines moving heavy logs and hydroelectric turbines used for power generation.  There was even a free ice cream social put on by the museum volunteers!  And, on Sunday morning, we went on a great guided hike with a couple guides from the Forestry Service.  Overall, we had a really good experience at Camp Edison.

We decided to skip Success Lake (forecast was for 109 degrees) on the way home and head straight to my brother’s house in Pacific Palisades on the coast (about a 5 hour drive from Camp Edison).   A 6AM squirrel alarm allowed us to get an early start!  We had fun playing games and watching a movie with my brother and nephews before heading home to San Diego the next morning.  For an alternative to the Eastern Sierras (e.g. Mammoth Lakes), definitely consider a visit to the Central Sierras and enjoy equally impressive lake and mountain scenery!

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 correctly. 

Lake Almanor, Rocky Point Campground (PG&E)

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Lake Almanor, Rocky Point Campground (PG&E)
June 11th – 20th, 2022 (9 nights)

Summer is the perfect time to head up to the mountains, relax and have fun at beautiful lakes.  The weather is usually nice and sunny and not too warm or cold.  On this trip, we chose to visit a relatively unheard of lake, called Lake Almanor (elevation 4,505 ft.), far up in Northern California near Lassen Volcanic National Park (about 5 hours north of San Francisco).  Since the trip is a long distance from our home in San Diego, we chose to make some overnight rest stops before and after reaching Lake Almanor.  On our way up, we stopped at my cousin Jon’s home in Santa Barbara and spent the night.  Our next stop was at my sister’s house in Oakland, where we spent a couple of nights hiking and relaxing with family.  The final leg from Oakland to Lake Almanor took us about 5 hours and we arrived at our campsite, site #52, by the lake around 1:30 p.m.  Returning home, we stopped first in Oakland and then at my brother’s house in Pacific Palisades.  The total trip cost for gasoline was $544 with our 2020 Volvo XC40 tow vehicle averaging around 20 mpg towing our Scamp 13’.

In the Lake Almanor area, Rocky Point campground is one of PG&E’s campgrounds which the utility shares with the public for a reasonable nightly rate.  We paid $30/night for our no hookup site (no hookups are available here) and $7 to use the central Dump station.  Reservation windows for each season become available at different times in the spring and it’s best to check PG&E’s website for details.  It’s also a good idea to reserve your campsite the first morning PG&E’s online reservations system opens.  We reserved two campsites on April 25th (one for us and one for our friends) (the online reservation system actually opened a week earlier but it was only for those making reservations for stays of a week or longer).  Here’s a video of the lake and campground area.

Lake Almanor is actually a reservoir which PG&E uses to generate electricity through a dam (hydroelectric project).  The lake has 52 miles of coastline and was completed by Great Western Power in 1927 and named after the three daughters of a company executive:  Alice, Martha, and Eleanor.  Lassen Volcanic National Park is a short drive away (we didn’t visit this time because we stayed at its Manzanita Lake Campground last summer) and its towering snowcapped Mt. Lassen is visible in the distance of Lake Almanor.  There are plenty of fun things to do at this under-the-radar location and the nice thing is that there are few crowds to deal with here (unlike at Yosemite National Park).  Water activities on Lake Almanor’s 28,000 acres (e.g. boating, stand up paddle boarding, jet skiing, kayaking, fishing, swimming, and sunbathing on the beach) along with hiking and biking on the paved Lake Almanor Recreation Trail (which goes on for miles) are some of the favorites.

We had plenty of engaging activities the four days we stayed at Lake Almanor.  And, best of all, our friends, Phil & Claudia, were able to join us on this trip which made for a seriously fun time!  On our first day, we took a bike ride on the Lake Almanor Recreation Trail (total length around 19 miles round trip).  The ride is moderately challenging with drops and climbs and goes along the lake through forests.  We only completed about 10 miles round trip and travelled from the campground to Pratville (closest small town to the campground) and back.  This little town is made up of several small businesses which include a general store, Carol’s Pratville Café (all the locals rave about the food and ice-cream here), and some small lakeside resorts and cabins.  There are occasional benches on the trail that look out on beautiful views over the lake which make for pleasant rest stops.  Our ride took us about three hours and we were tired when we got back to our campsite.  After our long ride was the perfect time to try out our new hammock!  Lying in the hammock and looking at the lake and sky was totally peaceful and relaxing.  We also had a chance to play one of our favorite games, Sequence, with our friends.

On the following days at the campground, we took more walks (and even walked to the dam) and played more games.  We watched ospreys feeding and even saw one drop a fish into the lake!  We relaxed in our new chairs on the beach and took our inflatable kayak out onto the lake.  We enjoyed watching movies at night in our Scamp 13′.  The weather was beautiful our entire visit (mostly in the 70’s during the day), but early the morning we left it snowed (mid June)!  We saw snow on car’s hoods and a winter wonderland, with the forest blanketed in white powder, as we drove down the mountain!  With so many things to do at Lake Almanor, our only regret is not having spent more time relaxing in our new hammock!  There’s always next year!!!

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 correctly. 

Big Bear Lake, Serrano Campground

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Big Bear Lake, Serrano Campground
May 22nd – 25th, 2022 (3 nights)

Big Bear Lake is a beautiful mountain lake (elevation 6,800’) located about three hours from San Diego.  The area is great for all season activities.  Skiing is very popular at Big Bear’s Bear Mountain and Snow Summit ski areas.  Spring and summer are the perfect time for a camping trip at the lake as the weather is usually nice.  The two main routes to reach Big Bear Lake from Los Angeles and San Diego are going up on CA-330 or CA-38.  Highway 330 is quicker by about 30 minutes, but very windy with repeated hair pin turns and more trafficked compared to CA-38.  Since we weren’t pressed for time and had our Scamp 13’ in tow, we chose CA-38.  We left our home at about 11 a.m. and had a nice leisurely drive up to the campground, arriving around 2 p.m. (check in time) for a late lunch.  The CA-38 has some windy sections, but nothing like the CA-330, so we were very glad we took the slow and less direct approach!  Note:  both our Waze and Google Maps navigators kept trying to reroute us to CA-330 for a while when driving through Redlands.  Instead, we ignored the directions to exit on the 77B/CA-210 Foothill Freeway and stayed on the 10 East and exited on Orange Street and then right on E. Lugonia Avenue (which turns into the CA-38).  In other words, figure out your directions to use the CA-38 before you leave the house!

Serrano Campground is a beautiful campground set amongst tall pines on the north shore of Big Bear Lake.  This side of the lake is not as busy as the south shore where the village with all its shops and restaurants are located.  And, Serrano Campground is fairly isolated and private.   We noticed when pulling into Serrano Campground that there is a free day use area (Meadows Edge Picnic Area) across the street directly on the lake that will accommodate cars/RVs and offers picnic tables and a nice beach.  Meadows Edge seems a perfect spot to have lunch and relax when arriving early before 2 p.m. check in time.  There was no line when we drove up to the Serrano Campground Ranger Station check in kiosk.  We were given a map, told that no bears had been sighted recently (although campsites have bear boxes), and directed to our campsite (#121).  Site #121 (currently $37/night) is in partial shade and has no hookups (although there is a central dump in the campground / currently $10).  There is a water spigot directly across from Site #121 (and many sprinkled throughout the campground).  From this site, it’s only a short walk to the lake and the Alpine Pedal Path (more on this later) from Site #121.  We didn’t get any HDTV signals within our Scamp 13’, but the Verizon cellphone and internet coverage was very good during our stay here.

Although Site #121 is listed within the Lake View section, we found only a few sites actually have a lake view (#115/116, #114, #117).  Our top site picks in the Lake View section are #115/116 (double site costing 2x the price of a regular site = currently $74/night), #114, #117, (#118 and #119 if reserving with families or friends as these sites are close together), #120, #121, and #95.  The other campground loops have road noise from Hwy 38/North Shore Drive (although not too bad).  For those wanting hookups, the Snowberry RV Loop has full hookup sites (currently $47/night).  If possible, we recommend the Lake View Loop since it has less road noise.  We used our briefcase solar panel system for power and Holy Grail Portable Grey Tank Solution to unload grey water, which allowed us to avoid paying $10 more a night for a full hookup site or using the dump our entire three night stay (despite the two of us taking hot showers every night!).

The wonderful smell of butterscotch and vanilla produced by the pines is reason enough to stay within Serrano Campground!  Scientists don’t know why Ponderosa pines smell like cookies baking, but guess the smell may result from a chemical in the sap being warmed by the sun.  Morning walks or bike rides along the Alpine Pedal Path (miles of paved bike/walking path along the lake and through the pine forests) are particularly effective in refreshing the soul.  Studies have shown that getting out in nature and breathing fresh air just produced by trees helps physical well-being by reducing blood pressure, heart rate and stress.  We definitely felt this to be the case during our visit!  We enjoyed morning’s walks along the lake as well as bike rides on the Alpine Pedal Path.  We chose to continue our bike ride across the Stanfield Cutoff which provides a bike path across the end of the lake into the village of Big Bear.  It’s a little over 5 miles from the campground to the end of the Alpine Pedal Path and back along the easy paved path (the path only follows part of the shoreline on the north shore and one end is close to Serrano campground).  Allow a couple of hours to complete the path for a nice time.  There are numerous places to stop and take in the views along with benches and signs with descriptions of the various aspects of Big Bear Lake.

Big Bear Lake also is a great place for water activities like fishing, boating / kayaking, water skiing, and relaxing on the beach.  There are kayak rentals at the dock near the campground.  We didn’t bring our inflatable kayak this time but did see a few campers fishing for trout from the beach.  We could spot a number of large trout close to the shore while walking along the sand.  There is an observatory right on the beach in front of the campground (Big Bear Solar Observatory / BBSO), but public tours have been closed due to Covid.  BBSO had the largest operational solar telescope from 2008 until 2020 (until the introduction of the Inouye Solar Telescope @ 4 meter aperture in Hawaii).  For those who enjoy mountain biking, Big Bear’s ski resorts (Snow Summit and Bear Mountain) turn into lift-served, gravity fed bike parks during the summer.  Riders can ride the lifts to the top and choose a variety of runs to ride their bikes down to the bottom.

If you enjoy animals, plan to visit the Big Bear Alpine Zoo.  The zoo is actually a rehabilitation center and sanctuary for wild animals that need help (e.g. injured, orphaned, and imprinted animals).  The zoo, owned and operated by a division of the County of San Bernardino and established in 1959, releases the vast majority of animals back into the wild after their rehabilitation.  We had a great visit walking the grounds of the zoo and saw a number of incredible animals, including bald eagles, golden eagles, owls, cranes, brown bears, grizzly bears, snow leopards, a white wolf, raccoons, and coyotes, among many others.  Some of the animals are rescued locally and others are from other areas of the country.  For example, we saw a Grizzly bear mother and her two large cubs who were rescued from Yellowstone National Park because they were constantly getting too close to the public.  The mama bear was teaching her cubs to steal food from people.  Most of the animals we saw seemed calm and contented, with the exception of one coyote who appeared distressed (perhaps a recent rescue).  Allow at least an hour to explore the zoo (currently $15 for adult entry).

If hiking is to your liking, there are a plethora of trails to explore.  With only a few days to visit and so much to see, we chose to hike one of the most renowned hikes, Castle Rock Trail.  This 2.7 mile out-and-back trail is moderately challenging and takes a couple of hours to complete (with stops for views).  An easy way to get to the trail from Serrano Campground is drive the CA-38E / North Shore drive (opposite direction than to the Stanfield Cutoff) around the West side of Big Bear Lake to Big Bear Blvd. on the south side of the lake.  The trail parking is on the street on a curve and there isn’t much of it, so best to arrive in the early morning.  There is a trail marker at the start of the trail.  The trail is steep with lots of rocky terrain, so take it slowly and watch your step.  Bring plenty of water and some snacks.  It’s easy to get off the main trail because there are lots of side trails, but there is a solution — follow the rock baskets (cairns) which are easy to see and usually there is one within sight (or within a short walking distance from the last one).  Castle Rock is off to the right near the top and there is a side trail that goes around its backside to the boulders.  We climbed a small portion of the boulders and were rewarded with a great view of the lake far down below.  The Castle Rock Trail continues on, and you can hike up until the trail ends and then on further if you want (at a branch at the top with another couple of trails – one to Bluff Lake)

We really enjoyed Serrano Campground at Big Bear Lake and are already planning another visit.  There are a few areas of interest that were closed or we didn’t have time for during our visit which we hope we’ll be able to explore next time.  We would like to visit the Discovery Center (visitor and nature center), the Big Bear Solar Observatory, the Alpine Slide, hike some more trails, enjoy an evening interpretive program, and perhaps do some kayaking on the lake.  As always, make sure to take some movies to enjoy in your camper at night as well as some of your favorite games (like our favorite, Sequence).  So, if you are looking for a fantastic lakeside getaway, look no further than Serrano Campground at Big Bear Lake!

 

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 correctly.