Best Camping in Southern California

[rob0683]

Does anyone know of any good camping sites in Southern California?  I want a place where you can build your own fire, aren't butted up right next to the next site and are in the woods.  Also this is for Tent Camping, not RV camping.

Thanks!

[LVWood]

I don't know, but San Francisco has some real nice camping spots.

[surfivor]

 I tent camped around southern CA in 1998 and 2002.

 The place I thought was nice and near the ocean for being so close to LA was Leo Carillo state park, though this was 25 years ago

I forget if I stayed here once on the beach, it looks like maybe there are a few spots with campfires:
https://www.ventura.org/parks-department/beach-front-parks/faria-beach-park/

 The other place I stayed at was South Carlsbad state beach which was ok .. It's on the beach - no woods


 I think Baja California is nice (all desert and beaches) and does not seem crowded but you have to be cognizant of crime. The place I had looked into once was maybe around Rosarito. I think there's cheap places down there and camping as well as in Cabo further south

http://www.gogringo.com/activities/surfing-mexico/

http://www.gogringo.com/states/baja-california-norte/rosarito/

========

 I think this was the place that I had found that seemed interesting, Coyote Cals. There's fishing there too. I was contemplating going there but after 9/11 I stopped traveling far and wide as frequently. I still may get there yet though

http://www.coyotecals.com/prices.html

Tent sites: $10

http://www.coyotecals.com/baja-surf.html

Surfing K-181, Punta Cabras and the Punta San Isidro area near Coyote Cal’s hostel, is one of Baja’s best kept surfing secrets. Safe, un-crowded and mainly deserted beaches with reef-breaks, sandy coves and long sandy breaks offer excellent year around surfing in all conditions, including northwest and south swell. The jam’n breaks of Long Beach, the big wave break of River Mouth and its 100 meter long board ride, make the area in many ways better than Quatro Casas, Shipwrecks and Freighters.

[Mintbird]

I live in SoCal and I haven’t been able to find a camping place where you aren’t close to someone. I’d also add that since we’ve been in a drought for years, when I went “camping” last year the rangers came by and made us douse our campfire. We hade to get a propane stove if we wanted to cook. We went home.

BTW: we went to a campsite in the Angeles forest.

[mountainmoma]

look up nation forest and go to one of those,  to the campground down the dirt road with pit toilets and some you have to bring in your own water. Much more peaceful. National forest camps are less crowded even if they have water, compared to a state park

finding this took a second

https://www.tripsavvy.com/dispersed-camping-in-natl-forests-503960

list of national forests https://www.fs.fed.us/recreation/map/state_list.shtml

I camped in a national forest last summer, we had a permit for having a campfire, was easy to get online. We camped not in a campground, we could camp anywhere. Of course, there was no water or even pit toilets but it was great. We each brought in a 5 gallon container of water. We open carried hand guns in case needed ( they weren't) which is legal. We did it by taking a boat to a deserted spot. I have done it in the past by walking in a mile. I have done it also in the past by drivng down a dirt road in the national forest.

try Los Padres National Forest or Sequoia national forest if you want to get a bit away of LA-ish areas and crowds and have lusher trees

We drove 5 or 6 hours, the last being quite slow and windy, to get away from people, then took the power boat with multiple trips.... you can get away, but it isnt close

[FreeLancer]

I think Joshua Tree is the best camping I’ve done down here.  Granted there’s no woods, but you can have a fire and I haven’t felt like the campsites were as piled on top of each other, like in the mountains.  And the wide horizons and relatively dark sky bring out the stars at night.  I really like the bizarre rock piles out there, too.

[lissa]

So where you went rob0683 ? Share your experience.