California Camping &
Campgrounds: The
Trip Starts Here.

Want to do some California camping, or are you looking for California campgrounds but you're not sure where to start? This guide will help...
















California has a lot to offer. From the desert to the ocean to the mountains there's always something to see and do. Depending on the location, elevation, and season the weather can be anything from hot and dry to cold and wet so plan accordingly.

Camping Guides/Books/Resources: You may want to save yourself some time and headache by investing in a couple of these guides and atlas. If they save you one inconvenience they've paid for themselves and make a good addition to your equipment used for camping.

Foghorn Outdoors: California Camping: The Complete Guide to More Than 1,500 Campgrounds,by Tom Stienstra: If you're looking to camp California you'll want to get this guide. It details over 1,500 campgrounds from large with hundreds of campsites down to the tiny, and they vary from RV ready to wilderness settings. He also provides 60 maps, what the parks offer, fee and reservation information, and secrets to locating good spots.

Benchmark California Road & Recreation Atlas, by Stuart Allan, Benchmark Maps: If you're traveling anywhere unknown to you in California do yourself a favor and pick up this atlas. Though it's probably overkill for those that only use the highway, this atlas is great for those that like to get off the beaten path. With GPS grids, landscape maps, and detailed roads you'll have a hard time finding anything better for California camping unless you have your own custom topographic made.

The Baja Catch: A Fishing, Travel & Remote Camping Manual for Baja California, by Neil Kelly, Gene Kira:This book is recommended especially if you like to fish, but there is also good remote camping information if you're headed that way.

Foghorn Outdoors: California Hiking: The Complete Guide to More Than 1,000 of the Best Hikes, by Tom Stienstra, Ann Marie Brown: Although there aren't any detailed trail maps (there are 63 general maps) and some may not agree with the ratings (for difficulty, beauty, etc.) this is still a great guide to start with if you like to hike. The hikes range from easy to "butt kickers" and can last anywhere from 10 minutes to a week. You get the usual difficulty ratings, distance, and time plus information on permits, rules about bikes, dogs, and etc. A worthwhile guide if you're hiking in California.

California Camping Parks: As usual expect a reservation fee and no-shows, early departures, or cancellations may not be able to get a refund and there could be a cancellation fee. A bit of a bummer, but it's a lot better than driving several hours only to be turned away because the campground is full. With campgrounds being so busy some campers are making reservations half a year in advance. ReserveAmerica.com offers online reservations for a lot of campgrounds in California. There's also more information through the Department of Parks & Recreation but this site is very tedious, I like Reserve America better.

California State Parks: California has about 279 state parks ranging from recreation areas to historical monuments. The logistics and layout of the site leave a lot to be desired but it does list the state parks in order. Here's a quick abbreviation tutorial to get you started... SRA = State Recreation Area, SP = State Park, SHP = State Historic Park, SR = State Reserve, POI = Point of Interest, SVRA = State Vehicular Recreation Area, SB = State Beach, and SHM = State Historical Monument.

California National Forests: If you'd like to visit some National Forests on your California camping vacation here's a place to start.

California National Parks: Click "more >>" under "Search by Topic", check off "camping" under "Activities", then check off the Park Type(s) you're interested in, select California, and click "Find a Park". Sorry there's no direct California camping link. :-(

Wilderness Areas of the Sierra Nevada These areas are for California campers that consider themselves explorers and want to go somewhere that may not even offer a trail at times. So make sure you've got your compass/GPS and know how to use it. Also check on permits and rules.

If you're looking for a California beach vacation take a look at this site (opens a new browser window).

Southern California Beaches Vacation Guide: Includes information on beach campgrounds in Southern California under various location headings, including Ventura, San Diego and San Clemente.

I hope you found this California camping page useful.