Moon California Camping: The Complete Guide to Tent and RV Camping

by Tom Stienstra

Overview

20 million acres of forest, 1,200 miles of coastline, and countless wilderness areas: Your California camping adventure awaits! Find the perfect place to pitch your tent with Moon California Camping.

• A Campsite for Everyone: A variety of campgrounds and RV parks, from secluded Sierra hike-ins to convenient roadside stopovers, including dog-friendly, family-friendly, and wheelchair accessible options
• Ratings and Essentials: All campsites are rated on a scenic scale and marked with amenities like restrooms, trailhead access, picnic areas, laundry, piped water, showers, and playgrounds
• Recreation Highlights: Discover nearby hiking, swimming, fishing, water-skiing, whitewater rafting, hot springs, and options for winter sports
• Maps and Directions: Easy-to-use maps and detailed driving directions for each campground
• Skip the Crowds: Moon California Camping contains many secluded spots and campgrounds that aren't available in the state's online reservation system
• The Top RV and Tent Sites for You: Pick the right campsite for your travel style with lists like "Best for Families," "Scenic Campgrounds," and "Best Island Retreats"
• Trailhead Access Campgrounds: Find sites that offer access to the John Muir Trail, the Pacific Crest Trail, and more, plus essential information on hiking
• Trusted Advice: Expert outdoorsman Tom Stienstra knows his stuff; he's hiked 25,000 miles in and around these campgrounds for over 30 years
• Helpful resources on Covid-19 and camping in California
• Tips and Tools: Information on equipment, food and cooking, first aid, and insect protection, plus background on the climate, landscape, and history of the campgrounds

Whether you're a veteran or a first-time camper, Moon's comprehensive coverage and trusted advice will have you gearing up for your next adventure.

Narrowing your search? Try Moon Northern California Camping. Hitting the road? Check out Moon California Road Trip.
 

About Moon Travel Guides: Moon was founded in 1973 to empower independent, active, and conscious travel. We prioritize local businesses, outdoor recreation, and traveling strategically and sustainably. Moon Travel Guides are written by local, expert authors with great stories to tell—and they can't wait to share their favorite places with you.

For more inspiration, follow @moonguides on social media.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781640496194
Publisher:	Avalon Publishing
Publication date:	06/14/2022
Series:	Travel Guide
Edition description:	22nd ed.
Pages:	880
Sales rank:	264,445
Product dimensions:	5.30(w) x 8.30(h) x 1.10(d)

About the Author

For over 30 years, Tom Stienstra’s full-time job has been to capture and communicate the outdoor experience. This has led him across California – fishing, hiking, camping, boating, biking, and flying – searching for the best of the outdoors and then writing about it.

Tom is the nation’s top-selling author of outdoors guidebooks. His documentary on the Tuolumne River received an Emmy in 2017. He has been inducted into the California Outdoor Hall of Fame and has twice been awarded National Outdoor Writer of the Year, newspaper division, by the Outdoor Writers Association of America. He has also been named California Outdoor Writer of the Year five times. Tom is the outdoors columnist for the San Francisco Chronicle; his articles appear on sfgate.com and in newspapers around the country. He also broadcasts a weekly radio show on KCBS-San Francisco.

Tom lives in Northern California. You can contact him directly via the website tomstienstra.com.

Table of Contents

Author's Note 10

Best Campgrounds 12

Best Scenic Campgrounds

Best Boat-In Campgrounds

Best for Families

Best for Fishing

Best for Hikes with Views

Best Island Retreats

Best Trailhead Camps

Best for Waterskiing

Best for White-Water Rafting

Camping Tips 15

Sleeping Gear 15

Hiking and Foot Care 22

Food and Cooking Gear 31

First Aid and Insect Protection 37

Catching Fish, Avoiding Bears, and Having Fun 48

Camping Options 60

Camp Ethics and Politics 61

Outdoors with Kids 65

Predicting Weather 67

Chapter 1 Redwood Empire 71

Chapter 2 Shasta and Trinity 103

Chapter 3 Lassen and Modoc 177

Chapter 4 Mendocino and Wine Country 233

Chapter 5 Sacramento and Gold Country 289

Chapter 6 Tahoe and the Northern Sierra 329

Chapter 7 San Francisco Bay Area 439

Chapter 8 Monterey and Big Sur 469

Chapter 9 San Joaquin Valley 487

Chapter 10 Yosemite and Mammoth Lakes 513

Chapter 11 Sequoia and Kings Canyon 567

Chapter 12 Santa Barbara and Vicinity 655

Chapter 13 Los Angeles and Vicinity 705

Chapter 14 San Diego and Vicinity 765

Chapter 15 California Deserts 795

Resources 845

Index 855

Acknowledgments 871

Editorial Reviews

"If you’ve ever hiked, camped, backpacked, fished or in any way outdoor-recreated in Northern California, it’s almost guaranteed you’ve garnered guidance from Tom Stienstra. In his four decades as The San Francisco Chronicle’s outdoors writer, Stienstra’s newspaper columns, guidebooks and appearances on television and radio have made him the Yoda of the California outdoors. He’s been everywhere and he knows everything."—The San Francisco Chronicle

"Moon handbooks are always a pleasure to read. The writing is crisp, the research impressive, and the recommendations practical and down to earth."—Chicago Tribune

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"Far from narrow minded, each Moon travel guide gives itinerary options for a variety of travelers’ budgets—from frugal to lavish. They make books catering to those who love the outdoors, those who have limited time, those staying exclusively in cities and those who’ve fully committed to living abroad. In all, they have hundreds of titles, ranging Bermuda to Budapest, that’ll teach you to embrace a new culture."—Gear Patrol, "The Best Travel Guidebooks for Every Journey"

"Moon handbooks have become known as well-written and exceptionally informative guides."—The New York Times

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From the Publisher