Where to camp in California?

[BigHand]

Try the Carmel River Valley RV Park. It is small but very nice, clean, and a little pricey. Under no circumstances should you approach from the east on the Loverless Grade!

[jlynn721]

Originally Posted by sacramentocamper

Just to clarify a little. I am a salesman, not a carpenter or electrical engineer. Last week I figured out how to correctly use the thermostat so the furnace would heat without having the AC unit also blow air. Yeah, it was really simple, put the fan on auto and adjust the furnace to the desired temperature. I got an adaptor to manage the grey water. I discovered (for me a discovery, in retrospect pretty obvious) how to light the pilot and run the refrigerator on gas. I share all this because its really simple and basic, and its where I'm at.

The forum has been super helpful, some of the posts I understand, some of them I think "wow, that dude is super smart", but I seem to be learning pieces here and there as I read through things. For example, it never occurred to me that I might be able to simply leave the table in the up position and not deal with those confounded legs. I'll look into this soon.

Thank you to whoever it was who suggested camping in the driveway and getting familiar with various systems that way. Your suggestion helped me get dialed and made a big difference.

Perhaps I'm a visual learner, pictures make a huge impact when I try to learn new things. Once again, thank you everyone for your patience and your willingness to share your solutions and insights. QUESTION: I live in California and all the campgrounds are shut down, where do I camp? The driveway is loosing its appeal.

Do you live in Southern Cal?

Quartzsite, AZ is only a few hours away. Plus, you can pull off in the desert and camp for free. The only cost is fuel. If you go will full water and propane, and empty black amd grey tanks, it will give you a good idea how long you can camp before you need to dump/refill.
You will be surrounded by knowledgeable, experienced RVers who would more than likely be happy to answer any questions you have.

You can do the same thing in CA on BLM land, but sometimes they are a little harder to find. The desert around Quartzsite is somewhat crowded, but the desert never fills up! You will always find a place.

Good luck.

[mike.t]

Originally Posted by BigHand

Try the Carmel River Valley RV Park. It is small but very nice, clean, and a little pricey. Under no circumstances should you approach from the east on the Loverless Grade!

Why not?

[bmwdave52]

If you live in the Sacramento area you can try Rancho Seco Park, it’s a great place to do a shake down camping trip on your new trailer. It’s close and easy to get to.

[mike.t]

;o) Quartzsite is quite the hoot, you'll find "pushers" to dudes living in the trunk of the car it's quite the site.

[tjcal]

Have you tried Olema Campground, oddly enough it’s in Olema...Or the Elk Campground or the Emerald Forest? These are all Northern California

[BnBcampin]

We always desert camped in the winter in So Cal.

[sacramentocamper]

Originally Posted by jlynn721

Do you live in Southern Cal?

Quartzsite, AZ is only a few hours away. Plus, you can pull off in the desert and camp for free. The only cost is fuel. If you go will full water and propane, and empty black amd grey tanks, it will give you a good idea how long you can camp before you need to dump/refill.
You will be surrounded by knowledgeable, experienced RVers who would more than likely be happy to answer any questions you have.

You can do the same thing in CA on BLM land, but sometimes they are a little harder to find. The desert around Quartzsite is somewhat crowded, but the desert never fills up! You will always find a place.

Good luck.

I'm in Sacramento but thank you! Used to live in Irvine and would head to the Salton Sea area if I were still there.

[Fun Boy Tours]

Our rig is also parked in our Southern California driveway .... we feel your pain!

They "might" open some of the State campgrounds February 1st.

But with Governor Newsome who knows?!?!

[ppine]

The good RV ads always show a lone rig on the beach, in the mountains or some really beautiful place. The reality is that most people that own RVs seem to be herders and only comfortable around other people. Now that most of the rock hounds have moved to Tucson, Quartzite is my worse nightmare.

[nayther]

Originally Posted by Fun Boy Tours

But with Governor Newsome who knows?!?!

Not gonna happen, they have no clue what they're doing. Why on earth would you close campgrounds to avoid the spread? Do we camp within 6' of each other? And many of the counties are following suit.

[pitzhauler]

Why don't you try boondocking? I'm sure BLM land is available in spots in cal.in fact there are some east of LA an East of San Diego. Just sayn.
Pitzhauler
2020 cherokee t/h 297

[FreeDivr]

Check out Coloma resort. Close to you, they are open and it’s great views from the riverfront spots. We will be there in a few weeks.

[Take_a_hike]

I am watching this post carefully. We live in Thousand Oaks and since March we have had our reservations canceled by Santa Barbara County parks, California State Parks 3times, and Yosemite 2x. Those reservations were incredibly difficult to get 6 months in advance.
We even decided to bite the bullet and stay at the lodge in Yosemite when we were able to get a few nights there, even though that was not my idea of social distancing. One week after we made reservations at the lodge, they canceled also.
Private campgrounds are not our idea of camping, more like a place to stop to break up the drive and do laundry. But we still need a destination to drive to. We did try a few private RV parks over the summer, but services were restricted like pools or restaurants (another one of our uses for private RV parks).
Right now Yosemite is booking sites at upper pines at 50% capacity which means you are all jammed in to 1/2 the campground. I think social distancing would look more like every other campsite. Besides after going to the trouble of trying to get a reservation, it will probably be canceled anyway.
In September and October we used Airbnb in Utah and Colorado and Idaho. Numbers of cases were down in the counties we went to, and it was contactless check in.
We may be selling our motorhome since we can’t use it.

[Stewardorng2]

we just got back from a stay at the RV park at black Oak Indian casino we do not gamble. this is one of the nicest parks we have ever stayed at we did take advantage of the fancy restaurant Seven Seas I think in the casino.
In Tuolumne, CA found some great hikes near by.

[Phabibzadeh]

I know you said California, but you are not far from Nevada, our campgrounds are open. Or you can always try casino camping.

[aircommuter]

Originally Posted by Phabibzadeh

I know you said California, but you are not far from Nevada, our campgrounds are open. Or you can always try casino camping.

Both have been mentioned before.

[mike.t]

Originally Posted by Phabibzadeh

I know you said California, but you are not far from Nevada, our campgrounds are open. Or you can always try casino camping.

Not sure where you are located and I am sure there are some nice Casino RV places, I do recommend that you do not stay at Circus Circus. Stayed in one coming and going to Colorada, not great but better than the Circus. JMHO of course.

[mike.t]

"We may be selling our motorhome since we can’t use it" And?
You can use it all you want unless you just want to sit around with an umbrella in a toddy. Get out and enjoy something!!

[Phabibzadeh]

Sorry