Car Camping in the Sierras on a Lake

What is your favorite sierra campground on a lake? I'm looking for a car camping spot that is right on a beautiful Alpine lake and that allows swimming and doesn't have a lot of motorized boats or hoardes of people. Also, other suggestions of favorite camping spots with kids are welcome! Happy camper

Just up Highway 50 about 45 minutes east of Placerville. Bring your canoe though, no motorized boats allowed.

Alternately, nearby is Silver Fork campground. NO reservations are taken and it's getting popular too but not nearly the magnitude that Wright's Lake is. It's off of the American River in the Sierras....not on a lake, but lots of hiking trails and slow parts of the river to play in. email me if you want more information. Happy Camping! http://www.fs.fed.us/r5/eldorado/documents/rogs/rog_pvl_silverfork.pdf
tiffany

Canoe Camping

I would like a recommendation for a camping spot for this summer that has a lake so that we can go canoeing (we don't have our canoe yet, just hopeful, have one to sell?) and swimming. We have a 2.5 year old and are meeting up with 2 more people coming from LA, so therefore, we would like to choose a place between the Bay Area and LA, inland or near coast, either way. (We would also like to get some recommendations for camping spots for canoers anywhere in No. Cal. for future reference.)We are tent campers and like a peaceful place to relax and enjoy. Thanks.... lindsay

The water is so blue and clear that people think we've Photoshopped our trip photos. In fact, my only hesitation about recommending it is that I'd hate for too many people to know how amazing a place it is.

There are some dismal warnings on their reservations web site about the road conditions getting in, but we had no problems in my 96 Mercury Sable station wagon (not exactly an offroad vehicle...mind you, the noisy, arrogant jerks in the campground next door got their SUV stuck and had to get a tow out, but that's because, in addition to being jerks, they were also dumb enough to park in the wetland...fortunately we only had to share the campground with them for one night!) I would still call ahead and ask the rangers if there are any road problems getting in with whatever you're driving. Sara

A FAVORITE place of ours is Butano State Park, just south of Half Moon Bay and very close to Pescadero. Redwoods and lovely trails. Very good place for children and adults (and even our teenagers love this place). Phipps Ranch is about a mile away -- has small animal farm (pigs, ponies, bunnies, birds, rabbits, goats) to walk through as well as strawberry and ollalieberry fields where you can "pick your own." Small roadside market sells beans and fresh vegetables and local honey

China Camp in San Rafael. Marsh hikes, drive a little way to "private" bay beach and the China Camp museum.

My husband and I took our niece and daughter to China Camp State Park in Marin County to camp overnight a couple of years ago for a "dry run" before we went to Yosemite. We all loved the place. Campers must walk in which eliminates nearly all of the nuisances generally associated with drive in campgrounds ie. RV's charging generators, loud radios, etc. The facilities were top notch including flush toilets and hot showers that are cleaned regularly. This was a plus for the girls who are pretty fussy about those things. The campsites are spaced generously apart in oak woods. We swam one day in the bay at the China Camp Beach where there are historic buildings and displays about the Chinese Americans who settled there and commercially fished the bay for shrimp. If you are interested in going to the beach, make sure to wear foot coverings because the beach is made up of small stones (great skippers) and are tough on the feet. We saw lots of animal life in the campground after sunset several deer, a gray fox, a family of raccoons, and a skunk. You can make reservations through Mystix.

Camping in the Grand Tetons

Ever since reading about them in a novel, I've wanted to go to the Grand Tetons. I'd like to camp there Summer 2006, maybe for a week. Has anyone done this? Do you have campgrounds to recommend? Other things to know? How much bearproofing do you need to do when you're in a campground? My son is 5 and we love to hike and paddle in our inflatable canoe (Tahiti K). Also, I'd like to do this as cheaply as possible. Thanks! Jennie

My children and I have spent many a weekend at the Olema Family Campground and have really enjoyed it. It isn't a beautiful, scenic, out of the way place, but it is right next to Pt. Reyes which is. There are hot showers, a playground, small store, and nightly campfire entertainment (stories and singing) right there. A laundromat, another store and deli as well as a great restaurant are all within short walking distance.

They can be reached at (415) 663-8001. They have a web site at www.campgrounds.com/olemaranch.

Pinnacles

We'd like to go camping around the Pinnacles in the fall. 1)How's the weather there in Sept.? 2) I've heard the West entrance is more kid-friendly and you can see more without hiking long distances. Do you agree? 3) There's no camping within the parks, but a few campgrounds not far from the park. Any advice re: which campgrounds are nice? We're looking for somewhere quite, with firepits, ideally with toilets/showers, kid-friendly. 4) How long is the drive, from your experience?

Another camping suggestion (almost car-camping): We camped at the Pomo Canyon Environmental Camp (part of the California State Park system), near the coast and the Russian River, a few weekends ago. There weren't a lot of kids around, but our 3-year old daughter loved it (and so did we!) It's a walk-in campground, which we consider the best of both worlds--almost as convenient as car camping, but much nicer because there are no vehicles in the camping area. (Though you need to pack slightly efficiently if you don't want to walk back and forth a million times to bring in your stuff.) Many, but not all, of the sites are quite private. The drive was a little over 2 hours. (To get there, you turn off of route 1 onto Willow Creek Road, which is just before the Russian River. It's about 3 miles down the road to get to the Pomo Canyon camp.)

Here's the (true) description (found at www.mcn.org/1/rrparks/parks/scsb.htm ): "Pomo Canyon Environmental Camp - $10 per night, $5 day use. 20 campsites with fire rings, picnic tables, pit toilets and running water nearby. Campsites are within 1/4 mile from the parking lot, one is disabled accessible. Camps are set in a beautiful redwood grove among the ferns. A three mile trail to Shell Beach takes off from the campground, crossing seasonal streams and rising up into the grassland with marvelous views of the river and finally the ocean. To protect the wildlife, no dogs are allowed. This campground is not on the reservation system."

We went up early on Friday, arriving at the campground around 3 pm. Of 21 sites, there were only 4 left at that point. Everything was gone by 4 pm. The hike to Shell Beach was also wonderful, but make sure to bring lots of water, and be sure you (and any kids that are walking) know how to identify poison oak. (None of us got poison oak but we definitely had to be aware of where we were walking and what we were touching for large portions of the hike; there was no poison oak in the camp area.)

Our family has really enjoyed Samuel P. Taylor State Park. It's over in Marin, fairly close to Pt. Reyes. It has tent space and RV space, and most importantly, SHOWERS. It's within easy reach of the ocean and several beaches, as well as not too terribly far from population centers containing grocery stores. Last I checked, fires were allowed, and you could buy firewood there. As with all State Parks, there is a fairly sizable (in my opinion) fee ($15 or more?), and calling ahead is definitely recommended.

we went to Van Damm State Park which is near mendocino. It was a really nice camp ground and with lots of hiking. It's also just across the street from the beach. We took our son who had just turned 8.