autumn road trips california

September Festivals

Back Roads of California

Cabin Rentals & Cottages

Camp Clueless

Aspendell, CA

Kirkwood, CA

Fort Jones, CA

Wilderness Maps

Small Town California: A to Z

Total Escape Summer Camping California

nothing

but time

Total Escape is California, off the beaten path

exercise and diet

Seeking cooler temperatures outdoors? Head to higher elevtions (above 5000' elevation) and experience the beauty that the mountains have to offer. FREE camping, also known as boondocking, on the dirt back roads. Cold water creeks, recreational lakes and numerous waterfalls will quench your desire for fun.

FOREST MAPS - real paper maps!
Three decades ago we began this website, promoting the best seclusion inside California. Well before the vanlife craze and the selfie sticks. Started selling hiking and off-roading maps online, way before the National Parks and State Parks even had their websites online. Phrases like 'influencer' and 'content creator' weren't even a twinkle yet; real high speed internet and smartphones were still a decade away.

Total Escape and DanaMite are celebration 30 years online this year, while the web has changed in every way, we survive in the rural reaches of the golden state - without wifi, without televison and without a decent cell phone signal. DanaMite is working part time this summer, at Lassen Volcanic National Park Visitors Center!!!

flickr still hasn't deleted my photos (yet), so get while the gettin is good.

all local: updated monthly

ancient: 29 years online!

We're still here, thousands of pages and decades later. Way outside the city limits, beyond the county line. No wifi, no smart meters, no gaming addictions, no traffic lights, no city noise. Rural living in California still exist. Hike on the weekends, bike to work, boating mid-week, we have you covered for destinations. Find a new boulder garden, a big waterfall, trailhead or an ancient lava cave. Total Escape - Two whole decades online. Not quite obsolete.

Craving the Wild? Before the tweets, the constant memes and paralysis of our current culture, DanaMite started this travel web site way back in 1996. Catchy phrases like, FOMO (Fear of Missing Out) did not yet exist.

Total Escape features abundant real photos of real places. Secluded destinations, camping and lodging, examining the best back roads, side routes, the topo maps (to get you out there). Locals-only travel tips, gear reviews, festivals and events. This unique travel site is updated every month, for more than the past 2 decades!

Juicy content specific only to California. Focusing on outdoor destinations, small towns and budget-minded travel since 1996, we've recreated the weekend getaway - without the crowds. Escape the matrix, the city life, the traffic jams and learn how to avoid the tourist traps. Drive on past the factory outlet malls and the water slides, we've got much more to show you. Way out there, on the back roads, and in the backcountry.

Wilderness in California - more nature, less people.