Category Archives: Picnic Areas

Backpacking, Campgrounds, Hiking, Historic Site, Lakes & Reservoirs, Native American, Picnic Areas, Rock Climbing, Sightseeing, Snow, Trailheads, Viewpoints, Wilderness, Wildflowers

Castle Crags Wilderness

NorCal Hiking
Castle Crags State Park
CastleCrags Wilderness

12,232 acres
Northern California Mountains
South of Dunsmuir, CA
Interstate 5
exit #724 – Castella

backpacking, camping, creek fishing, hiking, mountaineering, lakes, rock climbing, snowshoeing, swimming, waterfalls

About an hour north of Redding, you can see those impressive peaks off to the left above the lush forest. Way up off the west side of I-5, lies a hiking paradise of scenic lakes, waterfalls and wildflowers. Opposite the freeway from Mount Shasta; Just south of Lake Siskiyou.castle crags

Castle Crags Wilderness neighbors the Castle Crags State Park, which is surrounded by Shasta-Trinity National Forest. This area is named for 6,000′ tall glacier-polished peaks and pointed crags. Due to their relatively low elevation, year-round recreation, hiking, backpacking, and rock climbing are popular spring through fall. Snowshoeing near Castle Lake is excellent.

Castle Crags State Park
530-235-2684

Castle Crags State Park Campground
76 developed campsites
6 environmental campsites

Max Camper Length: 27′
Max Trailer Length: 21′

28 miles of hiking trails (2.7 mi access trail to Castle Crags Wilderness)
The Pacific Crest Trail also passes through the park.
Dogs not allowed on park trails.

Shasta-Trinity National Forest
Mount Shasta Ranger District
204 West Alma
Mt. Shasta, CA 96067
530-926-4511

Climbing at the Crags:
the Cosmic Wall & beyond

regional history: The northwest area contains the largest glacial cirque, Castle Lake, which is near where the Modoc War’s 1855 Battle of Castle Crags took place. Now a historical landmark, the battle was fought on a ridge saddle between the lake and what is known as Battle Rock. The Wintu tribe inhabited the area, they called the crags the Abode of the Devil and the Spanish explorers called it Castle del Diablo (Castle of the Devil.) read more on wiki

nearby towns –

 


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Camping, Campsites, Picnic Areas

Cleaning Up Litter

Litter ay Camp

Garbage on the Back Roads
Wilderness Ethics

Litter seems to be nearly everywhere. Although there are trash cans at most campgrounds & developed picnic areas, some lazy folks still seems oblivious to the fact that their ignorance is causing an eye sore for the rest of us. Does that bunny rabbit really need to look at your abandon water bottle in the bushes, for the next 7 years?

littercup

Remove Trash while Camping & Picnicking

  • Pack it In; Pack it Out, means if you bring it out there, please take it back home (or to a proper garbage disposal site).
  • Bring work gloves when camping; do messy job faster and have clean hands
  • Bring trash bags or cardboard boxes for storing trash for transport
  • Take out some litter; Leave the camp or picnic site cleaner than you found it
  • Use existing campsites & fire rings to prevent impacting new areas
  • Pitch tents in cleared camp spots only (when primitive camping)
  • Do not set a tent up in a meadow. It’s a fragile environment

graf_kern_i

tread lighty
leave no trace
and always leave the site nicer than you found it

desert camping

4x4 Camps OHV, 4x4 Routes, Back Roads, Backpacking, California Motorcycle, Equestrian, Fishing, Golf Courses, Hiking, Indian Site, Mountain Biking, Native American, Off Road, Off-Road Trail, OHV Parks & SVRA, Petroglyphs, Picnic Areas, Sightseeing, Ski XC, Trailheads, Viewpoints, Washes, Wilderness, Wildflowers, Wildlife Refuge, XC Ski Areas

West Kern

festivals kern

CA Kern / western Kern county

Kern County is known for its oil, its agriculture, and outdoor recreation. The Kern River is the highlight of the region with lush, green and grey granite canyons, a big reservoir & the Sequoia trees just up the road. On the western side of Kern County are small towns like Frazier Park, the golfing cabin community of Pine Mountain Club, plus the oil meccas of Maricopa and Taft. Expansive Lockwood Valley enters into Ventura County. Cuyama River borders Santa Barbara & SLO counties.

Much of the western Kern area is rural ranch land, desert or forest. Los Padres National Forest, Chumash Wilderness, Bittercreek Wildlife Refuge, Wind Wolves Preserve, Buena Vista Reservoir, Ballinger Canyon, Hungry Valley and Fort Tejon State Park all call this region home, right on the mighty tangent of the San Andreas fault line. The San Emigdio range and the surrounding mountains of Mt Pinos and Mount Able design a perpendicular range to the Central Cali coastline, connecting the huge Mojave desert to the ocean. Cerro Noroeste is a very scenic drive.

The 17 mile long Quatal Canyon, where the indian camp of Mahu Tasen hosts a Bear Dance every summer is also a wild place of bird watching, camping and hunting. The indian word for Mount Pinos is “Iwihinmu” – a sacred spot for Chumash Indians, as well as others; Chumash call it the ‘center of the world’. Locals respond regularly with music, hikes, star gazing, drum circles (seasonally) and local festivals (annually) .

PHOTOS: Los Padres Photos | Miller Jeep Trail Off Roading Photos

Drum Camp Pinos | Drumming Cerro Noroeste

Tecuya Ridge

Tecuya Ridge, Cuddy Valley 4×4 trails can keep you busy for a whole weekend of back road exploring.

boating, camping, dirt biking, fishing, hiking, horseback, hunting, mountain biking, off roading, skydiving, xc skiing

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Quatal Canyon

Back Roads, Backpacking, Campgrounds, Campsites, Equestrian, Fishing, Hiking, Picnic Areas, Trailheads, Wilderness

Mineral King Camping

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Mineral King is a magnificent canyon in the southern portion of Sequoia National Park, east of  Visalia, CA. So magical indeed that Disney tried to purchase the rugged scenic lands for a wilderness ski theme park in 1960. Thankfully that project never happened, due to strong opposition from preservationists. Mineral King became part of Sequoia National Park in 1978.

Mineral King is the Great Western Divide, where high peaks separate the foothills from the taller Eastern Sierra range. Upper Kern River Canyon lies beneath as the main south drainage from the very tallest peak, Mount Whitney @ 14,494′

sierra topo maps

Mineral King Road is a paved off shoot from Highway 198, just to the east of the town of  Three Rivers, CA. The road is steep and curvy and 25 miles long. No gasoline at all. No RV motorhomes or trailers are permitted to travel this scenic and amazing back road. Certain portions of the road are dirt and usually graded, but most of the route is paved.  Snow closes the road in winter months – NOV-MAY.

We usually get less than a half year to enjoy this special place, so make plans in advance to fit this destination into your schedule JUNE-JULY-AUG-SEPT.

And do not even think of trying to cram spectacular Mineral King into an already packed Sequoia Park weekend trip. The Giant tree Sequoia groves, Hume Lake and Kings Canyon are over an hour north (hwy 198), to other side of the park.

If you have a full week to hang out in the Sequoia National Park area, then obviously Crystal Cave and Mineral King should be on the list, but keep in mind taht each destination will take a full day to drive to and explore.

Driving the distance on Mineral King Road, the wonders abound on every curve. Wildlife, waterfalls, water flowing and the dense forests.

Atwell Mill Campground is located at an old wood mill site and has a good hike to a footbridge at Kaweah River. There is a small cabin community called Silver City which caters to summer crowds and family campers. Only open during the warm season.

At the very end of Mineral King Road is the gravel parking. Step out into high elevation (7830′ above sea level), breathe deep and enjoy the granite bowl of alpine bliss with creeks, meadows, wildflowers, picnic spots, hiking trails and scenery everywhere. Mid day sunshine can be bright. Black bears and marmots are very common.

Cold Springs Campground is the last developed campground, located next to a raging creek. The hike-in sites are the best choice for seclusion at this camp.

South Fork Campground is the smallest of the campgrounds in this area; located in the foothills at 3600′ elevation, open all year. From Highway 198 (W of the town of Three Rivers), take South Fork Drive 13 paved miles to camp.

KaweahFalls

mineral king backpacking

Mineral King is a favorite destination among backpackers as it gives instant access to many high country trailheads with mostly paved road driving. Located deep in the forest at end of a long road, near the center of the Sierra Nevada range gives ample hiking in every direction. The hikes are steep and challenging, but the rewards are solitude, true wildness and grandeur scenery. Although inviting, these steep passes might not be adequate for beginner backpackers, so please keep that in mind when planning. Fishing lakes, day hikes, horseback trails, waterfalls, creeks, and jagged mountain peaks.

From Mineral King you can access the these popular spots – PCT, the Great Western Divide, the Golden Trout Wilderness, Sequoia National Park, Kings Canyon High Country, Keasarge Pass, John Muir Wilderness.

top maps for the region –

Campgrounds, Historic Site, Indian Site, Picnic Areas, Sightseeing, Wildflowers

Tejon California

Tejon Pass / The Grapevine / Tejon Ranch

tejon poppies

Interstate 5 California (Kern & LA County)

Tejon is the largest and oldest privately owned ranch land in California. It spans from the northern slopes of the great central valley to the tops of the oak sided mountains. The Tejon Pass 4144′ elevation, is Interstate 5. The golden state freeway zooms by connecting north Los Angeles to the Central Valley…. at 80mph. Watch for CHP near here. It’s easy to go down hill at 90 and not even realize it.

The old portion of this mountain pass is known as the Historic Ridge Route, and many overgrown miles can still be traveled on the back road. Off road and motorbike trails join up with old sections of crumbling highway between Lake Castiac and Pyramid.  The artist Christo erected 1760 yellow umbrellas along these hillsides between Gorman and Tejon, back in 1991. Awesome wildflowers bloom throughout Tejon, Lebec to Gorman each spring from late March thru May.

Angeles National Forest is on the east side of the freeway w/ Castiac Lake and Los PadresNational Forest is on the west side, with Pyramid Lake. Back roads camping and total seclusion is prime pickins in this region, if you have a decent map and are willing to drive a little

Family campgrounds, RV astronomy sites, 4×4 camps on dirt roads, off road parks, walk in campground to alpine meadows, ridge line forest camps, backpacking, horsepacking, mountain biking, hiking. Numerous campgrounds can easily be found by driving 30 minutes from the “Frazier Park Mountain Road” exit off the freeway. Most folks aim for Mount Pinos, but the whole Los Padres forest is devine.

The fort location was established by the U.S. Army in 1854 and was designed to protect Native Americans. Restored adobes and museum feature exhibits on military life and local history. They also hold living history events performed by volunteers in costume. The park has a number of 400 year-old valley oak trees. Mister Peter Lebeck was killed by a grizzly here and there is even a tree to prove it.

Tejon photos

Fort Tejon Uniforms
Originally uploaded by danamight

Tejon Industrial Complex: This is the first large scale development in a master planned laid out by the privately owned Tejon Ranch Corporation. Another trucker stop on the opposite side of the freeway is already underway. In-N-Out Burger, Starbucks, McDonalds, IKEA distribution center, gasoline @ the bottom of the Grapevine. 30 miles south of Bakersfield & just down the hill from Lebec.

towns nearby –


Angeles National Forest Map
Angeles Forest Map 		Los Padres National Forest Map: South
Los Padres Forest Map: South

Gorman Gold

Headed to Kern River ?

KERN COUNTY RD 184 = LAVAL ROAD: Wheeler Ridge. This is your freeway exit northbound if you wanna bypass Bako city traffic, on the way to Lake Isabella & Kernville.

Gas up in Lamont, it’s cheaper on the north end of town. Great little taco shops abound. Best bypass thru the farm belt to the Sierra Nevada.

California Lodge, Campgrounds, Lakes & Reservoirs, Marinas, Picnic Areas

Lodge Lakes

Lakes California

California is epic for mountain lakes. There are dozens of reservoirs & recreational lakes to enjoy, from SoCal to Shasta. Boating, fishing, water skiing, kayaking, biking, hiking, picnicking. Many of these prime lakes even have lodging facilities, resorts or cabin rentals nearby. Some resorts are year round destinations, but a few close up during winter months, due to deep snow & road closures. Below is a list of many California lake locations that you can reserve a lodge or campground.

Picnic Areas

Bay Area Picnic

San Francisco Picnic Grounds – San Francisco Parks

San Mateo County Parks & Picnic Grounds

East Bay Picnic Parks

pescadero

Picnic destinations near San Francisco Bay Area


Back Roads, California Deserts, Creeks, Hiking, Historic Site, Mountain Biking, Native American, Off Road, Petroglyphs, Picnic Areas, Primitive Hot Springs, Sightseeing, Trailheads, Volcano, Wilderness, Wind Caves

Fish Slough

On the north end of Bishop CA, running parallel to & on the west side of Hwy 6, is a long dirt road called Fish Slough Rd. Indian petroglyphs can be found out here & also on the ridges along Chalk Bluff Rd (to the south). The entire region is called a volcanic tableland & hot springs are very common in this region. The Owens River Gorge & Lake Crowley are to the west. High clearance vehicles are recommended for traveling these back roads, but 4×4 is rarely needed.

Read & see more on Fish Slough Petroglyphs

BISHOP CA

LAKE CROWLEY

BENTON HOT SPRINGS

Visit Hwy 395 Hot Springs

Indian Art Eastern Sierra

Fish Slough

Dave Explains