Camping in Northern California
 

Hi - My boyfriend and I are taking a trip in early August up the coast of California, beginning in San Fran and ending in Washington. My stops are going to be Point Reyes, Mendocino, Redwoods & Crater Lakes but of course I'm not committed to these yet.

Can anyone recommend some good campgrounds? Any good bars/breweries/wineries along the way would be welcome as well :)

Thanks!

The best places to camp in Northern Coastal California are the state parks. There are plenty to choose from:

http://www.parks.ca.gov/parkindex/re...giontab=0&id=1

For breweries, there are none better than in Mendocino and Humboldt Counties. Check out these links:

http://www.mendocinosites.com/places...brewerie.shtml

http://beers.suite101.com/article.cf...umboldt_county

For Point Reyes, August can be dicey because of fog. The best seasons are Spring, Fall, and Winter. July and August can be downright gloomy. But, you may luck out. Every month has some decent days. If not, I would skip it. There's plenty of great coastal scenery to the north.

I absolutely love Jedidiah Smith state park. http://www.parks.ca.gov/?page_id=413 It is just so beautiful. The campsites near the river as beautiful but the ones a little bit away are jsut as nice among the trees.

In Bend, OR try the world famous
http://www.deschutesbrewery.com/splash/default.aspx

Outstanding!!!!!!!!!

There are a least 5 micro brews in Bend. This town knows how to brew!

Thanks! These are great tips and different from the places we were looking at.

Also, is it safe to assume that reservations aren't needed? We'd like to be as flexible as we can plus we'll be camping during the week (Sun-Thurs)when it's less crowded.

Hi ChiGirl
Do You plan to camp one night at each area?
Most of the state costal camps are full even during the week, you might still get something but I would book now. What about Oregon, you have to drive through Oregon in order to get to Washington.

Have Fun
GP

You'll need reservations in California in August. We just booked for late June and the Redwoods had few choices left.

Yes, we are planning to camp in a different spot each night on the way up there. We're hoping to keep it flexible by not making reservations...

We are stopping in Oregon as well - Crater Lake and either Portland (to see friends) or Bend, OR, then up to the Gorge in Washington. It's an ambitious plan for one week!

If you want flexibility, you need to travel outside the high season - most campgrounds that take reservations will be fully booked in the summer.

If you know what you are doing, you can always find a campground. The place to start is with Tom Stienstra's excellent book, "California Camping" by Moon Publishing. He also has one for the Pacific Northwest. These books will help you find the out of the way spots that don't take reservations. And some of them are free.

Ok thanks everyone! Maybe we'll make reservations to be safe...