Speicher - Best tent camping. Northern California: your car-camping guide to scenic beauty, the sounds of nature, and an escape from civilization

Best Tent Camping: Northern California

Copyright 2018 by Wendy Speicher

Copyright 1997, 2001, and 2004 by Bill Mai

Copyright 2008 by Bill Mai and Cindy Coloma

All rights reserved

Published by Menasha Ridge Press

Printed in the United States of America

Distributed by Publishers Group West

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Names: Speicher, Wendy, 1979- author.

Title: Best tent camping. Northern California : your car-camping guide to scenic beauty, the sounds of nature, and an escape from civilization / Wendy Speicher.

Description: Fifth Edition. | Birmingham, Alabama : Menasha Ridge Press, your guide to the outdoors since 1982, [2017] | Distributed by Publishers Group WestT.p. verso. | Includes index.

Identifiers: LCCN 2017015731| ISBN 9781634040440 (paperback : alk. paper) | ISBN 9781634040457 (ebook) |
ISBN 9781634041969 (hardcover)

Subjects: LCSH: Camp sites, facilities, etc.California, NorthernDirectories. | CampingCalifornia, Northern--Guidebooks. | California, NorthernGuidebooks.

Classification: LCC GV191.42.C2 S64 2017 | DDC 796.5409794dc23

LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2017015731

Cover and text design by Jon Norberg

Cover photos by Wendy Speicher

Maps by Steve Jones

Photos: Shutterstock (pages ). All others by Wendy Speicher unless otherwise noted on page.

Project editor: Kate Johnson

Proofreader: Rebecca Henderson

Indexer: Rich Carlson

MENASHA RIDGE PRESS
An imprint of AdventureKEEN
2204 First Ave. S., Ste. 102
Birmingham, AL 35233

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Front cover:

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

It literally takes a village to create a book, and in that spirit I have a lot of people to thank! First, the friendly, encouraging, and incredibly patient people at AdventureKEEN, who have put so much time, energy, and love into this book. Thank you to my acquisition editor, Tim Jackson, for believing in me and keeping me going; to Amber Henderson for your patience, insight, and attention to all the nitty-gritty details; to Kate Johnson for helping us bring this project over the finish line; and to the cartographers and designers who put together the often handwritten notes and pictures into a beautiful compilation. I am deeply grateful.

Next, I owe so much to the initial authors of this bookBill Mai and later Cindy Coloma. I was fortunate to simply build off of their in-depth research and spot-on recommendations. It was a great pleasure to revisit and discover many of these stellar sites and find that not much had changed from when they originally selected these areas as Northern Californias best. Thank you so much to both of you for setting an enjoyable, easy to read, and informational tone that will continue to be the legacy of this title.

It also takes a village to run a campground, and so Id like to thank all of the campground staff who manage, protect, and care for these beautiful places so everyone can enjoy their stay. And also, to each and every ranger and host who took the time to answer all of my questions, help with on-the-ground research, and respond to my many e-mails and phone calls. Without your help and local expertise, this book literally would not have been possible.

Revising a book of this magnitude with so much field work takes a supportive family, and I am grateful for mine. Ill start with my dad, a lifelong fan, who not only instilled in me a deep appreciation of adventure, time spent outdoors, and camping at an early age but also took off 10 days to join my 4-year-old son, Archer, and I on a whirlwind trip into Northern Californias Cascade Range to research new entries and revisit old sites. Dads attention to detail and playful, easygoing attitude made the week extremely productive and an experience my son and I will hold dear forever. I also want to thank my husbands parents, Bob and Grace Speicher, who joined me on a couple of fun trips researching new sites as well and provided recommendations for others. Every trip with the Speichers is always characterized by making new friends with the site neighbors and enjoying the outdoors in ultimate style.

Last, but definitely not least, I must thank my husband, Greg Speicher, and my son, Archer. Gregs support and willingness to rearrange his busy work schedule to accommodate my need to get boots on the ground either with the family or on my own was critical in my ability to finish this book. And Archers easygoing, curious, and outdoorsy nature made each adventure that much more memorable. There is literally nothing like sharing the joy of camping and nature with a child, and this helped motivate my research so other families can enjoy their explorations of Northern California as much as we have.

From the bottom of my heart,

Wendy Speicher

PREFACE

What a time to be alive! When armed with our various technological devices, our access to information is fluid and faster than ever before. For many of us, the day begins with our phone alarm clock that may even greet us with an up-to-date report on the quality of our sleep the night before. We scroll our various media feeds while the coffee gets hot and leave the house with a preloaded map set on navigation, complete with directions, estimated arrival times, and suggested detours based on traffic patterns. Our phones guide us step by step to our destination, often determined by scouring Yelp and Google reviews, while we stream music from our favorite station and our daughter checks social media in the passenger seat.

Sound familiar? To say that we are the generation of plugged in is hardly a stretch for many of us, especially those who are currently living in Northern California. But to say that there is an insatiable desire for more than what our screens offer us is, again, hardly a stretch. And while most of us feel the drain of such constant device interaction, others embrace these times as an opportunity to explore new freedomssome managing online businesses from their campsites or even working remotely from the trail in many cases.

Whatever camp you find yourself in, most of us expect real-time information and updates. That type of accuracy is impossible to achieve when writing a book. Budgets get cut, storms wash out roads, and businesses close. For real-time answers, please use the websites we have listed in this book, or call ahead to make sure you dont run into any snags.