Tom Stienstra - Moon West Coast RV Camping: The Complete Guide to More Than 2,300 RV Parks and Campgrounds in Washington, Oregon, and California

TOM STIENSTRA

The campgrounds are listed in a consistent, easy-to-read format to help you choose the ideal camping spot. If you already know the name of the specific campground you want to visit, or the name of the surrounding geological area or nearby feature (town, national or state park, forest, mountain, lake, river, etc.), look it up in the index and turn to the corresponding page. Here is a sample profile:

The icons in this book are designed to provide at-a-glance information on activities, facilities, and services available on-site or within walking distance of each campground.

	Hiking trails
	Biking trails
	Swimming
	Fishing
	Boating
	Canoeing and/or kayaking
	Winter sports
	Hot springs
	Pets permitted
	Playground
	Wheelchair accessible
	5 Percent Club
	RV sites
	Tent sites

Each campground profile employs a scenic rating on a scale of 1 to 10, with 1 being the least scenic and 10 being the most scenic. A scenic rating measures only the overall beauty of the campground and environs; it does not take into account noise level, facilities, maintenance, recreation options, or campground management. The setting of a campground with a lower scenic rating may simply not be as picturesque that of as a higher rated campground, however other factors that can influence a trip, such as noise or recreation access, can still affect or enhance your camping trip. Consider both the scenic rating and the profile description before deciding which campground is perfect for you.

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Moving is the closest thing to being free, wrote Billy Joe Shaver, an old Texas cowboy songwriter.

He got it.

Its not just the getaway destinations, adventures, and array of sights that makes roaming the West the greatest RV adventure in America. Its the way it makes you feel inside when youre on the road, the anticipation of the trip ahead, all the hopes and dreams that inspire road trips across the Westits the closest thing to being free.

I understand these feelings. Ive traveled more than a million miles across Washington, Oregon, and California in the past 25 years. Although I love hiking, boating, and fishing, the real underlying force is staying on the move, roaming around, free, always curious to see what is around the next bend in the road.

All along the Pacific Coast, from Mission Bay near San Diego to Orcas Island near the Canadian border north of the Olympic Peninsula, you can discover a series of beautiful park campgrounds that seem perfectly spaced for the trip. One of the greatest road trips anywhere is Highway 1 on the coast, the best of it venturing north along the slow, curving two-laner from Morro Bay to Fort Bragg, California. In the fall, the road is largely free of traffic, the skies often clear of fog, and the bluff-top perches furnish a procession of stunning views of the rocky coast, with unpeopled foothills on one side and an ocean that stretches to forever on the other. Traveling slowly, youll discover, can be ecstasy.

Another option is to cruise up and down I-5, and then make side junctures into the Sierra Nevada in California, the Cascade Range in Oregon and Washington, or even a trip on a ferry boat out from Anacortes or Port Angeles in Washington to tour the San Juan Islands. Yosemite National Park is the No. 1 destination for most. Some of natures most perfect artwork has been created in Yosemite and the adjoining eastern Sierra near Mammoth Lakes, as well as some of the most profound natural phenomena imaginable.

Cruising U.S. 395 along the Eastern Sierra is a preferred alternative for many, with the opportunity for easy side trips to many lakes. They include Bridgeport Reservoir, the June lakes, the Mammoth lakes, Convict Lake, and Crowley Lake. In addition, almost every lakes outlet stream provides prospects. This region has it all: beauty, variety, and a chance at the fish of a lifetime. There is also access to the Ansel Adams Wilderness, which features Banner and Ritter peaks, and lakes filled with fish.