~ Why camp? ~

I want to watch the stars and the moon with you, talk about philosophy of life from poems and songs... How can there be urban light pollution and various noises at such a beautiful moment?How can you be bombarded by phone calls, text messages, and WeChat emails?After an unplugged night, looking up at the sky of the stars has become a rare luxury in modern society, and camping is an ideal opportunity to let go.

(Picture fromThe internet）

I love barbecue, BBQ, hiking, mountain biking and other activities. Of course, I should find a national/state park to let it go!Rather than staying in a motel in a nearby town, it is better to stay in the park, save commute time and gas money, and get close contact with nature~

There is also an extra bonus-encounter the deer and the squirrel who come to visit in front of the tent by chance!And many camps allow pets to enter, and you can take the Wang Xingren at home to travel with them.

(Photographed in Yosemite National Park)

Last but not least, choose camping or because...poor!A camp that can live 4-6 people only costs about $20-30, and the hotel or cabin in the park is $100+ no matter the off-season or the peak season, and it may not be possible to grab it.So if the budget is tight or the number of people sharing the expenses is not large enough, try camping!

 

~Campsite recommendation~

Let's start with the campground in California National Parks, and briefly introduce the popular campgrounds in each park:

 

Yosemite NP[Mountains, waterfalls, valleys, coniferous forests and red cedar trees, with complete facilities and good conditions]

– Upper Pines, Lower Pines, North Pines – the most popular campsites, in the valley

– Camp 4 – first come first serve, charge per person (not car), assign site, park the car in the parking lot next to it and walk into the site, because it is close to the waterfall trail, it is very popular, backpackers’ favorite

Upper Pines

Lower Pines

Camp 4 (The above three pictures are fromThe internet）

There are other camps outside the valley, such as Bridalveil Creek on the way to Glacier Point, but because all camps do not have their own independent bathhouses, they can only go to the Curry Village to take a bath, and you have to go to the shops in the valley to buy food or anything. Living in Pines is more suitable for novices.

 

Redwood NP[The northern section of Highway 1 merges into US-101 and passes through the entire park, the woods are cloudy, the mountains are high and the sea is wide]

The camp is equipped with infrastructure, but it is more primitive than Yosemite, without shops or restaurants.

– Elk Prairie/Prairie Creek Redwoods State Park – Hidden in the shadow of a whirling tree

– Gold Bluffs Beach – High mountain terrace located by the sea

(Picture fromThe internet）

 

Joshua Tree NP[A strange tree that grows freely stands in the desert of Southern California, suitable for stargazing]

– Black Rock – The only camp in the whole park with flush toilets and running water, other camps are dry toilets (⊙_⊙)

(Picture fromThe internet）

 

Sequoia & Kings Canyon NP[Deep in the mountains, towering ancient trees]

There are a total of 5 camp areas. Except for Mineral King, which is a dry toilet, all camps have flush toilets.

(Picture fromThe internet）

 

Lassen Volcanic NP[Volcanic geothermal landscape, feel the pulsation in the depths of the earth]

– Volcano Adventure Camp – A camp site specially adapted for young people. It will have more supporting facilities than general camp sites. It is planned to start operation in August 2016

(Picture fromThe internet）

Death Valley NP[If you don’t add water in time, it will really lead your dog to the valley of death]

– Furnace Creek

–Stovepipe Wells

There are gas stations, shops, restaurants and other service facilities near these two camps, and there are RV hookups.

(Picture fromThe internet）

 

Channel Islands NP【Channel Islands National Park】

It belongs to the hard mode: there is no service on the island, you must bring your own tent and food, and there is no car crossing, and you cannot drive your own car to the island, so...

 

If you want to avoid the tourists in the national park and experience the most authentic nature, you can also chooseCampsites along Route XNUMX, Open the tent and you can see the Pacific Ocean!

(Picture fromThe internet）

Carpinteria State Beach-can swim in the sea, with lifeguards all year round

Refugio State Beach-Sea fishing, canoe tour and other activities

Pismo State Beach-suitable for all kinds of outdoor activities, with a spacious RV site

Hearst San Simeon State Park-In addition to Hearst Castle, there are wetlands where wild animals live

Pfeiffer Big Sur State Park-seems to be the only state park in Big Sur, other camps are privately owned and in good conditions

Sonoma Coast State Park-There are vineyards and wineries going inland, and you can see migrating whales in the sea.

Patrick's Point State Park-Overlooking the stormy waves from the high cliffs by the sea

[More choices, more laughs, pokeHereView the topic of the team’s beach camping]

(Picture fromThe internet）

 

Interruption: The author personally believes that the management and facilities of these camps in California are completely inferior to the camps in Yellowstone Park. Therefore, children's shoes who have been to Yellowstone may turn on the Tucao mode. Children's shoes who have not been to Yellowstone should never think of American camps. They are all the same virtues as these camps in California...

 

~Facilities in the camp~

Camping novices are advised to choose developed campgrounds in national/state parks. Don’t rush to challenge the hard mode that belongs to advanced players: backcountry camping or national forest/recreation area. The sites in the campground are divided into ordinary, group, RV dedicated, water and electricity (hookup) and so on.

Developed campsites are equipped with wooden picnic tables and chairs, fire ring (fire pit) and toilets.But there may also be camps with poor conditions. There are no flush toilets (flush toilets) and only dry toilets (vault toilet / pit toilet, yes you read that capitalist countries also have this stuff!); some are equipped with bathhouses and some are provided. It's good to drink your saliva.The official website will introduce the opening hours, booking methods and equipment of each camp, you should look carefully when choosing!

 

~Choose camp + reservation~

The operating mode of campsites can be roughly divided into reservations and first come first serve (first come first serve); in order to save operating costs, some camps will open reservations during peak seasons and first come first served during off seasons.Most camps are closed in winter due to bad weather. The real camping season is May-September.

Most of the campgrounds in California National Parks are government-operated, and they can be booked on the http://www.recreation.gov/ or http://www.reserveamerica.com/ website (the information on privately-operated camps is scattered and the conditions vary. , I won’t discuss it yet~).Directly google the park or campsite name to find the scheduled entrance.Some campsites are a bit different from their names on the national park official website, remember to double check~

Camps at popular attractions like Yosemite are very popular. It is recommended to book a few months in advance, or check the website frequently to see if anyone has cancelled the reservation. If you are lucky, you can pick up a leak.

After the reservation is successful, you can check-in at the entrance with your photo ID. If you are not worried, you can also print out the confirmation email.The staff will give you a receipt attached to the inside of the windshield or a permit hung on the rearview mirror. The date is written on it, indicating that the fee for this period of time has been paid and you can enter and exit the camp freely.

First-come, first-served camps may also be self-registration, that is, those without staff, you need to fill in the registration form at the entrance, put cash into the small cash box, and then hang receipts and other notes on the camp you choose The numbered "doorway" on the stake.Rangers will come to inspect and inspect.

 

~Preparation~

- tent：Novice campers who don’t want to be too troublesome can choose a tent according to the number of people. Don’t worry too much in a camp with sound facilities and shelter around it.It is recommended to bring a disposable tablecloth or a large garbage bag, and put a layer on the ground when setting up the tent, otherwise the bottom of the tent will be stained with fallen leaves and dirt, which is not convenient to roll up and put in the car.Girls with low strength are best to bring a hammer, so that the nails for fixing the tent can be firmly driven into the soil.

(Photographed at Yellowstone National Park-Madison Campground)

- sleeping bag: The night in the mountains is very cold, and it may be below zero in summer. It is recommended to investigate the climate and weather conditions of the destination before deciding which sleeping bag to buy.It is not recommended to go out camping with the quilt directly. It is not easy to clean up and easy to get dirty. Secondly, the quilt we buy in the United States generally cannot withstand the low temperature outside and freezes into a dog in minutes.

- Inflatable bed: Many strategies I have seen before would suggest buying a moisture-proof mat, but it is not only moisture to prevent: directly on the ground, it can make your back pain, and you can't do anything when you wake up the next day.Therefore, it is recommended that everyone bring an inflatable bed to camp to ensure the quality of sleep.The air pump can be connected to the electric car cigarette lighter, but the manual/pedal air pump is more efficient and more solid.

- Flashlights/camping lights, Swiss army knives and other tools: It’s better to bring one of the lighting equipment, otherwise it will be difficult to go to the toilet; although there are flashlights on the mobile phone, the mobile phone will always search for the signal when there is no signal, and the power consumption is much faster than usual.Activities such as setting up a tent and cooking are best done before dark, and you can relax after night falls.

- eat and drink: The most popular choice is Bonfire BBQ~ You can marinate chicken wings, ribs, lamb skewers in advance, and then bring corn, sweet potatoes, potatoes and other ingredients that can be "roasted".Fresh food should be kept fresh in an ice bucket. If you are going to stay for several days, don’t bring too many things that are easy to deteriorate; bring a metal barbecue net on the grill provided by the camp to hold the food, or wrap it in tin foil. Place the ingredients on the grill and bake them; bring a pair of tongs to hold the ingredients, and then bring a metal tongs to add firewood.

 

~Fire Fire Fire~

When it comes to making a fire for cooking or barbecue, you must pay attention to the safety of using fire. You can only make a fire in the fire circle of each site. In summer, when the fire risk level is high, you must completely extinguish the bonfire before going to bed or leaving the camp to play.

Firewood needs to be purchased from shops (Yosemite and other large national parks) or camp keeper (state parks). It is about $8 per box/bundle, which can burn for a long time.Don't "take materials on the spot"!

For most camping novices, the biggest problem is often how to make a fire.According to the author’s experience, dense wood is difficult to ignite and requires continuous high-temperature fire to actually start, so an ignitor is needed.Recommend an efficient method of ignition: pick up some pine cones on the ground, bring your own BBQ charcoal, wrap it in newspaper, light it, and put the wood in a cone shape and put it on top.

Or buy this synthetic "wood" fire log from Home Depot or Lowe's. It is usually burned in the fireplace, but it can also be used outdoors. It can burn for about 3 hours per large piece and can be used as a ignitor. Use with firewood.Wall crack recommended!

(Picture fromThe internet）

 

If you are afraid that you can't control the heat, but you want to cook in the green hills and trees, then choose the small propane stove!Campsites generally have places to throw away used propane cans, don’t throw them away~

(Picture fromThe internet）

 

~Attention to bears~

In the bear country, the administrator will remind you to use the iron bear-proof cabinets in each camp as a refrigerator, and all food or heavy-smelling things must be put in to avoid disturbing bears.Garbage should also be collected in time and thrown into the bear-proof dumpster.Protect yourself as well as wild animals.It is worth noting that the use of bear-proof spray is prohibited in some places in California, such as in Yosemite Park. Be careful when buying, carrying and using it.

(Picture fromThe internet）

[Want to go further?SquadU.S. Emperor Spring Break Travel GuideDon't thank you for receiving it! 】

Author & Editor | Wang Pork Ribs is a cat

【CHIHUOOriginal, some pictures from the Internet, please contact info@thechihuo.com for reprinting