Expert: Ernest Tufft - 7/12/2008

Question
My family and I are planning on going camping this summer. I was brought up camping in Sequoia, Big Sur and Yosemite. I was wondering if there were places within a 3 hour radius of Los Angeles that is similar to this (trees, creeks, trails)that is also kid friendly? I'm so timid to make the decision based on Internet photos (which aren't great by the way).

Answer
I'm afraid that within a 3 hr drive from LA, nothing as wonderful as the Sierras exists.  This is partly because of LA's desert south location, but also because of LA huge population.  Many people visit Lake Arrowhead and Big Bear, and there is camping there.  Alternatively, there is some good beach camping south toward San Diego, but you'll need to do the California State Parks website research on this, as I can't be specific enough here.  There is also some camping north of Santa Barbara at state parks.  If you stick with the National Park and State Park system, studying their websites, you will always be assured a reasonable quality of camping environment.  Unfortunately, private campgrounds do vary a lot and many are of poor quality or location.  Good luck.