Expert: Ernest Tufft - 3/3/2009

Question
Hi
I am hoping to travel up the West Coast in August this year with the girlfriend.  We plan to stay in LA for a few nights then set off towards Seattle/Vancouver but wish to stop off at many places on the way.  I was wondering what the best way to do this would be.  I plan to rent an economy car for the month but am worried about finding places to stay on our journey.  What are camp sites like on the west coast?  If we bring a small tent with us can we normally pitch up of an evening without notice? Is there usually facilities for showers etc?  alternatively, do they have accommodation to rent by the day at such sites or should we realistically head for hotels/motels?  
Any tips on national parks on our trip would also be great as we would love to have some scenic walks / bike rides etc too.  Days at good beaches would also be excellent.

Many thanks

Allen

Answer
Allen

Car camping in the Pacific coast states is the easiest of anywhere in the USA.  Use Google to locate and browse the extensive camping and recreational facilities of the CA, OR, and WA State Parks.  Each state has it's own website.  There are also National Parks, National Forests, and for the extensive system of recreational lakes and reservoirs, the Bureau of Reclamation. Also, many counties have camping facilities on the beach, reservoirs, and forests. Most camp grounds have at least some camping provided without advanced reservation, but the best of these fill quickly so plan ahead and try to get reservations at locations that seem spectacular or close to urban attractions.  When deciding where to stay bear in mind that tent camping often mixes poorly with congested RV, ski boating, dirt bike, and other motorized recreational camping, so study the web info carefully.  Camping at some windy coastal facilities, especially along Oregon's wild coast can be miserable, while the best alpine camping requires leaving the car and backpacking in a few miles--to beautiful sites without any civilized amenities.  Quickly now, I personally like Big Basin and other parks in the Santa Cruz Mtns, Booth State Park  in Napa County, Yosemite, Crater Lake, ... visit my many pages at virtualtourist.com under membername of atufft.