Expert: Ernest Tufft - 9/5/2007

Question
Hi there,
I am from the UK and my girlfriend and I (both mid twenties) are planning a 3 month trip around America from Nov-Dec, with the intent to spend most of our time in CA drive out to the Rocky Mountains to meet up with my Sister for Xmas and back to CA.
My question is will it be too cold to camp in a tent in CA at this time of the year? We're on a tight budget and figure we could save a bundle if we can camp in some places.


Answer
Hi Simon,

I'm afraid that the mountain campgrounds will mostly be closed and certainly make for very cold camping by late October.  Even the sea level campgrounds among the inland valleys, such as within the wine country will provide cold camping.  However, you will find camping in the southern California desert regions.  To learn about all this, I recommend browsing the California State Parks website (www.parks.ca.gov) for more specific information.  To save costs on accomodations in the city, consider a backpacker hostel style place such as can be found at www.greentortoise.com.  One of the better ways to trim fuel costs in the rental car is to consider closely where one fills up.  Some off-freeway stations, and stations in remote mountain towns, will have high per gallon prices.  Sorry I can't be specific as your question is very general.  I recommend that you browse my pages and those of other members at Virtualtourist.com, which also has a great discussion forum that will address you issue for specific areas of California.  Bear in mind that the state is actually quite large and diverse in terms of climate, so creating an itinerary would help others help you.  I wish you the best of luck in your travels.