Expert: Steve Summers - 9/25/2004

Question
Hey, thanks for all your info, it was REALLY helpful. I wrote down everything you told me and all the websites which I WILL be checking out! Are there campgrounds right on the beach?  I imagine in a perfect world, set up your tent, grab a beach towel and flop in the sand by the ocean, do these exist?
We are very undecided about how far down were going my hubby has no desire to goto LA he just relates it to traffic. Ive been there several times, Were maping it out and I dont have the map in front of me so I might make a mistake in saying this, I think we are going to cut across the dessert by Santa Barbara?  Like I said It's not in front of me right now.  We are going to change the date from March to June because of weather unfortunately, but we want to enjoy ourselsves! You had mentioned one of the beaches(I wrote it down) was THE SAFEST BEACH, does that mean there are unsafe beaches we should avoid. Weve decided to stay two days in San Fran cause of the many sights.
Thanx again, your very knowledgeable.
Thanx for taking the time to write to me.
I look forward to hearing back from you soon!
xo
Kell

Answer
Hi Kell,

Yes, there are campgrounds on the beach. From North to south, Half Moon Bay State Beach, New Brighton State Beach, Morro Strand SB, Refugio SB, El Capitan SB, Carpinteria SB, Doheney SB, and San Elijo SB. Of these, Refugio, Carpinteria, and Doheney have sites that are right on the sand. You can check out some of the beaches at http://www.californiacoastline.org/cgi-bin/image.cgi?image=3383&mode=sequential&... This link is for Carpinteria, looking at the Santa Cruz and Anacapa campgrounds. You can also check out the campsite maps at www.reserveamerica.com. For example, site 50 at carp is very nice. It's under the trees, and the beach is 10 feet away just over a small sand dune. Further down, site 53 has a place to pitch your tent right on the dunes.

OK, LA does have its traffic. But you can minimize traffic time with just a little planning. Just remember that traffic is heading into downtown LA in the morning, and away from downtown in the afternoon. Avoid that pattern, and traffic is not bad at all. And downtown has little or no traffic at all on the weekends.

If you are going to cut over around SB, take hwy 126 east from Ventura to Castaic. Then take 5 south to the 14, which you will take north/east. Take Pearblossom highway (138) east to I-15, which will take you all the way to Vegas. Plan to stop in Barstow for food and a rest, there are plenty of places to eat there, easily seen from the highway.

Changing from March to June will definitely change your experience. California always gets some rain in March. It usually comes in one or two big storms, and you can't tell which day. Otherwise, CA in March can be windy or mild. Some days in March are perfect, but it's most unpredictable in March. June will be better. I can pretty much guarantee fog near the coast, especially from SF to Santa Barbara. Vegas will be much warmer, but not too hot yet.

I don't think that you need to worry about "safe" beaches, as long as you don't swim when there are riptides. Just check with the lifeguards if you are not good at spotting them. Carp is the safest because the islands in the Santa Barbara Channel block the big breakers from coming ashore. Beaches like Malibu, Rincon, or Huntington have big waves which are fun to body surf or boogie board, but you should be a good swimmer and be aware of riptides. Of course, if you just want to play in the shallows, any beach is fine.

Note: If you check out the Calfornia State Parks site (http://www.parks.ca.gov/), you can check out each park and follow the link to the aerial photos of the park).

Have fun,

Steve