Category: State Parks

21 Jan 2022: Anza-Borrego Day-Trip

by JamesAnza-Borrego State Park / California / Day Trips / Hikes / Sightseeing / State Parks / Trips
Route to Fonts Point & Anza-Borrego State Park Visitor’s Center

Although we have lived most of our lives in SoCal, we’ve never visited Anza-Borrego. It’s always been on our list of places to go but we’ve just never made it out there. Working as an oceanographer, with month-long cruises in Jan and April, kept me busy during the prime months to visit. Now that we are retired, it will become a regular destination when we are itching to get away during the winter months.
The park’s visitor center is 75mins away from Indio/Indian Waters RV Resort. There are some great hiking trails there but we opted to hunt down the metal sculptures that are a mile or so east in Borrego Springs. These are another group of local landmarks we have never visited.
Note: parking & hiking at the State Park Visitor Center (and two other popular parking areas in the park) requires paying a day-use fee but everywhere else is free and open. Dry RV camping in several areas is ‘no reservation first come first serve’.

Our Indio family, Jim & Susan, had posted beautiful photos of Fonts Point (see map) they took while off-roading in their new Jeep. The amazing panoramic views of the Badlands looked worth the slow 4-mile washboard road trek. Like their Jeep, our Tacoma TRD Offroad 4×4 is also very capable on roads like these. We made it a point to visit in late afternoon and wait till sunset. As the sun set, the wind really picked up and it got cold quickly. The drive home in the dark through a dust storm added to the adventure.
Directions to Fonts Point Trail Junction can be found using Google Maps. Note: this is the turn onto the 4mi dirt road leading to Fonts Point. There is a small sign but its easily missed. Navigating to Fonts Point using Apple Maps will take you to the wrong endpoint. To reach Fonts Point lookout, you drive 4mi south on a washboard dirt & soft sand road. It’s mostly wide and level with sections of soft sand, a 4-wheel drive is recommended but not necessary. We saw many 2-wheel drive vehicles parked at the lookout. Just avoid the soft sand.

17-20 Oct 2021 – Silver Strand Beach

by JamesCalifornia / Campgrounds / Day Trips / E-Biking / RVing / Southern California / State Parks / Trips

When we first brought our 20ft travel trailer home in Nov 2020, we wanted to camp locally to practice & learn. We ended up staying at Campland-On-the-Bay, which was a great 1st trip. But we also were interested in staying at some other beach campgrounds like Silver Stand State Beach in south San Diego. Unfortunately, it was booked solid for months but Carol found a block of three nights available. This opening was Oct 17-19 2021, late into our camping season. In fact, pretty much ending our summer camping season. This state beach is open year-round and a great place for winter camping although the ocean is obviously colder in autumn or winter.
Across the bay from Sun Outdoors RV Resort, which we enjoyed in August. Silver Strand State Beach campground is a small, beach-front ‘parking lot’ with water & electric hookups. There is a fee-based ($10) dump station but we noticed most rv’ers preferred to hire a mobile pumping service. The campground is the last of three large parking lots next to the road so road noise is noticeable, louder that the waves.
We brought our e-bikes since we figured this flat stretch of beach would have good bike trails and we were right. There is a great bike trail next to highway 75, Silver Stand Blvd, dedicated to pedestrians, joggers, & (e)bikes. Being later in the season, the beach weather was cool and windy so we did not spend too much time on the beautiful, wide sandy beach. We brought our dog Bodhi, our ~38lb terri-poo, since he did not travel with us to Zion. Bodhi tolerates RV travel because he loves being with us 7/24. But because we started rv’ing later in his life (9yrs old), he does not adapt well to the tight confines of Howie & trailer living. But he does enjoy getting out with us, he just doesn’t have the stamina for long outings. Coronado has a great dog beach about 6mi north so we took him in the late afternoon when the tide was low. Both the bike trail, which we rode to the Hotel Del Coronado, and the dog beach are highly recommended if you stay in this area.

27 Sept 2021 – Red Reef Trail

by JamesDay Trips / Hikes / Hurricane/St. George / Sightseeing / State Parks / Utah

Since we didn’t hike yesterday and we weren’t leaving the KOA till noon (late checkout request okayed by KOA). We wanted to do a short hike to Red Reef Trail next to the campground. We checked it out yesterday evening, going through the underpass directly across from the KOA – it would be a great e-bike excursion.
Normally, the hike is along a creek to a waterfall but this late in the season. The creek bed was dry with scattered pools of water along the trail. Still, the hike is worthwhile and easy, with only 200ft elevation gain. You enter the trailhead near campsite #2 after parking in the day-use slots. There is no one at the ranger’s station so you pay $5 at a fee station.
A short, easy, scenic hike to end our stay in the St George/Hurricane area. The upper section of the trail above the waterfall narrows into a slot canyon. But you have to boulder up a side wall to reach the upper section. There isn’t a rope & steps like the lower section by the waterfall. Since Carol was waiting below, I didn’t venture further. Plus we needed to be back by 10:30am to be on the road by noon & head to Zion Canyon. There’s plenty more to see here but we are ready for Zion National Park & our main hikes – the Narrows & Angel’s Landing.

26 Sept 2021 – Sand Hollow State Park

by JamesDay Trips / E-Biking / Hikes / Hurricane/St. George / Sightseeing / State Parks / Utah

We had an easy day at Sand Hollow. We started a little later today, figuring it’d be cooler by the water – wrong! it was hot by noon. We brought our e-bikes, planing a ride around the lake. But unlike Quail Creek, Sand Hollow does not have a good bike trail – lots of OHV trails but nothing very good for bikes/e-bikes. This park is great if you want to spend time on the lake boating, kayaking, fishing or even scuba diving. But is really geared towards off-roading with lots of ATV & 4x OHV trails & rentals. We weren’t interested in off-roading or kayaking again so after a 4×4 drive around the lake. We spent our time exploring the rocky shoreline and watching cliff jumpers.
In hindsight, taking a drive to one of the other State Parks like Snow Canyon might have been a better plan. But is Sand Hollow is popular and worth a visit, just be geared to off-road or enjoy the water.

23 Sept 2021 – Quail Creek State Park

by JamesDay Trips / E-Biking / Hurricane/St. George / Sightseeing / State Parks / Utah

We were unable to get a full-hookup campsite at the south entrance of Zion National Park for the first 5 nights of our trip. Fortunately, there was availability at the St George/Hurricane KOA. There is plenty to do in this area – access the Kolob Canyon entrance of Zion NP, and several State Parks such as Sand Hollow and Quail Creek State Park.
Quail Creek is less than a mile from the KOA so our first day in southwestern Utah was spent on the lake. We e-biked the short distance to the park entrance and paid $5/person day-use fee. There is a campground here with access to the lake. Campground: $25 per night for the primitive site and $38 per night for a site with power and water.
DIG Paddlesports rents one or two person kayaks and paddleboards ($25-$35/2hrs). People working there are friendly and helpful, emphasizing water safety. Afternoons are still 90+degF in late September so spending the morning on the lake was a cool break.

7-9 Jun 2021: San Onofre Bluffs

by JamesCalifornia / Campgrounds / Camping / RVing / Southern California / State Parks

We drycamped at San Onofre State Beach, Bluffs Campground 30 miles north of Oceanside. Availability at this campground is pretty open since it is essentially a long parking lot next to the I-5 freeway just south of the retired San Onofre Nuclear Power Plant. There are no hookups but sites do include an area for tents, picnic tables (in pretty poor shape but usable if covered) and fire rings. Restrooms have rv-style flushable toilets, outdoor beach-styled cold-water shower and sink. The RV campsites are wide asphalt parking spaces with adjacent dirt areas with fire rings & tables. The ranger-recommended tent site was on the bluff above our RV, on a wide hiking trail. But in other sections of the campground, most tents were pitched at parking level (quieter). Hikers & dog walkers use the trail so it’s not very private, although there wasn’t much foot traffic. Noise from the I-5 freeway and railroad is noticeable especially higher up where the tent was pitched.
Each section of the campground has a restroom & trail leading to the beach (see map below). We were next to Trail 5 which was closed due to an unstable cliff collapse. Next trail, Trail 6, is quite a ways down so if you are carrying beach gear, driving to the trailhead is a good idea. The beach at Trail 6 is not busy, rocky, and dog-friendly. If you prefer a sandy beach then drive N a couple miles to Trail 1. The hike to the beach on Trail 6 is longer but less steep than Trail 1. People with e-bikes had the best method to access Trail 6’s beach. Trail 1 was steeper and coming back uphill was shorter but more challenging.
The coastline & bluffs are beautiful here. But other than visiting the beach, surfing, or biking along the 3.5mi stretch of paved, level road, there is not much to do.
There were groups of people in RVs & tents gathered & enjoying getting together. So if you are having trouble finding a campsite, this campground usually has vacancies. For no hookups, rustic restrooms, and closed trails, paying $40/night is a bit pricey since it dry camping. We’ve stayed at other Ca state beaches with water & electric for the same rate. There is a dump station but there is a $10 fee, even for paying rv’ers. When talking to the ranger, he said it was something they recently implemented because non-paying rv’ers were dumping when the ranger station was closed.

09-13 May 2021: Pismo State Beach

by JamesCalifornia / Campgrounds / Central California / Day Trips / RVing / Sightseeing / State Parks

We camped here in February and enjoyed the location so much we wanted to come back during warmer weather. Unfortunately, we returned during a cold spell which was very much like February. The day we arrived was beautiful sunny and warm but the “May Grey” hovered over the campground the next few days. Pismo State Beach Campground is small with pull-through sites providing water & electricity. They have private restrooms & showers which require tokens.
Pismo Preserve is a popular hiking area just east of the 101. We noticed it last trip but did not stop so this time we stopped & hiked the Lone Oak trail. Wildflowers were in bloom so the hillsides were covered in yellow flowers. The “May Grey” burned off and it was a warm afternoon. There is a beautiful oak-forested area on the Vamonos Canyon trail with birds such as hawks, turkey vultures and woodpeckers flying about. There are several trails of different elevation changes and lengths. You have to share the trails with runners and mountain bikers (some on e-bikes) who may attach a bell so you can hear them coming. When we were there, there were people hiking & biking but overall uncrowded.


The next day we drove up Highway 1 to San Simeon & the elephant seal rookery. It was along the coast so the marine layer kept it cool. It’s a great drive and even the RV could easily make it north this far on Highway 1. The road gets less rv-friendly, narrow & winding, further north though.
There were thousand of elephant seal along the coastline at every pullout. We stopped at Piedras Blancas Elephant Seal Rookery which is a great spot to view & photograph them. Hearst Castle is nearby but closed due to Covid.

To get away from the cool grey coastline, on Day 3 we drove inland to Lopez Lake in hopes of boating on the lake. Inland skies were clear and blue and Lopez Lake is only 13mi inland. But by early afternoon, the winds on the lake were so strong wind surfers were enjoying catching air. We decided against renting a boat & fighting the strong breezes chopping the lake. The lake level is (at least) 15-20ft below its high water mark but there were people fishing from boats & docks. I’ll add a fishing pole in my truck inventory for such fishing opportunities.
We drove around the Lopez Lake campgrounds – seems like every hillside has sites, most primitive. Hiking trails were plentiful but the dry rolling hills on a windy afternoon were not calling. Since Lopez Lake was a short mid-day detour, we visited Dinosaur Caves in north Pismo Beach. Breaking out the bikes, we had a short ride around this scenic area. Next day – heading north to Monterey.


17 Feb 2021: Pismo Beach Area

by JRWilkinsonCalifornia / Central California / Day Trips / Hikes / Sightseeing / State Parks

We had clear sunny windy weather most of our week in Ventura. Today was supposed to be a calmer day but everything is relative. We stopped at the Butterfly Grove where Monarch Butterflies are abundant Oct-Feb. This February, there were only several but the grove is free, easy to access so worth a visit. There is beach access, dunes, coastal trees, birds & trails we enjoyed. The section of campground adjacent the Butterfly Grove was closed due to recent flooding, perhaps from recent King Tides.
Later, we took the coastal drive up to Avila Beach, hoping to check out the lighthouse. Turns out the only way to see the lighthouse is by tour group so we stopped for lunch by the beach. Avila Beach has a similar ambiance to Catalina Island.
We ended the day by driving on the beach at sunset. We later learned there are petitions and the Sierra Club lobbying to stop the vehicles on the beach. There is only ~4 miles of driveable beach but I understand, as an oceanographer, the potential environmental impact.
We are heading south tomorrow and this is our last evening at Pismo Beach. We considered driving all the way home tomorrow but booked a single night in Carpenteria, about 110mi south.

15-18 Feb 2021 Leg 2: Pismo Beach

by JRWilkinsonCalifornia / Campgrounds / Central California / State Parks

After 3 nights at Ventura Beach RV Resort, we headed ~110mi north to Pismo Beach State Beach in Oceano. This is a California State Beach campground with electrical & water hookups. It’s adjacent to Oceano Dunes beach, where you can drive your vehicle on the beach (may be banned soon). At the campground, there is a lagoon to hike around with a variety of waterfowl. We considered staying at Morro Bay State Beach but none of the available sites had hookups. Being RV-newbies, we are still trying to gauge our dry-camping capabilities. Morro Bay is 25mi away so we made it a day-trip. Avila Beach is also nearby so we spent our third day exploring it. I had disembarked an oceanographic cruise in Avila Beach many years ago & always wanted to revisit this coastal town.