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Camping in California Today
By Jonathon Freeman-Anderson
Southern California is host to some of the most expansive and gorgeous campgrounds in the entire country. Camping, today, should allow the opportunity for the whole family to enjoy the wonders of every element of nature with the easy access to a lifestyle that the 21st century has come to provide America's fast-paced, wireless, desire. Desires to recreate and appreciate virtual versions of nature to feel normal and common are actually foreign and never perfect. Watching bushes in Shrek or playing outside in The Sims on a computer really shouldn't cut it, but there can be, rather there must be, a time to remember traditional concepts like "getting back to nature," or "taking a breath of fresh mountain air."
Virtual versions are not natural neither is the recycled air being pumped through air conditioning in the car, at home, at work, and everywhere. Go outside in the streets of the valley, and take a breath of fresh air. Let's hope a bus isn't going by. Truthfully, many fail to realize that on a base level, there is nothing more natural than to camp hardcore outdoors in the wild. Real country, rural outdoor camping with all the trimmings is something special that has a certain quiet, meditative peace. In nature, it is nice to take a moment to relax, forget worries, really breathe deep, and realize everything is a little bit better, more serene. Look up and actually see the stars at night, sure, get bit by a bug or two, oh well. Vegetarian or not, there is something great about smelling sizzling bacon being cooked in fresh, mountain air or to actually, see animals in their natural state, but watch for bears. Ride mountain bikes along a riverbed, be rocked in an inner tube down rapids, hang-glide across a forest, set a massive bonfire, make s'mores, and tell ghost stories. Wake up bright and early to the sunrise, brew some hot chocolate, and maybe go rock climbing, fly-fishing, or just kickback, relax, and listen to the actual sounds of nature. Finally, not some .99 cent downloaded recording to help get lulled to sleep by the sound of birds chirping, wind rustling, and a river flowing through headphones at home, but the real, fantastic thing that is Mother Nature. So, who wants to go camping?!
Well, everyone with bugspray, a tent, sleeping bag, hiking shoes, a compass, canteen, and, in case of Blair Witch scenarios; Google Earth, an iPhone, and a flare, should raise their hands in glee for the summer is here and the time is ripe to camp. California's phenomenal parks feature beautiful mountains, wood, water, and wildlife.
As a part of a world that prides itself on the ability to recreate perfection for audiences of millions through the television and the internet, So Cal have just as much of a passion to prove the entertainment value and ability of our brilliant landscape. Without special effects, it is just the finest expression of nature that the West has to offer. Stylized as only California can do it, camping here is as natural as it gets. In addition, there is no reason then why campgrounds should not provide all the amenities of everyday life so campers can appreciate the outdoors as actively as possible. There are public campgrounds available all year round in and around the Valley featuring amazing, scenic views, full and gushing rivers for great opportunities to kayak, river tube, canoe, or simply swim. In addition, many parks provide family games and activities so everyone can have fun, not just the birdwatchers. Even preparation for camping is not as dificult anymore with many parks having on-site restaurants and bars for guests to enjoy after playing hard outside all day and night.
When the weather works, nature enthusiasts bound to the wonders of the green world like bears to honey.
For excellent camping and outdoor adventures, most areas located near California's great rivers offer basic water equipment for rent. Most of the campsite are close to local eateries and bars to enjoy after an all day rapid excursion. Some campgrounds specializing exclusively in white water rafting, offer pick up, and drop off services for campers.
However, river rafting generally has specific age and skill requirements, many California campgrounds, and RV parks provide fun and engaging activities for the whole family of all ages and skill levels. Some great examples are activities like scavenger hunts and arts & crafts fun like tie-dye T-shirt making or creative, competitive events like limbo and talent contests. Various parks have great themed events ranging from outlandish and entertaining ideas relating to pop culture in the summer, such as Harry Potter weekends for Halloween in July, or pseudo-reality game shows with the parks hosting nature versions of Jeopardy, Survivor, or Deal or No Deal.
Campers generally bring coolers and cooking supplies for the full outdoor experience where one can catch, cook, and eat a fish right on the campground, but times are changing. While many locations offer some sort of general store or snack shop for coffee, tea, or granola bars, many campers have discovered full-service restaurants on-site with a full menu range of choices for any appetite. Many parks still allow fishing, but now someone else can filet it and serve it up smoked, BBQ, or wrapped in a California roll for all to enjoy.
From lolling tube rides down gentle streams to intense, thrilling white water rapids, the California river system offers the full scope of water fun in the sun. The Sierra Nevada River has had a slow year for normal precipitation, but the flow is expected still to be solid enough for white water rafting. Up North, the Kern River is running "Lickety Splits," a whitewater rapid course, at Class II and III, according to Kenny Bushling, owner of Kern River Tours. These level rapids are great for white water enthusiasts, but the river is always a popular location for people, if only to cool down and catch a break from the summer heat. "We get a lot of people who just come to relax," said Beverly Demetriff, manager of Frandy Park in Kernville. "Some people will put their folding chairs in the river and sit in the water and relax all day."
In other parts of California, the water is based on the control of dams keeping a consistent flow for the entire summer. Near Coloma in "Gold Rush" country, the historic South Fork of the American River is expected to be consistent for the entire season, according to Daniella Faieta, co-owner of Coloma Resort, which provides whitewater rafting, river tubing, and kayaking trips. Faieta says, "Guests are picked up at the campground and brought back to the campground after their day's activities," Faieta said. "They can also purchase inner tubes and life vests in our general store for float trips." Coloma Resort is an hour's drive from Sacramento.
Further north are the Casini Family Ranch and River Bend bordering the Russian River, about two hours from San Francisco. Offering kayaking, canoeing, and tubing, the ranch is a beautiful campground simply to float around. Jenny Summers, reservations manager for Casini Family Ranch says, "A lot of people will start kayaking or tubing six miles north of us in Guerneville and spend the day floating down to our campground." The campground is built on a peninsula out into the river.
Check Camp-California.com for further updates regarding great campgrounds and RV parks. There is a search function on the website that allows people to narrow down activities based on park for everyone's specifically desired fun. Look up river rafting and find nearly 90 convenient campgrounds that offer easy access to the rivers. To learn more about Camp-California.com or to obtain statistics and other information involving travel trends in California and the West, contact Debbie Sipe, executive director of the California Association of RV Parks & Campgrounds at (530) 885-1624 or debbie@calarvc.com. The following list is of California campgrounds located in popular areas for canoeing, kayaking and whitewater rafting: Camp Lotus: (530) 622-8672 or camplotus.com, Casini Ranch Family Campground in Duncans Mills: (800) 451-8400 or casiniranch.com, Coloma Resort: (530) 621-2267 or colomaresort.com, Frandy Park in Kernville: (760) 376-6483 or frandypark.net, Hiouchi RV Resort in Crescent City: (707) 458-3321, Kaweah Park Resort in Three Rivers: (559) 561-4424 or kaweahparkresort.com, River Bend Resort in Forestville: (707) 887-7662 or riverbendresort.net, Sequoia RV Ranch in Three Rivers: (559) 561-4333 or sequoiarvranch.com, Three Rivers Hideaway in Three Rivers: (559) 561-4413 or threerivershideaway.com
For family fun, nature is great and entertaining, combining elements of summer camp with simple camping to create a unique entertainment experience. Sipe says, "Many parks offer fun family activities throughout the day and several have special themed weekends that include contests, parades and live entertainment." The element of a peaceful, quiet respect for nature is still readily available, these are big campgrounds, but now the kids can be as loud as they like and dogs can run wild also. "Campground and RV park operators are increasingly developing activities and entertainment, both to stimulate return visits and also to lure guests away from parks that do not offer activities or entertainment."
Most public places do not allow dogs, but public campgrounds are where domesticated pups should be free and feel welcome to bound about like Lassie. At the Edgewater Resort in Kelseyville, California, they cater especially for dogs providing treats and their own nametag when the mutts arrive. Owners can take their dogs swimming at the Edgewater private beach featuring Clear Lake, California's largest natural body of water.
Parks have now grew to include a great variety of special events including Campland by the Bay in San Diego, which recently installed a skate park, and also features arts and crafts classes, beach volleyball, kickball, dodge ball, capture the flag, sand castle building competitions, and campfire sing-a-longs. Coloma Resort in Coloma features on-site gold panning, yoga classes, guided naturalist hikes and a ropes challenge course. Marble Quarry RV Park in Columbia offers on-site gold panning classes for kids and a BBQ, ice cream social, and campfire program on Saturdays. Redwoods River Resort & Campground in Leggett is a 21-acre campground featuring ice cream socials, children's movie nights, arts and crafts classes, and scavenger hunts. San Francisco North/Petaluma KOA has especially unique summer activities including a "50s Weekend" (July 31-Aug 1), with poodle skirts, and a sock hop, "Harry Potter Weekend" (Aug. 7-9), with a Harry Potter look-a-like contest, firebolt races, balloon art, and a magic show, and a "Karaoke Showdown" (Aug. 28-30). La Selva Beach Park has a mechanical bull and surfboard with fresh, fun activities including tie-dyed T-shirt classes, ice cream socials, outdoor movies, and campfire sing-a-longs. Smithwoods RV Park in Felton regularly hosts outdoor movie nights, ice cream socials, scavenger hunts, and an annual dog show competition in August. Stockton KOA has special themed weekends like a "Science and Magic for the Curious" weekend (July 24-26), showing opportunities to explore new tricks and participate in a magic show, a "Super Soaker Weekend" (July 31 - Aug. 2) with a big blow-up slip n' slide and a giant water balloon fight, a "Game Show Weekend" (Aug. 7-9) including variations of Deal/No Deal, Family Feud and Jeopardy, "Scavenger Hunt Weekend" (Aug. 14-16), and a "Survivor Weekend" (Aug. 21-23) where campers play their own game of Survivor. Yogi Bear's Jellystone Park in Cobb has themed weekends including a "Pets Weekend" (August 1-2) with special activities including a best dressed pet contest, and a triathlon for campground guests on the Saturday of Labor Day weekend (Sept. 5-7) that will include a race on go-cart pedal bikes, a kayak race across the park's pond, and a sprint to the pool. For further information on fun camp activities for the whole family, go to camp-california.com.
Camp food is always a classic feature for traditional campers, but it is never perfect. Anything from grease-fires to nature dropping itself in the pan can go wrong. Strong winds can blow over a makeshift stove propped on a rock and there goes lunch, but many campgrounds have seen this need for a reliable food location near to nature. Many parks in California have on-site restaurants earning reputations as quality food locations amongst wilderness where people who do not camp are taking excursions out just for the food. Kamp Klamath RV Park and Campground in Klamath, California is a 33-acre park bordered on three sides by the Redwood National Park plus the Klamath River. Kamp Klamath is gaining notoriety for its smoked salmon, winning seven regional cooking competitions in the past five years. "People come here from all over the world just to taste our salmon," said Kamp Klamath owner Aaron Funk. After becoming famous for his smoked salmon, Funk found it lucrative to open a 12-seat restaurant in his park last year. Funk slowly smokes his salmon in the campground over a red alder. Funk's restaurant, the Big Foot Grill, features a great variety from homemade blackberry pancakes with blackberry syrup to barbecued salmon to Tex-Mex chicken. The best part is guests can barbecue their own meats. From this success of the restaurant, Funk has tripled his capacity to 28 guests offering "all you can eat" salmon and chicken bonfire barbecues on Saturdays. Campland by the Bay in San Diego provides catering services for local residents through the Hungry Wolf Café. Coyote Valley RV Resort has a restaurant that serves breakfast Friday-Sunday, and lunch on Saturday. Hope Valley Resort and Campground, located along the banks of the West Fork of the Carson River, near Lake Tahoe, offers a massive breakfast and lunch, including vegetarian dishes, as well as beer on tap, espresso coffee drinks and homemade scones and desserts. Hope Valley Resort and Campground is affiliated with Sorensen's Resort whose café specializes in beef burgundy stew, grilled salmon, New York steak, barbecued chicken and ribs, and offers lodging in cottages and log cabins. Lake Siskiyou Camp Resort in Mt. Shasta City Park, located on Lake Siskiyou, features the Lake Sis Grille and Brew specializing in pizza and ribs, and feature a beach snack shack. Santa Cruz KOA at La Selva Beach Park has an onsite pizza parlor delivering to campsites, and features a Saturday barbecue lunch, Sunday pancake breakfast, and a hot dog cart that makes regular rounds through the park. For additional commentary, statistics and sources on the latest camping trends in California campgrounds, RV parks, and resorts go to camp-california.com featuring listings of private campgrounds and RV parks throughout California, many with online reservations.
The summer is a great season to become an avid nature connoisseur. Feel as comfortable outside sleeping in the woods under the stars as in a five-star hotel. Now, go, make reservations, grab the kids, get in the car, and find the nearest (or the farthest) woodland to let loose, and be one with nature again, or at all, if not ever. The California park system is doing its part to adapt to the worlds growing population of nature lovers, as should Valley Scene readers. Let's nurture our natural world and preserve its continued existence, appreciate its mass beauty, and foster education to maintain its |health for generations to come. Whether one is leading a hectic or laidback lifestyle, having a good time outside, enjoying nature, and camping with friends and family can be one of the most humbling experiences for a human being. So, check out camp-california.com, discover the spirit of the outdoors. Enjoy today that wonderful cornucopia of bountiful natural world that is Earth existing brilliantly with wild animal life and lush, green wood under clear skies and miles of land with barely any civilization, just you, and the breeze.