Laguna Mountain (off Sunrise Hwy. S-1)
East of San Diego; 40 miles E on Interstate 8

• Pine Creek Road – with plenty of mountain biking trails
• Noble Canyon – popular mountain biking trail
• Kitchen Creek Road

Palomar Mountain (off Hwy. 76)
N of San Diego; 40 miles N on Interstate 15

• No back roads camping is allowed in this forest
• 4×4 trails & camping @ Los Coyotes Indian Reservation

Anza Borrego Desert Camping [near National Forest boundary]
East of San Diego CA

• Oriflamme Canyon (off S-2)
• Culp Valley (off S-22)
• Dispersed camping nearly anywhere in Anza desert (w/ a metal fire bucket)

A winter day out exploring Culp Valley back roads.

Maps Mountains / San Diego Maps

• CLEVELAND NATIONAL FOREST MAP
• AGUA TIBIA Wilderness Map
• ANZA BORREGO DESERT STATE PARK MAP
• SAN DIEGO BACKCOUNTRY MAP (Tom Harrison)
• PCT Trail Map – Southern California
• PINE CREEK /HAUSER Wilderness Map
• CLEVELAND FOREST TOPO ATLAS

More & more people are venturing off the beaten touristy path of Gold Country. Getting outta the developed campgrounds to discover the joys of dispersed back woods camping is a new adventure. With SUV ownership come some great rewards! Order a good map & go find some dirt roads. Waterfalls, secluded creekside camp sites & more await you. Obtaining a camp fire permit is manitory for this style of camping.

Discover the hidden back roads: like Caldor Road off of Grizzly Flat Rd. – up above Placerville CA

Hey, now this is what we’re talking about. Plenty great dispersed camping down by the Cosumnes River & Consumnes Mine Rd. There are hundreds of miles of small roads to discover back behind this historic mining area. Rivers, waterfalls & decent fishing too. Make sure you clean up some litter. This is the only price you pay for the beauty, serenity, peace & quiet & no neighbor campers next to you.

Out exploring these parts, you may run into a dead end road that peters out at some Private Property, which is usually signed & fenced. Make nice with the old crazy miner dude & turn your ass around politely, everything will be okay as soon as you are not within gun shot of him. Yes, there still are plenty of small time mining experts tucked away back here in the hills.

Premium and secluded river side camp sites in El Dorado National Forest

Plenty creeks and rivers run throughout this central Sierra region, so you can fish all day – until your hearts desire. River rafting and river kayaking opportunities are also great reasons to get wet. Several reservoirs around offer camping and boating too.

nearby towns -

• Georgetown CA
• Jackson, CA
• Kirkwood, CA
• Placerville CA
• South Lake Tahoe, CA

El Dorado Forest Maps -

• El Dorado National Forest Map
• Mokelumne Wilderness Map (USDA/NFS)
• Desolation Wilderness Map (USDA/NFS)
• Desolation Wilderness Trail Map (Tom Harrison)
• Lake Tahoe Recreation Map (Tom Harrison)
• Lake Tahoe Basin Map (USDA/NFS)
• Tahoe Lake Topographic Maps

Maps are the key to finding your very own slice of heaven in the Wilderness. Online map sources can barely get you to your city destination correctly, much less the remote waterfall you desire. You will need a real map for your adventure. A topographical map, with all the details, dirt roads & hiking trails. If you are seeking to stay away from the touristy crowds, this is the best possible place you can be…. on this site, searching for ways to make it happen – this weekend.

BACKPACKERS BACKPACKING MAPS -

Mount Whitney & beyond the High Sierra. DanaMite stocks all the California Wilderness maps. Most are printed on waterproof plastic now & are tear-resistant.

• California Wilderness Maps
• Tom Harrison Topo Trail Maps
• California Recreation Maps

CAR CAMPING MAPS -

Planning on camping outside of the developed campgrounds & finding that perfect stream side spot without the reservation & the fees? Then you will need a free fire permit (from a ranger station), plus a good map of the forests & a vehicle capable of handling the rugged the back roads. We even carry regional maps in a set, so you can get the whole area at a discounted price.

• California National Forest Maps
• Map Sets for California
• Recreation Area Maps
• Topographic Map Atlases
  

CALIFORNIA OFF ROAD MAPS -

Wanna take that 4×4 vehicle somewhere really special this season? Camp well beyond the masses, way down that dirt road. We stock OHV maps for SoCal, the deserts & all the National Forest maps too.

• California Desert Maps
• California & Baja Offroad Maps
• California National Forest Maps

CALIFORNIA CAMPGROUND MAPS -

Start your search on the perfect campground or camp site with the destination in mind. Mountains, deserts, coastal. Parks & forests all have their own maps with all nearby camp grounds listed. We stock all the National Forest maps, as well as some State Park & National Park maps

See all California topo, hiking, camping maps

RV camping at it's best in the Sierra; This rig found themselves deep in the alpine lush meadows with towering trees and a view and a very private camp site.

Camp fire permits required & please try to choose a camp that has been used before. Hint: a Lassen National Forest Map is very helpful when camping these remote, Lassen back roads. Stay away from the crowds & enjoy your vacation.

Camp right on a rushing river, alone. With no one in sight or sound. Have that secluded camping experince you’ve always dreamed about. Fishing, relaxing, maybe some hiking too. Or better, your mountain bike. Plenty forest roads to explore. Numerous waterfalls to discover. This Northern California region is covered with pine forests and volcanic history.

CAMP LASSEN
is our guide to all camping and campgrounds
in Lassen Forest, Parks and nearby towns

If you wanna find the nearest biker bar, head over to the rustic and forested Bambi Inn @ Buttes Mwds. They are located near a nice river and bridge, plus they have cabin rentals too. BSA - Camp Lassen is a boy scout camp located E of Chico off Highway 32 near Butte Meadows, CA

Dispersed Camp sites in Lassen in Lake Almanor Area

Lassen Area Maps -

• Lassen National Forest Map
• Lassen Forest Topo Atlas

Lassen Towns -

• Chester CA
• Quincy
• Susanville
• Westwood
• Lake Almanor
• Greenville
• Crescent Mills
• Mill Creek
• Mineral
• Butte Meadows

Quatal Cyn: Forest Road #9N09 – Los Padres National Forest

Toad Spring Campground is located at high elevations (5700′) of Quatal Canyon, on a dirt road, half mile off the pavement of Cerro Noroeste Rd. The Chumash Wilderness, the Cuyama River Valley, Apache Saddle, Mount Abel plus the Bittercreek National Wildlife Refuge all surround this region. Los Padres National Forest meets the vineyards, orchards & farmlands, near Ventucopa. This is the badlands – 18 mile scenic dirt road, well signed at Hwy 33 & mostly graded. Quatal Cyn connects Ojai’s Highway 33 to the pinyon pine forest above near Pine Mountain Club (@ nearly a straight line?) Motorcycle dirt bikes & off-roaders dig this place. Street bikes will prefer paved Cerro Noroeste which runs the rim above to the north.

This major dirt road is not gated at either end, but winter sometimes closes the route due to snow depth. It never stays closed very long, as some beefy 4×4 will break thru the snow berm soon enough. Top elevation @ Cerro Noreste is approximately 5500′.

Quatal Canyon (possibly named after some great Chumash warrior) is a giant high desert wash, ripping down from Cerro Noroeste (aka Mt Abel). Serious erosion w/ San Andreas fault lines – make it a very interesting canyon to explore on foot, horseback, motorbike, or mountain bike. The lupine & wildflowers here are incredible in late Spring in this red dirt canyon. Both nearby mountain peaks of Mount Abel & Mount Pinos are the tallest in Kern County.

This rugged primitive canyon gets torn up during a good storm in late summer or big winter storm. Red dirt gets very slippery – especially on the edges of a cliff. Boulders in the road, flash floods – or no road, river! 2WD passenger cars can take this route, but high clearance is preferred. 4×4 is needed during heavy rain or snow – which could be half the year (Nov-April). Flash flooding is possible all over Los Padres NF, so know the weather forecast in advance.

Seen small RVs, trucks pulling trailers & even a U-haul moving truck down this way. MapQuest always amazes me where they route you. This is a graded dirt road, some of the time. MapQuest should post a ’see Total Escape for this route’. Come on folks, if you’re traveling cross-country, while moving your residence, buy a real map to explore the National Forests of California. You may end up sleeping way out here – broken down in the moving van, in the boonies & no cell coverage, cuz you had a one page, wrinkled map in faded ink, wet & smeared. And MapQuest told you it was paved. It’s not paved 90% of the way.

Primitive camping is also allowed in the canyon wash or on the side routes, on certain seasons. Use existing camp site when possible. Clean out the rock fire ring of litter & bottles, pull back all dry brush at camps & leave these places better than you found ‘em. There are hundreds of dispersed campsites out here. The open wash is especially nice on a full moon hike, just bring friends – cuz it’s big cat country. Camp fire restrictions are in tight control on this SoCal region. You will need a camp fire permit, a big shovel & lotsa water. Check with the Los Padres rangers to make sure. Recently Zaca Fire (2007) & the month long Day Fire (2006) both came very close to this precious sanctuary.

The high desert terrain is pinyon forest, with yucca & manzanita. The eroded cliffs of red rock, white & orange hues, glow best during the clearest sunsets. You will almost think your in Utah, until you get up on a ridge & see the smog in the Central Valley of California.

Mahu Tasen, a Native American camp and sweat lodge, has ceremonial grounds in a canyon off of Quatal. There is also a large rock quarry mining operation, as well as numerous wineries and ranches along this route. Several private residences too.

Ballinger Canyon OHV Park is closeby, 5 miles N on Hwy 33

Carrizo Plain National Monument is also close, N off Hwy 166

towns nearby -

PINE MOUNTAIN CA

MARICOPA CA

VENTUCOPA CA

helpful maps of the region -

• Los Padres National Forest Map (USDA NFS)
• Los Padres / Hungry Valley OHV Map
• Los Padres Topo Atlas
• Sespe Wilderness Map
• Mount Pinos OHV Trail Map (USDA, outta print)