Tag Archives: stay

Free RV Camping

Free RV Campsites / RV Campsite California

picnicThe best free camping in California for RVs & motorhomes is NOT the WalMart parking lot in some random town, but the gems that you find here on Total Escape.

The California back roads is where it’s at. Star filled skies, fresh cedar scents & tall pines, plus the awesome views. Primitive camping at it’s best, with your kitchen sink. No hook-ups, no fees, no problem.

the back roadscamptruck

So, if you are one of those that are terrified of driving your big luxury camper on dirt roads, these may not suit your taste. But if you crave the back country camps with your RV, then you might enjoy the list below.

Still many dispersed, primitive FREE camp sites to be found – but you’re not gonna find them on those big web sites, that everyone goes to.

check

no hookups, no paved stalls, no dump station

These are camping areas, that you can pull into anytime of the night or day & find a flat spot. Some places may have picnic tables or campfire rings, but not all. No OHV parks, no large developed campgrounds, just dispersed FREE camp sites on the back roads of Cali.

Camping National Forest
Somewhere out near Dinkey Creek in Sierra NF

Dispersed Camping for RVers in California:

camp

SoCal Areas & Deserts

campersatcalkin
Calkins Flat on Kern River

Southern Sierra Nevada California

Eastern Sierra California

uticasummer

Central Sierra Nevada California

RV

Rd #54 Tahoe
Rd #54 – South of Lakes Basin Recreation Area

Northern Sierra Nevada Mountains

Free North Lassen
Lassen Rd #32N12D, 1 mile past Twin Bridges

Northern California

LassenWestRd17
Lassen Forest Road 17 @ Hwy 44
vanlifenorcal
Van Life, on McCloud Creek @ Algoma

 

Tent Cabins in California

tent cabin rentals
Merced Lake is one remote destination along the High Sierra Camp Loop, Yosemite Wilderness.

Tent Cabins & Yurt Rentals
around California

Tent cabins are made up of wooden floors, canvas walls & a canvas roof – a combination between a tent & a rustic cabin. Most have sleeping cots for beds; some have heaters, wood burning stoves or electrical outlets. A shared community bathroom is often close by.

Yurts are round versions of this same concept, with a wooden floor, real beds and usually nicer decor. Often these places request that you bring your own bed linens and towels, but each resort is different, so check the web links for detailed info.

Hike-in locations in the wilderness, rural river resorts or an easy drive to campground right off the freeway. These popular lodging accommodation are often marketed as GLAMPING, as in Glamour Camping – for the (luxury loving) princess who likes to try out nature – in a very controlled setting. Just watch out for mountain lions and bears.

Below are unique places in California that offer tent cabins, tree houses and yurt rentals.

 

Big Basin Redwoods Tent Cabins
Boulder Creek, CAhiker
408-338-8860
Santa Cruz mountains
WILDFIRE 2020
CLOSED INDEFINITELY

Cachuma Lake County Park
Yurt Rentals & Campground
Lake Cachuma, CA
805-568-2460
Santa Barbara Mountainscanoe

Costanoa Coastal Lodge
Pescadero, CA
650-879-1100
Santa Cruz Coastline

coloma river resort

Coloma Resort
Highway 49 @ American River
Coloma, CA
800-238-2298
California Historic Gold Country

Creekside Yurt Retreat
near Mt Shasta
Single Vacation Rental
Weed, CA
NorCal Mount Shasta

El Capitan Canyon
N of Santa Barbaraumbrella
Hwy 1 @ El Capitan
866-352-2729
805-685-3887
North Santa Barbara Coast

Fallen Leaf Campground
6 Yurt Rentals @ Campground
Lake Tahoe Basin, CA
Sierra Nevada Mountains

Hat Creek Resort
Yurts near Fishing Creekfish
12533 Highway 44
Old Station, CA
530-335-7121
Lassen National Forest

Hotel Nipton
Tent Cabins & Teepeesdirtbikes
Nipton Road @ NV stateline
760-856-2335
Mojave Desert
SUMMER 2020
CLOSED INDEFINITELY

Keough Hot Springs Resort
Hwy 395, Bishop, CA
Eastern Sierra High Desert

Lewiston Lake Yurt Rentals
@ Mary Smith Campground
Trinity River, Lewiston, CA
530-275-8113

Lupin Lodge
Clothing Optional Resortshowers
20600 Aldercroft Heights Rd.
Los Gatos CA
408-353-9200
Santa Cruz Mountains

Middle Fork Ranch
NorCal Smith River
15 acre retreat, Hwy 199
Crescent City, CA
707-457-3477
Northern California Coastal Mountains

Mother Lode River Center
6280 Hwy 49, Lotus, CAcanoe
530-626-4187
California Gold Rush Country

Mount Baldy Resort
8401 Mt Baldy Rd
Mt Baldy, CA 91759
909-982-0800

Oz Farm Retreat
41601 Mountain View Rd
Point Arena, CA
707-882-3046
Mendocino Coast

Premier RV Resorts
Cabin & Yurt rentals (in town)
Redding, CA
888-710-8450
Northern Californiaranger

River Park Resort
River Rafting Trips w/
Yurts next to American River
Coloma, CA
530-622-0553
California Gold Rush Country

Santa Margarita Lake KOA
Santa Margarita, CA
805-438-5618
800-562-5619
San Luis Obispo Backcountry

Shasta Lake Yurts
Lakeshore East Campgroundmountains
Lake Shasta, CA
530-275-8113
Northern California

Strawhouse Resort
31301 State Hwy 299
Big Flat, CA
530-623-1990
NorCal Trinity River

Treebones Resort
Ocean view yurts
Big Sur Highway 1 @ Gorda, CA
805-927-2390butterfly
877-424-4787
Big Sur Coastline

Vermillion Valley Resort
via Kaiser Pass Road
Edison Lake, Lakeshore, CA
559-259-4000
High Sierra, John Muir Wilderness

Virginia Creek Settlement
70847 Highway 395camptruck
Bridgeport, CA
760-932-7780
Eastern Sierra Nevada

Yosemite Lakes Resort
Cabins & Yurt Rentals
South Fork of the Tuolumne River
31191 Hardin Flat Rd
Groveland, CA
209-962-0121
800-533-1001
Western Sierra Nevadapinetree

Yosemite Pines RV Park
20450 Old Highway 120
Groveland, CA
209-962-7690
Western Sierra Nevada

tuolumne cabins

HSC: HIGH SIERRA CAMP

Yosemite National Park Tent Cabins:hiker
(advanced reservations required)

DustMites and AllergiesALLERGY NOTE: Most tent cabins are constructed out of heavy canvas material (fabric), which can mold when exposed to moisture (rain, fog, snow). Often they get dismantled, cleaned and stored properly over each winter season, sometimes not; All depends on weather, terrain difficulty and individual resort practices. If you suffer w/ allergies, moldy tent walls and dust mites can trigger asthma or other allergic reactions. If in doubt speak to the innkeeper or caretaker ahead of time.

Central Coast California
San Simeon SP. Central Coast of California

Rent a Treehouse

Post Ranch Inn
Tree-House Rentals in California
Big Sur, CA
Big Sur Coastline

El Dorado Campgrounds

El Dorado Camping

Kirkwood Lake
Kirkwood Lake, California

El Dorado National Forest
Carson Pass Hwy 88, Ebbetts Pass Hwy 4, Gold Rush Country
Sierra Nevada Mountains, Alpine Lakes

campground elev spots veg toilet water notes
Airport Flat Campground 5300′ 16 vault no Ice House Reservoir
Azalea Cove Campground 4900′ 10 vault lake Union Valley Reservoir
Big Meadows Campground 5300′ 54 pines flush piped handicap access
Blue Lake Lower Camp 8100′ 16 vault piped PG&E; fish, boat, camp
Blue Lake Dam Upper 8200′ 25 vault piped PG&E; fish, boat, camp
Caples Lake Campground 7800′ 35 pines vault piped fishing lake
Capps Crossing Campground 5200′ 12 pines vault piped gold panning
China Flat Campground 4800′ 25 vault piped Silver Fork Rd
Dru Barner Campground 3200′ 16 flush piped equestrian trails
Gerle Creek Campground 5300′ 50 pines vault piped handicap access
Fashoda Campground 4900′ 30 vault piped handicap access
Hell Hole Campground 5200′ 10 vault piped walk-in
Upper Hell Hole Campground 4600′ 15 vault lake Hell Hole Reservoir
Ice House Reservoir Camp 5500′ 83 vault lake handicap access
Jones Fork Campground 4900′ 10 vault lake Union Valley Reservoir
Kirkwood Campground 7600′ 12 pines vault piped narrow road; fishing
Lone Rock Campground 4800′ 5 vault lake Union Valley Reservoir
Loon Lake Campground 6500′ 62 pines vault piped equestrian; group site too
Lovers Leap Campground 5800′ 21 pines vault piped rock climbing
Lumberyard Campground 6500′ 5 pines vault RV access
Middle Creek Campground 8200′ 5 pines vault piped fishing creek
Middle Fork Cosumnes River 6780′ 5 vault crk PG&E, swim, fish
Mokelumne River Camp 3200′ 8 vault crk swim
Moore Creek Campground 3200′ 8 vault crk swim
Northshore Campground 6378′ 15 vault lake Loon Lake Campground
Northwind Campground 5500′ 9 vault lake Ice House Reservoir
Pardoes Point Campground 5900′ 10 pit no Bear River Reservoir Rd
Pipi Campground 3900′ 51 pit no handicap access
Sand Flat Campground 3900′ 29 pit no fishing
Silver Fork Campground 5500′ 35 vault piped fishing
Silver Lake Campground 7200′ 62 pines vault piped boating lake
South Fork Campground 5200′ 17 vault piped fishing
South Shore Campground 5900′ 22 vault piped Bear River Reservoir
Strawberry Point Camp 5500′ 10 vault lake Ice House Reservoir
Stumpy Meadows Campgr 4400′ 10 vault lake handicap access
Sugar Pine Campground 6000′ 10 vault no boating
Sunset Campground 4900′ 131 vault piped boating
Wench Creek Campground 4900′ 100 vault crk boating
Wentworth Springs Camp 6200′ 8 vault crk 4WD recommended
West Point Campground 4875′ 8 vault lake Union Valley Reservoir
White Azalea Campground 3500′ 6 vault crk Mokelumne River
Wolf Creek Campground 8200′ 42 vault piped boating, fishing
Woods Lake Campground 4900′ 25 vault pump handicap access
Yellowjacket Campground 4900′ 40 vault piped boating, fishing

see more about El Dorado National Forest

waterfalls

nearby towns –

El Dorado Forest Maps –