Lakes Basin Camping and Hiking in the Sierra Nevada

Where to Camp and Glamp in CA: Part 1

We feel the camping vibes. Here's our first in a two-part roundup of beautiful destinations that also have camping, cabins, and glamping.

Week: 05.29.2024
Regions: Northern & Southern CA

A Splash of Whiskeytown

Kayaking Whiskeytown National Recreation Area

Located just 8 miles west of Redding and surrounded by mountain peaks, Whiskeytown National Recreation Area is nearly 40,000 acres of all things outdoors: waterfalls, campgrounds, beaches, hiking trails, and a beautiful crystal-clear lake at the center of it all.
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California: State of Nature {The Magical Mojave}

Introducing California: State of Nature, a new exhibition at the California Academy of Sciences in San Francisco’s Golden Gate Park.

The California Academy of Sciences’s dynamic new exhibition, California: State of Nature, is a colorful peek into four of our state’s distinct and resilient ecosystems: forests, coasts, deserts, and cities.
See the New Exhibit, California: State of Nature

Kayak to a Remote Beach Camp

Kayaking to Lava Wall on Catalina Island

Lava Wall. The name alone shouts adventure—and the place loudly delivers. This towering volcanic cliff is the backdrop to a remote beach campground on Catalina Island that you can only reach by boat.
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Bucks Up!

Kayak and Picnic at Bucks Lake in Plumas County

Come on in, the water is beautiful. Whether you like swimming, kayaking, stand-up paddling, or heading out on a bigger boat, Bucks Lake is a high mountain haven that’s easy to access, blissfully uncrowded, and surrounded by sandy beaches, picnic areas, pines, and aspens.
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Emerald in the Woods

Camping and Paddling at Green Valley Lake in the San Bernardino Mountains

Green Valley Lake, nestled at 7,000 feet in the San Bernardino Mountains right between Big Bear Lake and Lake Arrowhead, has all the watery charm of those popular bodies of water, just on a smaller scale, and decidedly without crowds—or motorized boats. It's also got camping, including first-come, first-served options.
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Fancy Camp

Glamping at Mendocino Grove

Wanna go rugged on the coast, minus the whole pitching your own tent and sleeping on the ground bit? Mendocino Grove is spot-on for upgrading your roughing-it experience, with beautifully appointed tent-cabins set across the bluffs overlooking Mendocino Bay.
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Duck, Duck, Goose!

Camp at Goose Lake in the Lakes Basin, Sierra Nevada

Camp at Goose Lake in the Lakes Basin
Try to get a first-come, first-served campsite at one of the Lakes Basin’s lakeside campgrounds. We love Goose Lake Campground, where there are just 13 sites and no motorized boats.
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Island Ahoy!

Camp and Hike on Santa Cruz Island in Channel Islands National Park

Two people smiling for a selfie on Santa Cruz Island Channel Island National Park
Two people hiking on Santa Cruz Island Channel Islands National Park
Picnic table at Smugglers Cove beach on Channel Islands National Park
Campers setting up and wandering among tents for camping at Santa Cruze Island
Take to the seas on a weekend adventure to remote Santa Cruz Island (the largest among Channel Islands National Park) and an idyllic campsite coupled with a rugged 8-mile (round-trip) trek to a hidden beach.
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  1. Camp at Goose Lake in the Lakes Basin

    Duck, Duck, Goose!

    Try to get a first-come, first-served campsite at one of the Lakes Basin’s lakeside campgrounds. We love Goose Lake Campground, where there are just 13 sites and no motorized boats.

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  2. This Is Paradise

    Granite mountain-scape, superb sunset views, crystal lakes, and shoreline campsites … the trip to Paradise Lake in Tahoe National Forest lives up to its idyllic name.

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  3. Aloha from California

    Say Aloha without leaving California with a 7-mile out-and-back hiking adventure to Lake Aloha in El Dorado National Forest. You can also camp here, a premier place for stargazing.

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  4. Sequoia Re-opens Crystal Cave

    Step inside Sequoia & Kings Canyon National Park's hidden world by visiting the newly re-opened Crystal Cave—the only cave in the parks open to the public. Closed for four years, this rare marble karst cavern is welcoming visitors once again, but only through the summer season!

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Trending Stories SoCal

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  1. Sponsored

    Let's Go to Paso!

    Paso Robles is a good idea in all seasons, but one season brings a special bounty: harvest season! Road-trip ready and teeming with fall colors and fun events, Paso Robles is the ultimate destination for unique autumn experiences.

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  2. Can't Top This

    San Francisco’s Presidio was already a fantastic place to hang out for the afternoon, a beautiful site within the largest urban national park in the United States (the Golden Gate National Recreation Area). And Presidio Tunnel Tops is like a cherry on top. Make that two cherries on top, with the newly opened (July 2025) Outpost Meadow, a 1.5-acre green space located at Old Mason Street across from the Crissy Field Marsh in the Presidio.

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  3. Underground Garden

    Looking to escape the summer heat? Head to Fresno and discover its cool secret: the Forestiere Underground Gardens–an enchanting garden and architecture oasis like no other.

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  4. Oh Ryan

    Sure, it’s those whimsical trees that give Joshua Tree National Park its marquee billing; but this beautiful landscape also has surrounding mountains and its night sky—one of the darkest in Southern California and designated an International Dark Sky Park. Joshua Tree has four allowable stargazing parking lots, and a newly opened haven for spending the night nearby...

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