rebeccad
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Post by rebeccad on Sept 1, 2015 21:24:56 GMT -8
We'd be coming from Torrance, CA, not far from Long Beach. So any direction we travel we'll be going "through LA" more or less to get there on a Friday afternoon (starting around 3pm). Not ideal, for sure, but doable, I think. Well, it won't be optimal. But it means you can go in any direction, or all directions by turns!
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ogg
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Post by ogg on Sept 3, 2015 21:24:41 GMT -8
We'd be coming from Torrance, CA, not far from Long Beach. So any direction we travel we'll be going "through LA" more or less to get there on a Friday afternoon (starting around 3pm). Not ideal, for sure, but doable, I think. Campgrounds in the Santa Monica Mountains (off of Pacific Crest Highway, or PCH) will be the closest to Torrance, though choices are somewhat limited. Besides the two I mentioned previously, there's Big Sycamore in Pt Mugu SP which is a little inland from the beach, and there's a campground at Malibu Creek State Park, around 4000 ft elev. I've heard that the Malibu Creek SP campground can get kind of rowdy, so I've never been compelled to camp there. Nice place to hike, though, if you don't mind crowds. MASH and the original Planet of the Apes were filmed in the area. Interesting thing about Big Sycamore is that a little ways up Big Sycamore canyon there is a large population of feral parakeets (or maybe they're a small parrot; I'm not much of a birder). Another option just a little bit more north up PCH would be to catch a boat from Ventura Harbor to Santa Cruz Island, part of Channel Islands National Park, and camp for a night or two. Scorpion campground is around 1/4-1/2 mile walk from the boat dock. Camping on Santa Cruz Island is the kind of epic adventure your kids would probably talk about for a long time (mine still do) but it doesn't come cheaply, unfortunately, boat fare makes it a bit more expensive than a typical weekend camping trip.
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Post by swimswithtrout on Sept 5, 2015 12:34:27 GMT -8
Along with the Northern Channel Islands, a fun trip would also be to take the ferry to Catalina and camp there.
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BlueBear
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Post by BlueBear on Sept 17, 2015 11:40:33 GMT -8
I just want to hop in here again and say thanks for all the suggestions. I have a weekend reserved October 8-11th, and got a campsite reservation at Wheeler Gorge Campsite in Los Padres NF. The campsite gets pretty good reviews and I think it's more-or-less what we're looking for on this first weekend. Nice site, quaint campground, not too far from town, a quick hop into town if we forgot something. Tommy is in the 4th Grade, so we got one of the "Every Kid in a Park" passes that counts the same as an Interagency Annual Pass, for free. That gave us roughly half off the campsite price, and free parking/access at any NFS or NPS site. Great deal. We'll be returning on subsequent weekends, so we'll definitely be checking out many of the other sites suggested as time allows. Looks like there's no shortage to pick from. Thanks everyone! - Mike
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toejam
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Post by toejam on Sept 17, 2015 11:59:18 GMT -8
Cool! There's a visitor center in Wheeler Gorge the kids will like. Matilija Creek & Sespe Creek are close with popular trails. Pine Mountain should still be open for an easy hike with big views to Reyes Peak. I'll be partying in Mexico, but hit me up next time you are in the area. This site may have more useful info for planning: www.hikelospadres.com/
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BlueBear
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Post by BlueBear on Sept 18, 2015 12:51:05 GMT -8
Thanks Toejam!
One thing I'll still ask is whether anyone is in West-LA (near Torrance, Redondo Beach and/or anywhere near LAX) that has a bit of space in a garage where I might store a few things. I have an offer already from a generous forum member here, but it's about 45-mins to an hour each way from where they are on the east side. Although I deeply appreciate the standing offer and may take them up on it, something a little closer would be great since I'll be doing this often.
I'm definitely hesitant to ask (I'm not a fan of imposing on others), but any help is greatly appreciated.
Thanks everyone for all the great suggestions so far! It's been truly helpful, I'm looking forward to getting to explore a bit of So Cal myself, actually.
- Mike
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BlueBear
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Post by BlueBear on Sept 18, 2015 12:53:17 GMT -8
That's fantastic! Thanks for that.
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