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Wintertime Camping in Southern California© Thomas Stephens Sr.
Dec 7, 1999
There is no better region in North America for wintertime camping than in Southern California. With its comfortable temperate climate, most days are warm with sunshine, while nights are cool and star-gazingly clear. The crowds of summer have all gone home, leaving parks and campgrounds less congested and open for leisure enjoyment. Having lived here for 33 years, I can say that this is her best, and most beautiful, time of the year. A time to be outdoors enjoying her scenic beauty; hiking her mountains and deserts, strolling her sandy beaches and, of course, camping in her varied environs.Southern California is a highly diverse geological region. The Pacific coastline stretches for some 250 miles between Santa Barbara and the border of Baja, Mexico. Inland, broad valleys and canyons are defined by rolling hills, mountains and isolated forests. The magnificent San Gabriel, San Bernardino, San Jacinto and Santa Rosa Mountains surround and contain the area; isolating it from the vast deserts to the north and east. Flowing south into Mexico, the mighty Colorado River demarcates California from the state of Arizona. With Southern California's drastic changes in terrain and elevation, campers are provided with an assortment of parks and campgrounds from which to choose. You can camp on the beach one-day, and move to the mountains or desert the next. The National Forests Three large National Forests serve to blanket Southern California's mountains and provide a host of recreational activities. Overlooking the Los Angeles basin, the Angeles National Forest covers the San Gabriel Mountains and contains over 650,000 acres of variegated land. It has more than 500 miles of hiking trails, 110 campsites, fishing, watersports and other recreational activities.Coating the San Bernardino and San Jacinto Mountains to the east, the San Bernardino National Forest has some 737,280 acres of diverse terrain. There is also an abundance of excellent outdoors activities available within this gorgeous forest. Arrowhead and Big Bear Lakes offer a variety of watersports and camping along their shorelines. The Cleveland National Forest spreads itself over three counties and encompasses 567,000 acres of land. Located south of Los Angeles and north-northeast of San Diego, it is a much drier area, with mostly chaparral vegetation. Cleveland also has a wide variety of recreational activities available and many excellent campgrounds. Joshua Tree National Park East of the tall San Bernardino Mountains and northeast of Palm Springs, Joshua Tree National Park spans 794,000 acres of uniquely beautiful desert land. Here, the Mojave and Colorado Deserts join and offer exciting and interesting geological displays. The park provides nine campgrounds and many outdoor opportunities.
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