Camping season!

[bboyin4food]

its been at least 6 or 7 years since ive been camping in my teenage years and i cant wait to get back out there! the past few weeks me and my new roommate have been getting amped up about camping and have decided to pretty much try to go out on camping/fishing trips every weekend we can this year. ive been steadily building up supplies and cant wait to test them out.

we've been to lake Del Valle, and Spring lake in Santa Rosa, probably checking out lake Chabot this weekend and we will be heading out to Benbow Lake in a couple months. nice spots so far, but we would like to get a little more secluded and rural.

anyone have some good spots to check out? we are mostly centering the trips around fishing. we are in the east bay area but dont mind driving 3-4 hours for an overnight/weekend trip. seems like the recent camping threads have been mostly for Socal. what are some good Bay area and Norcal spots? doesnt need to have shooting spots although thats always a plus!

[eggfriedrice]

Point Reyes is a personal favorite of mine:

http://www.nps.gov/pore/index.htm

Good hiking too, only thing is that their sites get booked pretty early.

[mls343]

For the Bay Area, check out the following:

Big Basin
Pinnacles National Monument
Butano SP
Portola Redwoods SP
New Brighton SP (Beach)
Memorial Park

Also, remember you are only about 3-4 hours to the Sierra's...

[MudCamper]

Mendocino National Forest. I'd link their website, but the Forest Service just updated their site and now offer little or incomplete information. But the MNF has miles and miles of dirt roads, far-away campsites, and best of all undesignated camping spots and shooting. I'm not a big fisherman, but I see people pulling trout out of Bear Creek, and lots of fishermen go to Letts Lake.

[wjc]

Pick up California Camping and California Fishing from Moon Publishing.

http://www.moon.com

I just got back from Big Basin...no fishing or shooting but it rocks for plain camping. Beware the racoon's!

[wjc]

its been at least 6 or 7 years since ive been camping in my teenage years and i cant wait to get back out there! the past few weeks me and my new roommate have been getting amped up about camping and have decided to pretty much try to go out on camping/fishing trips every weekend we can this year. ive been steadily building up supplies and cant wait to test them out.

we've been to lake Del Valle, and Spring lake in Santa Rosa, probably checking out lake Chabot this weekend and we will be heading out to Benbow Lake in a couple months. nice spots so far, but we would like to get a little more secluded and rural.

anyone have some good spots to check out? we are mostly centering the trips around fishing. we are in the east bay area but dont mind driving 3-4 hours for an overnight/weekend trip. seems like the recent camping threads have been mostly for Socal. what are some good Bay area and Norcal spots? doesnt need to have shooting spots although thats always a plus!

How's the fishing up at DeValle this year? I'm thinking of going back up there in May or June

[echo1]

bbin4food, Howdy I'm PAX. We've got a backpacking crew Echo1, and we're all over the Central Sierras. Mostly the Mokelumne, Stanislaus, Tuolumne, and North Merced watersheds. Many, many, secret trout fishin' holes. Most of our trail heads are at or near camp grounds. When car camping, I hate to pay to sleep in the dirt. For starters, get yourself a Stanislaus National Forest Service map. They list all of thier recreational areas with facilities available at each. For ease of access (no 4X4 needed) but minimal people, below Salt Springs Res. off Hwy 88, north side Utica Res. off Hwy 4. Safe shooting areas abound. That should get you going. Check out my post on barbasols' thread this topic.