Moon West Coast RV Camping

How to Use This Book

ABOUT THE CAMPGROUND PROFILES

The campgrounds are listed in a consistent, easy-to-read format to help you choose the ideal camping spot. If you already know the name of the specific campground you want to visit, or the name of the surrounding geological area or nearby feature (town, national or state park, forest, mountain, lake, river, etc.), look it up in the index and turn to the corresponding page. Here is a sample profile:

ABOUT THE ICONS

The icons in this book are designed to provide at-a-glance information on activities, facilities, and services available on-site or within walking distance of each campground.

ABOUT THE SCENIC RATING

Each campground profile employs a scenic rating on a scale of 1 to 10, with 1 being the least scenic and 10 being the most scenic. A scenic rating measures only the overall beauty of the campground and environs; it does not take into account noise level, facilities, maintenance, recreation options, or campground management. The setting of a campground with a lower scenic rating may simply not be as picturesque that of as a higher rated campground, however other factors that can influence a trip, such as noise or recreation access, can still affect or enhance your camping trip. Consider both the scenic rating and the profile description before deciding which campground is perfect for you.

MAP SYMBOLS

INTRODUCTION

Author’s Note

Best RV Parks and Campgrounds

B Scenic Campgrounds

B Families

B Fishing

B Hiking

RV Camping Tips

BASIC MAINTENANCE

FOOD AND COOKING

SLEEPING

RECREATION

FIRST AID AND INSECT PROTECTION

GETTING ALONG

Author’s Note

“Moving is the closest thing to being free,” wrote Billy Joe Shaver, an old Texas cowboy songwriter.

He got it.

It’s not just the getaway destinations, adventures, and array of sights that makes roaming the West the greatest RV adventure in America. It’s the way it makes you feel inside when you’re on the road, the anticipation of the trip ahead, all the hopes and dreams that inspire road trips across the West—it’s the closest thing to being free.

I understand these feelings. I’ve traveled more than a million miles across Washington, Oregon, and California in the past 30 years. Although I love hiking, boating, and fishing, the real underlying force is staying on the move, roaming around, free, always curious to see what is around the next bend in the road.

All along the Pacific Coast, from Mission Bay near San Diego to Orcas Island near the Canadian border north of the Olympic Peninsula, you can discover a series of beautiful park campgrounds that seem perfectly spaced for the trip. One of the greatest road trips anywhere is Highway 1 on the coast, the best of it venturing north along the slow, curving two-laner from Morro Bay to Fort Bragg, California. In the fall, the road is largely free of traffic, the skies often clear of fog, and the bluff-top perches furnish a procession of stunning views of the rocky coast, with unpeopled foothills on one side and an ocean that stretches to forever on the other. Traveling slowly, you’ll discover, can be ecstasy.

Another option is to cruise up and down I-5, and then make side junctures into the Sierra Nevada in California, the Cascade Range in Oregon and Washington, or even a trip on a ferry boat out from Anacortes or Port Angeles in Washington to tour the San Juan Islands. Yosemite National Park is the No. 1 destination for most. Some of nature’s most perfect artwork has been created in Yosemite and the adjoining eastern Sierra near Mammoth Lakes, as well as some of the most profound natural phenomena imaginable.

Cruising U.S. 395 along the Eastern Sierra is a preferred alternative for many, with the opportunity for easy side trips to many lakes. They include Bridgeport Reservoir, the June lakes, the Mammoth lakes, Convict Lake, and Crowley Lake. In addition, almost every lake’s outlet stream provides prospects. This region has it all: beauty, variety, and a chance at the fish of a lifetime. There is also access to the Ansel Adams Wilderness, which features Banner and Ritter Peaks, and lakes filled with fish.

Oregon and Washington feature similar stellar destinations, from pristine Crater Lake, a legend for its cobalt-blue waters, on north to Baker Lake in Mount Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest in Washington. These are just a handful amid more than a thousand lakes that provide RV access in Washington, Oregon, and California.

There’s one catch. To make a road trip work, you have to be able to find a spot to stop every night. That’s why this book is a must-have for every RV owner. You’ll never get stuck again. One of the worst feelings imaginable is cruising down the road in the early evening without a clue where you will park for the night, without any knowledge of the array of spots available. I call that being a prisoner of hope. My advice is to never hope your way through a vacation.

This book details more than 2,300 campgrounds and parks with RV sites. The listings, directions, facilities, and highlights are far more detailed than any RV guide. To win your trust, we have done everything possible to make this book the most accurate guide in this field; every entry has been cross-checked with rangers and the owners of RV parks by our research editors.

Regardless, things are always changing at RV parks and camps, and getting it right in a book requires year-round vigilance. Most commonly, prices go up. The prices in this book are the most up-to-date possible, but if price is the bottom-line concern, always verify prior to your visit.

Some of the highlights of this book include:

• More than 2,300 campgrounds and parks for RV camping. These include sites in privately owned RV parks; local, county, state, and national parks; national forests; and, in some rare cases, land managed by the Bureau of Land Management and Washington Department of Natural Resources.

• More than 30 detailed maps.

• Directions that are written as if a passenger is reading them aloud to the person driving, making them extremely driver-friendly.

• Detailed information about each campground’s facilities, fees, reservation policies, setting, and nearby recreation options.

• Icons that quickly identify activities available at each site.

• Up-to-date, fact-checked information.

• Not included are sites that are extremely remote, very difficult to reach, or where the access road is extremely narrow or twisty.

Over the years, I have received many comments from campers, rangers, and park owners about what they are looking for in an RV guidebook. That is exactly what we are delivering in this book. After all, this is my full-time job. I understand how seriously people take their trips and what you need to know to make your trips work, every time.

The road, as songwriter Robert Earl Keen says, goes on forever and more Americans are fulfilling their dream of taking to the highway. You can roam for just a day or two. Or you can just keep on going. Adventures are good for the soul—they can bond people for life. Adventures also make you feel good inside. Billy Joe Shaver was right; moving really is the closest thing to being free.

—Tom Stienstra

Best RV Parks and Campgrounds

Can’t decide where to stay this weekend? Following are some of my favorite spots:

B Scenic Campgrounds

WASHINGTON

Fort Flagler State Park, The Olympic Peninsula and Washington Coast, tap here.

Kalaloch, The Olympic Peninsula and Washington Coast, tap here.

Pacific Beach State Park, The Olympic Peninsula and Washington Coast, tap here.

Fay Bainbridge Park, The Olympic Peninsula and Washington Coast, tap here.

Moran State Park Ferry-In, Seattle and the Puget Sound, tap here.

Camano Island State Park, Seattle and the Puget Sound, tap here.

Panorama Point, The Northern Cascades, tap here.

Kamloops Island, Northeastern Washington, tap here.

OREGON

Honey Bear Campground & RV Resort, The Oregon Coast, tap here.

Cove Creek, The Columbia River Gorge and Mount Hood, tap here.

Paul Dennis, The Columbia River Gorge and Mount Hood, tap here.

Anthony Lakes, Northeastern Oregon, tap here.

North Waldo, The Southern Cascades, tap here.

Lava Lake, The Southern Cascades, tap here.

CALIFORNIA

Camino Cove, Tahoe and the Northern Sierra, tap here.

Emerald Bay State Park and Boat-In, Tahoe and the Northern Sierra, tap here.

Seacliff State Beach, Monterey and Big Sur, tap here.

Lower Pines and Upper Pines, Yosemite and Mammoth Lakes, tap here and tap here.

Doheny State Beach, San Diego and Vicinity, tap here.

B Families

WASHINGTON

Kitsap Memorial State Park, The Olympic Peninsula and Washington Coast, tap here.

KOA Lynden/Bellingham, Seattle and the Puget Sound, tap here.

Bay View State Park, Seattle and the Puget Sound, tap here.

Leavenworth/Pine Village KOA, The Northern Cascades, tap here.

Ellensburg KOA, The Northern Cascades, tap here.

Curlew Lake State Park, Northeastern Washington, tap here.

Shore Acres Resort, Northeastern Washington, tap here.

Henley’s Silver Lake Resort, The Columbia River Gorge and Mount Rainier, tap here.

Yakima Sportsman State Park, Southeastern Washington, tap here.

OREGON

Fort Stevens State Park, The Oregon Coast, tap here.

Honey Bear Campground & RV Resort, The Oregon Coast, tap here.

Cascade Locks Marine Park, The Columbia River Gorge and Mount Hood, tap here.

Hoover and Hoover Group, The Columbia River Gorge and Mount Hood, tap here.

Twin Lakes Resort, The Southern Cascades, tap here.

Indian Mary Park, The Southern Cascades, tap here.

Abbott Creek, The Southern Cascades, tap here.

Lake of the Woods Resort, The Southern Cascades, tap here.

Drews Creek, Southeastern Oregon, tap here.

CALIFORNIA

Elk Prairie, Redwood Empire, tap here.

Lake Siskiyou Resort & Camp, Shasta and Trinity, tap here.

Rancho Seco Recreation Area, Sacramento and Gold Country, tap here.

Silver Lake West, Tahoe and the Northern Sierra, tap here.

Lake Alpine Campground, Tahoe and the Northern Sierra, tap here.

Historic Camp Richardson Resort, Tahoe and the Northern Sierra, tap here.

Pine Cliff Resort, Yosemite and Mammoth Lakes, tap here.

Dorst Creek, Sequoia and Kings Canyon, tap here.

Serrano, Los Angeles and Vicinity, tap here.

B Fishing

WASHINGTON

Coppermine Bottom, The Olympic Peninsula and Washington Coast, tap here.

West Beach Resort Ferry-In, Seattle and the Puget Sound, tap here.

Pearrygin Lake State Park, The Northern Cascades, tap here.

Chopaka Lake, Northeastern Washington, tap here.

Conconully State Park, Northeastern Washington, tap here.

Rock Lakes, Northeastern Washington, tap here.

Long Lake, Northeastern Washington, tap here.

Offut Lake Resort, The Columbia River Gorge and Mount Rainier, tap here.

Mossyrock Park, The Columbia River Gorge and Mount Rainier, tap here.

Silver Lake Motel and Resort, The Columbia River Gorge and Mount Rainier, tap here.

Potholes State Park, Southeastern Washington, tap here.

OREGON

Waldport/Newport KOA, The Oregon Coast, tap here.

Port of Siuslaw RV Park and Marina, The Oregon Coast, tap here.

Carter Lake, The Oregon Coast, tap here.

Trillium Lake, The Columbia River Gorge and Mount Hood, tap here.

Gone Creek, The Columbia River Gorge and Mount Hood, tap here.

Pelton, The Columbia River Gorge and Mount Hood, tap here.

Belknap Hot Springs Resort, The Southern Cascades, tap here.

Mallard Marsh, The Southern Cascades, tap here.

Trapper Creek, The Southern Cascades, tap here.

Dog Lake, Southeastern Oregon, tap here.

CALIFORNIA

Panther Flat, Redwood Empire, tap here

Hirz Bay, Shasta and Trinity, tap here.

Almanor North, South, and Legacy, Lassen and Modoc, tap here.

Snug Harbor Resort, Sacramento and Gold Country, tap here.

Lake Pardee Marina, Sacramento and Gold Country, tap here.

Camanche Lake North, Sacramento and Gold Country, tap here.

Upper Soda Springs, Yosemite and Mammoth Lakes, tap here.

Convict Lake, Yosemite and Mammoth Lakes, tap here.

Campland on the Bay, San Diego and Vicinity, tap here.

B Hiking

WASHINGTON

Campbell Tree Grove, The Olympic Peninsula and Washington Coast, tap here.

Moran State Park Ferry-In, Seattle and the Puget Sound, tap here.

Silver Fir, The Northern Cascades, tap here.

Mount Spokane State Park, Northeastern Washington, tap here.

Lower Falls, The Columbia River Gorge and Mount Rainier, tap here.

Beacon Rock State Park, The Columbia River Gorge and Mount Rainier, tap here.

OREGON

Nehalem Falls, The Oregon Coast, tap here.

Cape Lookout State Park, The Oregon Coast, tap here.

Cape Blanco State Park, The Oregon Coast, tap here.

Eagle Creek, The Columbia River Gorge and Mount Hood, tap here.

Toll Gate, The Columbia River Gorge and Mount Hood, tap here.

Belknap Hot Springs Resort, The Southern Cascades, tap here.

Boulder Flat, The Southern Cascades, tap here.

Natural Bridge, The Southern Cascades, tap here.

Aspen Point, The Southern Cascades, tap here.

CALIFORNIA

Summit Lake: North, South, and Stock Corral, Lassen and Modoc, tap here.

D. L. Bliss State Park, Tahoe and the Northern Sierra, tap here.

Tuolumne Meadows, Yosemite and Mammoth Lakes, tap here.

Manker Flats, Los Angeles and Vicinity, tap here.

RV Camping Tips

Many paths, one truth: There are nearly 40 styles of RVs in use, from the high-end 60-footers that resemble touring buses for rock stars, to the popular cab-over campers on pick-up trucks, to the pop-up trailers that can be towed by a small sedan. Regardless of what kind of rig you use, all share one similarity when you prepare for a trip: You must have good tires, brakes, and a cooling system for your engine.

During your trip, check fluid levels with every gas fill-up. These checks should include engine oil, brake fluid, engine coolant, transmission fluid, and power-steering fluid.

While these lists do not cover every imaginable item, they do serve as a checklist for primary items and a starting point to create your own list. My suggestion is to add items to these pages that are vital for your own vehicle.

BASIC MAINTENANCE

Here’s a checklist for primary items; make sure that you have these and that they are in good working order before you go. Also be sure all mandatory routine maintenance is performed prior to your trip.

• All owner’s manuals

• Batteries

• Brakes and brake fluid

• Cooling system and coolant

• Electrical system, lights

• Emergency flashers

• Fire extinguisher

• Gas filter

• Heater and air conditioner

• Lube

• Oil and filter

• Power-steering fluid

• Proof of insurance and registration

• Road service card

• Shocks

• Tire-changing equipment

• Tires (check air pressure, including spare tire)

• Transmission fluid

• Wheel bearings

Self-contained RVs

• Awning

• Dump valve and sewer hose

• Electrical system

• Extra battery if camping without hookups

• Fuses, including for slide-out motor

• Gray water tank and panel monitor

• Landing gear

• Lights

• Lube rollers or slider plates at the end of rams for slide-out rooms

• Pilot light

• Power converter

• Propane gas

• Refrigerator

• Stabilizer jacks

• Stove

• Toilet chemical and RV toilet paper

• Water system

• Windows and shades

Trailers and Fifth Wheels

• Lights

• Lube

• Perfect fit at tow junction

• Safety chains

• Self-adjusting brakes

• Wheel bearings

Safety on the Road

When you start your vehicle and then head down the road for a winter vacation—or in the high Sierra year-round—you may wonder, “What did I forget this time?”

The answer for some might be “plenty.”

Engine trouble, tires and chains, road conditions, verified directions, and personal safety are all factors in road trips. Many people think they can handle whatever is thrown at them on a vacation. But what actually happens is that they are rewarded or punished for their level of preparation. To ensure you experience the former, rather than the latter, follow these simple tips before you head out on the road:

Verify directions: Just because Google Maps provides directions does not mean they are correct. Get independent verification of every destination and carry a detailed road map. Keep in mind that many Forest Service roads close in winter. For out-of-towners looking at a detailed map, it might appear that these roads could provide an alternate route; however, they could become a nightmare after a wrong turn at night for those unfamiliar with the area.

Check road conditions and weather: Just as pilots do, obtain all available information before taking off on your trip. Start by calling the state transportation agency road condition hot line or checking their information online. Detailed weather reports and forecasts are often available through newspaper websites.

Determine snow levels: If you’re driving into the mountains in a storm, you can calculate the snow levels by subtracting 3.5 degrees for every 1,000 feet you gain in elevation. The magic number when snow starts to stick is usually 34°F. So if you’re heading to Tahoe, it’s raining in Sacramento (elevation 25 feet), and the temperature is 50°F, you will hit snow at an elevation of roughly 4,500 feet as you head up the Sierra.

Tires and chains: Never hope your way through a storm. Make sure your tires are in good condition and inflated properly. Carry the correct chains for your vehicle and know how to put them on so that doing so is fast and easy—don’t think you can whip through anything. Even then, accelerate very cautiously uphill (when most spinouts occur), and brake very slowly; skids are the product of torque, not speed.

Get your vehicle checked: People often put undeserved trust in their vehicles these days, with the broad-brush assumption that paying a high price guarantees flawless operation. Unfortunately not. At the minimum, make sure your battery and oil are fresh, and brakes in perfect condition. (Hah! Back in the day, we didn’t trust anything to work right and it seemed everybody had a coat hanger and duct tape to keep things together.)

Fuel up: Never set out at night or into bad weather without a full tank of gas. The worst traffic jams are caused when someone in a line of cars runs out of gas in a blizzard, then leaves their vehicle parked in the road to walk into town.

Emergency road equipment: Check to make sure you have complete tire-changing equipment (and know how to use it), emergency flashers, spotlight and cell phone, and that your spare tire is inflated. Other musts: a flashlight, a knife, and duct tape (hey, it still comes in handy!).

Never split up: Families should always stay together. According to a wise gent named Aristotle, “When two go upon journey, one sees before the other.” If two adults split up, an individual, on their own, might not see the way out of trouble, and in addition, each adult might lose half of their reasoning power.