Good places to backpack around Bay Area, California?

Jetskier

Hi,
Me and my group of friends are used to backpacking in desolation wilderness and the area around that. We are now looking into going during our winter break some where at least sort of around the Bay Area. We don't want to have to deal with snow but the cold is absolutely fine.
What we are looking for is a good 2-3 day trip with low to moderate incline. Also, we like the single track trail type of desolation wilderness. Does any one know any good places and possibly some links to info on them?
Thanks a lot!!!
Oh and also we like to be sort of secluded.

Answer
I believe it's Henry Coe State Park, going south from the Bay Area on Highway 101, it's just east of Morgan Hill. It's been about 25 years since I was there, don't have any current information, but it was quite pleasant for wintertime backpacking. All of it was low elevation, coastal mountain, oak trees and manzanita environment with several lakes and streams, pretty much the same weather as San Jose. The park is strictly hiking/horseback, can't remember if there was a campground for car camping or not.

If you search under California State Parks you should be able to find current info.

Hiked it years ago.

Edit: Chris, you are right, Big Sur Canyon is beautiful. 12 miles in is Sykes Hot Springs, a natural, un-developed hot springs right on the bank of the Big Sur River. During the winter though a redwood forest is very dark, gloomy place and the canyon being very narrow doesn't allow much sunlight over the ridge to the canyon floor. I've been there in January.

Best winter camping in Oregon?

Orion

Looking for a nice, relatively easy mid-December backpacking and camping journey for 4 days in Oregon - Any suggestions?

Orion
Thank you but I can also run a web search. :) I'm hoping for someone with some personal experience who can offer some suggestions as to a nice trip.

Answer
Dec. is the wet month for Oregon. I spend Jan. through May van camping along the Oregon Coast, mostly in Curry County, Port Orford and Brookings. I plan on rain for part of each day. Actually, you get dry spells lasting for several days. Which makes it all worth while. There is a coast trail along the beach for the entire length of the state. You are only on the road in a few of the towns and for bridges over the rivers. And if the rain gets to bad there are buses several times a day on the road, HWY US 101. Check on the web for schedules. Please remember the rain on the coast is snow in the mountains, LOTS of snow. The storms are great to watch. There are lots of streams and water falls along the trail. When the sun comes out it is fantastic. but you will live in Gor-tex, the only rain gear to use, boots to hat. Tent with rain fly and bathtub floor.

Check out the Lost Coast and the Redwood National Park just a bit south in Ca.(The land of more money than brains) Also the Avenue of the Giants along the eel river also in Ca.

If you want to car camp and day hike I recommend Humbug Mt. State Park by Port Orford. There are two good trails, up the mountain or along the coast., good beach. Close by the are Orford Heads State Park, Arizona Beach State Park and Cape Blanco State Park. That's only about 15 miles of coast but, my favorite.

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camping and backpacking in maui hawaii?

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u prob wis

can you really just set up a tent and camp anywhere with out paying ? beaches??? I am lucky enough to fly there but have no money to rent a place, I travel and back pack alot what should I look out for and any advice from locals, on locations this is typically done or killer ways to stay cheap?

Answer
No, you cannot just "set up a tent and camp anywhere" on Maui. Camping on the beaches in illegal.

CAMPING ON MAUI
The State of Hawai'i maintains two campgrounds with housekeeping cabins on Maui, Wai'anapanapa State Park is on the coast and Polipoli State Park is in a forest high on the slopes of Haleakala. Camping in state campgrounds is limited to five nights and a camping fee is pending. Cabin rental rates are $46 for up to four people and. $5 for each additional person.

Waianapanapa is located three miles north of Hana on a bluff overlooking a black sand beach. There is tent camping for 60 people and 12 cabins that accommodate up to six people each The cabins are furnished with bedding, towels, cooking and eating utensils electricity hot water, showers, stoves and refrigerators.

Polipoli is located at the 6200 foot elevation in Upcountry Maui, 30 miles from Wailuku. Situated in dense forest this is the perfect spot if you are looking for solitude. Tent camping is available for 20 people. There isone cabin that accommodates up to ten with a gas stove and a cold shower (no electricity).

For Camping permits and cabin rental reservations, contact: Division of State Parks, 54 S. High Street, Room 101, Wailuku, HI 96793 or call 808-984-8109 between 8 AM and 4 PM, Monday through Friday (Hawaii Standard Time).

Haleakala National Park operates four campgrounds. Paliku and Holua campgrounds are in the crater; and, Hosmer Grove and the Pools at 'Ohe'o campgrounds are outside the crater. Camping in the National Park is free, but a permit is required and the numbers of campsites are limited.

There are also three cabins available for rent in the Park and reservations are handled through a lottery system. Write to the Park Superintendent, Haleakala National Park, P. 0. Box 569, Makawao, HI 96768 at least three months before your visit. Include the number of people in your group, the exact dates and the cabin(s) you choose to use each night. You will be contacted only if your request is drawn in the lottery. For more information, call 808-572-4400.

Need a good sturdy water proof tent. What is a good brand?

highrange1

Camping at Talledage speedway at the end of April. I'm looking for a good cheap ($150) tent to buy. My last one was to big. And It stayed cold inside. It was a colman 2 room with screen room, about 5 ft tall, I need a sturdy, warm/cool, dry tent for 2 adults plus gear. need one that wont rip easy like my last one.

Answer
A big tent will be harder to warm up from body heat. A small tent will not have much room. A tent that stays cool will be hard to keep warm. A low-end tent might have a hard time meeting all your requirements.

I've shopped often at Campmor's and Cabela's. Campor has a lot of good deals; a lot of their stuff is surplus/overstock/leftovers, but still name brand or good stuff. Cabela's is a good all around supplier; plenty of stuff, reasonable prices.

My interest in tents is 3-season backpacking ones, so I'm more interested in a light compromise tent than a car-camping family tent.

Consumer Reports, July 2005, in order of score for MEDIUM 60 to 80 sq. ft.; all are dome tents:
Coleman Sundome 10x10 #9180-101 CR Best Buy $100, fits 3-4 people
Kelty Yellowstone 6, $160, fits 3-4 people
Coleman Crestline #9277E107, $75, fits 2-3 people
Ozark Trail 9x9 5-Person Easy-Set, $58, fits 3-4 people
Wenzel Cedar Brook Family Dome #36149, $85, fits 2-3 people
Eddie Bauer Sport Dome 3- or 4-Person, $80, fits 2-3 people

SMALL 30 to 40 sq. ft. All are domes.
Mountain Hardwear Light Wedge 3, $225, fits 1-2
L.L.Bean Duolite, $200, fits 1-2
Eureka Apex 3XTA, $170, fits 2
Sierra Designs Meteor Light, $230, fits 1-2
Cabelas Trekker Classic Dome CR Best Buy, $50, fits 2
Kelty Gunnison 2, $140, fits 1-2
Eureka Tetragon 7, $80, fits 2
Coleman Sundome 7x7 9180-707 CR Best Buy, $50, fits 2

Check prices and any reviews at Amazon.

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Best winter camping in Oregon?

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Orion

Looking for a nice, relatively easy mid-December backpacking and camping journey for 4 days in Oregon - Any suggestions?

Orion
Thank you but I can also run a web search. :) I'm hoping for someone with some personal experience who can offer some suggestions as to a nice trip.

Answer
Dec. is the wet month for Oregon. I spend Jan. through May van camping along the Oregon Coast, mostly in Curry County, Port Orford and Brookings. I plan on rain for part of each day. Actually, you get dry spells lasting for several days. Which makes it all worth while. There is a coast trail along the beach for the entire length of the state. You are only on the road in a few of the towns and for bridges over the rivers. And if the rain gets to bad there are buses several times a day on the road, HWY US 101. Check on the web for schedules. Please remember the rain on the coast is snow in the mountains, LOTS of snow. The storms are great to watch. There are lots of streams and water falls along the trail. When the sun comes out it is fantastic. but you will live in Gor-tex, the only rain gear to use, boots to hat. Tent with rain fly and bathtub floor.

Check out the Lost Coast and the Redwood National Park just a bit south in Ca.(The land of more money than brains) Also the Avenue of the Giants along the eel river also in Ca.

If you want to car camp and day hike I recommend Humbug Mt. State Park by Port Orford. There are two good trails, up the mountain or along the coast., good beach. Close by the are Orford Heads State Park, Arizona Beach State Park and Cape Blanco State Park. That's only about 15 miles of coast but, my favorite.

i am considering a career in outdoor education leadership (scuba, rock climbing, etc.) What is it like?

Q.

Answer
SKIP COLLEGE!!!!!!!

Don't waste your time getting a degree in Outdoor Recreation Management. You will not score a job that will support your student loan payback schedule for many years. I see this all of the time.

I get lots of applications from kids fresh out of college and all I can offer them are $10/hour guide jobs. When I go on line to post jobs, I see other resorts and guide companies all are offering about the same seasonal or part-time work. Management jobs are even harder to find.

Instead of going to college, focus on attending courses like NOLS and work on getting certificates like WFR, PADI, and USMGA. Then get a job working for a guide service. This way you'll be able to support yourself doing the job without having to worry about the hefty student loan payment.

If you get hired by a guide service, they may be able to get you the certs themselves or they may send you to school. (This is common in the ski industry; dive shops and climbing schools frequently do this as well.)

Be prepared to lead a fluid life in order to travel to the work for the first several years. Most jobs are seasonal in nature. Ski Instructors sometimes go south for the summer and work in South America, Dive instructors can make a living year round if they are in the tropics. Many climbing instructors can work all year if they also can do ice...otherwise they find a winter job (usually skiing or something.) If I was 22 again, I'd definitely be skiing all winter in North America and be heading to New Zealand, Chile or Peru in the summer for more work. Or I would be a vagabond working ski resorts in the winter and teaching backpacking all summer.

If you get a Full Time job at a resort or a year round school or guide service, get used to some monotony. I lead hikes almost everyday and after a few weeks of hiking the same trails it can start to get boring. By the sixth day in a row of the 7:00am Kayak class I teach in summer, I'm usually hoping someone cancels so I can sleep in. You teach the same stuff over and over usually at very basic levels of instruction. So you have to like doing that sort of thing. Luckilly I do, but every once in a while it does start to feel like a "job". It's one thing to be passionate about something as a hobby, it takes a bit more discipline to turn it into a career.

If you want to work with At-Risk kids or get a job as a park ranger then you might need a degree. Otherwise, just start looking for jobs that will get you the experience you need. You'd be better off to take a few classes in business management and advertising at a community college WHILE you are working as a guide so once you have enough experience you'll have some idea about how to manage your own business one day. You don't need the Art History 101 and Readings in Shakespeare Seminar class if you want t o dive, climb, or ski for a living.

I am the Director of Outdoor Recreation for a small luxury resort in Pennsylvania. I make less money (about $13K less) at this job than I did when I was an executive for the Boy Scouts, however I am outside and actually in the woods more with this job than I ever was when I worked for the BSA. If I did not have to pay back that BIG FAT COLLEGE LOAN I'd have few complaints and there is little in this job that I ever have to call upon my college classes for. On the other hand, I've been working at camps, teaching skiing, climbing, and hiking for years. That's the info I refer to on a daily basis.

Good Luck.

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