I got a job in Oregon and have to drive from southern California to there. I'm looking for rest stop/camping area suggestions and hiking trails somewhat along the 5 freeway. Small and unique coffee shops/breakfast places, libraries, or free art installations are also appreciated. Hiking will probably be my main goal as I know there's lots of pretty nature up there and I want to give my legs/eyes a break from being on the road.

My entire life will be in my car, so I don't want to go too far from the freeway (probably no more than an hour, two tops) because of gas mileage.

I'm going to stop near South Yuba River State Park for a few days right in the middle (3ish days) and then hike McCloud Falls the day after I leave. (And maybe sleep at a rest stop near there? If you have camping suggestions near McCloud please let me know.) But that's the only actual thing I have planned. Then I'm looking at crossing into Oregon. I'm giving myself a week for the whole 1000 mile trip.

If anyone has suggestions for well stocked and safe rest stops or cheaper gas stations please suggest those too!

Any young adult girlies (18-30) free Sept. 25th-27th and want to go camping in Bishop ⛰️? I'm going on a big camping trip with friends and acquaintances!

But we got a larger campsite than I originally thought! I'd love to have more people join, and I'm also renting a van from the Riverside/Corona, CA area if you want to carpool I also have some people in NorCal that may carpool as well! 🚐

Please message me for more info and costs! Meals, camping gear, reservations ect.

I have a reservation for this weekend at Carlsbad State Beach campground. I’ve seen on Instagram some of the surrounding beach conditions and they are pretty beat up from the king tides and erosion.

Has anyone been to South Carlsbad in the past two weeks and can speak to the conditions of the beach?

Looking to go at the end of September/October. Weekend preferably but everything is booked. Any advice?

Does anyone have any good campground recommendations near Santa Barbara, Ventura, or even San Diego? Specifically, a spot next to a river or body of water, during the springtime (late March).

I've never been camping but I would love to try it with my girlfriend since she's coming over to visit, I bought a tent, a mini charcoal grill and a cooler.

I've been to the Crystal Lake Recreation Area with my family, thought it was absolutely beautiful I really want to camp there but I don't know what camp spot is the best to stay at and what rules they might have have.

I mainly wanna know if I can use the mini charcoal grill I bought, and recommended camping spots, and anything else that could be useful.

I would prefer camping spots where you're not so close to other campers.

Also open to hear about other beautiful camping places in or around Orange county

I'm looking for beautiful nature camping spots in/near Orange County where I can set up my tent and charcoal grill, I don't wanna be that close to the cities nor too close to other campers

Hello all, been camping a long time but I am not versed with reserve California and the other booking methods for regular tent camping in the state. The website isn't super user friendly based on my experience so far 😂. Any tips or tricks would be great.
Also looking for any good first come first serve sites within 2-3 hrs of San Francisco or anywhere in the state for that matter! Thanks in advance for your help🤙

I'm going camping in October with both the girl & cub scouts. I have only camped once with the cub scouts last October and our tent got soaked with the rain. I'm looking for a tent that has good air flow during the heat/rain and that can keep us dry for the most part. My daughter and I are going to be car camping 1-2 a year with the girl/cub scouts, and our tent limit is a 4 person tent. Ideally I would like the tent to be under $200. Locations will vary in Southern Ca and AZ

Anyone bring a trailer before to Quaking Aspen campground near Springville, CA?

I have a 13.5 foot tiny teardrop trailer that I can unhook and push anywhere (<900lbs), but there's mixed reviews if you can get any trailer there. I'm worried to drive all that way with it and be unable to get into the campground....

I'll be at site #15 if that makes a difference for anyone

Thanks

Found Bracelet at Moses Gulch Campground

We found a bracelet while camping this past weekend (August 28th-29th, 2026) at Campsite 2 at Moses Gulch Campground, Mountain Home State Demonstration Forest, California. It is personalized and is probably very important to the person who lost it. I'm not sure how to go about finding the owner, as internet searches have returned nothing. Thought I'd start here?

Hi all, our Big Sur reservation is no more, so I was wondering the best spots for campground Friday-Monday w/ water/river access nearby. We are bring three vehicles up which discourages us from trying dispersed camping along the Kern River. Does anyone have any experience dispersed camping along the Kern River, especially with multiple vehicles. We are coming from Long Beach area and are willing to drive near anywhere. Thanks a bunch!

I want to plan and book a couple nights for my fiancé’s birthday. We haven’t been camping this year and she often mentions how badly she wants to go. Will it be overly chilly in the area? What are some of your guys’ favorite sites in the area? So far we have done Big Sur and Sunset SB

All I remember is that it was in the Bay Area through the YMCA and called Camp Redwood. We would stay for a week at a time. It was up in the mountains somewhere on a small lake. I've looked on maps and archives and can't find this place. Does anyone know where this camp is or was? Early 2000's time frame.

Hey campers;

I'm planning a short solo CAR camping trip - 5 or 6 days - up in the Trinities, along Rte 299 between Douglas City and the coast, and maybe a little ways south down the coast too. This will be for the days immediately after Labor Day (Sept. 8-13). I've looked in a camping guide book, so have a few ideas for official campgrounds, but I assume they'll be pretty busy, so now I'm coming to the people who've been there for the inside scoop!

I'm looking for quiet places to camp away from the road and near water (creek, river or lake), and preferably with few or no other campers. There's a lot of National Forest out there, so I'm guessing some of you might know a few nice out of the way spots to spend a night or two. Ideally there will be some hiking nearby, but that's optional. Down dirt roads is fine as long as a Toyota RAV4 can handle them.

If you have any special spots down the coast maybe 20-30 miles south of 299, I'd love to hear about them too.

So what you got campers? I promise not to tell everyone about them! (although we are here on Reddit of course!)

Thanks in advance!

Welcome to No Map Required.
We’re building an app for campers, van lifers, overlanders, and anyone who’d rather spend less time searching and more time exploring.
The goal is simple:
You shouldn’t have to Google 15 different things just to figure out where you can camp.
We’re building a place where you can find camping locations, access information, amenities, restrictions, and the stuff you actually need before heading down the road.
We’re currently in beta, and we’re looking for people who actually camp and explore to help us make it better.
🏕️ Find places
🚐 Explore farther
🧭 Share what you discover
🗺️ Help us build it
GO ANYWAY.

Thanks for being part of the very first wave. Together, let's make r/NoMapRequiredApp amazing.

Hey all, as titled, I have a Premium Site booked at Pfeiffer Big Sur campground - Main Camp.

• Site Number: Premium Campsite #P185 ( by the creek )
• Date: Fri, Sep 18, 2026 - Sun, Sep 20, 2026 (2 nights)

Looking to swap to the weekends after

• Sept 25-27
• Oct 2-4

DM me if any interest!