r/WildernessBackpacking • u/Excellent_Network686 • 1d ago
DISCUSSION Realistic Goal?
/r/hiking/comments/1x4fzcf/realistic_goal/Im mainly going to be in the LA area. So suggestions more in Southern California would be greatly appreciated!
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u/tfcallahan1 La Tortuga 1d ago
The Sierra Nevada is the obvioius suggestion but in May there will likely be a lot of snow still so will make that challenging. Where will you be in CA? If in the SF Bay Area you can check out Pt. Reyes National Seashore or Henry W. Coe State Park. If in the LA area you can check out Los Padres National Forest and the various wilderness areas there. If you can drive then a trip up to Redwood National Park and the other nearby parks is an option. Some more details on where you will be located will get you better advice.
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u/PigAndJim 1d ago
I think the semi-obvious highlights, with LA as your starting point would be: Sequoia/Kings Canyon, Joshua Tree, then maybe Death Valley, the Mammoth Lakes area,... But those mountain spots will likely still have snow, and Joshua Tree will already be hot. I think a unique trip that's likely to have good weather that time of year is the Channel Islands. You take a ferry over, and then there are spots that are kinda car camping: with pit toilets and like 30-40 campsites in the area (Santa Cruz - scorpion entry point) or you can do more of a backcountry experience (some of the other islands, and the other entry point on Santa Cruz island). The islands are nice, sort of rolling grassy hills with cliffs, and the real draw imho is you can rent a kayak and then paddle around the coast, to remote beaches and in and out of sea caves. Maaaybe a little sketchy to do alone, idk...
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u/ThatSeemsPlausible 1d ago
Favorable facts: From Lancaster, you are not far from some of the best backpacking in the world in the southern Sierra Nevada in Kings Canyon & Sequoia National Parks (SEKI), as well as the National forests nearby. If you are travelling solo and have flexibility around weekday timing, you should be able to get last minute overnight permits for many places (usually they get booked 6 months in advance, but there are cancellations and additional permits open up as the time gets closer).
Less favorable facts: May is early for that part of the Sierra, and could have a lot of snow/snowmelt given the El Niño year, making it difficult/dangerous. Areas further north are generally lower elevation, and more accessible earlier in the year. Parts of Yosemite might be accessible, or further north around Tahoe or head to the coast.
For public transit, the Eastern Sierra Transit (ESTA) goes from Lancaster up the east side of the Sierra all the way up to Reno. That can get you to Lone Pine, Bishop, Mammoth or other towns, but you’ll have to get to the trailheads. The ESTA connection into the east side of Yosemite on YARTs only runs in the summer months, and May might be too early if Tioga Road isn’t open.
There are buses to connect from Lancaster to Amtrak in Bakersfield that can get you on a train headed north through the Central Valley, which can provide west side access to the Sierra through other shuttles to SEKI (Fresno to Visalia to shuttle into park) or Yosemite (YARTS from Merced) or head further north as well to explore other parts of California (that train ends in Oakland). Expect delays on the trains and buses and work that into your schedule, but this train route isn’t that bad.
You’ll also be near-ish to Joshua Tree or Death Valley, but those can be too hot by May to do much backpacking.
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u/Specialist-Cup-9722 1d ago
Just stay close to home and exhaustively backpack the angeles national forest and Santa Monica mountains
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u/Vermineater 15h ago
You have a few limitations.
- You're going to need to drive far to get to anywhere good.
Okay maybe just 1 limitation.
You're going to have to drive north to the Eastern Sierras or south to the San Gabriel Mountains.
The Eastern Sierras are the better mountains, but they're far by Scottish standards. Over 2 hours.
Wrightwood, a town in the San Gabriel Mountains is about 1 hour away, but the mountains there are not as impressive. There is a little community southwest of Lytle Creek that would be funny to visit.
You'll also need a drivers license and learn to drive on the wrong side of the road.
None of this is impossible, but just things you'll have to take into consideration.
I'd go for the Eastern Sierras. Just stay out of Death Valley.
A few people misjudge that place every year and pay the ultimate price thinking they can walk to get help for a flat tire.
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u/mediocre_remnants 1d ago
California is a huge state. It takes 13+ hours to drive from one end to the other.
Maybe be a bit more specific on what part of the state you'll be in if you want advice on good places to camp.
Camping itself isn't a stupid idea, there are many great and safe campgrounds in CA.
To put it in perspective, the state of California is over 5x bigger than Scotland. It's almost 2x larger than the entire UK.