r/hiking • u/Excellent_Network686 • 1d ago
Question Realistic Goal?
My dad is going out to California(LA Area) for a month with work next may and I am getting to come with him. I would ideally love to camp in some of the Californian National parks. Unfortunately due to his work schedule he won’t be able to come with me. I am looking for some recommendations of where I should go. For a bit of context I’m 17M and live in Scotland and have done lots of long single and multi day hikes in the cairngorms and throughout the highlands solo.
Any recommendations I am very grateful for. And if this is a stupid Idea please say😂😂
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u/aaron_in_sf 1d ago
Depending on how the snowpack is affected by this winter's El Niño event, the Sierra Nevada may be quite snowbound at altitude through early or even midsummer,
And meanwhile the desert might be too hot for much day time hiking.
The coast is always good, the Lost Coast isn't a national park but it's an epic and unique trip.
The lower part of Sequoia NP may be a good option, and it's relatively close to LA
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u/Medium_Guava_5423 1d ago
17 is a great age for that kind of trip, and your highland experience will carry over more than you'd think. the main thing to watch in california is water availability and permits, some trails require reservations months in advance. look into the lost coast trail if you want something coastal and remote, or desolation wilderness near tahoe for alpine lakes without the crowds of yosemite. may can still have snow at higher elevations though, so check conditions before committing to anything above 8 or 9 thousand feet
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u/Excellent_Network686 1d ago
Thank you very much they both look like great suggestions!
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u/mtntrls19 1d ago
neither of those are anywhere near Lancaster/Los Angeles FYI (tahoe is a good 7 hours drive from Lancaster and the lost coast is 11-12 hours drive )
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u/Successful_Brush_333 1d ago
You should probably try to be more specific about the part of the state that you’re gonna be visiting.
California is really big and has several state and national parks.
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u/Excellent_Network686 1d ago
He’s going to be in Lancaster so not to far north from LA.
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u/Successful_Brush_333 1d ago
Angels National Forest is right there. It’s not heavily forested, and it gets pretty warm, but it’s beautiful.
If you have the time and can commit to the drive, Yosemite is pretty epic.1
u/mtntrls19 1d ago
That's like an hour+ outside of LA proper. The closest national park to the LA metro region will be Joshua Tree - but that's a good 2 hour drive away. There is national and regional forest land closer - Angeles National Forest being one of the closer options to Lancaster. To get anywhere with hiking or camping from Lancaster, you'll need access to a car or ride - and as a 17 year old, you aren't likely to have luck with renting a car.
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u/Pequop9252 1d ago edited 1d ago
Download Peakbagger app (free) or go to the website. Look at peaks with 2000’ of prominence as an initial filter of good stuff. You will be able to research hiking requirements and if the driving is feasible as a fair number of great peaks require a 4wd vehicle.
May is snowy in the high Sierras, which don’t become prime until about July. It also is a bit too hot for low elevation desert peaks.
Some of the peaks above LA, like San Jacinto, San Gorgonio, and San Antonio might be options. Also Telescope peak above Death Valley. All are 5000’ “ultra” prominence peaks. Quite a special list that has some of the best mountains.
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u/External_Koala971 20h ago edited 20h ago
Ooh this is a fun one.
If you’re coming from LA, I would plan a trip up highway 395. You want to focus anywhere between Lone Pine and Mammoth. This is the eastern scarp of the Sierras and it’s really amazing.
One sample itinerary: go to Bishop and establish base either in town, or near Aspendell where there is a campground. Plan hikes around Bishop pass area which is where a lot of the gems of the Sierras are both north and south. You can use Aspendell as your basecamp (it’s a tiny community but have a store and restaurant) and is very well located for exploring.
You have enough time for your dad to join you for a weekend maybe, and could do Whitney together, explore Death Valley if you have a car, but that’s where I’d start looking.
Mammoth is a ski town, with campgrounds nearby. Many amazing hikes around Mammoth with hot springs and geological features.
Another idea is Tuolumne meadows. This will be harder, it’s the Yosemite high country and reservations are harder to get, but things like Cathedral Peak, Matthes Crest, and Mt Conness are really amazing.
https://www.theoutbound.com/united-states/california/bishop/hiking
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u/Business-Nose2779 18h ago
Will you have access to a car?
Some suggestions of things that might be nice in May from that area:
-Mojave National Monument (joshua trees, sand dunes, lava tubes) might be a bit warm, but if you get lucky with the weather and have a car there's lots to see.
-Santa Monica Mountains (mountains above Malibu beaches. Lots of scenic hiking. Some camping options as well for camping you could try Malibu Creek State Park (or just day hike there) or Leo Carillo State Park. One of the nicest hikes is Sandstone Peak via Misha Mokwa.
-Joshua Tree is a fantastic national park, but May is coming into the end of the season so it might be quite warm. check weather forecasts and possibly try staying in a hotel in town (i.e. 29 Palms or Joshua Tree) and driving in at off hours. Also keep in mind that there's no shade and the sun is intense, so any listed temperatures will feel quite a bit hotter.
-The Channel Islands are a national park off the coast of Ventura (approximately 1-2hrs from Antelope Valley). You can take a ferry to them and camp and/or take a kayak tour of sea caves. They are very beautiful and have native animals you can't see anywhere else (mini foxes) and lots of marine life (whales, seals, etc.) Santa Cruz island is probably the easiest/nicest, but they are all quite pretty.
-Carrizo Plain National Monument is only really worth going if it's a good wildflower season, but if it is, the whole grassland will be blooming and beautiful and the campsites are quite nice.
If you have a bit more time/ are willing to drive further, by May Yosemite Valley should be pretty nice camping. The higher areas of the Sierras will still have too much snow, but the valley floor should be accessible. Yosemite is very famous and gets crowded, so you'd need to book in advance, but it is famous for a reason and the waterfalls/views from the valley floor are pretty amazing. For backpacking this early in the season you could try to do Hetch Hetchy in Yosemite national park (which has multiple, massive waterfalls). Depending on our snow year Hetch Hetchy is often hikeable/campable in May.
Nice Day hikes very near the Antelope Valley:
Antelope Valley Poppy Preserve (check ahead of time to see if the poppies are blooming. If so it's stunning)
Devil' Punchbowl
Vazquez Rocks
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u/fezcabdriver 16h ago
take the ferry to catalina islands. If you are not willing to do the entire thru hike 32miles. You can just do the parsons landing. Arrive at Two harbors.. hike to parsons.. camp.. hike back. I will say that from Two harbors if you go the opposite direction south, you'll see the best views similar to the Mac Operating system desktop Catalina.
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u/ManzanitaSuperHero 16h ago
There are mass transit options to Sequoia and Yosemite…but they won’t be quick. If you look up a YouTube channel “Adam”, he takes mass transit to both locations. He’s coming from San Francisco but getting to Fresno, Visalia or Merced on the train is just as easy from LA. But be aware, the “train” becomes a bus until you get to Bakersfield.
I could find those video links later for you if you’d like.
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u/wavecrashrock 1d ago
I hope this works out for you, OP. Two difficulties you should keep in mind as you plan: 1. Getting to trailheads. The US just has such poor mass transit that you may struggle to find options that you can get to without driving (and IME renting a car at your age will be very difficult/expensive, though perhaps not impossible). If you have access to a vehicle then that would help. I wouldn't plan too much until you know what locations you can get to. 2. Weather. That's the shoulder season, and everyone expects an extremely wet winter this year; it's as likely as not that a lot of the high country may be deep in snow. I wouldn't want to build a plan too far in advance for May without a good backup plan. (And note that permits can be difficult to get in some areas, so last-minute backup plans are logistically complicated.) If you can find a way to get a permit and get to the trailhead and the tide windows work out the Lost Coast is a safer bet for weather.
I've done solo backpacking in the Cairngorms before, and I think you'll have a great time if you can find a way to make the logistics work! I've had particularly good experiences in Desolation for highlands-style off-trail wandering, but again, tough to be sure it wouldn't be snowbound in May.
One other option to look into, especially if you have access to a vehicle, would be to plan on car camping; there are many many options, and most of them will be open by May; you could string together a multistop trip and just pick some dayhikes at each location based on local weather conditions.