Nanobet, the dog, and I are about to head up the mountain (near big bear). Hopefully will find a spot. Dispersed camping. First come first served. Not a lot of reasonable places to camp from what it looks like.
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Just got back. We left a little early in the morning because the road there was crazy and if I got stuck I wanted plenty of time to deal with it. We were the only non-4wd I saw (other than dirtbikes) doing it - although I think my truck was probably better for the road than one of the other vehicles that did it (a Subaru Forester). Everyone else was a serious 4wd with giant off-road tires, mostly Jeeps. Right past where we stopped there was a crazy spot where the ruts were so deep it was basically rock/dirt crawling. We never would have made it through that part.
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My Forester is a beast and only like .75 inch less clearance than a Silverado I had.
I donât doubt itâs got good 4wd and the Forester in front of me did make it, but clearance was very important in this obstacle course. I scraped a little in my F150, which also was just a little higher than the Subaru. A serious 4wd raised pickup in a spot we had to go through had some trouble, got a wheel stuck up in the air and had to go back and try another line. It was rough enough for me that 3 or 4 times I walked ahead and planned my route.
I will not visit that site again in a 2wd, but it was fun.
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Iâve only had mine up a few 4x4 roads in Colorado to fly fish and you definitely need to plan some approach angles at times. We were pretty dumb to do those with factory tires though. I wonât go again without some skid plates and tires with better sidewalls. You can get cheap lift kits for them which puts them above the clearance of most trucks and can add differential lockers also.
What sites in the Angeles Forest did your friend recommend? Iâm going to head in there with my son Tuesday. Looking at Buckhorn, Chilao, and Horse Flats. All within an hour of my place.
I texted asking. He went up to that cabin this weekend and no reception up there - not sure when he comes back, but Iâll let you know when I hear back. Chilao and Horse Flats sound kind of familiar, but I just heard him say it on the phone - I have no written record.
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He says âChilao Campground - Manzanita Roundâ.
Thanks - thatâs the closest one, will post some pics.
Chilao was perfect. 40 camping areas on the Manzanita loop, maybe 5 were occupied (on a Tuesday night, probably busier otherwise). Unbelievable scenery and stargazing until the enormous Harvest Moon showed up and bathed the whole place in an orange glow. Iâll definitely go back - planning on Sunday night with the elder child, in fact.
! ! ! !
#nofilter
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Sweet! Thanks. Weâll definitely get up that way and make it a weekday.
No crazy 4x4 roads?
Nope, very easy access. Itâs a nicely-developed campground that still manages to feel like youâre really out there. Last time we camped it was at Malibu Creek which feels like youâre camping in a parking garage compared to this.
Another successful trip to Chilao, and even got to see some shooting starts last night from the Perseid meteor showers.
My only camping problem at this point is sleep. I put a fitness mat âfloorâ in the tent, plus a sleeping pad, and it is still too uncomfortable for me to sleep more than a few hours. Iâm a big guy, which doesnât help. If anybody has any great ideas for this Iâm all ears.
Do you sleep on your back? What kind of pillow do you have for camping?
At home I sleep on my back, but I can also side sleep. Neither work very well at all for me while camping. I bring my regular pillow from home. It just feels like Iâm sleeping on concrete. I think the only real solution is to get some expensive roll-up almost mattresses. Iâm not hiking into anyplace so the bulk/weight isnât an issue.
I havenât used either for sleeping at night, but a friend of mine (the one who told me about that site) has both a camping cot and camping hammocks.
I find the camping pads that have foam and you blow them up a little to be close to good enough. Some of them are pretty thick and still roll up relatively small when you let the air out.
This may be the ticket
I aways use a thick air mattress that you blow up with a pump for car camping. So comfortable. For backpacking I have a blow up pad that works ok.
If youâre not hiking to the camp site, then Iâm assuming you drive right up and park at your site. If so, you can do what we doâŚqueen size air mattress(or smaller if itâs just you).
We just went this past weekend. Had the tent up and mattress inflated within 15 minutes.
ETA: ghost poniedâŚ
Please share your secrets.
Yup air mattress is defintely the way to go if youâre driving to the campsite, so much better than sleeping on a pad.