Even though it’s the most populated county in America, L.A. County is home to about 20 backcountry campgrounds. I curated a list of them and organized them by the difficulty of the hike to reach them and how much “roughing it” each site requires. (Yes, I did visit each one myself.)
Backpacking offers you the opportunity to experience the forest as a temporary home. You are still enough to be immersed in your environment in a way hiking provides only a glimpse of. Far enough from the light pollution of the city, you’ll see the stars twinkling above. At night, instead of traffic and honking, your soundscape may include the croaking of frogs, the hooting of owls and, in the morning, a cacophony of birdsong as the forest awakens.
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Escaping the city is restorative. It’s also not so hard
I chose these spots, in part, because you don’t have to drive too far, they’re all first come, first served, the roads to reach them are paved and trails that lead to each site are generally well-maintained. And as a bonus, the hikes to reach each one are beautiful on their own and feature wildflowers and native trees, including massive pines and oaks that will shade your journey.
And each spot is isolated enough to make you feel as if you’re outside the city without being so devoid of human life that you’ll wonder whether Bear Grylls will pop by. (Don’t drink your pee, regardless of what he says.)
Read the full list here.
L.A.’s mountains are perfect for memory-making
When I look at the mountains that surround Los Angeles, I am consumed by the memories I’ve made.
The time a coyote ran past our campfire at Chilao campground, prompting my wife and I to move our tent from its path. The time my friends and I saw the bright pink northern lights from a dark parking lot and were essentially alone on the mountain with their brilliance. The time my dog, Maggie May, and I summited Mt. Baldy, and my fellow hikers laughed that I’d packed her a whole can of dog food for our feast at the top.
Unlike other major metropolitan centers, L.A. is a short drive from the mountains. You can pick up food at one of the best restaurants in the city and be on the trail, headed to your backcountry campsite, in under an hour. This is part of what makes living in L.A. awesome. Why not give it a whirl?
I can’t wait to return to these campsites
I am always looking for the next adventure. And I have loved guiding Californians to the great outdoors in The Wild, our weekly outdoors newsletter.
But some adventures do need to be repeated.
I keep thinking about how much I want to return to the La Jolla Walk-In Camp, a no-frills spot in Point Mugu State Park just off the epic Backbone Trail. Its campsites are just small spits of land cut out of the coastal sage scrub, but you can’t find that level of isolation and privacy anywhere else nearby.
I also hope to return to the Cooper Canyon and Valley Forge trail camps, two gorgeous campgrounds in Angeles National Forest that are near creeks perfect for a swim after a nice, long hike.
Not up to backpacking? There’s always car camping
Check out one of several first come, first served campgrounds reachable via a short drive from L.A. On a late Saturday afternoon, I stood on a cliffside looking at Cooper Canyon falls, a 25(ish)-foot waterfall near the Buckhorn campground, my favorite first come, first served spot in Angeles National Forest.
Maggie May and I hiked a bit farther on the Burkhart Trail, and I became giddy when I spotted tiny rainbow trout swimming in and out of folds of fluffy brown moss in the creek where they hid from predators (including Maggie).
It was the first time I’d spotted them in a local river. Yet another memory made.
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(Myung J. Chun / Los Angeles Times)
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Have a great weekend, from the Essential California team
Jac Cosgrove, wilderness reporter
Kevinisha Walker, multiplatform editor
Andrew J. Campa, reporter
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