San Clemente Camping

My boy is getting married this coming Holiday weekend (Easter) in San Clemente Califas.

I decided I want to travel through and camp in my Roof Top Tent.
I need you guys to recommend an area for camping that isn't the improved sites, I know the beach camp sites get booked up months in advance. There have got to be some trails somewhere.

Thank you all

 

Campsites

 

Not much dispersed camping in South Orange County. Check out holy jim canyon..not sure, but you might be able to set up camp there its all NF once you get to a certain point back there. Also, look into stuff off Ortega highway; its all NF out there and im sure you can find somewhere to set up camp. If you cruise towards blue jay campgroup, there is a dirt road that goes up to Santiago peak..I know people camp up there over night or you can camp off the main divide road somewhere..that is probably your best bet.

 

San Mateo is inland from the beach campsite but I never had issues getting a spot there. You can check them out. Or check out the sites along Ortega highway as mentioned above

 

You guys have any experience with the Talega Road? Can you get to some dispersed camping in the wilderness up that road?
Ortega Road looks pretty promising!

Activities will be taking place till late at night so its a roll up, deploy the RTT to sleep for the night. Wake up the next morning and meet up with everyone to hit some beaches.

Thank you guys

 

I have never tried that area but I grew up in San Clemente... we never wheeled up there. I am pretty certain that is all part of the Camp Pendleton Base, and those are tank tracks. The tanks travel right up to the city limits on base. So basically, you could explore that area, but you will definitely be blocked by base boundaries. I’ll get you some screen shots of sure areas in the Ortega’s, only a few minutes away.

 

What are your thought on camping around the Sultan Sea area? I am heading that way tomorrow to cut my drive from Arizona down for Friday morning. I was thinking about hitting the Summit road from the highway into the Sultan Sea. And camping somewhere a;long that road. it supposedly is a 4x4 road, but looks mostly grated on maps.

 

I have actually never tried to go out that way. Maybe someone else can chime in on the Salton Sea area, is pretty developed in the area. I love going up north a little bit, towards Yermo. You’ll see a mountainous area just north of it near Calico Ghost town. Slightly east of the town is a single dirt road which takes you back in to a huge area of BLM land. You can drive through, and find a spot. I usually drive through the mountains, and cut through Tin Can Alley, it opens up into to huge basin, tons of room for camping, and good little spots to park your truck and lots of fire pits made and left behind.

 

Map below has pin on location of camp pictured above. Really straightforward and easy to get to by looking up Mule Canyo Road. Roads aren’t bad, and wind through mountains that are very colorful. Definitely worth the extra few minutes to get to.

Here is a good location in the Ortegas, it’s usually very green here. First road is how to access the area, and second is the campgrounds. Should be able to get a site easily, or there are a lot of dirt roads in the area you could pull off of to find a place to set up camp. If you are away from a campsite, don’t build a fire. At a campsite, build a fire in the pit.

 

@jmauvais I found it! Thank you soo much, its not really out of the way to get to from the wedding festivities!

Found the Box Canyon in Sultan Sea, we will see if that stop was worth it tomorrow.

 

Yea there’s def no off-roading over there it’s all open space/fireroads for hikers/bikers. I wouldn’t recommend anywhere in close proximity to salton sea..it smell like shit out there. Anza borrego is worth your time though, you can pretty much camp for free anywhere out there. I recommend fish creek wash and checking out sandstone canyon