Have to take a work related trip to LA the week after Thanksgiving. Thought we leave early and spend a couple nights at Lake Casitas since we really enjoyed the campground. NO ....... all the sites are booked. The reservation clerks suggested, next year, try to make reservations six months in advance. Never knew camping is that popular in November.

So now what? We checked a couple other places in the Santa Barbara area ..... but everything seems to be booked. Thought about Lake Cachuma but that is 'first come first served', don't feel comfortable not having a place to stay the first night.

Oh well ...... back to Google and AAA.

Wheeler Gorge on Highway 33 and Paradise CG on Paradise Road off of Highway 154 near Lake Cachuma are currently lightly used.

You can either use first come-first served or reserve ahead of time.

Wheeler Gorge:
http://www.reserveamerica.com/camping/Whee...dex=CampingSpot

Paradise CG:
http://www.reserveamerica.com/campsiteCale...mp;parkId=73782

There are others in the area too -- I just happened to have looked at these last night.

Have a fun time wherever you go....

We stayed at Lake Casitas in October. Weekend, no reservations, 2 night minimum. It is a large campground but some sections were closed even then. I'll bet that they have more sites closed.

We really enjoyed our stay at Oceana/Pismo Beach. This is one of two county campgrounds that are connected. We stayed at the smaller one closest to the beach. It only had 22 sites, was very clean, had two campground hosts. We enjoyed our first two nights so much we stayed for a third. It may be firther North from LA than you want to stay but I highly recommend it.

Dave

Thanks Dana.

I'm calling Lake Lopez part of San Luis Obispo county park tomorrow morning, it looked good plus electric and water. ..... lets hope I'm successful if not then I'll look at dry camping.

Hi Marianne

You might want to try Lake Piru. It's about 45 minutes from Ventura.

I'm pretty sure you will be able to get a campsite there. In March 4 of us went to Lake Piru - We stayed in 177, it's a back-in. Reservations need to be made no less than one week before you want to stay.

Carol and Jim

http://lake-piru.org/

To reserve: http://camplakepiru.com/?page_id=106

(805) 521-1500

4780 Piru Canyon Rd
Piru, CA 93040

Thanks Carol

When I was a kid, we would spend long weekends in the Anza-Borrego Desert State Park. They had a very nice modern campground, but if you prefer to boondock (or are forced to boondock) you used to be able stay overnight just about wherever the fancy would strike.

http://www.parks.ca.gov/?page_id=638

-- Dan Meyer

Anne, if you don't need hookups you should be able to get into to Lake Cachuma. It's a huge campground however the hookup section is small in relationship to the no hookups.