It's Thursday night, and you're dying to get out of the city. You can no longer take the cacophony of leaf blowers, police helicopters and honking horns. The forecast for the weekend is, in typical Southern California fashion, clear, temperate and sunny.
And you feel the human need to go off the grid. To touch grass. To wake up with the birds and the bees and the trees.
In other words, you want to go camping. But there's one catch: You did not plan six months in advance to secure a camping spot in one of California's highly sought-after parks. Lucky for procrastinators like yourself, L.
A. County has an abundance of first-come, first-served campsites that offer a range of experiences for every level of camper. That's because unlike many of our state and federal parks, Angeles National Forest doesn't use a reservation system for most of its campgrounds.
That means if you leave from the city early Friday afternoon you can likely score a weekend campsite, regardless of whether you want to drive, hike or bike in. (That is, unless it's a crowded holiday weekend. Then your fate lies with Mother Nature and your friend who has never worked a 9 to 5.
) It just takes a little bit of strategizing. Below is a comprehensive guide for how and where you can escape to the mountains around L.A.
, including my recommendations for the best campsites to visit, organized by skill level. Choose your fighter and let's go. Advertisement What to bring| Getting there | Things you should know | Beginner c.
