California Surf Trip

[davidbowman]

Hi All,

New to the forum.

I am planning a surf trip from San Diego to Los Angeles in February. At the moment there are 2 of us renting a camper and plan to slowly make our way up the coast for a week.

Has anyone got any suggested routes/ places to stop/ good breaks etc?

My main concern is finding places overnight to stay and park up - preferably on or by the beach.

Many thanks
David

[billie_morini]

david bowman, Dude!
February is good because this is Winter and Winter equals surf in California! You will need a wet suit to keep you warm. If you are not accustomed to cold water 10C (50F), then you will need a 4/3 suit. Such a suit may be a little warm in San Diego, even in Winter, but you'll need it as you go north. If you are accustomed to cold water or simply do not get cold, get a high quality 3/2 suit. You can wear a rash guard under it as you travel northward.

The bad news about camping is: 1) many state/federal camping parks in California must be reserved by internet (this is so weird to me because I grew up in an era where you simply pulled in and paid a few bucks. If this even. I grew up when you could simply pull off on country roads.), and 2) there are not many state/federal camping parks on the beach. You'll need to do an internet search to find them. I know two state camp grounds associated with surf breaks within the region you will travel. One is San Onofre State Beach (on the cliff overlooking the sea) and another is Leo Cabrillo (a short walk into the canyon forest from the beach). You may find a few private campgrounds placed conveniently in your travel area. Conduct an internet search for KOA Campgrounds.

The good news about camping is it is Winter so you will find it easier to find a camp site. If it were Summer, you would have no chance without reservations 4 to 6 months in advance.

If you do not have the identities and locations of surf breaks within the region you plan to travel, then run a search in the Surfing Waves forum for "California." Here are some of the more useful links. You'll get another 7 pages or more via the aforementioned search.

https://surfing-waves.com/atlas/nort ... ornia.html
https://surfing-waves.com/atlas/nort ... coast.html
viewtopic.php?f=4&t=22346
viewtopic.php?f=20&t=14025
viewtopic.php?t=26077
viewtopic.php?t=24215
viewtopic.php?t=17166
viewtopic.php?f=6&t=24785

Here's to hoping your surfing safari is epic!

[RinkyDink]

Couple of suggestions. I have no idea if they'll work.

-Find the industrial section of whatever town you're in and just park there. It's practically an American tradition. I often see campers and vans parked in these areas because they're usually deserted at night. http://www.sfweekly.com/sanfrancisco/ne ... id=4295002

-snip-
"Since citations must be hand-delivered rather than tucked under a windshield wiper, camper dwellers simply refuse to answer their doors, according to the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency's Andy Thornley." [That's SF. I don't know about other cities.]

-Park in 24 hour grocery store parking lots and just sleep there. You might not get noticed at all.
- Drive to a Motel 6 or some other cheap motel and offer the clerk $10 to park in their lot and sleep.
-Park in a quiet neighborhood along a long curb away from the yards of houses.
-Flying J Truck Stops or other truck stops. FInd out their locations. I suspect you might be able to get away with sleeping in the parking area of one. I'd probably avoid the wildlife at truck stops. http://getshowerpower.com/#where

Good luck.

[billie_morini]

david,
found this for you. One of the four camps identified in the article was mentioned above.

Four of San Diego County's Best Coastal Campgrounds
https://www.kcet.org/socal-wanderer/4-o ... ampgrounds