Where To Camp Last Minute Near Los Angeles For Fourth Of July Weekend

Like galore outdoors lovers, I emotion a last-minute camping trip.

There’s a typical benignant of magic erstwhile nan stars align, you snag a preservation and recognize you’ll soon beryllium sleeping nether nan stars successful a spot you’ve ne'er been.

But fixed nan fame of California’s campgrounds, is it really imaginable to book a campsite connected short notice? In this version of The Wild, our play outdoors newsletter, I will explicate not only really you tin but besides wherever you will beryllium much apt to find unfastened spots (even, if lucky, connected a vacation weekend).

L.A. sits wrong a speedy thrust to some nan San Gabriel and Santa Monica mountains, 2 expansive ranges that connection multiple opportunities.

But first, I want to stock what I learned successful my speech pinch Mike Lee, proprietor of Campsite Tonight, a website and app that monitors campgrounds passim California for cancellations truthful its users tin book sites.

One of nan expansive views of nan San Gabriel Mountains that tin beryllium recovered astatine Chilao Campground.

(Jaclyn Cosgrove / Los Angeles Times)

I’ve agelong been a skeptic of utilizing backstage websites to book a campsite connected nationalist lands. But fixed Lee is an avid camper, dada and Californian moving nan tract connected his own, I wanted to perceive him out.

Lee was motivated to return complete Campsite Tonight a fewer years agone aft uncovering himself often disappointment pinch really challenging it was to book campsites astatine authorities and nationalist parks successful California astatine times erstwhile his engaged family could return a vacation.

Campsite Tonight often scans respective websites passim California and respective different states (including Utah for those dreaming of a travel to Zion National Park). His tract checks nan celebrated campgrounds each 12 seconds for cancellations while little celebrated campgrounds are scanned often but little frequently.

He besides offers information for celebrated campsites too, truthful users tin study much astir erstwhile to look. For example, astatine Yosemite’s Upper Pines Campground, Lee includes that 11 a.m. Pacific is nan highest hr erstwhile cancellations look (and astir 31% of reservations location are booked wrong 7 days of arrival).

A shelter successful nan evening ray astatine Upper Pines Campground successful Yosemite National Park.

(William Hale Irwin / For The Times)

Lee’s app offers limited-but-still-useful features to free users, including immoderate expertise to hunt for unfastened sites, and is $29.99 a period aliases $59.99 a twelvemonth for precocious features, including nan action to much quickly book a campsite astatine a nationalist parkland by fundamentally linking your Campsite relationship pinch your Recreation.gov account.

Running nan website has “taught me, arsenic I’ve looked astatine nan information much and more, that last-minute camping is really beautiful achievable,” Lee said while sitting wrong a shelter successful a campground adjacent Yosemite. “The biggest point is being flexible. Before, if I didn’t book it successful beforehand aliases if I didn’t get [a tract erstwhile I wanted], I would ne'er look again. Now I look more.”

Lee said he’s noticed less cancellations connected agelong weekends, though location will still beryllium families that can’t make their trips. After we initially spoke, Lee built a page specifically to scan for campsites disposable complete Fourth of July weekend. I was amazed by conscionable really overmuch remained open.

Leo Carrillo State Beach.

(Mike Cilantro / For The Times)

Scanning nan page connected Tuesday, I noticed a spot astatine Leo Carrillo State Park. Although it was for Wednesday night, I was tempted. Multiple campsites remained unfastened successful Los Padres National Forest, moreover complete nan weekend. A random campground successful Sequoia National Forest made maine look astatine conscionable really acold of a thrust it would beryllium from my apartment. And I noticed location was moreover a spot free astatine a Big Sur campground connected Sunday evening. “No, you can’t, er, you shouldn’t drive that acold for 1 nighttime of camping,” I told myself. (Should I, though?)

That said, location are respective first-come, first-served campgrounds adjacent L.A., particularly successful Angeles National Forest, for those who’d for illustration to enactment person to location aliases can’t find thing online.

Here is simply a speedy guideline to what I urge trying to snag. Given it’s a vacation weekend, it will still beryllium much challenging, but if you tin time off early Friday, I don’t deliberation it’ll beryllium intolerable to campy astatine 1 of these spots.

For those looking for elemental car camping (beginner)

A campsite astatine Chilao Campground pinch a ample campfire ring.

(Jaclyn Cosgrove / Los Angeles Times)

Each of these campgrounds are successful Angeles National Forest, connection piped h2o and vault toilets, and person sites pinch picnic tables, parking spots and campfire rings.

• Chilao Campground: A ample campground pinch 84 sites dispersed complete 2 loops, Little Pines and Manzanita. Its scenery features ample boulders, sweeping views and conifer trees (especially nan eponymous loop). Piped h2o is available, though it is astatine times turned off, truthful please cheque nan campground website earlier heading out. The Chilao Visitor Center, unfastened connected nan weekends, is nearby.

A campsite successful Chilao Campground shaded by respective conifer trees.

(Jaclyn Cosgrove / Los Angeles Times)

• Crystal Lake: A 120-site campground northbound of Azusa. It sits astatine 5,539-feet elevation and features awesome views of adjacent peaks, including Mt. Islip and Windy Gap. Visitors tin food successful Crystal Lake erstwhile it’s heavy capable and find a basking repast astatine Crystal Lake Cafe and General Store.
• Monte Cristo: A campground pinch 19 individual drive-in sites, including immoderate pinch ample shady sycamore trees. A mini seasonal creek runs done nan mediate of nan campground and has mini pools successful outpouring and early summer. (Note: Because of its proximity to L.A., this 1 tin capable up quickly.)
  

For adventurers consenting to scheme conscionable a bit, moreover past infinitesimal (intermediate)

Oak Flat Campground.

(Jaclyn Cosgrove / Los Angeles Times)

These sites connection their ain escape, but because they deficiency potable h2o (unless different noted) and are farther distant from L.A., they require much readying than those connected nan “beginner” list. Each tract has picnic tables and campfire rings. The campgrounds beneath are successful Angeles National Forest unless different noted.

• Horse Flats: A shaded 26-site campground that offers easy entree to adjacent trails, including Mt. Hillyer and nan Silver Moccasin Trail.
• Oak Flat: A campground northbound of Castaic conscionable disconnected nan 5 Freeway pinch 20 sites situated astir a bully mini meadow shaded by respective oak trees.
• Musch Trail Camp: This small-but-charming backpacking campground successful Topanga State Park features flush toilets and sinks and requires only a one-mile hike in, a trek that’s connected nan easier extremity of moderate.
• Sawmill: A rustic eight-site campground whose main challenge, extracurricular of its deficiency of water, is conscionable reaching it, arsenic campers must return a steep gravel roadworthy disconnected Pine Canyon Road (see website for accusation connected roadworthy closure).

For knowledgeable trekkers looking for speedy escapes (expert)

One of a fistful of sites astatine nan Valley Forge Trail Camp successful Angeles National Forest.

(Jaclyn Cosgrove / Los Angeles Times)

These backpacking sites connection backcountry adventures for those pinch nan clip and nan right gear.

• Glenn Camp: A 10-site forested haven adjacent to nan West Fork of nan San Gabriel River that’s reached via a seven-mile paved roadworthy that tin beryllium hiked aliases biked; nary restrooms available, truthful campers will request to travel Leave No Trace principles.
• Valley Forge: Reachable via 2.4-mile hike on nan Gabrielino Trail from Red Box Picnic Area, this six(ish)-site campground has picnic tables, campfire rings, vault toilets and is simply a sylvan refuge of mighty pines adjacent to nan pristine West Fork of nan San Gabriel River.
• Cooper Canyon: A backcountry campground shaded by towering aged conifer trees pinch astir 5 sites, offering vault toilets, campfire rings, klamath stoves, ample picnic tables and bear-proof boxes. Because of nan Angeles Crest Highway closure, you will request to scope nan tract either by stepping nan closed roadworthy aliases Pacific Crest Trail.

Regardless of wherever and erstwhile you go, I dream you person a awesome clip enjoying our nationalist lands. Please retrieve to believe nan Leave No Trace principles and, successful short, time off it cleaner than you recovered it!

3 things to do

A unpaid waters plants successful nan nursery astatine North East Trees successful Ascot Hills Park successful El Sereno.

(William Hallstrom)

1. Restore autochthonal plants successful Ascot Hills
North East Trees, a ambiance resiliency nonprofit, needs volunteers from 9 a.m. to noon Saturday astatine its autochthonal works nursery successful Ascot Hills Park (4371 Multnomah St.). Participants will get hands-on acquisition moving pinch autochthonal plants arsenic they thief h2o and reconstruct habitat. Learn much astatine nan group’s Instagram page.

2. Sketch plankton successful Playa del Rey
Nature Nexus Institute, an biology equity nonprofit, will big 2 formation ecology sketching events: an online action Tuesday from 6:30 to 8 p.m. and past an in-person arena connected July 12 successful Playa del Rey. Learn much astatine nan group’s Instagram page.

3. Check retired nan birds successful Calabasas
Two National Park Service volunteers will big an easy vertebrate locomotion from 8:30 to 10 a.m. Saturday astatine King Gillette Ranch successful Calabasas. Participants will locomotion little than a mile astatine an easy pace, stopping often to observe nan birds. Children are welcome. Register astatine eventbrite.com.

The must-read

A visitant walks connected nan Redwood Canopy Trail astatine Trees of Mystery successful Klamath.

(Andrew Cullen / For The Times)

If you’re sitting there, pensive complete your adjacent adventure, see this California wildlife factoid: Our authorities is location to 139,000 acres of protected nationalist lands wherever astir half of nan world’s remaining old-growth redwood forests live. The allure of stepping beneath these giants is what drew writer Edwin Goei to caput to Humboldt County. Goei maps retired a guide for The Times of really an Angeleno tin make nan long-but-worthy travel location (including really to snag an $80 round-trip flight). “I learned that Humboldt County — including nan cities of Eureka, Arcata and Ferndale — is afloat of treasures beyond its abundance of nan Earth’s tallest trees,” Goei wrote.

Excuse maine while I spell investigation flights there.

Happy adventuring,

P.S.

You person until Monday to snag a free California State Parks Historian Passport. In grant of some Juneteenth and nan 250th day of nan signing of nan Declaration of Independence, nan authorities is offering nan walk — which typically costs $50 — to anyone who registers for it done ReserveCalifornia.com, but conscionable for a fewer much days. The walk will beryllium bully done nan remainder of 2026 and will let unlimited introduction for up to 4 group to authorities historical parks and museums that complaint a per-person admittance interest aliases a conveyance day-use fee. I was amazed that it took little than 10 seconds erstwhile I was logged into my ReserveCalifornia relationship to unafraid my pass. Enjoy!

For much insider tips connected Southern California’s beaches, trails and parks, cheque retired past editions of The Wild. And to position this newsletter successful your browser, click here.