Tent Talk

We posted part 1 & 2 of this same video months and months ago from Thomas  & I's hike into the Grand Canyon. We're proud to present the full version here with a lot of new edits and modifications since those first two versions!

A Grand Canyon Winter Adventure The Chronicle  Written by: Thomas Berry ---            I left Phoenix around nine in the morning, throwing my pack and boots in the back of my Jeep. Already late, I had a stop at Target and then a good three hours of driving ahead of me to make it up to the park by twelve. At Target I grabbed an insulating layer jacket on sale for thirty-five bucks, then changed into my long johns and snow pants in the parking lot, slipping my wool socks over the thin polyester of the white base layer before pulling my boots tightly over the socks. Fifteen minutes later I was heading north on the I-17, mentally as well as physically unprepared for the four days to come.            The drive to the rim was a long one. Nearly two hours down the I-17 and the scenery had transformed into something only out of winter. Desert became snow. The highway became ice. Even my Jeep had changed ...

Well, it’s been a pretty hectic last couple of months, but it’s almost spring break, and for many of us in Arizona and Southern California that means one thing – Havasu. If you’ve never been to  Havasu for spring break , you’re simply missing out (just do a google search, pictures are always better than words). However, Havasu is actually a great destination year round, and  Lake Havasu State Park  is the go-to campground. Here’s our latest review from our recent stay in December of 2013. If you’re looking for primitive boat-in campgrounds around the lake,  here’s a list  of both BLM and AZ State Park managed sites. If you haven’t been to Lake Havasu State Park recently, you’ll be pleasantly surprised at the changes that have been made. Arizona State Parks have just completed a total renovation of the campground, mainly installing new electric boxes and running water at each campsite as well as completing a new nature trail (check out a great article on the upgr...

Serrano Campground is a beautiful year-round campground nestled right by the shore of Big Bear Lake in the San Bernardino National Forrest. Run by California Land Management, Serrano is only 10 minutes away from (the city of) Big Bear Lake and 15 from The Village at Big Bear. This is one of the few campsites that remains open year round, and is a very popular destination for its proximity to the water and the East Drive Boat Launch, as well as the trailhead of the popular Cougar Crest Trailhead. Check out the Vlog below to check out a running video compilation of our stay! As you can see in the video, Serrano is designed in harmony with the pine trees and has very spacious sites. It has 98 tent sites and 30 full hookup sites. There is a 2-day minimum stay on weekends, 3 days if it's a holiday weekend. It's $28 per night for just a single site, with a $5 charge for an extra car. A double site is $56; check the map below for the few double sites throughout the campground. Fo...

If you've been following us recently, you know our affection for Lake Cuyamaca State Park , and it was only a natural decision for us to go back and visit for a second time. As you may know, there are two campgrounds within the state park boundaries: Green Valley and Paso Picacho.  This post is about our experience at Paso Picacho Campground, the larger of the two campgrounds within the park. Green Valley, the smaller, southernmost campground, is not reviewed in this post. You can see the review of Green Valley  Here . Rancho Cuyamaca (Cuyamaca Rancho in native Spanish), a state park gem Paso Picacho is a large campsite, with 85 sites spread out over 5 loops: Manzanita (C1), Live Oak (C2), Ceder (C3), Coulter (C4), and Cypress (C5). Two group campgrounds are also available, as well as day use parking, an RV dump station, a day use picnic area, and a Cal Fire Station. The day use parking area is designed to be used for hikers accessing the four main trails that ...