Advice wanted on good place for Dec/Jan tent trip.What State,campsite etc

[Zydeco Joe]

As I am from the UK and fairly new to camping I am looking for any advice on a tent camping trip we that is my wife and myself are looking to make in mid December into mid January for about a month in total using rental car.
What would be the best place in the US at this time of year.Would Southern California be ok ?.Would like to avoid cold heavy snow falls etc with a start and finish at LA airport.
Other States would be ok.We are photographers.
Would have to purchase the gear like we did last August when we did a trip into Utah and up to Yellowstone (greatest place on earth).The gear was purchased from Walmart/KMart using a Ozark Trail tent and it worked out well and did not cost much,gave all away at end of trip to charity store. We dont have much money to spend on gear as we would not be able to bring much apart from a few small things or get them back home on the plane.
Have hired a old 1980's VW Campervan's from San Francisco in the past and loved the NP and State park type of campsites with a fire.Went to Yosemite and Sierras and Mono Lake etc in the spring and Fall times of the year, not camped in winter and we are not spring chickens any more and in fact this will be my wife's 60th birthday special trip.
What sites will be open in December ?.
Many thanks.

[GlitterHiker]

Re: Advice wanted on good place for Dec/Jan tent trip.What State,campsite etc

I can't help with specifics as I live on the East Coast; but I wanted to say that southern California and thereabouts in Dec/Jan sounds wonderful !

[Zydeco Joe]

Re: Advice wanted on good place for Dec/Jan tent trip.What State,campsite etc

Thanks GlitterHiker, am I right that the East Coast would be to cold that time of year ?.

[Zydeco Joe]

Re: Advice wanted on good place for Dec/Jan tent trip.What State,campsite etc

My wife is not too keen on camping in Florida I think its all the snakes and gators that have put her off the place LOL. We did visit Florida in February last year as I had been asked to judge a photographic exhibition and we did like Sanibel Island well the Ding Darling wildlife reserve plus a quick trip into the Everglades and the number of gators we spotted put her right off camping in a tent in Florida, the motels worked out to expensive for us.If we could have rented a campervan like we have done twice from near San Francisco that might be ok but most RV's are way over priced for us and we cannot find any renters that do vans like we used in California that cost about $100 a day all in. The vans are old but still work fine.

[GlitterHiker]

Re: Advice wanted on good place for Dec/Jan tent trip.What State,campsite etc

Thanks GlitterHiker, am I right that the East Coast would be to cold that time of year ?.

Yes, about freezing temps. And usually wet - typically freezing rain or ice. And it's always dreary, cloudy days.

[Zydeco Joe]

Re: Advice wanted on good place for Dec/Jan tent trip.What State,campsite etc

Yes, about freezing temps. And usually wet - typically freezing rain or ice. And it's always dreary, cloudy days.

Think we might have to pass on East Coast at this time of the year, would love to see it in the Fall with all the colours that would be good.

[Zydeco Joe]

Re: Advice wanted on good place for Dec/Jan tent trip.What State,campsite etc

Here's a fun trip with Fall colors that I've done many times and it's in the East... It's FallingWater in Pennsylvania. See http://fallingwater.org If you call them, they will tell you that, historically, the second week of September is the height of the color change in that area. There are places to camp like Ohiopyle State Park which is on the Youghiogheny River and at the southern end of the Laurel Mountains. There are many side trips you could take and there are many, many pull-offs along the roads where you can photograph waterfalls and other stunning natural features with less than a 100' walk into the woods from your car. You can also go canoeing or kayaking on several different rivers in the area as well as rent bicycles. If you are really adventurous you could head south into West Virginia for some whitewater rafting on the Monongahela River, New River and Gauley River which offer some world class whitewater rafting. You can camp in the Monongahela National Forest. Falling Water is also a great photo op, especially if you like unique architecture and the tour of the Falling Water house is worth the time in my opinion. Make reservations early because the second week of September fills up long in advance.

This is a photographers dream trip. You won't regret it. Bring extra camera memory cards, you'll need them

For flying in from England, you'd want to fly into Pittsburgh but I don't think they have direct flights from London to Pittsburgh anymore. You could fly into Washington DC and then drive from there or catch a connecting flight into Pittsburgh.

Many thanks for your time in sending me this, will check it out and it could be a great place for a camping trip. Like the only 100' from the car as camera gear starts to get heaver year by year LOL. Would love to see and photograph the colours, we tried a fall trip in California along highway 395 around Bishop but we missed the great colours by a week or two as we were too early but by camping we can spend more time not just two weeks as its the airfare thats the main cost in a trip and this is the same cost for a month or just two weeks,and campsites are a lot cheaper than motels. For the California fall trip we hired a old (1980's VW campervan ) this was great but still more expensive than buying camping gear from Walmart.
Once again many thanks.

[Campnkt]

Re: Advice wanted on good place for Dec/Jan tent trip.What State,campsite etc

Hi Zydeco Joe,

I have a gem of a place for you, if you like the desert and are okay with a National Preserve rather than a National Park. Mojave National Preserve is one of my all-time favorite places to camp and hike. There are many unrestricted parts to it for tent camping, so you aren't limited to the designated campgrounds. However, if you prefer to be around people in campgrounds, there are spacious, private sites with fabulous views and immediate access to desert hiking. I have camped there many times in December, and although the nights can get down to 40 degrees, the days are still quite beautiful and can reach highs around 70. If you seek out a lower elevation in the preserve, your nights and days will be even warmer.

I can't say enough positive things about this place. It's a fascinating combination of mountains and desert, interesting wildlife, sand dunes (Kelso Dunes), and even has an awesome cave (Mitchell Caverns). Check out their website. The area map is easy to follow. It's about 1 hour south of Vegas, so roughly 3 hours north of LA, with access to it right off the 15. You can also work in a trip to Death Valley, which is another awesome place to camp in December!

[Campnkt]

Re: Advice wanted on good place for Dec/Jan tent trip.What State,campsite etc

I recommend the Mojave National Preserve near Cima, CA (between Baker and Las Vegas). I have camped there year-round. I'll send more details once I know I have posted this successfully!

Campnkt

[Zydeco Joe]

Re: Advice wanted on good place for Dec/Jan tent trip.What State,campsite etc

Hi Campnkt, we have visted the Mojave Preserve just a couple of years back and last night I put some photos in a Album on this site called California. In this album you will see a black and white shot took in the Mojave Preserve, we too liked the area and we could have a change of plan and go camping in this area, last time we were staying in motels so camping in the preserve would be different.We wild camped a few times in Utah so that would be one way to save a few dollars but some times having people around can be a good idea.Liked the Kelso Dunes but did not see the cave.
We would as you say go to Death Valley as well.
Have a look at my Albums, the other one is some pictures taken at Bodie Ghost Town.

Zydeco Joe