Crystal Cove State Park

I have never felt welcome in Orange County. Not for one moment. OC is the birthplace of punk rock music, and there are some great Vietnamese restaurants, but I'll voluntarily stay on my side of the curtain. I do like Crystal Cove, however. One cannot wonder what this place must have looked like before someone got the bright idea to litter the landscape with a golf course and faux-talian mansion monstrosities. Fortunately this little strip of the Orange Coast and a few thousand acres of behind the beach are protected and a great campground with million dollar sunset views is available to the general public. There are sites with all of the amenities (showers, water, tables) down by the beach, and a couple of dozen sites with fewer features if you are willing to hike 3 to four miles into the backcountry with all of your gear, water and food. There will be nobody camping in the backcountry, so if you are looking for solitary experience you are going to find it here at this time of the year at night (during the day the trails are swarming with people). Several trails go into the backcountry and if you decide to walk along the park boundaries it is about 11 miles. It took us a little over two hours to make the loop, and was stunning. It is not really a trail, it is more like a fire road. It is evident that they maintain this place very well. There is a lot of costal sage, and oaks at the bottom of the canyon. Red tailed hawks, turkey vultures, robins, and beautiful black ravens are abundant in the park. This time of the year, the canyons were green and lush and there were plenty of wildflowers. The rodent population seemed pretty healthy as well. You cannot access the beach from the campground. It requires a short walk up PCH. There are no campfires or bbqs allowed anywhere in the park. A Trader Joes is located less than a mile away and there are plenty of dining options in the area. This park is one of Orange County's crown jewels.

Patrick's Point State Park

Patrick's Point State Park This park is one of the crown jewels of California's State Park System. It is a seldom used place open year round overlooking Agate and Trinidad State Beaches with jaw-dropping views of the North Coast. The mixed forest within the park is filled with crows, jays, ravens, mountain lion, brown bear, chipmunk, deer, elk and other creatures. Keep your food locked in the bear box and take all the soap and candy out of your car or face the consequences. The Rim Trail is just a few miles long and will take you along a beautiful path where the forest meets the ocean and a couple of paths lead down to the water. The campsites here are huge and private and you are going to have a couple of areas to choose from. The Agate Beach Trail is currently closed, however. At the time of our visit, the fog had burned off by around 2PM offering some astounding scenery from the Rim Trail and the top of Ceremony Rock. Light pollution is relatively low here on the point and looking at the stars here with the sound of the ocean in the background makes life worth celebrating. All campsites in this and every other California State Park are $35.00 a night. A generous two (2) dollar discount is available for seniors. If you hike or bike into the campground, the cost is $5.00 per person.