Final month, I wanted a perspective shift. I’ve lived in Los Angeles for six years. Throughout that point, I’ve ceaselessly traveled backwards and forwards to my hometown of Seattle, Washington. Whereas a aircraft trip between LA and Seattle can take much less time than driving throughout LA in rush-hour visitors, the transition of environments and local weather may be bodily jarring. I didn’t need to blink and go from palm bushes to evergreens. I craved an journey at a slower tempo. The antidote: a highway journey.
Regardless of rising up in Washington, I by no means traveled down state Route 1, recognized for its scenic shoreline. (The route is sometimes called the Pacific Coast Freeway.) So when my pal Amy Enser, a tenting professional and video producer for REI Co-op, invited me on a highway journey down state Route 1 in July, I mentioned sure. As a child, my household favored to camp. (REI member since 1991.) However as an grownup, I used to be restricted by my lack of substances and information. Amy supplied the inspiration for our journey by planning the route and bringing a lot of the gear. Nonetheless, we had some particular issues. We needed to accommodate two adults and two canines (certainly one of which we’d be selecting up on the finish of the journey) in a van with bare-bones facilities. To not point out, we had been touring throughout a peak time of yr for vacationers and anticipated needing to make last-minute adjustments to our plans and route. How would that every one work? The reply was Hipcamp.
Hipcamp is an on-line website and app that allows folks to find distinctive locations to remain on non-public and public land and, in some circumstances, discover real-time availability. With Hipcamp, the nervousness of discovering a spot to camp alongside our route evaporated. Final-minute adjustments and detours? We simply discovered same-day spots. Canine-friendly areas that additionally had bogs? Tenting with pups was straightforward due to Hipcamp’s canine-friendly search settings. Campgrounds with epic views and native taste? The myriad choices provided a choose-your-own expertise, with all the things from distant and rustic campsites to communal glamping. It was precisely what we would have liked to let go and get outdoors.
In case you want some campsite inspiration, listed below are our favourite sleep spots from the journey.
Day 1: Stevenson, Washington
We spent our first evening of the highway journey close to the Washington-Oregon border. We awoke to lush greenery and solitude within the woods of the non-public property. Regardless of seeing a pair different campers within the space, the Hipcamp website felt secluded. Like me, Amy’s canine Ray was additionally on his first highway journey, and he introduced all the thrill and help for the journey. Even with slightly little bit of rain within the morning, the speeding water, moss-covered rocks and deep blues of the close by Washougal River gave us life.
Day 2: Westfir, Oregon
On to Oregon. We ended our day at a stunning glamping website subsequent to a riverside geodesic dome on the hosts’ non-public property (we camped in our van, however the dome and speeding water supplied a ravishing backdrop). This website provided plush facilities like a dry sauna and an outside lavatory with a bidet and rainfall bathe. It was fairly the transition from the outhouse we had at our final campsite. The curated location was thoughtfully designed by our hosts, who welcomed us like friends into their residence and even helped us again our van into their website. We wished we might have stayed even longer.
Day 3: Shady Cove, Oregon
The host at our subsequent Hipcamp location needed to cancel on the final minute as a result of an emergency, so we stayed in Westfir slightly longer to entry Wi-Fi and discover an alternate location for the evening. However that is the beauty of Hipcamp: When plans change, you’ll be able to pivot. Utilizing the app, we discovered a spot about three hours away in Southern Oregon the place we might arrange our tent for the evening. Our campsite sat on a distant 200 acres of land with gorgeous views of Mount Thielsen. We additionally visited just a few livestock on the property, together with horses.
Day 4: Del Norte County, California
On day 4, we made it to Northern California to discover Del Norte and Humboldt Counties, that are residence to coastal redwoods. Our first order of enterprise: visiting the Redwood Nationwide and State Parks, a UNESCO World Heritage Website and Worldwide Biosphere Reserve. Strolling into the forest felt like stepping again in time—the large redwood bushes can stay as much as 2,000 years. Seeing them was emotional and humbling. Their immensity left me speechless, and my coronary heart was stuffed with gratitude for experiencing this with Amy and Ray. We continued to immerse ourselves within the panorama at our Hipcamp website, on a non-public patch of property nestled on a mountainside amongst redwood bushes. With a compostable bathroom and a thick cover for shade, we couldn’t have requested for a greater location.
Day 5: Mendocino County, California
We proceedd to drive south alongside U.S. 101 and finally jumped onto Route 1. After a day of driving, our subsequent Hipcamp keep was in Mendocino County. This location didn’t disappoint. After driving all day alongside the shoreline, we had been excited to have a water view at our campsite. Situated on a cliffside, however sheltered from excessive winds by bushes, the world provided fantastic lookout factors to the ocean under. It’s not probably the most non-public location (although nonetheless on non-public property), however with facilities like clear outhouses and potable water, this Hipcamp website was precisely what we would have liked for a fast in a single day.
Day 6: Half Moon Bay, California
After driving on and by San Francisco, we arrived at our subsequent Hipcamp website close to Half Moon Bay. The realm missed the luxurious valley of Lobitos Creek. We basked in sunshine through the afternoon, however after the solar set, a mist enveloped our campsite. My pores and skin was completely happy for the moisture, however the thick marine layer made it tough to see. The following day, we determined to attend till late morning for the solar to return out and minimize by the mist earlier than packing up our tent. That was wonderful, although. Sluggish mornings may be good.
Day 7: San Luis Obispo, California
Our ultimate Hipcamp location had all of the facilities two drained highway trippers might need: a soaking tub (pictured) and off-grid showers for cleansing up; a cute A-frame cabin to stretch out in; and a wood-fired pizza oven for late-night noshing. It was the full glamping expertise. Professional tip: Plan the ultimate keep of your highway journey at a spot like this the place you’ll be able to clear up and really feel cozy.
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