Final month, I wanted a perspective shift. I’ve lived in Los Angeles for six years. Throughout that point, I’ve regularly traveled forwards and backwards 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 will be bodily jarring. I didn’t need to blink and go from palm timber 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, identified for its scenic shoreline. (The route is sometimes called the Pacific Coast Freeway.) So when my buddy 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 stated sure. As a child, my household preferred to camp. (REI member since 1991.) However as an grownup, I used to be restricted by my lack of substances and data. Amy offered the inspiration for our journey by planning the route and bringing many of the gear. Nonetheless, we had some particular concerns. We needed to accommodate two adults and two canine (one in every 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 have 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 online site and app that permits folks to find distinctive locations to remain on non-public and public land and, in some circumstances, discover real-time availability. With Hipcamp, the anxiousness 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 wanted to let go and get exterior.
In case you want some campsite inspiration, listed here 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 site felt secluded. Like me, Amy’s canine Ray was additionally on his first highway journey, and he introduced all the thrill and assist for the journey. Even with a bit of little bit of rain within the morning, the dashing 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 beautiful glamping site subsequent to a riverside geodesic dome on the hosts’ non-public property (we camped in our van, however the dome and dashing water offered a gorgeous backdrop). This website provided plush facilities like a dry sauna and an outside rest room 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 dwelling 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 on account of an emergency, so we stayed in Westfir a bit of longer to entry Wi-Fi and discover another location for the evening. However that is the wonderful thing about Hipcamp: When plans change, you may 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 a number of 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 dwelling 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 timber can stay as much as 2,000 years. Seeing them was emotional and humbling. Their immensity left me speechless, and my coronary heart was filled with gratitude for experiencing this with Amy and Ray. We continued to immerse ourselves within the panorama at our Hipcamp site, on a non-public patch of property nestled on a mountainside amongst redwood timber. 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 stay was in Mendocino County. This location didn’t disappoint. After driving all day alongside the shoreline, we have been excited to have a water view at our campsite. Positioned on a cliffside, however sheltered from excessive winds by timber, the realm provided fantastic lookout factors to the ocean under. It’s not essentially 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 wanted 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 site close to Half Moon Bay. The world 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 glad 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 come back out and reduce by the mist earlier than packing up our tent. That was fantastic, although. Gradual mornings will 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 may clear up and really feel cozy.
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