Hi Friends,
A group of eight of my friends planned our first backpacking trip for Memorial Day next weekend. We reserved our campsite 6 months ago in Little Lake Valley in Fresno for a 5 mile hike to the lake for 3 nights. But we had to cancel the trip because it snowed this week and our group is not prepared for backpacking/camping in the snow.

So starting today our group is urgently searching for a Plan B, but all the places we are looking at are booked. I've read on another thread here that many of you have had luck backpacking without reservations or permits. Where can 8 backpackers who do not mind taking the risk of going without a reservation - go for Memorial Day weekend? Would anyone be so kind to share some details with me? Your help is greatly appreciated. Regards,Yam

Have you looked into Joshua Tree?

I thought of that, but 8 people, first trip and 5 miles for a 3 day discouraged it. In the 90's and not much water available might be a recipe for some unhappy campers. I've had a few good early April trips there. Was a blooming!!!!!!

*edit: I just realized this thread is a week old and you already had to find something. Sorry I missed your thread. I hope you come back and let us know what you did. I will leave my comments up for future searches for people in a similar predicament.

Little lakes valley is a very popular trailhead. It is also not in Southern California. Are you looking for something LLV or farther south? Or, are you really looking for something within a couple hours of Los Angeles (that is what I would consider So. Cal.)?

There are plenty of trailheads in Inyo National Forest and if you go to the ranger station in Bishop (or Independence I think) you should be able to get a permit somewhere. I guess a group of 8 might make it a little bit more of a challenge. I've never been on a bad trail out of Inyo National Forest. And... pretty much all of them get to high elevation.

I've recently started looking into trailheads out of Sequoia National Forest and quite a few of them do not require a permit. Its a beautiful area and closer to So. Cal., but not as high of elevation as Inyo.

In So Cal check out Los Padres National Forest. There is some really beautiful areas and this is a good time to go. Not too many of the trails have a permit unless you get up near Big Sur. I've been really fond of the area north of Ojia lately. If you want higher elevation you can look at hiking out of (or into) Mt. Pinos.

They all require reservations but the islands are a lot of fun too (Catalina or the Channel Islands NP).

Hi, Thanks for your reply. Regarding Joshua tree, I've been there and would love to backpack there but not sure what it would look like in terms of where I would camp or get water besides from the campsites. From what I've seen, you have to reserve camp sites if you want to spend the night there. Is it possible to simply pitch a tent somewhere else in the park? Please let me know. That would be exciting!

Hi, No worries for the late reply. We ended up camping in Utah (Kodachrome Park) for 2 days then 1 day in Sedona, Az. It rained every day but it was off and on. We didn't exactly backpack because we had our cars and port-a-potties and faucet water from the campsites but feel much more prepared for a real backpacking trip now. This trip did bring up some other questions such as:
[list]
[*]What is a good sleeping pad you would recommend? (My wife is experiencing some hip pain from our cheap sleeping pads)
[*]Should I carry a tarp to cover my tent in case it rains or is a rain-fly sufficient?
[*]How do permits work? From my understanding they are only for hikes. But what about camping? How does that work?

Anyway, now we're super pumped to do a real backpacking trip and thinking that a 1-night Saturday to Sunday trip would be a great start. Thanks for your help!

The new inflatable pads have really upped the comfort level and are still light and warm. You should be a bit careful with site selection so you don't puncture them, but I am not super careful and they have survived my kids (ages 3 and 6). Which particular pad you and your wife like tends to be a personal choice. I have an REI Stratus. I like the slightly larger outer tubes that tend to hold me on the pad. The price of the stratus is phenomenal vs. comparable high end inflatable pads. Others really like the horizontal baffles on thermarest NeoAirs. The best advice is to stop by an REI and actually lay down on several different ones. Most people recommend letting some air out of the pad for better comfort.



no, the rain-fly on a good tent should be sufficient. If the rain fly doesn't keep the rain off then it's not a rain fly.



Permit rules are based on the jurisdiction you are going. Just search for backpacking on the website of where you are going and you should be able to find the rules. For instance you mentioned Joshua Tree:

http://www.nps.gov/jotr/planyourvisit/backpacking.htm

You don't need a permit. You need to pay the entrance fee when you enter (or exit) the park and then sign-up at the back country registration board (located at trailheads). That's all! You don't have to camp in campgrounds. You just have to be more than a mile from the road and 500 ft from water or trails. The hardest part about backpacking in Joshua Tree is even if you can find water you are not allowed to drink. Everything you drink you have to bring into the park.

As I am sure you found out Little Lakes Valley Trailhead in Inyo NF requires a permit. Permits for Inyo NF can be reserved ahead of time at reserveamerica.com You can also get nonreservable permits at the ranger station on the day you plan to enter. Here is a list of trailheads and their quotas:

http://www.fs.usda.gov/Internet/FSE_DOCUMENTS/stelprdb5143453.pdf

Thank you so much for the information and recommendations. We did go to REI and tested a bunch of sleeping pads. I was going to buy the Stratus but was sold on the Exped SynMat 7 M because of the built in pump.
My wife and I are planning our first backpacking trip for just 1 night, and 2 days sometime in the next few weeks. It looks like Joshua Tree might have to wait because 2 gallons of water per person is really heavy. We want to go somewhere cooler for our first trip and hopefully no more than 4 hours by car. Is there somewhere you would recommend? We did talk a little bit about San Jacinto because of the high peaks and it seems doable for a weekend trip. Regards, Yam

Mt. Sac would be a good beginner hike. There are several campgrounds. Go the Mt. Sac website for details on permits. I would go to Palm Springs and take the tram up. If you tell the parking attendant you are camping, they will tell you which lot to park in. The hiking is fairly easy. I was there in winter on skis, which is a whole different deal.
Keep in mind the weather will be a lot cooler than at the bottom. The tram website has weather posted and a webcam. www.pstramway.com
Today it was 56/40; in PS it was 88/67 so basically 30 degree difference.
It's about a 3 hour drive out the 10, easy to find. There are 2 outlet malls in Cabazon on the way if you like that sort of thing.

Tom gave a you good reply, but I just wanted to add: The last time I checked (last year maybe) Mt. SAC didn't have any water sources. I think So Cal got a bit more rain this year compared to last year or the Sierra's this year, but you should check it out beforehand.

Mt. Pinos is also at high elevation. Trails seem more up and down than Mt. Sac

Thanks for the info and sorry for the late reply. This spot is definitely looks interesting. I've read on another forum that there are some areas up there with pools or streams where you can purify the water (Little Round Valley, Deer Springs or Bed Springs) but they may or may not have water.
I'm planning to contact the ranger station to see if they can give me some advice because I couldn't find any information on hiking to those spots.

So sorry for the late reply. We researched the Mt. Pinos in Los Padres area and from what we've seen it looks like a hidden gem. thanks! Basically we found that no permits are required (except for an easy fire permit), no quotas, and there is flowing water in some areas.

There are so many trails to pick from we are not sure which one to pick. The most promising is at 4400' called rancho neuvo trail. 5 miles one way. We just might do this for our first trip next month.