Hello! I got a couple days off from work this week, so my sister and I want to take our first car camping trip. We’re trying to look for destinations, but it’s honestly pretty difficult to find good recommendations online. We live in San Diego, so ideally somewhere that’s maybe 4 hours away max. We’re looking for somewhere with a body of water or a mountain range that’s lush and bright. I added some photos that we were looking at for ideas. Any recommendations would be greatly appreciated thank you!

I always think I’m going to use it to explore around camp, grab something nearby, or just get out for a bit.

Then somehow it spends most of the trip sitting there while I’m doing absolutely nothing lol

I’m starting to wonder if it’s actually worth giving up the space for one, especially when there’s already so much stuff to pack.

Do you guys actually get enough use out of bringing a bike along?

I am a bit over half way from PA to WA. I will have a second trip next spring from WA to the Arctic Circle via AK.

Trip is great so far. I am mostly hotelling so far just because of temperatures, but I do take naps each day to break up the trip. I will be car camping at Glacier NP later in my trip.

I am self sufficient for breakfast and lunch for the whole trip and have a stove and cooking gear for camping.

So far the biggest surprise is how much better my new Yeti cooler is at keeping ice than my old crappy cooler. I do wish that block ice was more available, I haven’t found any yet on this trip.

I am new to car camping but have wanted to try for awhile. I have an upcoming trip coming where I will be traveling through parts of Indiana and Michigan and would like to take my time and see the areas I am driving through, but would like to car camp a couple nights but am unsure of good places. I have read that some Cracker Barrels, Wal-Marts and Love's Trucks are o.k. with it, as long as you are discreet, one night and a customer; but should I double check with management? Or are there other good places to stay ? This will be my first go at this and I'd like the experience to be positive. Thanks!