Camping

Azusa residents Sue and Jim Young had planned to spend the Fourth of July weekend in Silverton, Colo. But, on Friday, their fifth-wheel travel trailer was parked at Dockweiler State Beach in Playa del Rey. "We canceled it because of gas prices," said Sue Young, 57, who was settled in a USC folding chair in the sand in front of the parking lot. "We thought about Santa Barbara, but this was closer."

Life for campers at Dockweiler State Beach in Playa del Rey comes with whiffs of the nearby sewage treatment plant and the regular roar of jets from Los Angeles International Airport a mile away. But the recreational vehicle park's loyal patrons like the palm-tree-lined patch of asphalt, where they have ocean views and sand at their doorstep for less than $40 a night during winter. And they say they love its quirky community of renters.

On one side of sea grass-tufted dunes at Lawson's Landing, the mouth of Tomales Bay opens toward sparkling waves, rocky outcroppings and, in the distance, the brown bluffs of Bodega Head. On the other lies a hodgepodge of more than 200 weather-beaten trailer homes along with a boathouse, a snack bar and sheds. Nearby sprawls a 1,000-vehicle campground dotted with picnic tables, fire rings and portable toilets -- all amid coastal wetlands at the base of towering dune formations.

The Santa Monica Mountains Conservancy and the city of Malibu have reached a tentative agreement that would encourage more use of the mountains by hikers and campers, officials said late Thursday. If approved by the Malibu City Council after public hearings, the plan would provide for overnight camping at Corral Canyon and Charmlee Wilderness Park, near the Ventura County border. It would also provide for a shuttle service between parks and beaches.

A camper who became stranded nearly five weeks ago in a national forest because she could not cross a swollen river was rescued Sunday, more than two weeks after the search for her was called off. A New Mexico National Guard crew waded across the icy Gila River to rescue a dehydrated and weak Carolyn Dorn of South Carolina, who entered the Gila National Forest alone Dec. 6 for a two-week trip. She was found Friday by hikers Albert and Peter Kottke.

THE campground at Leo Carrillo State Park is a scenic retreat where a family can hike the Santa Monica Mountains, explore tide pools or simply hang out around the fire pit. It's also just a quick drive to a venti-sized caffe latte: We call it "Starbucks camping." And it's perfect for folks whose idea of "roughing it" includes access to flush toilets and a well-inflated air mattress.

PULLING into Campsite 35 at Refugio State Beach on an overcast Friday afternoon, I feel as though I have gotten away with something those poor B&B weekenders shelling out for the Red-Tile Walking Tour in nearby Santa Barbara have not.

IT seemed like a scene one would encounter only in wilderness hundreds of miles from the nearest human: a bald eagle soaring above jagged bluffs, riding thermals with barely a flap of her outstretched wings, the bluest sky and cotton-ball clouds as a backdrop. But the location was just a couple of hours' drive northeast of L.A. -- Silverwood Lake State Recreation Area.

WITH its wide swath of sugary sand tucked between lovely sandstone bluffs and waves that often curl into perfect surfer pipelines, mile-long San Clemente State Beach ought to be blanketed with sun worshipers and board riders year-round. Its daytime temperature rarely dips below 60 degrees, and nighttime lows hover in the 40s or 50s -- ideal temps for walking down short (though steep) paved paths to cool sand.

The sun was well on its way into the sky, the mercury was creeping toward triple digits -- and Coachella's campers were stirring. It was the morning of Day Two at the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival, and Courtney Michael and Roni Whipple were trudging along the dusty, arid paths of this temporary city, lugging two prized commodities: a case of water and a bag of ice. Beads of sweat on Michael's brow were threatening to turn into a steady trickle.