A Vanlifer’s Guide to California - Showers, Campsites, Hikes, Etc.
California
California, you were amazing. By this time in our roadtrip, we were desperately needing warmer weather! Things were getting very stagnant and we didn’t even have a heater at this point (huge regret – we now have an espar heater). We were so excited to hit the warm weather beaches and hopefully get a tan in! I hope you’re ready for a long blog post because California is huge and we explored so many beautiful locations! I also created a blog post on the best USA Roadtrip Hacks, check it out for all my tips!
Redwoods Forest
If you haven’t been to the Redwoods yet, there is one big thing to know! There are many different Redwood forest areas, not just one. We visited a couple of them – Prairie Creek Redwoods State Park & Avenue of The Giants. Would definitely suggest these two! The lady at the Information desk told us that Prairie Creek had some of the most trees in the area compared to some other areas (because of deforestation). Make sure you visit those two areas because they are just fabulous!
Another thing to note: If you just type in Redwood National Forest into google maps and click it, it’s going to direct you to somewhere ridiculous that you cannot even enter. Just know that it is not correct and you should enter Prairie Creek or Avenue of the Giants. We made this mistake and were completely confused and lost and had to visit the Information Center to get some guidance. This is definitely such a rad spot in California!
Redwood Forest Vanlife Rating:
Anytime fitness/Showers nearby: NO – Van showers only
Walmart/Cheaper Grocery Store: NO – Everything was inland closer to the highway
Epic Views: YES – Beautiful views of the Redwoods
Safe/Beautiful spot to park: YES – We a few around on iOverlander APP
Point Reyes National Seashore
Point Reyes is a place I had never heard of until I looked at the map and noticed a giant green area. Wow, this place is beautfiul and so vast. Not many people are here, so if you’re looking for somewhere quiet and relaxed by the ocean, this is your spot! There are so many amazing viewpoints to visit here as well. For some reason, we hung out here for 3 days but didn’t seem to take many photos. I guess we just needed to relax. If you’re visiting San Francisco, don’t forget to whip over to Point Reyes, we truly enjoyed this spot so much!
Point Reyes Vanlife Rating:
Anytime fitness/Showers nearby: NO – Van showers only
Walmart/Cheaper Grocery Store: NO – Everything was inland closer to the San Francisco
Epic Views: YES – The ocean was absolutely stunning and we had the place to ourselves (Beach North)
Safe/Beautiful spot to park: YES – we parked on the ocean for 3 nights!
The Golden Gates | San Francisco
We all know that when we get to California, San Francisco is somewhere we need to visit. Although we did visit the Golden Gate Bridge, we didn’t visit much more. Cities aren’t really our best friend. We don’t feel safe leaving the van anywhere and definitely don’t feel safe sleeping there. So we opted to skip right past the city and head to some more nature! Don’t forget to see the bridge if you do head over there 🙂
San Francisco Vanlife Rating:
Anytime fitness/Showers nearby: YES – Many gyms to choose from
Walmart/Cheaper Grocery Store: YES – Many grocery stores
Epic Views: Only the Golden Gates – We skipped visiting the city because we feel unsafe leaving the van in larger cities.
Safe/Beautiful spot to park: No, we didn’t want to risk it so we left.
Shark Fin Cove/Davenport
I saw this spot when I was researching on google and I couldn’t miss it! Shark Fin Cove was breathtaking and a beautiful spot to explore for the day. There is a small hike down to the beach, but the views are also great from above! Watch out for high tide, the waters were insanely powerful so be careful!
Shark Fin Cove/Davenport Vanlife Rating:
Anytime fitness/Showers nearby: NO (Van showers only)
Walmart/Cheaper Grocery Store: NO – Had to stock up before hand
Epic Views: YES – absolutely stunning views, you MUST visit.
Safe/Beautiful spot to park: YES – One spot on iOverlander
HOW TO: Free Camping in California
Santa Cruz
If you’re making your way down the coast of California, you must visit Santa Cruz. This cute little town has everything you need; an oceanfront walking path, cute shops, anytime fitness (for that #vanlife shower), healthy food, and the best vibe. This spot was definitely one that we felt very comfortable with and could have stayed for a long time. The best part was that it was van friendly. There was this one street on Swanton Blvd that all the vans parked – it felt like home in Canmore, AB. Our favorite spot to park the van and hang out during the day was here.
Santa Cruz Vanlife Rating:
Anytime fitness/Showers nearby: YES – an Anytime Fitness
Walmart/Cheaper Grocery Store: YES – Safeway and loads of others
Epic Views: YES – we loved the boardwalk and the relaxed vibe of the town
Safe/Beautiful spot to park: YES – Loads of spots on iOverlander – We loved Swanton Rd.
Yosemite National Park
Yosemite is a spot that every one MUST visit once in their life. The views are amazing and there are endless hikes. I would definitely suggest visiting in Fall and Spring. We visited in the Winter and it was very cold we didn’t have the ambition to hike, unfortunately. I would suggest spending at least 4 days here to explore the park and do many hikes! Yosemite is one of the locations in California where we would specifically go back to because we loved it so much. I don’t know about you, but when it gets cold, I’m not too motivated to hike – this was the case in Yosemite. I truly do regret not doing any hikes there.
Tunnel View and Glacier Point are definitely two spots you will want to see!
Yosemite Vanlife Rating:
Anytime fitness/Showers nearby: NO – Van Showers only
Walmart/Cheaper Grocery Store: NO – None, we had to come prepared
Epic Views: YES – Yosemite is unreal and has so many beautiful hikes and locations
Safe/Beautiful spot to park: YES – we parked outside of the park 30 minutes at a beautiful location
Sequoia National Park
Sequoia National Park was such a dream. I’ve been wanting to see these trees for quite some time and it was great to finally make it there. During the winter is definitely not the best time to visit because it’s so cold. However, there was barely anyone exploring the park which is definitely one plus for traveling off-season. Our favorite viewpoint was the Drive-Thru Log, it’s a must – you can’t miss it! I couldn’t believe such amazing trees would be in California.
There were a few random spots to park in the forest, but most side roads were closed. Definitely use iOverland to find out where the spots are.
Sequoia National Forest Vanlife Rating:
Anytime fitness/Showers nearby: NO – Van Showers only
Walmart/Cheaper Grocery Store: NO – None, we had to come prepared
Epic Views: YES – Sequoia is unreal and has so many beautiful hikes and views
Safe/Beautiful spot to park: YES – we parked in a random parking lot, but did find many summer camping spots on iOverlander than we weren’t able to use in the winter.
Malibu
Malibu is such a rad spot, but we definitely have some mixed views on it. We found it to be super van-friendly, but there wasn’t really any young adventuring type of people around – so we just stuck to ourselves. We found an awesome beach where we could park during the day right on the ocean. We found it to be very safe an comfortable, probably because everyone around there was rich. That being said, we felt that since everyone was rich there wasn’t really a cafe for us to work at other than Starbucks (correct me if i’m wrong and you know a good cafe in Malibu). All in all, we loved the views and the parking spots on the ocean were amazing, but in regards to a vibe, there wasn’t really one in the winter. If you visit in the summer and there is a vibe, let me know! Also, we loved this grocery store.
Malibu Vanlife Rating:
Anytime fitness/Showers nearby: NO – Van Showers only
Walmart/Cheaper Grocery Store: Yes to grocery stores, but they were more expensive
Epic Views: YES – the oceanfront daytime parking was amazing as well as the mountains
Safe/Beautiful spot to park: YES – Safe parking spots, but we parked residential. There was the option to park on the side of the highway (where all other campers were) but we found it to be too loud.
Santa Monica
I would highly suggest vanlifers not stay in this area. We found it to be super sketchy. We parked at the lot near the pier, and there were many questionable people lingering around the pier and the parking lot. We kept an eye on the van at all times and could not relax. I definitely suggest visiting Santa Monica Pier in the daylight, but once it’s dark leave. I had everything stolen out of my van in New Zealand so I’m extremely cautious when it comes to questionable people in the area.
Santa Monica Vanlife Rating:
Anytime fitness/Showers nearby: YES – there was an Anytime Fitness
Walmart/Cheaper Grocery Store: YES – many grocery stores around
Epic Views: YES – Santa Monica Pier was really cool to visit!
Safe/Beautiful spot to park: YES there are loads of spots on iOverland that seemed quite safe, but not ideal.
Venice Beach
Venice Beach California was definitely a love/hate relationship. Although we did feel mostly safe, we were sometimes uncomfortable with the amount of homeless in the area. We did find a safe place to park overnight and thoroughly enjoyed our time! Longboarding down Venice Beach was one of our favorite moments for sure! We also loved the restaurant The Butchers Daughter and walking down Abbot Kinney Blvd.
Venice California is definitely one of those spots where you must visit because it’s so cool!
Venice Beach Vanlife Rating:
Anytime fitness/Showers nearby: YES – there was an Anytime Fitness within a short drive
Walmart/Cheaper Grocery Store: YES – many grocery stores around
Epic Views: YES – We loved the endless beachfront boardwalk especially for longboarding
Safe/Beautiful spot to park: YES there are loads of spots on iOverlander or residential parking was great
Huntington Beach
We LOVED Huntington Beach. It was so safe, loads of parking spaces on the sand overlooking the ocean. The only downfall was that we needed a season pass which was $192 to park on these beaches and we weren’t staying long enough to justify this cost. So we opted to pay per hour and just stay for a few hours here and there. The good beaches cost around $10-$15 per day to park at though. So if you’re in the area for a while, get that State Park Pass.
We loved the new area of Pacific City shopping center and when driving into the city it was great as well. Would highly recommend Huntington Beach for vanlifers 🙂
Huntington Beach Vanlife Rating:
Anytime fitness/Showers nearby: YES – there was an Anytime Fitness within a short drive
Walmart/Cheaper Grocery Store: YES – many grocery stores around
Epic Views: YES – We loved the endless beach front boardwalk
Safe/Beautiful spot to park: YES there are loads of spots on iOverlander or residential parking was great
Encinitas
We didn’t spend too much time in Encinitas, but we did get a nice feel for the town. Moonlight Beach was our favorite spot to hang out for the day. The parking right on the ocean was amazing and the sunsets were fabulous. The town seemed super cute and so many little shops and cafes, I definitely could have hung out here for longer! Definitely add this spot to your California road trip!
Encinitas Vanlife Rating:
Anytime fitness/Showers nearby: YES – there was an Anytime Fitness within a short drive North or South
Walmart/Cheaper Grocery Store: YES – a Walmart a short drive inland
Epic Views: YES – We loved Moonlight Beach!
Safe/Beautiful spot to park: YES there are loads of spots on iOverlander or residential parking was great
La Jolla
We fell in love with La Jolla! A parking spot we found to stay the night was so close to the beach and we enjoyed our mornings walking along the beach and working out. It was magical. I also loved walking around the fancy town area – I felt so safe and comfortable and loved all the cute shops.
I would highly suggest visiting La Jolla California if you’re living the #vanlife because it was fantastic. We also enjoyed driving to Torrey Pines Gliderport and spending the evening watching the parashutes and sunsets. Also, don’t forget to check out the pier at La Jolla Beach.
La Jolla Vanlife Rating:
Anytime fitness/Showers nearby: YES – there was an Anytime Fitness within a short drive down to San Diego
Walmart/Cheaper Grocery Store: YES – a Walmart a short drive inland
Epic Views: YES – We loved Torrey Pines and walking around the town
Safe/Beautiful spot to park: YES there are loads of spots on iOverlander or residential parking was great near the ocean
San Diego
We didn’t spend too much time in San Diego, but we did stay a few nights and so I have some insight on a few things. Sunset Cliffs is a great spot to watch sunset, Ocean Beach is a great spot to hangout for the day and have cute dogs visit you and Fiesta Island is a cool spot in California many vanlifers go, but you cannot sleep there.
We mostly slept residential when were in San Diego, and had no issues!
San Diego Vanlife Rating:
Anytime fitness/Showers nearby: YES – there was an Anytime Fitness in San Diego
Walmart/Cheaper Grocery Store: YES – a Walmart a short drive
Epic Views: YES – We loved Sunset Cliffs and Ocean Beach
Safe/Beautiful spot to park: YES there are loads of spots on iOverlander for residential parking
Palm Springs
I thought Palm Springs was so cool, Palm Trees and snowy mountains in the distance! I had no idea a place like this existed. I loved the windmills and the fact that the city was large enough to have a Whole Foods. We didn’t stay here too long, but a nice stroll around the city and exploring the windmills was great for us! Definitely stop by Palm Springs before Joshua Tree and stock up on groceries 🙂
Palm Springs Vanlife Rating:
Anytime fitness/Showers nearby: YES – there are a few anytime fitness
Walmart/Cheaper Grocery Store: YES – stock up on groceries before J TREE
Epic Views: YES – Palm Trees and snowy mountains!
Safe/Beautiful spot to park: YES – we parked residential and had no issues
Joshua Tree National Park
Joshua Tree is somewhere I visited 2 years ago and absolutely fell in love with. The stars were so bright at night, there was barely around sounds and so many beautiful locations to explore! This time was definitely different. We didn’t expect to see snow covered boulders or be freezing cold! We were told by others that seeing Joshua Tree covered in snow was a blessing and something that didn’t happen very often, so for that we were pretty excited!
If you’re visiting in the summer, you NEED to stay the night! I had the best time sleeping near boulders under the stars and hiking the next day. Also, don’t forget to grab your 12 months National Park Pass ($80 USD) that is WAY cheaper than just paying for National Parks individually.
Joshua Tree NP Vanlife Rating:
Anytime fitness/Showers nearby: NO – Van showers only
Walmart/Cheaper Grocery Store: NO – Come prepared with loads of food! Joshua Tree village is nearby though.
Epic Views: YES – The boulders at Joshua Tree NP are stunning and so many cool hikes
Safe/Beautiful spot to park: YES – You MUST stay the night and sleep alongside the boulders
Anza-Borrego State Park
Anza Borrego is so cool! I never even knew it existed, but it has so many cool landscapes to see and sculptures to stand in front of! Our favorite was the giant scorpion! Definitely make sure you visit this cool little town and explore the area. We took a drive around the park and saw loads of different statues.
Anza-Borrego Vanlife Rating:
Anytime fitness/Showers nearby: NO – but we found a campsite that allowed us to shower or just van shower
Walmart/Cheaper Grocery Store: NO – Come prepared with loads of food!.
Epic Views: YES – The statues were very cool, and there were loads of mountain hikes to do
Safe/Beautiful spot to park: Yes – there is loads of spots of iOverlander
Slab City + East Jesus
This spot is a must! It’s so cool, different, weird and amazing all at the same time. The first time I went here a few years ago I didn’t realize that East Jesus was a thing, and it turned out to be my favorite part. Slab City is also super cool, as well as Salvation Mountain – Be sure to check them all out! There is loads of BLM land and you can park wherever you would like! They are so welcoming and kind, we even bought a patch that they handmake with solar power electricity fueld to a sewing machine.
Slab City – East Jesus Vanlife Rating:
Anytime fitness/Showers nearby: NO – van shower only
Walmart/Cheaper Grocery Store: NO – Come prepared with loads of food!
Epic Views: YES – The sculptures created from garbage was so cool!
Safe/Beautiful spot to park: Yes – Slab city/East Jesus/Salvation mountain is all BLM land
North Algodones
Magical land of sand for days. This spot is great for sunset and sunrise and just a dreamy spot overall. In the winter there are loads of dune buggies out and about ripping through the sand, and during the summer it gets so hot that wouldn’t want to step onto the sand barefoot! We had so much fun running around the sand and watching the buggies rip! If you’re in the area and want a rad spot for your California Roadtrip, you must visit North Algodones Sand Dunes because its unreal! Hugh Osborne Lookout is pretty rad too!
North Algodones Vanlife Rating:
Anytime fitness/Showers nearby: NO – van shower only
Walmart/Cheaper Grocery Store: NO – Come prepared with loads of food!
Epic Views: YES – The sandy views for days were amazing!
Safe/Beautiful spot to park: NO – we slept at slab city and drive to North Algodones. There are tons of vehicles parked for the dune buggies, but you must pay. If the rangers find anyone sleeping within a 5 mile radius, you will get in trouble! Just don’t sleep near here.
