DOWN & DIRTY | SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA
Planning your Crystal Cove State Park camping trip
BASICS
Crystal Cove State Park's El Moro Canyon area area offers 32 primitive campsites (four people maximum; amenities include a picnic table and pit toilet) at three campgrounds. All are accessed by strenuous three-miles-plus uphill hikes.
It costs $15 per night year round, which includes overnight parking for one car at El Moro Visitor Center. Day use is $10 per vehicle. Call (800) 444-7275, or go to www.reserveamerica.com. (You can also reserve the beachfront cabins, which often are booked months in advance, at the same phone number and website.)
DRIVE TIME
From Los Angeles, drive about 40 miles south on the 405. Merge onto California 73 and exit at Newport Coast Drive ($1.75 toll). Turn left onto Pacific Coast Highway, drive about two miles south and turn left at the School/State Park traffic light. El Moro Visitor Center parking lot is on the right.
TO LEARN MORE
California State Parks, (800) 777-0369; Crystal Cove State Park, (949) 494-3539.
 This is a city known for great old architecture. And it's a desert spot and has a long-standing tradition of hospitality. |
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