Where can I boondock and see California condors

Here’s a question from a reader of RVtravel.com about boondocking. 

Hi Bob,
My wife and I are RVers from the Midwest and would like to see the California condors that have been introduced into the wild in California. Are there any places to boondock where we can see them? —Bernie

Hi Bernie,

Here’s a worthwhile choice, not only to see the magnificent condors in flight, but to explore Pinnacles National Park as well. You can boondock — if you mean camping without hookups — in the Pinnacles Campground (the park’s only campground), accessible only from the East entrance. It is open to both tents and RVs, but it’s not free ($23/nite, $36/nite for electric hookup) and the sites are designated (as against dispersed or non-designated sites). Water, showers and a dump station are available in the campground, but not at the campsites. And you will need to make a reservation, which can be booked six months in advance.

However, if you want a free dispersed boondocking site, you will need to go outside the park. The nearest spot I know of is a wide pull-off along scenic Highway 25 (GPS: 36.410133, -120.996706 at about 1,800 feet elevation) about 15 miles southeast of the East Entrance just above the Bitterwater Valley. Lots of room and very little traffic on Hwy. 25 at night, and it feels like a boondocking site — complete with howling coyotes at night.

Read more about boondocking at my BoondockBob’s Blog.
Check out my Kindle e-books about boondocking at Amazon.

Do you have a question for Bob? Email him at bob.rvtravel (at) gmail.com .

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