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DSY
Boulder climber
Berkeley to Seattle to Reno
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Topic Author's Original Post - Mar 5, 2013 - 10:39pm PT
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Hi everybody,
I am a boulderer who just moved back to California from Seattle and Reno. The wife and I just got a dog so now we need to find campgrounds in California that are poison oak free, because I'm severely allergic to poison oak. Campgrounds near decent climbing would be great but not necessary. We are just looking for places where we can have the dog with some isolation and without the worry of me coming down with 3 months of itching. I figured the Supertopoans would be the guys to ask because you guys have so much experience in California. We are based on the Central Coast so campgrounds near the Central Coast would be especially appreciated. Beer to any contributors!
Thanks,
Dou
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ontheedgeandscaredtodeath
Social climber
SLO, Ca
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The central coast is tough for severe PO allergies. I'm in SLO and get it from my dogs all the time- it's sort of a minor irritant for me, I don't get the running pus and swelling and all that. It's pretty much the beach and above about 5000 feet to avoid the oak, or the desert. The other problem is that the state parks absolutely hate dogs and will summarily execute you for an unleashed dog. Check out the USFS areas above Fresno (and above 5K feet).
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adam d
climber
CA
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Not for camping, but the bouldering at Lizardsmouth in Santa Barbara is amazingly P.O. free.
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DSY
Boulder climber
Berkeley to Seattle to Reno
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Topic Author's Reply - Mar 5, 2013 - 11:33pm PT
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Thanks for the helpful responses everyone!
I've been back for about 18 months and have avoided poison oak so far by sticking to high altitude and to the desert. Also avoiding it selectively climbing in Santa Barbara and around slo.
But the 6 hour drive to Bishop is getting old and finding someplace we can camp but necessarily climb close to slo would be fantastic.
Anyone have beta on the poison oak status of Toll House Rock and areas like courtright dome? I hear the pinnacles are really bad for poison oak but what about other areas near big sur?
Santa Barbara beach camping last weekend was a disaster with the dog chasing a ball into poison oak while I was still setting up the tent!
Thanks again, Firestone Velvet Merlin on me!
Dou
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donini
Trad climber
Ouray, Colorado
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Come to the Black Canyon, we only have poison ivy.
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Snowmassguy
Trad climber
Calirado
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Personally, I think it is everywhere in that central coast area and a dog will likely find it. Seemed like most trail adventures involved the sighting and/or active avoidance of the dreaded weed. I have gotten that sh** on me from the dog, crashing my mtn bike into a patch, accidentally sliding down a ravine into a patch and probably other ways. I have totally convinced myself that I am highly allergic to it.
Moving on to Colorado, I remember starting a climb in Boulder Canyon I think where the first few moves traversed above a heathy patch of the noxious weed. I distinctly remember being unusually gripped on easy to moderate face moves. Felt like I was traversing over some type of horrid death flake or a molten volcano.
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enjoimx
Trad climber
Yosemite, ca
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Courtright is poison oak free....beautiful place to climb. lOVE love it there. I need to get back there.
Edit: go to courtright. You won't regret it.
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willybeamin
Trad climber
Ventura, CA
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I have to echo some other poster above: "You're gonna die!"
Anyhow, onto more constructive help, I lived in SLO for 4 years, and live in Ventura now and I have a giant, curious hound dog infatuated with me scratching like a crackhead after she gives the oak...sh!t is miserable as you know.
I'm sad to say, in all my exploring up there, I didn't find much P.O. freedom in the central coast other than climbing in SB up on Cielo Camino (Lizard's Mouth, Brickyard, etc.) Its unfortunate, because I'm sure we share a joy in being able to bring our pooches along for the journey. Additionally, Natn'l Parks are very dog unfriendly and some of the State Parks are as well.
Scope out some of the primitive campgrounds up on the ridge above Highway 1 (in Big Sur off of Nacimiento-Ferguson Rd.). Its a helluva view. Its high enough up that there isn't much PO and you stay out of the marine layer, but BYOwater, etc. Best of luck. Send a PM if you're in the Ventura/SB area...
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Mungeclimber
Trad climber
the crowd MUST BE MOCKED...Mocked I tell you.
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+1 on leash, it's the only sure fire way to keep em out of the green stuff.
Some areas you can take the dog to on leash and then let them go if they don't wander far off, and still avoid PO, but altitude, east side and desert are key.
Pinnacles is not dog friendly even if it didn't have PO. You can't take them on the trails.
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Salamanizer
Trad climber
The land of Fruits & Nuts!
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The Poison Oak, she is a bloomin' as of just this last week in the Vacaville hills.
Bad time of year for the afflicted.
Hey Cosmic, where's Wagon Wheel?
Ya ever explore much around where the Fish Heads are? Anything good? Drove by there a while back and thought there might be a thing or two lurking around there.
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limpingcrab
Trad climber
the middle of CA
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Your dog will be able to find PO at Tollhouse, but it's not as bad as the central coast.
Others have said it: above about 5000ft in the Sierra is the place to be. There are a lot of options on the east and west sides. Courtright is great, but not until the road opens.
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10b4me
Boulder climber
Lost
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Pine mountain?
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Mungeclimber
Trad climber
the crowd MUST BE MOCKED...Mocked I tell you.
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nice call 10b
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Spider Savage
Mountain climber
The shaggy fringe of Los Angeles
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Pismo Beach
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Salamanizer
Trad climber
The land of Fruits & Nuts!
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Wagon wheel is on the road between Randsburg/Johanasberg and Trona
Ah yeah, pretty sure I know where that is.
And yeah, the fish heads between Ridgecrest and Trona on Hwy 178. There's so much rock out there. Kinda like having JTree all to yourself.
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DSY
Boulder climber
Berkeley to Seattle to Reno
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Topic Author's Reply - Mar 6, 2013 - 07:49am PT
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Awesome replies everyone!
Last weekend the plan was to go up to pine mountain because I know it is poison oak free but the road was closed. Cue a night spent with drunken rednecks hollering all night in the reyes creek campground. I am definitely psyched on courtright!
Still debating going with the sure thing in bishop next weekend vs. Checking out horse flats etc. Do non climbers head out to horse flats at all?
Thanks,
Dou
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Roots
Mountain climber
SoCal
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I have the same issues too. We avoid low elevation like the plague but if we find ourselves in the area of PO then the dog stays on a leash.
PO needs water so aside from staying about 5k we avoid the drainages when at lower elevations like up the Kern, etc.
Deserts are nice : )
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10b4me
Boulder climber
Lost
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DSY, I would pick Bishop over HF, but there is a campground at HF(not open until April), and plenty of hiking, and mountain biking
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NorCalNomad
Trad climber
San Francisco
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Anything up in Tahoe. You get up high enough and it stops growing.
I too am pretty allergic to PO and the fact that Tahoe has none makes it a favorite place for me :P
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Ksolem
Trad climber
Monrovia, California
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Just a heads up, if you are hyper sensitive to PO you might also be in the smaller group who are allergic to the California Bluebell, Phacelia Calendularis. It took me two serious episodes before I figured that one out.
Anyway it is only an issue when it is flowering (as far as I can tell) in the spring. It's all over Josh at intermediate elevations like Split Rocks area and uphill from Indian Cove. It also grows all over the San Gabriels behind my house. Looks like this:
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10b4me
Boulder climber
Lost
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Also, you need to look out for the poodle bush. That thing is nasty. In severe cases, one has to be treated with steroids
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justthemaid
climber
Jim Henson's Basement
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Yup- altitude or desert. Dry mountain-sides away from river beds in Santa Barbara are usually pretty PO free. Simplest solution is to just keep your dog leashed/tied up/at home at all times and you can camp anywhere you like. Personally I wouldn't let my dog's wish for freedom to roam dictate my climbing life.
Side note: There IS PO in Yosemite. I've gotten into it during Facelift. It's low to the ground and there's very little of it but it does exist. I suspect the park service does a lot of guerilla erradication that doesn't get talked about.
Horseflats has some good hiking and nice scenery for the non- climbers.
@Kris: You've got my radar up for that little bush. I'm allergic to pretty much everything, so I'd rather not find out how I react to that little blue monster.
Why does Nature have to be so itchy?
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Ksolem
Trad climber
Monrovia, California
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so I'd rather not find out how I react to that little blue monster
Yeah for me it was a trip to the ER and two weeks on Prednizone...
Got into it first time up by Librarian Lust (look up on MP) in Josh, did not figure out what it was though. Then I got into it at Future Games in the spring. I was literally crawling around in it photographing a pair of Chuckwallas. Got it really bad. Good pics though...
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guyman
Social climber
Moorpark, CA.
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You might wish to check out the climbing that is in the Kernville aera and along hwy 178.
See "Domelands" Guide Book for a incomplete listing.
You will find PO in some places, but its not that thick if you stay out of the prime growing spots... like in the bottom of stream beds.
Also, stop in at all the places you are passing as you drive to Bishop.
The A-Hills are about as dog friendly as you can get.... Fossel Falls, Black Planets all have good winter stuff.
When it gets hotter... several great cragging spots along "Sherman Pass" on both sides of the summit.
And you do know about "Techneu" (sp?)
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willybeamin
Trad climber
Ventura, CA
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Them fishies look tempting. Never been. Looking forward to checking em' out...Also, a little background for the uninitiated. Poison Oak gives the gift from the lovely oil, Urushiol. It has a tendency to get in those awesome pores of ours and wreak havock. Ways that I deal with it when I'm with my sh!tbird hound dog is to give her a bath when I get home with liquid dishwashing soap. Dishwashing soap removes grease and oils, is cheap, and is generally animal friendly. Make sure its cold/cool water. Then I do the same, taking a cold shower (so the pores don't open up), washing with dishwashing soap. Its cheaper than Technu, and works, post-exposure, just as well as Technu. Also, I don't venture too far away from creeks. The hound always gets a good dipping before we get in the truck. Super stoked to check out some of these other areas I haven't explored yet.
Ahoy!
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Ksolem
Trad climber
Monrovia, California
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You might wish to check out the climbing that is in the Kernville aera and along hwy 178.
East of Kernville towards Walker Pass is pretty free of PO. Up the canyon to the north, or down towards B'Field is infested to the max.
Fossil Falls has access issues.
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DSY
Boulder climber
Berkeley to Seattle to Reno
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Topic Author's Reply - Mar 6, 2013 - 11:07pm PT
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Good call on avoiding California bluebell. I was planning a trip to Josh for this upcoming month so that's really good information to have. It seems like there's near unanimous approval of Nacimiento Ferguson Road. I think we're going to start there and then start heading to horse flats and pine mountain once the road is open.
Thanks again. Say hello If you see an Asisn guy driving a dark blue aerostar with an organic bouldering sticker and morro bay plates. We can share a beer and any lettuce I may have.
Thanks,
Doy
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ontheedgeandscaredtodeath
Social climber
SLO, Ca
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If you are in Moro Bay you should check out the dog park at Chorro regional park, about half way between MB and SLO. Big, fenced, and totally PO free. No bouldering aside from the fake kid's boulders in the playground.
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DSY
Boulder climber
Berkeley to Seattle to Reno
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Topic Author's Reply - Mar 7, 2013 - 04:39pm PT
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Hi everyone,
Thanks for the advice. It seems like there are many more climbers on the central coast than the population of slo-op kids and traddies at bishop peak led me to believe. Where do central coasters escape to for climbing? Bishop peak it's pretty lame. Whenever I talk to someone getting outside they are driving 5 hours away, but I guess that's what's available out here. Still happy with the region overall though.
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