This way to backcountry

Editor Jeremy Oldham ignores the coastal ranges to focus on what he calls the Southern California backcountry: the San Bernardino, Santa Ana and San Jacinto mountains; the Cleveland National Forest; and Mojave, Joshua Tree and Anza-Borrego desert parks.

If you’re headed east, this site has an easy visual layout of campground locations, fees and nearby points of interest. It will let you know if your rig can handle the access road. It even points out the cheapest gas on the way, a helpful complement to its listing of available four-wheel-drive-only roads near campsites in some areas.

Red dots on a larger area map link to a separate page with digital photos of a campground, as well as a topographic map, trail guides and campsite capacity. An outdoor news page posts news releases and local news to keep you up-to-date on local camping sites, while another page links to traffic conditions in the Inland Empire and even to discount sporting goods shops along the way -- supplies to meet camping demands.

-- Emmett Berg