The Manzanita campground is nice and open, which on summer days may mean too
hot, but it also means you can see the stars at night. It has lots of huge rocks
that the kids can climb on. The camp sites are a bit further apart than in Buckhorn,
the most popular campsite in the Angeles National Forest. And there were plenty
of empty sites on a Saturday in July.
We put up two tents and put our canopy over the picnic table. Josie had plenty
of lizards to hunt within view of the camp site and we took several tours of
the area looking for marshmellow roasting sticks. We also took a walk around
the entire camp grounds in the dark and saw a coyote.
The camp ground host did remind us to keep all our food in the car and cover
it up because the bears will apparently break the windows of cars where they
can see the food. Though we were warned about the bears, we didn't see any of
them or even any sign that they were around, but it's better to be safe than
sorry. There are also rattlesnakes in the area, so be careful where you put
your hands and your feet.
The bathrooms were usable, though Josie and I had a mouse run in on us. It
was trying to escape from the people outside and it hid in a small hole in the
wall for awhile, then made a dash for the outside again. It was definitely one
of the most exciting bathroom trips we've had. The lizards were numerous and
we saw many different kinds. Josie didn't manage to catch any, though.
Make sure you bring chairs to sit in. The kids will probably enjoy sitting
on the various rocks, but the three adults in our group appreciated the comfort
of a folding chair.