How to Call Amsterdam From the USA

When you do not know how to make an international telephone call, it can seem rather confusing. After all, foreign phone numbers seem to be so long in comparison. If you are planning on making a phone call to Amsterdam -- which is the Netherlands' capital city -- from the United States, the process is very simple and quick.

Things You'll Need

Telephone with a long-distance calling plan
Telephone card (if necessary)
Phone number in Amsterdam

Tips For You

1. Make sure that you have a long-distance calling plan or an international calling card. If you do not have long-distance set up on your telephone, you will not be able to dial numbers outside of the United States. One way to get around this is by purchasing an international phone card on the Internet or at your local drugstore. These phone cards are relatively cheap. Buy roughly or just over the amount of minutes that you need to be on the phone to Amsterdam. For example, if you plan to speak for about 45 minutes, purchase a card with 60 minutes on it.
2. Be aware of dialing codes. To make a phone call abroad from the United States, you must dial the international access code, which is 011. Then, research the Netherland's country code. To make a call directly to a nation, it is vital to be aware of its specific country code. In the Netherlands' case, the code is 31. Dial the international country code with the country code immediately following it.
3. Take the "0" away from the start of the city code. The Amsterdam phone number you have begins with "020," as that is the city code. To make international phone calls, it is always necessary to remove the "0" from the beginning of the code first. After you do this, the beginning of the phone number you are going to dial should look like "011 31 20" with the rest of the digits following.
4. Figure out the local time in the Netherlands. The Netherlands is in a totally different time zone than the United States, so avoid being rude and calling at an overly early or late hour. Amsterdam is six hours ahead from the East Coast of the United States and nine hours ahead of the West Coast. Think ahead before making a call to Amsterdam. You do not want to risk waking someone up and dealing with a groggy and unhappy person.
5. Make your phone call. Be sure you have entered your international access code, the country code for the Netherlands and the city code for Amsterdam. Enjoy your call, and maybe you'll pick up a few words in the Dutch language.

Read More ..... »

Beaches Near Denver

Denver sits in the middle of a landlocked state, at the confluence of the dry Southwest, the Great Plains and the massive Rocky Mountains. It comes as no great surprise then that the city is not a tropical, sugar sand beach destination. Nevertheless, there are some appealing beaches in close proximity to the city. Their under-the-radar status means they won't be crowded with spring breakers and other revelers. Instead, you'll likely find a few families and sun worshipers taking advantage of a warm day by the water.

Cherry Creek State Park

• Cherry Creek State Park is a favorite summer destination for Denver residents hoping to beat the heat. The park is located in Aurora, just 15 miles south of Denver on I-25. The main attraction is an 800-acre reservoir surrounded by golden prairie and backed by the towering Rocky Mountains. The park has a small sand beach for sunbathing or diving into the lake's refreshing water. The beach is backed by trees that provide some shade if the afternoon sun becomes too intense. Visitors come for a range of other activities, like sailing, boating, fishing and jet skiing. Hikers can access more than 12 miles of trails through the rolling landscape.

Bear Creek Lake Park

• Bear Creek Lake Park surrounds a small lake in Lakewood, 14 miles southwest of Denver. The lake, situated in rolling terrain, sits close to the foothills of the Rocky Mountains. There is a small, semicircular swimming beach on the lake surrounded by deciduous trees that burst with color in the fall. The lake is popular with fishers, who angle for rainbow trout, saugeye, small-mouth bass and yellow perch. The park hosts a water ski school in summer, and visitors can take lessons or rent equipment for their own use. The park's 2,600 acres are crisscrossed by multi-use trails for hikers, bikers and horseback riders.

Chatfield State Park

• Also southwest of Denver, Chatfield State Park encompasses a horseshoe-shaped lake that backs up to the Rocky Mountain foothills. The lake is about 20 miles from Denver, in Littleton. The narrow beach, open from Memorial Day weekend through Labor Day weekend, leads gently to the shallow lake, making it ideal for visitors with small children or dogs. Other lake activities include water skiing, boating, fishing and model airplane flying. Visitors can rent boats or park their own at the marina. The park also features a floating restaurant in the middle of the lake; kayaks, canoes and motorboats can moor at the restaurant.

Farther Afield

• There are several beaches in Colorado located farther away from Denver. Blue Mesa Reservoir, a 20-mile-long lake near Gunnison, is a welcome oasis in this dry part of the state. Grand Lake, near Rocky Mountain National Park, is a scenic spot for swimming in warmer months, after the lake has thawed from a cold winter. Medano Creek, in the Sangre de Cristo Mountains, sports a seasonal beach among the sand dunes; it is accessible after the snow melts. Boulder Reservoir, near the town of Boulder, is backed by the stunning Flatirons, a series of rock formations. Jackson Lake State Park offers one of the few places to swim in arid eastern Colorado.

Read More ..... »

Camping in the Sylvania Wilderness Area

Mammoth pines, loon-scudded waters, wolf tracks on a muddy trail, grand winter blizzards -- the Sylvania Wilderness in the southwestern corner of Michigan’s Upper Peninsula ("the U.P.") is an archetypal North Woods landscape. Fast against the Wisconsin border, this special place boasts one of the precious remaining tracts of virgin northern-hardwood forest in the Upper Midwest. Campers here pitch their tents beside cold, clear lakes amid huge, primal woods.

Physical Setting

• The Sylvania Wilderness lies in that stateside portion of the Canadian Shield -- the rocky exposed core of the North American continent -- called the Superior Upland; in parts of northern Wisconsin and the western U.P., this rough, heavily timbered region is sometimes referred to as the Northern Highlands. One of the great Pleistocene continental glaciers, the Wisconsin, deposited the Sylvania’s defining landform: the rolling rampart of ice-transported sediment called the Winegar Moraine. Chunks of ice melted within the moraine left hollows called "kettles," many of which are filled with water. Impressive virgin timber cloaks the wilderness, and some 35 lakes, many rimmed by little sand beaches, are scattered within its bounds.

The Wilderness Complex

• About seven miles west of Watersmeet and 40 miles east of Ironwood, the Sylvania Wilderness was once the private domain of an outdoors club -- a fact that spared it from the axe during the widespread North Woods logging of the early 20th century -- before being acquired by the U.S. Forest Service in the 1960s. Immediately across the road forming its northern border is the smaller Sylvania Recreation Area; together the wilderness and recreation area cover over 18,000 square miles. The Sylvania complex is encompassed by the Ottawa National Forest. A permit is required for entry into the wilderness portion.

Sylvania Camping

• There are 50 established campsites in the Sylvania Wilderness, spread along the shores of eight lakes: Clark, High, West Bear, East Bear, Crooked, Mountain, Whitefish and Loon. From May 15 to September 30, all must be secured with a reservation available from the Sylvania Entrance Station, which involves viewing a video about Leave-No-Trace backcountry practices. Outside that time frame, the sites are first-come, first-served. Each site boasts a grilled fire ring, a latrine and a pad for tents. To the north, the Sylvania Recreation Area includes Clark Lake Campground, which has 48 drive-in campsites -- allowing car campers the chance to set up a base from which to hike or paddle into the official wilderness area. The recreation area also has showers, among other amenities. At time of publication, Sylvania Wilderness sites cost $10 per night, while those at Clark Lake Campground were $16 per night.

Attractions

• Exploring some of the most pristine and wild country in the Upper Midwest is the prime attraction of the Sylvania Wilderness. Barely ever logged, the northern mixed-hardwood forests here are magnificent old-growth cathedrals of sugar maple, white pine, red pine, yellow birch, eastern hemlock and other great trees. Many of these veterans likely seeded after wildfires in the 17th century, and thus are 400 or more years old. Alongside easily seen ravens and white-tailed deer, there’s also the chance to spot more elusive wildlife -- from fishers and martens to gray wolves, moose and black bears.

Read More ..... »

The Mountains and Hills Near Clarno, Oregon

Clarno is an unincorporated community in the gulch- and butte-lands of north-central Oregon, cast in the canyon of the John Day River along the border of Wasco and Wheeler counties. This is a rough, semi-arid and sparsely populated part of Oregon, rich in scenery and -- significantly -- the petrified remains of long-extinct plants and animals. The area is perhaps best-known for the John Day Fossil Beds National Monument, the Clarno Unit of which is just east of Clarno itself, on the road to the appropriately named town of Fossil.

Rock Formations

• The Clarno formation, rock strata stemming from prehistoric volcanic eruptions, anchors a broad belt from central to northeastern Oregon. Active during Eocene time some 50 to 40 million years ago, the Clarno volcanoes are kin to the modern Cascade Range: Like Mount Hood and the other famous peaks of that chain, they erupted from the molten rock produced as Pacific tectonic plates plunged beneath the leading edge of the North American continent. Southward from Clarno into the Ochoco Mountains, you can see telltale cones and knobs representing the eroded-down innards of these old volcanic peaks. Meanwhile, layers of hardened ash, andesite lava flows and volcanic mudflows, or lahars, cover large portions of the region. When the Clarno volcanoes were erupting, this part of Oregon enjoyed a warm, moist climate, and the violent debris flows preserved remains of palms, cycads, magnolias and other subtropical plants, along with crocodiles, brontotheres, pint-sized horses and other exotic beasts. Later, the Clarno layers were partly covered by volcanic ash ejected by the Western Cascades and by floods of basaltic lava emitted from vents around present-day Monument.

Buttes and Hills

• The intermixed layers of tuff, lava flows, lahars, sedimentary formations and flood basalts, lurched about by faulting and sliced into by creeks and rivers, make a rugged landscape in the Clarno area. You’ll see soft, rounded hills, gently sculpted out of pliable tuff and sedimentary rock, contrasting with flat-topped buttes capped by hard basalt. Touring between the three discrete units of the John Day Fossil Beds National Monument – Clarno, Sheep Rock and Painted Hills – acquaints you with such scenery.

The Palisades

• The defining landmark of the Clarno Unit of the John Day Fossil Beds National Monument is a high rim of pinnacle cliffs called the Palisades. Like architectural ruins rising above a sloping grassland pediment, these leave the motorist on Route 218 approaching the site wonder-struck. Some 44 million years old, the Palisades are the petrified remnants of Clarno volcanic debris flows. A system of short paths from the Palisades trailhead offers outstanding opportunities to immerse yourself in the geological story: On the Trail of the Fossils, you’ll pass boulders cleft off the Palisades and tattooed with plant fossils, while the Clarno Arch Trail reveals a natural rock arch. The story is made all the more explicit by the Geologic Time Trail linking the trailhead and a picnic area a quarter-mile east, on which hikers noting the informational signs take a symbolic trek through the ancient past.

Exploring

• Aside from the excellent trails in the Clarno Unit, make sure to fully explore the Sheep Rock Unit -- named for a banded cone displaying 40 million years of geologic time -- and the Painted Hills, sensual, otherworldly badlands streaked with rusted Clarno clays. Don't miss the monument’s large visitor center at Sheep Rock, which displays plenty of plant and animal fossils amid immersive dioramas. Closer at hand is the Spring Basin Wilderness just southeast of Clarno. Managed by the Bureau of Land Management, this wild place -- excellent for cross-country hiking -- drops from peaks like 2,827-foot Horse Mountain to rough gulches like Hay Bottom and Eagle canyons, where Clarno formations are exposed. Boaters savor 70 miles of the rugged, basalt-ribbed John Day River canyon from Clarno downstream to the Cottonwood Bridge.

Ecological Frontiers

• From a topographic map, you can easily appreciate Clarno’s position at the northern edge of the Blue Mountains, which arc southwest to northeast across central and eastern Oregon. North of Clarno, the John Day River enters a deepening canyon striking across the Deschutes-Umatilla Plateau, a rolling upland built upon the deep flows of Columbia River Basalt. From the vicinity of Clarno, you can look northeastward to the scarp marking the commencement of this plateau, part of the larger Columbia Basin province; look for the dark, younger basalt layers atop the lighter-colored strata of the John Day country.

Read More ..... »

Travel Guide for Sightseeing, Hiking & Other Activities at Denali National Park

Among the most massive American national parks, Denali encompasses 6 million acres of Alaskan wilderness, bisected by a single road. Visitors travel through taiga forest to reach high alpine tundra and Denali, also known as Mount McKinley, North America's tallest peak at 20,320 feet. The park affords hardy travelers plenty of hiking and tourism opportunities, along with camping spots for overnight trips, between May and September.

Orientation

• Stop first at the Denali Visitor Center just inside the park entrance to orient yourself to Denali. The facility serves as the launching point for many ranger-led programs in the park. Enjoy a meal here or browse the shelves of the bookstore. Buy your tickets for park shuttle buses at the nearby Wilderness Access Center. You'll need to catch a ride to explore Denali past the 15-mile marker of the park access road. A third facility just inside the park boundary, the Murie Science and Learning Center, is the hub for summer educational activities, with displays about the ecology and history of the park.

Touring the Park

• During summer months, passenger vehicles can traverse the first 15 miles of the park road to the Savage River area. This path includes plenty of pullouts that allow travelers to stop and take photos of the mountains and wildlife. The road past the 15-mile marker is covered only in gravel, and traffic is restricted primarily to tour buses. The park's shuttle buses -- buy tickets at the Wilderness Access Center -- allow you to explore the interior of Denali, hopping off and back on at your own pace thanks to several traveling through the park at one time. Carry food and drink with you, because none is available once you leave the wilderness center.

Hiking

• Most of the handful of marked trails center around the visitor center, and many follow the park road or connect the center to other park facilities, including the wilderness center and Riley Creek Campground. The National Park Service deems most hiking opportunities in the easy to moderate range in the relatively flat landscape of Denali, and some are handicapped-accessible. Check with park rangers at the visitor center for trail guides and conditions. Hardy hikers can visit the backcountry for overnight trips, but must get a permit at the visitor center and discuss their itinerary with park rangers before departing.

Camping

• The park and surrounding preserve includes six campgrounds, allowing visitors to stay up to 14 days per year. Only a limited number of these sites will accommodate RVs up to 40 feet in length. Contact concessionaire Doyon/ARAMARK to make reservations, which can be guaranteed as soon as December 1 the year before your trip, at 800-622-7275 or by visiting reservedenali.com. The most visited campground, Riley Creek, has 147 campsites just inside the Denali park entrance, and includes some walk-in, tent-only spots that can be reserved the day of your visit at the wilderness center.

Read More ..... »

New York State Adirondacks Campgrounds

Unlike the neighboring and ancient Appalachians, New York's Adirondacks are a young and growing mountain range, a roughly circular dome that over the past five million years has lifted peaks to more than 5,000 feet. Within the Blue Line -- the official border of the Adirondack Park -- 42 campgrounds provide visitors with a wide array of outdoor opportunities. Although all reside in a beautiful alpine countryside of forest, lakes and streams, a handful merit further attention. Note that firewood restrictions apply in all campgrounds.

Northampton Beach

• Situated on lengthy Sacandaga Lake, Northampton Beach is a large campground of 224 sites set within white pines and mixed hardwoods. Swim at a sand beach from mid-June until Labor Day, use the park's boat launch, or rent canoes or rowboats. The lake is home to many different fish, including walleye, bass, perch and bullheads. Toilets and showers are available, as well as a picnic area and a separate picnic pavilion for rent to groups.

Eighth Lake

• Close to the popular villages of Old Forge and Blue Mountain Lake, where you'll find the Adirondack Museum, Eighth Lake is a magnet for trout anglers and has salmon ponds adjacent to the campground. RVs up to a length of 40 feet can use several of Eighth Lake's 126 sites and its trailer dumping station. Boat rental is available.

Tioga Point

• If roughing it suits your taste, you may wish to visit Tioga Point, on Raquette Lake. Accessible only by boat, this is a primitive campground of 15 lean-to shelters and 10 tent sites, each of which has a picnic table and fireplace. Popular with canoeists and anglers, several species of trout, perch and smelt call Raquette Lake home. Campers are cautioned to treat any lake water.

Rogers Rock

• At the north end of Lake George and just 6 miles south of historic Ticonderoga, Rogers Rock campground is large and and often crowded. Three hundred thirty-two sites accommodate tents and RVs, with restrooms, showers, a dumping station, boat launch and mooring buoys available on one of the Adirondacks' busiest lakes. The park was named for colonial soldier Robert Rogers, commander of Rogers Rangers and popularly fictionalized in Kenneth Roberts' novel "Northwest Passage."

Read More ..... »

Georgia's Antebellum Trail Tour

Georgia’s Antebellum Trail stretches from the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains in Athens through the heart of Georgia to Macon, 100 miles south. A celebration of a region that survived the Civil War relatively unscathed, the trail travels through seven cities in the state’s “Historic Heartland,” but not all of the trail’s attractions focus on the war. Plan on spending at least a few days exploring historic homes, museums and natural areas.

Cities on the Trail

• It’s a short hop between cities along the trail, and each has a visitor center with tourist information, maps and the official Antebellum Trail brochure. Athens, site of the first state-chartered university in the United States, has four historic house museums and the state botanical garden. Classic antebellum architecture graces the Watkinsville Historic District. Madison calls itself the “Town Sherman Refused to Burn” because a resident convinced the Union general to spare the village. Eatonton is home to the Uncle Remus Museum, and Milledgeville was Georgia’s capital during the 19th century. Gray/Old Clinton is laid out like a New England village. The Georgia Music Hall of Fame and the Georgia Sports Hall of Fame are in Macon.

Things to See

• Each city offers so many historic sites, museums and examples of Southern architecture that visitors may do well to focus on an area of interest rather than trying to see them all. In Athens, stop by the Morton Theatre, the oldest surviving vaudeville house in the country built and operated by African-Americans. A covered bridge 4 miles south of Watkinsville was built in 1897. Rock mounds in the shape of birds in Milledgeville were built by Native Americans more than 2,000 years ago. Old Clinton saw heavy action in July 1864 when Confederate troops captured 500-plus Union soldiers. More than 3,000 cherry trees form the backdrop for an annual cherry blossom festival in Macon.

Literary Connections

• Flannery O’Connor, author of “A Good Man is Hard to Find” and other short stories featuring decidedly Southern characters, lived at Andalusia, a 544-acre farm near Milledgeville, until her death in 1964. The farm is open for tours. Joel Chandler Harris, author of the Uncle Remus tales, and Alice Walker, Pulitzer Prize winner for “The Color Purple,” called Eatonton home. The Uncle Remus Museum is housed in two slave cabins, and a driving tour explores places of significance in Walker’s life. Perhaps less well known, Sidney Lanier was a 19th century poet, linguist and musician. His cottage in Macon, a designated Landmark of American Music, is open for tours.

Where to Stay

• Travelers on the Antebellum Trail will find plenty of standard motel accommodations, but if you’re visiting for a taste of the Old South, the Colonels B&B in Athens is housed in an 1860, columned plantation home. Two-bedroom suites in the mansion have private baths with whirlpool tubs. Celebrity chef Hugh Acheson’s 5 & 10 restaurant is a short drive away. The Victorian-era Ashford Manor overlooks Watkinsville’s Main Street. Built in 1893, the bed-and-breakfast has themed rooms like the White Room, furnished with a four-poster bed, or the Safari Room, with a private entrance and clawfoot tub.

Read More ..... »

Tourist Attractions in St. Charles, Missouri

The "Old Town" area of historic St. Charles, Missouri, with its red-brick buildings, old-style lamp posts and restored homes and businesses that date back to the 19th century, transport visitors back to another time. This suburb of St. Louis was once a city in its own right. Among other things, St. Charles was the starting point for the Lewis and Clark expedition of 1804. The city was also Missouri's first state capital. Today, it is home to a variety of tourist attractions, from historically significant buildings to modern festivals.

General Entertainment

• The Family Arena's 50,000 square foot venue has something for just about everyone. The arena puts on a variety of events throughout the year, including trade shows, concerts, circuses and high school and college level sports tournaments. It is also home to the St. Charles Chill, the area's very own minor league hockey team, and an arena football team called the Missouri Monsters.

  For those in search of something a bit more low-key, the Ameristar Casino Resort Spa St. Charles offers a variety of options, such as luxury accommodations as well as a full service day spa open to the general public. Ara Spa offers manicures, pedicures, deep tissue massages and access to an indoor/outdoor pool. If gambling is your thing, visit the huge casino floor with 24-hour slot machines and gaming tables of every type. Seven gourmet restaurants, each with a distinct style and flavor, and live entertainment venues round out the resort's entertainment options.

Historic Sites

• Visit the Lewis and Clark Boat House and Nature Center for a look at dioramas and art work that tell the story of the famous expedition that opened the American West. The exhibits, including a full-scale replica of the boat used by the adventurers, explain what life was like along the Missouri River and some of the dangers the expedition faced as it continued its journey westward. A trip to the First Missouri State Capitol State Historic Site, located in the heart of St. Charles, lets you explore the two-story building which served as the temporary state capitol from 1821 to 1826. The site is comprised of 11 rooms, an early 19th-century general store and a visitors center with exhibits covering the time period.

Summer Festivals

• Every 4th of July, St. Charles lets loose during Riverfest. This one-day festival takes place on the banks of the Missouri River at Frontier Park. The celebration begins with a parade followed by live music and food in the park until the evening fireworks show over the river finishes things off.

  In mid-August, residents welcome the annual Festival of the Little Hills. This three-day event, centered around Main Street and Frontier Park, celebrates the anniversary of Missouri's statehood. It draws nearly 400 craft vendors from across 30 states, who come to sell pottery, jewelry and wood crafts. Visitors can enjoy blues, jazz and other live musical performances.

Winter and Fall Celebrations

• A fall visit to St. Charles may have you wondering if you somehow landed in Germany. The annual Oktoberfest treats residents to a host of beer gardens scattered throughout town. Besides the beer, the Main Street parade, 5K run, wiener dog race, costume contest and antique car show are the main highlights during this three-day affair in late September.

  Every winter, the Old Town area is transformed with an eclectic collection of holiday traditions from around the world, including Victorian carolers, Santas from around the world and the re-enactment of Mary and Joseph's difficulties in finding lodging during the days leading up to the birth of Jesus. This last event is known as Las Posadas because of its Spanish origins. More than 30 different characters dressed in period-specific costumes help residents celebrate the holidays from the day after Thanksgiving until Christmas Eve.

Read More ..... »

Nickelodeon Amusement Park in Florida

Nickelodeon, a cable network with a variety of programming primarily aimed at children, does not have a stand-alone amusement park in Florida, though it used to have a presence in one of the Sunshine State's biggest theme parks. Nickelodeon Studios was a former attraction inside Universal Orlando Resort that provided guest tours and filmed some of the network's live shows from 1990 to 2004 before closing in 2005. However, visitors to Orlando still can experience Nickelodeon-themed characters, accommodations and attractions at Nickelodeon Suites Resort, the network's only themed hotel.

About the Resort

• Nickelodeon Suites Resort lies within a short drive of Orlando's three major theme parks and in many ways is like an amusement park itself, with two interactive water parks and a variety of other activities tailored to children. The resort has 777 suites and is less than 5 miles from Walt Disney World Resort, less than 7 miles from SeaWorld and about 10 miles from Universal Orlando Resort. Nickelodeon Suites Resort provides accommodation packages with reduced prices for Florida residents, as well as packages that include admission to SeaWorld, Universal Orlando and Legoland Florida in Winter Haven, less than 35 miles away.

Water Parks

• Perhaps the primary attractions at Nickelodeon Suites are the resort's two water parks. The Lagoon Pool, set in a large courtyard, includes a heated pool with zero-depth entry, a four-story interactive water tower with seven slides and flumes, climbing nets, water jets and a 400-gallon dump tank that sends water and even the network's famed green slime over guests who are brave enough. Poolside attractions include the Lagoon Grill & Bar, rental cabanas, two large whirlpools, miniature golf and basketball courts. The smaller Oasis Pool area, on the resort's west end, includes an Olympic-style swimming pool with slides and flumes, a splash zone for preschoolers, a children's play area, snack bar and rental cabanas.

Other Attractions

• The water parks aren't Nickelodeon Suites' only attractions. The resort also is home to a 4-D Experience movie theater, arcade, children's spa and Studio Nick, home to "Double Dare Live," a twist on the network's former game show. The resort's mall area also includes the Nicktoons Cafe, a food court, convenience store and souvenir shop. Nicktoons Cafe has a daily character breakfast where guests can meet and get autographs from SpongeBob SquarePants and other characters from the Nickelodeon show, and other network characters also make appearances at the resort, including Dora the Explorer and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. Nick After Dark is a supervised program that provides nightly activities for children ages 5 to 12, allowing parents to enjoy an evening out.

Accommodations

• Nickelodeon Suites Resorts has accommodations that range from one to three bedrooms in size and include high-speed Internet, dining areas and full kitchens or kitchenettes. The options include a one-bedroom family suite and two- and three-bedroom KidSuites that include master bedrooms and semi-private children's bedrooms decorated with Nickelodeon themes and characters such as SpongeBob and Dora. Three-bedroom suites include two master bedrooms, two baths, a full kitchen and a large family area.

Read More ..... »

Camping Near Ka Lae, Hawaii

One of the main attractions at Ka Lae is Hawaii's only green sand beach, Papakolea, which is tinted by olivine crystal that falls from an eroding cinder cone. Also known as South Point, Ka Lae is the southernmost point of land in the United States. It is here in the Kau District where the first Hawaiians landed: Polynesian explorers who, navigating by the stars, paddled their double-hulled canoes thousands of miles before discovering the Hawaiian Islands in the middle of the Pacific. At South Point, home to Hawaiian temples and the island's first fishing villages, ancient canoe moorings juxtapose with remote-control boats that today’s fishermen use to cast lines in the face of rough seas and winds. Camping nearby lets you spend more than a day experiencing this sacred and interesting place.

Honuapo

• Fall asleep to the sounds of the surf at Whittington Beach Park, less than 10 minutes from Ka Lae. Morning almost always brings sunshine, with a beautiful view of Honuapo Bay. The quality of light at Honuapo deeply saturates the coastline's colors, from its tropical flowers to blue water crashing on black rocks. Dirt roads lead to viewing points and large ponds. The Hawaii County campground provides fire pits, grills, shelters and restrooms. Unfortunately, as with many coastal campgrounds in Hawaii, theft is not uncommon, so don't leave belongings unattended. The park's history is of special significance to the local community and Native Hawaiians, and the estuaries and coast protect and provide habitat to many native and endangered flora and fauna. The ocean is too rough for swimming here, but many of the ponds are large enough to swim in.

Punaluu

• When visitors speak of “the black sand beach,” you can bet they mean Punaluu Beach Park in Puna District. Most beaches on this windward side of Hawaii Island have gray to black sand -- a mixture of glassy, jet-black lava rock and eroded coral and shells -- but Punaluu's high content of lava rock makes the sands shimmer, contrasting with vivid blue water and green palms. Punaluu is kissed with more sunshine than most windward beaches, and its main beach is one of Hawaii's few nesting grounds for the endangered hawksbill turtle. The campground, about 30 minutes from South Point, perches on a lawn overlooking the main beach and the first of a series of coves children and green sea turtles often share. You can pitch your tent on an open lawn adjacent to the restrooms. School days are quietest at this popular campground.

Hookena

• Kayaking and spinner dolphins headline at Hookena Beach Park in South Kona District. Concessionaires at Camp Hookena rent a variety of kayaks, as well as snorkeling and camping gear. When the water's calm, paddle in a peekaboo kayak or snorkel over the reef to see turtles and colorful fish. Spinner dolphins are seen early in the morning before they retire after a busy night fishing. Bring binoculars to enjoy the dolphins from a distance. As with most Hawaii beach campgrounds, tents are pitched in an open area. Hookena has restrooms, outdoor showers, campfire rings and picnic tables. Friends of Hookena manages the Hawaii County beach, which is about a 40-minute drive from Ka Lae.

Volcanoes National Park

• The most peaceful campground near Ka Lae rests at Kilauea's summit in Hawaii Volcanoes National Park. Fragrant eucalyptus trees shade Namakanipaio Campground, where you can pitch your tent on the open lawn or rent a camper cabin and have access to hot showers. The temperate rain forest, averaging 60 to 70 degrees Fahrenheit in the daytime, offers respite from hot and arid Ka Lae. At night, under a starry sky, enjoy your outdoor fireplace when temperatures plummet to the 40s and sometimes lower. Kilauea, one of the world's most active volcanoes, sends rivulets of lava toward the sea, not the campground. Halemaumau, though, glows at night, and you can get a closer look from Thomas Jaggar Museum. The museum in the park has a mural depicting the early Hawaiians landing at South Point. Namakanaipaio Campground is in northern Kau, about one hour from Ka Lae.

Read More ..... »

Campgrounds Near Riverside, California

Riverside, one of California’s largest cities, allows your visit to blend cultural attractions with the soothing nature of gardens and surrounding mountains and hills. The city’s elaborate architecture hearkens back to the turn of the 20th century, when citrus was king in Southern California and Riverside was its throne. The Mission Inn, a Spanish-revival hotel turned museum, is the city’s crown jewel, while the California Citrus State Historic Park preserves a slice of its orange grove days. The Riverside Art Museum shares an architect, Julia Morgan, with Central California’s Hearst Castle; technology museums include the UCR/California Museum of Photography. With mild winters and hot summers, visitors and residents alike enjoy camping year-round.

Urban Camping

• About 10 minutes from downtown Riverside, Rancho Jurupa Regional Park offers outdoor fun for all, including a rock-climbing playground, aquatic zero-depth playground, disc and miniature golf courses and two fishing lakes -- anglers 16 years of age and older need a California fishing license. Hiking and mountain biking trails crisscross the 200-acre park, and it’s a 1-mile walk to the Louis Robidoux Nature Center. Cottonwoods and waterfalls add to the relaxing beauty of the park. Outdoorsy types enjoy Lakeview Campground and its campfire rings; Cottonwood Campground provides RV campers with full hookups, WiFi, cable and other conveniences.

Nearest Lake Campground

• About 20 minutes from Riverside, a 2,000-acre reservoir awaits. Lake Perris Recreational Area has two swimming beaches -- one also used by scuba divers. You'll find trails for hikers, mountain bikers and equestrians; a big rock with several climbing routes; boating; and fishing -- rainbow trout, Alabama spotted bass and catfish are on the main menu. A California fishing license is required of anglers 16 and over. The Ya'i Heki' Regional Indian Museum shares the area’s past. The campground includes 264 RV 30-by-30-foot sites with full hookups, 167 tent sites and a campfire ring at each site. Water, restrooms, showers, a first aid station and accessible restrooms, boat dock and campsites are on hand. Lake Perris’ campsites are booked months ahead for holidays and summer weekends.

Alpine

• Drive about 75 minutes north of Riverside to the San Bernardino Mountains, where Big Bear Lake awaits. Tents and RVs up to 55 feet are accommodated at Serrano Campground, which sits on the alpine lake's quieter north shore but within a few minutes of the south shore's marina. Motor boating, paddling, fishing -- with a California fishing license -- and swimming are among the activities at Big Bear, as well as hiking and horseback riding. Inland Empire Fodor’s Choice Sights gives a nod to the Big Bear Discovery Center, which sits about a mile from the campground. Open March through December, Serrano has 92 campsites with fire rings. A camp host, drinking water, showers, full hookups and a dump station make it a nice family campground for tent and RV campers. Leashed pets are welcome.

More Lake Campgrounds

• Frank G. Bonelli and Yucapia regional parks are open year-round and within about 30 minutes of Riverside. Bonelli, with its Puddingstone Reservoir, has seasonal swimming and year-round boating, fishing, hiking and mountain biking. Concessionaires rent boats, provide horse tours, manage a hot tub resort on the hill and run the year-round campground with 517 RV sites and 25 wilderness tent sites. Perks include campfire rings, a pool, showers, restrooms and 24-hour ranger service. The seasonal water park, Raging Waters, provides thrills next to the lake. L.A. Fair vendors book for September a year in advance. Yucaipa’s lakes have a seasonal swimming beach with water slides and year-round boating and fishing. Hiking trails honeycomb the hillsides. You can reserve one of nine tent sites and 42 full hookup RV sites, all with campfire rings. Restrooms and hot showers are among the conveniences.

Considerations

• Check the campground’s website for special events that might mean reserving early or choosing a different campground. Prepare for the wilderness, even the urban wilderness, by storing food securely. Coyotes, bears and rattlesnakes are among the critters that might share the campground with you, so also check the website for safety tips.

Read More ..... »