dirtbag camping in monterey or salinas

Does anyone know of some good places to camp in Monterey or Salinas? Ideally something quiet and out of the way. Or is this impossible in Monterey...especially during Memorial Day weekend?

Cheers,
Kyle

Nacimiento Rd. Hike a mile in any direction. BLM land. It will be busy where you park. Further south then you want as well

Go hike out to the Ford Ord National Monument. Over 80 miles of trails to go "get lost" on. You don't have to go very far to find a good camp site off trail. Just keep low profile, leave no trace, and be careful with a fire if you have one, keep it small and contained. Everyone out there is friendly and minds their own business. There are plenty entry points. Take your pick and find a prime site. I wouldn't recommend Toro Park in Salinas, but Badger Hills across the highway would be decent. The best place would be to hike out from one of the seaside or marina, CSUMB trailheads. I think the one off Garrison is very good, along with some options off General Jim Moore. Oh! Plenty of good spots in the Del Monte Forest too! Just walk into Pebble Beach through the forest, there is a trail head near Pacific Grove High School. Just hike cross country and you will find many beautiful sites. You may even find some old forts and camps local kids have been building since the dawn of time. Garland Park if you're in Carmel Valley is awesome too, it's very secluded over by Garzas Creek and Cougar Ridge. The cougars don't bite too hard :P

JoeGaribay wrote:Nacimiento Rd. Hike a mile in any direction. BLM land. It will be busy where you park. Further south then you want as well

Nacimiento is a couple hour drive South from Monterey and Salinas. But if you get to Big Sur, you might as well be in the Big Rock Candy Mountains! It's a dirtbag/hobo paradise!!!