Setting up camp at California’s Trippet Ranch

Basics: Camping at Trippet Ranch in Topanga State Park is restricted to eight hike-in sites that accommodate a maximum of 40. Access is easy from the parking lot on a good trail. There are flush toilets and year-round drinking water. Make sure to reach the campsite early enough to set up before dark and carry in all your provisions. Fires and pets are not permitted; cooking on propane stoves is OK. Reservations are not required; sites are assigned on a first-come, first-served basis. Cost is $3 per person per night, $5 per vehicle per night ($1 more on weekends). Pay at the information booth at the entrance of the parking lot from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. weekdays; self-registration and self-pay on weekends. You can pitch a tent anywhere within the split-rail-fence area. (No RVs allowed. No overnight sleeping in the parking lot, which closes at sunset.)

Drive time: The park is 35 miles north of downtown L.A. Take U.S. 101 to Topanga Canyon Boulevard south. Proceed about 11 miles to Entrada Road. (You can also get to Entrada by driving north on Pacific Coast Highway and turning right on Topanga Canyon Boulevard.) From Topanga Canyon Boulevard, look for a sign indicating the turnoff for the park onto Entrada. You’ll see a parking lot after 100 yards; continue past it until you see the park’s entrance.

To learn more: California State Parks, (310) 455-2465, www.parks.ca.gov