California's Abandoned Military Fort Is Now An Underrated State Park With Group Camping

Often overlooked in favor of the more famous national parks, America's state parks offer equally fantastic outdoor experiences, usually with fewer crowds. These smaller preserves might not have the name recognition of spots like Yellowstone, or the dramatic magnificence of the Grand Canyon, but they are just as delightful to explore. From the free-roaming bison herds and dramatic granite spires of Custer State Park, one of the most beautiful places in America's Parks system, to the otherworldly sandstone formations of the Valley of Fire State Park, there's plenty of excitement to be found at the smaller end of the scale.

Many of America's state parks also boast interesting, unusual, and even eccentric locations. For example, the maze of sandstone canyons in Devil's Den State Park has been a hiding place for outlaws for centuries and is also a haven for UFO spotters. Old Town San Diego State Park is one of the best places on the West Coast for history buffs, a living museum filled with historic buildings and traditional crafts. Saint Edward State Park is on the site of a former Catholic seminary! And one of the country's most interesting state parks sits at the heart of the history of Western expansion and American frontier life: Fort Tejon State Historic Park in California, a former Civil War-era army fort that now features a group campground. 

Fort Tejon State Park lies just off I-5, around 75 miles northwest of Los Angeles. It is about a 45-minute drive south from Bakersfield and an hour by car from Lancaster. The nearest airport to the park is Meadows Field Airport (BFL) in Bakersfield, which offers limited domestic routes, while Hollywood Burbank Airport (BUR), just over an hour to the south, offers a much wider selection of flights. International arrivals will opt for Los Angeles International Airport (LAX), which can be reached in under two hours.

Fort Tejon State Park is located on the site of Fort Tejon, a former U.S. Army frontier fort on the pioneer route between the Central Valley and Southern California. It was an active Army fort from 1854, at the end of the California Gold Rush, to 1864, and largely functioned to prevent cattle rustling and offer protection for the new wave of settlers from local Native American tribes, as well as Hispanic Californian residents from before the area's annexation by the U.S.

While many state parks are all about exploring the natural world, at Fort Tejon, the focus is on the past. The old fortifications have been reimagined as a place of living history, where visitors can immerse themselves in a crucial period in the formation of the United States and discover what life was like on the sharp end of the Western Frontier. The park features restored buildings from the original fort for visitors to explore, as well as exhibitions on what life was like for the soldiers stationed here and the residents of the area. Once a month, the park comes alive with the sights and sounds of the past, as costumed reenactors play out a day in the life of the fort, with food, crafts, and military drills.

Another wonderful way for visitors to step back in time at Fort Tejon State Park is by camping at the site. The park offers group camping for 50-75 people, with picnic tables, restrooms, fire pits, and drinking water. It is a rustic yet delightful experience, allowing campers to get a more complete glimpse of what life might have been like for the soldiers who originally garrisoned the fort.

While the main event of Fort Tejon State Park might not be focused on the great outdoors, it is still an excellent spot for nature lovers. The park is home to a number of beautiful 300-year-old Valley Oak trees, one of the largest and most impressive oak trees endemic to California. There's a charming brook that runs through the park and offers welcome refreshment for native species from the heat of the infamous Grapevine Canyon. Deer, squirrels, bobcats, and opossums are all often spotted in the park, while California condors are also occasional visitors.

For anyone who wants a little more backcountry to explore, the gorgeous expanse of Pine Mountain Club is just a short drive away. Surrounded by the Los Padres National Forest, one of California's best camping spots, this gorgeous area boasts 3,000 acres of private woodland at the base of Mount Pinos, Sawmill Mountain, and San Emigdio Mountain. It is a lovely place to disconnect and enjoy wide-open skies and fresh air, with a wide variety of outdoor recreation opportunities to take advantage of.