EIGHT WAYS TO ENJOY CALIFORNIA CAMPING.

Byline: Tom Stienstra San Francisco Examiner 

Nothing could be better than sharing a crackling campfire, a trout so fresh it curls in the frying pan and a view of shooting stars arcing across the Northern California night sky.

That's part of what makes camping so beloved, especially when combined with a favorite activity, such as hiking, boating, fishing or backpacking.

And there is no better place to do it, with more variety, than California.

There are some 1,600 campgrounds that can be reached by car in California, and hundreds more reached by short walks. This summer, campers will flock to them like never before. Advance reservations for campsites are the highest in state history, with 85 percent of the 125 campgrounds at state parks already booked solid for the summer.

If you're not among the reservation-holders, don't panic. There are still hundreds of stellar available destinations waiting to be savored. The U.S. Forest Service alone has more than 800 campgrounds.

In the past two years, I have visited a lot of the campgrounds in the state. What follows are my ratings for the best of the best:

Best on the coast Andrew Molera State Park Walk-In, Big Sur. Off Highway 1, 21 miles south of Carmel. $6 per night per person; $1 pet fee. No reservations accepted. Information: [phone] or [phone].

Surfwood Walk-In, MacKerricher State Park. Off Highway 1, three miles north of Fort Bragg. $15 to $17 per night plus $6.75 reservation fee. Reservations: [phone]. Information: [phone] or [phone].

Best for hiking Tuolumne Meadows, Yosemite National Park. Off Highway 120 about 46 miles east of Crane Flat. $12 per night for family sites; $35 for group sites; $3 for walk-in sites. Reservations: [phone]. Information: [phone].

Big Basin Redwoods State Park, Santa Cruz Mountains. Located on Highway 236, nine miles west of Boulder Creek. $17 to $19 per night, plus $6.75 reservation fee. Reservations: [phone]. Information: [phone].

Prettiest lakeside camps Mary Smith Campground, Lewiston Lake. About 2.5 miles north of the town of Lewiston on County Road 105, below Trinity Dam northwest of Redding. $8 per night. No reservations accepted. Information: [phone].

Emerald Bay State Park, Lake Tahoe. On Highway 89, eight miles north of Highway 50. $12 to $14 per night, plus $6.75 reservation fee. Reservations: [phone]. Information: [phone], [phone] or [phone].

Best camps on streams Agnew Meadows, San Joaquin River, Inyo National Forest. West of the Mammoth Lakes Ski Area, at Devils Postpile National Monument. $8 per night. No reservations accepted. Information: [phone].

Ah-Di-Na, McCloud River, Shasta-Trinity National Forest. On Lake McCloud, near Mount Shasta. $5 per night. No reservations accepted. Information: [phone].

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Photo: There's plenty of summer left - and plenty of time t o enjoy camping in Northern California.