California trip advice for a visiting Euro

[irbis]

My better half and I are coming to the California for two weeks (first two weeks of June). We are flying in and out of San Francisco and we'll have a car throughout the whole period.

We would ideally like to spend a few days in San Francisco and then as much as we can in the nature. Missus is not really keen on living out of a backpack and a tent so ideally we'd go places from where we could drive to day hikes, go canoeing, horse riding, etc. I may be able to go out on my own for a day and a night if there is a chance to ski something nice in the backcountry.

Trouble is that there seems to be an infinite list of very appealing places: Yosemite, Kings Canyon, Lake Tahoe, Sequoia National Park, etc. etc.

So I am looking for some advice from you lot, as follows: if you were to choose three places to go, bearing in mind all the above and trying to spend as little time as possible in endless traffic jams surrounded by families with screaming children, where would you go? Open to any suggestions as long as we can drive there from San Fran, link them and then be back in two weeks. One or two longer days driving are ok, but I wouldn't want to drive for eight hours every day.

Thanks in advance.

[Timberridge]

I would wait and see what is on fire at the time.

[irul&ublo]

Tahoe is 4-5 hours from SF, if traffic is not horrible and depending on where you go. Lots of stuff there. From Tahoe, you can get to Yosemite pretty easy, assuming Tioga Pass is open.

You might also think of a coast trip south through Santa Cruz, Monterey, Carmel, Big Sur and further down through San Luis Obispo County to Santa Barbara.

[snapt]

I would wait and see what is on fire at the time.

Sadly this is probably solid advice.

North Coast can be fun and a little less crowded, Lassen/Shasta has nice day hiking and potential for some snow left by then. Yosemite would be hard to pass up being so close.

[PNWbrit]

You might also think of a coast trip south through Santa Cruz, Monterey, Carmel, Big Sur and further down through San Luis Obispo County to Santa Barbara.

^ This. One of the world's great drives.

[Coño Frío]

The Perfect 2 Week Itinerary

1) SFO to Calaveras Big Trees State Park (Giant Sequoia Redwoods less crowds than SNP) - less than 3 hrs
2) Big Trees to Kennedy Meadows Resort (beautiful spot up Hwy 108 with terrific (hourly or multi-day) horseback riding - just over 2 hrs
3) Kennedy Meadows to Levitt Lake (beautiful high country lake, potential to ski in June, if it ever snows again in CA) - half hour
4) Levitt to Mono Lake (to see where LA steals its H20 from) - just over an hour
5) Mono Lake to Tuolumne Meadows in Yosemite over Tioga Pass (beautiful part of the park, much less traveled) - about an hour
6) Tuolumne Meadows to Yosemite Valley (crowded but incredible) -1.5 hrs
7) Yosemite to San Luis Obispo (thru Fresno-raisin capital of the world-, Paso Robles-excellent Zinfandels, to the coast) - 4hours 45 mins - long, but make stops
8) SLO to Big Sur (incredible drive up the coast along nations most scenic highway) 2.5 hrs
9) Big Sur to Carmel/Monterey (Golf, wine, seafood) - less than an hour
10) Carmel to Half Moon Bay (Fog) - just under 2 hours
11) Half Moon Bay to Napa (Wine, food, more wine) - just under 2 hours
12) Napa to Oakland (Urban adventure) - about an hour
13) Oakland to UCSF Medical Center (trauma/intensive care) - just over 1/2 hour
14) UCSF Recovery Room to SFO - under 1/2 an hour

[Timberridge]

^^^That only adds up to 24 hrs, what are they going to do the rest of the time?

[Coño Frío]

^^^That only adds up to 24 hrs, what are they going to do the rest of the time?

Get a faux med ID card in the Haight, buy some weed, and hang out in Golden Gate park. duh.

[AKbruin]

Good advice above. Here's mine:

*Definitely hit some redwood forests at some point--there are loads of options within an hour's drive of SF.

*The Big Sur drive along Highway 1 (Carmel to San Simeon) is a definite crowd pleaser. Maybe spend the night somewhere cool like Treebones along the way?

*Warning: California beaches north of Santa Barbara can be surprisingly cold. (This always seems to surprise visitors.)

*The drive down 395 from Yosemite (via 120) to Lone Pine, IMO, rivals Highway 1 in terms of scenery. There are also a ton of hiking, climbing, and hot springs options along the way. This is a good route to link a visit to a more southern destination like Death Valley, Joshua Tree, or Los Angeles, should you feel so inclined. (The first two will be pretty damned hot in June.)

*The Sonoma area might be a good staging spot for you. There are loads of cool things within a shortish drive, including redwood forests, beaches, river fun, spas, excellent restaurants, great breweries, and wife-pleasing vineyards.

*Tahoe is very nice, but I can't really give an objective opinion as to whether you should visit or not. There is great hiking, biking, paddleboarding, and general outdoorsy options. The lodging and amenities, however, aren't that impressive. But I don't think many people come to Tahoe and leave disappointed.

*Fire season tends to run from August through mid-Fall. But it's been so dry that anything is possible.

[powdork]

Kennedy Meadows to Levitt Lake (beautiful high country lake, potential to ski in June, if it ever snows again in CA) - half hour

It's more than 1/2 hour to get from Kennedy Meadows to the road that goes to Leavitt Lake. Then it's an hour+ on a Forest Service road that requires high clearance 4wd to get to the lake itself. You can find skiing right from Sonora Pass however.

[BS720]

Cono, why would you go to UCSF from Oakland? They don't have trauma services.

OP, search function. This subject has been beat to death in the last few years. The only thing I suggest is...

http://californiacampers.com/rates/

[Coño Frío]

Good catch! SF General instead. You may have saved a life today!

[BS720]

Good catch! SF General instead. You may have saved a life today!

If you get stabbed in Oakland, you are going to Highland. And that very well may save a life(insert stairwell joke).

[old goat]

Compared to the Alps the mountains of California are nothing special. Tahoe is beautiful but not worth traveling a third of the way around the world to see. IMO the must--see part of California is the north coast and redwoods, which are very close to one another. Drive up Highway 1 until it joins 101 and then turn back south on 101, leaving the highway to drive on the Avenue of the Giants through the redwoods. Lots of small hotels and motels along the way. My favorite stop on the north coast is Salt Point State Park, specifically Stump Beach--easy to miss--and the bluffs south from the beach, with their weird rock formations and tide pools. Hike in the redwoods for a day or two. Also on the north coast is the town of Ft Bragg, not to be confused with Ft Bragg, north carolina, which is a marine base. Ft Bragg has some very interesting crafts, especially woodworking--there is a famous woodworking school there. How many days you spend on this road trip is up to you. If you have time left after that and SF a trip to Yosemite Valley is definitely worth a visit. Since you're landing in SF and only have two weeks I'd stay in Northern California and save Central and Southern for another visit. It's a big state. Try to do a trip like Cono Frio suggests and you'll exhaust yourself and will be scrambling so much you won't actually be able to enjoy any of the places you visit. OTOH if the point of your trip is to get selfies at a lot of famous places then do it his way.

One thing to consider is whether you want a car in SF. If you stay in the Union Square neighborhood a lot of the sights are within walking distance, and parking is expensive and some places scarce. OTOH there are places worth seeing like Golden Gate Park which are farther away, and public transportation in SF is not as good as in Europe.

[hutash]

Don't try to do too much in a relatively short period of time...don't your euros take a month off, minimum?

After a few days in SF, head south along Highway 1. A day in and around Monterrey is an option. Renting kayaks and paddling around the bay or Elkhorn slough is nice. Drive Big Sur, there are campgrounds, but summer reservations are had to get. Lots of motels and B&B's. A night in Moro Bay is good, can also paddle there. Side trip to Paso Robles wine region if you want. Head as far south as Santa Barbara, also the Santa Ynes wine region if you like wine. Cross over to the east side of the Sierra. There are a lot of ways of doing it (if you need a place to stay in Ventura, let me know). Head north and enjoy the eastsde. Besides Big Sur it is the other world class drive in California. Stay in Mammoth, hike, climb, MTB, ski(BC, the resort will likely be melted out unless we get a lot of late season snow) fish, etc. From there you can visit Mono Lake of Toulumne Meadows, or head over to Yosemite Valley, a must see place. Way too crowded in summer, but still spectacular. With a little effort you can get away from the crowds. Visit one of the "Big Trees" in the park so you can compare them to the other redwoods, the coastal redwoods. You can then hit Tahoe if you wish, but I am never that excited about Tahoe, especially if you spend some time in Yosemite. You can hit Napa Valley for more wine tasting, the best, most famous California region, but also the most crowded.

There are many, many more places to go, but the above is the most spectacular. Kings Canyon and Sequoia are nice, but not where I would spend time on a short trip. There are some nice areas in northern California, but again time is the issue. San Diego has a lot too offer, but adds too much driving. The deserts are great, but hot that time of year, but that doesn't stop the euros. Death Valley is a good side trip if you don't mind the heat. Of course there is a lot more options, so if you are looking for something specific let me/us know. You mentioned paddling, and there are some options, but flows will be an issue this year in some places.

[hutash]

If you really want to ski something, the most reliable option would be Shasta in northern CA. We will likely have east side options, but with the snow pack the last three seasons, who knows, even in June (there should be options, but they might not be that good.)

I forgot you mention horseback options. I know little, but you can go on group rides in Yosemite. There are lots of stables on the east side that do rides, plus private stables throughout California like around Monterrey or Solvang/Santa Ynez.

[4matic]

With the drought I'd head north. Redwoods, Smith River, Southern Oregon Coast, Crater Lake, Shasta, Lassen, Tahoe, Yosemite, back to frisco. It's a bit more driving but worth it imo. Yosemite Falls could be dry by then the way it's going

[Tri-Ungulate]

Cono's itinerary is kewl, but pretty ambitious for a couple of weeks. California is a big state, even with a car, might as well enjoy not just the sights but the journey as well. If it's nature, I agree with most that the coast North vs South is key, (my bias is North to OR border or even into OR) along with coastal redwoods. Yosemite is also something you might not see anywhere else, and worth a visit if you can.

Only warning is that Highway 1 will be a shitshow of slow-moving RV's that time of year. And Yosemite will be crowded as well. Unfortunately.

[SkiBall]

Instead of going to the trauma center, I would go to north to Napa/Lassen/Shasta/Mendecino. But otherwise Cono had a solid list if you take Mono off.

[gatorboy]

Alcatraz. Do the headphone tour.
Pebble Beach CC. Send her to the spa....you play the par 3 course (cheap, unlimited holes, and NOBODY plays it).

[BFD]

I am on vacation in Coranado now. Euros seem to love this place. Must feel safe with all the military presence.

[GShep]

north coast is the best bet

[Tippster]

Is there any reason ot to head North first, hit Mendecino (Boonville) wineries and beers along with Redwoods, etc., then work your way South through Sonoma, Tahoe, Back side of Sierras to Mono Lake, etc, then across somewhere (the seasonal roads should be open, there's no fucking snow) and hit [Kings Canyon, Yosemite, Sequoia, whatever] then over to Monterrey and back to SF?

Fuck Napa. Plenty of great wine options in Cali without going to GrapeDisney.

[bodywhomper]

desert. drive 395, drive hwy 1

[The AD]

I'm sure Yosemite Valley will be crowded as hell, but it is an absolute must see. I've never seen anything else like it.