Question to those that have been to Cali before, what is considered the most scenic area? I'm trying to do some reseach on the different areas to visit, having a hard time trying to figure out the one place that would be worth the trip (by car). I'm going to be traveling from Seattle, note its with my parents (please keep strip clubs and gay bars out of this.....TIA). Only have 3 days to complete this journey. Some places I've seen listed that seemed interesting: http://www.worldtravelguide.net/country/47/top_things_to_see/North-America/California.html Yosemite National Park:which contains the world's best-known glacier-carved valley, spectacular waterfalls, granite monoliths and the Mariposa Grove of Giant Sequoias Kings Canyon Scenic Byway: famed for their forests of giant sequoia trees, see the 2,500-year-old General Sherman Tree Giant Forest, the largest tree in the world (by volume) with a circumference of 31m (103ft). Kings Canyon is the deepest canyon in the USA. Death Valley National Park:the hottest and lowest place in the continental United States at 86m (282 ft) below sea level. San Simeon State Park: Which one of the above will you consider worth it, if you have any other suggestions please advise.
I'm a Cali rookie and I've only been to NorCal once for a weekend, but if you are coming from Seattle I think all those you listed above would suit your needs for outdoors and family friendly... San Simeon and Death Valley might be too far South to complete your journey, IMO.
Death Valley is really lame. I went there in August a few years ago and was hoping to feel 120 degree heat or something but it was only like 108. If you're up north, the Redwoods are a must, as well as Yosemite. Those would be my top 2 stops. Highway 1 from San Fran down through Big Sur is an incredible drive.
Is there one place that stands out from the rest as a must see? Time constraints won't allow for parkhopping.
When are you going? Yosemite is only accessible by 4WD during the winter, and large parts of the park are closed off altogether. The Sequoia trees are good. Death Valley is out of the way, and a waste of time. I would suggest Lake Tahoe if you have the time.
Death Valley is just a big stretch of ugly desert and its really hot. Plus you'll be around Fresno and Bakersfield. The armpits of California. Rule of Thumb in California... never stray more than 30-40 miles from the Coastline, unless you're up in NoCal.
If you're travelling from Seattle by car and only have three days -- might want to stick to the Oregon Coast unless you reeeaalllly like I-5.
Its nice, as long as you don't mind trudging through highway 1 and all the inner-city traffic involved with that. I took my wife to Pismo back in January. its not nearly as nice as the Big Sur drive though.
Actually near death valley is Mojave. There are amazing sand dunes there. It is well worth the trip. I wouldn't put it above Yosemite. The General Sherman Redwood stuff is great. But you may not need to spend more than one day exploring the area. I would say Yosemite is the best because of the many different hikes, falls, camping, and wildlife. It may also be the most crowded.
Yosemite and Lake Tahoe are a must. Save yourself from Death Valley and just visit Vegas. They're both brown and desolate. Unless you are able to catch Death Valley area in bloom.
If you want scenic and you're coming from Seattle...you can't go wrong with heading north to Vancouver, BC.
I'd agree with this. Especially if you're looking for the most "bang" out of a scenic area. If you're looking for really awesome scenic area but not quite as majestic and less crowded, you probably don't need to venture as far south as Yosemite, even. Doesn't sound like you have a lot of time. If you had enough time, you could stop in Yosemite for a day and a half or two, then head over to the Bay Area to get some urban culture and enjoy San Fran for a day, then drive back up north stopping to see some of the Redwoods there (Muir Woods, for example). That said, if California isn't a given, you could take the other suggestions and go to Vancouver/Vancouver Island or stick to the Pacific Northwest Coastal areas.
My parents have already done the coastal trip with my brother so I don't think they'd want to do that again (should have stated this at the top, also what's the big deal with Redwood?).... They loved it by the way, we are renting a SUV so we want to go to an area with peaks and valleys. Yosemite on google satellite seemed amazing, FranchiseBlade Mojave with the sand dunes won't do it for us, I've lived in the middle east/north africa long enough, I've seen brown, I prefer green. BTW I'm Canadian, I'm going to the West Coast of USA/Canada for the first time, visiting Vancouver is going to happen regarless of this trip.
i didn't realize it became so commercial now......i was thinking back in the day when i used to go....the reason i always preferred it over big sur was the more consistent sunny weather not to mention sandy beaches.......that big sur fog was always depressing to me.... for still quiet but scenic places then, i would say mendocino and lake siskiyou...
