California National Parks Trip

[mekkerlc]

Bringing this back to life!

All reservations are set, with the exception of Joshua Tree NP -- although I made all reservations with some flexibility to adjust a day or so. I would like to release what I won't be using soon.

• Lake Tahoe (Meeks Bay...2-nights, 1-full day)
• Yosemite NP (Yosemite Lakes RV Park...3-nights, 2-full days)
• Kings Canyon & Sequoia (Sequoia RV Park...4-nights, 3-full days)
• Monterey Bay (Moss Landing KOA...3-nights, 2-full days...1 @ Pinnacles NP, 1 @ San Francisco)
• Channel Islands NP (Hobsons Beach SP...2-nights, 1-full day...hoping for Rincon Park when it opens up)
• San Diego (San Diego Metro KOA...3-nights, 2-full days)
• Joshua Tree NP (No Reservations Yet...)
• Las Vegas (Oasis Las Vegas...3-nights, 2-full days)

Now with my struggles:
1) I would like to get time at Death Valley (yes, we understand the heat aspect).
1a) We may do one night at Joshua Tree (sight see & hike in the PM when arrive from San Diego, and again in the AM before departing). Then depart Joshua Tree in the afternoon for Death Valley, to sight see and hike EARLY morning...before departing in the afternoon for Las Vegas.
1b) Or we keep two nights at Joshua Tree...and leave very early morning and head straight to Death Valley to sight see for part of the day...then leave for Las Vegas that evening. Just not sure that's really possible in one day.

2) I am debating removing one night from Monterey...and NOT use a day to visit San Francisco. And instead, add one night for a stop in the Morro Bay or Pismo area, etc. (somewhere on the way to our next stop, Ventura)
2a) Although being so close to SF...we really feel like we should 'show' the kids the tourist traps.

3) With three days scheduled at Sequoia and Kings Canyon...we plan to use one day for Kings Canyon...and the other two full days for Sequoia. If we REALLY needed to...we could reduce the Sequoia time down to one full day...and use the night/day somewhere else on the trip.


Any thoughts and ideas welcomed on these three 'struggles' I am having!

[ppine]

It is hard for people in the East to imagine what 120 degrees feels like and how desolate DV and Joshua Tree are in summer.

Your schedule is rushed. You are trying to see everything in one trip. Language like "one full day or two full days" is very telling. Forget the desert. Extend your stays in places like Yosemite. Best of luck.

[sherman12]

Coming home from our California trip last summer one of our return routes would have taken us through Death Valley. This was late last June and we doubled back on our route to avoid anywhere that we could to avoid 100 degrees + temps. I did not want to chance a blowout on my original tires on our motorhome doing 65 mph on the hot black top and the temps in the 110 range plus the generator running at the same time to run the rooftop ACs to try to keep the coach comfortable.

[ppine]

Yes. The roads in and out of Death Valley are really steep. The extreme hot weather puts a strain on cooling systems, transmissions and brakes. It is a place you may have to pull over and let everything cool off. A break down in that country is dangerous in summer. The best thing to do is avoid Death Valley entirely in summer.

[mekkerlc]

Okay -- We've decided to leave the few days after San Diego as open and flexible.
Our priority, or hope, will be to spend a night or day at Joshua Tree NP and Death Valley NP.
But we'll take a look at the heat/weather for those places while we are in San Diego and make a determination then.

I don't think it is crucial booking reservations for either of those places, as its a slow time for them, and there should be plenty of RV space available I'm guessing.

Las Vegas is probably going to stay on the schedule/route, as we have a kid or two that has been asking to see etc. We'll do a day and night touring the strip and hotels. And maybe take a day to tour Hoover Damn, Valley of Fire, or another 'non-Vegas' place in the area.

[aircommuter]

Hoover Dam is always a good trip. The tour takes you through inside. There is an old black and white movie made during construction that you can watch before you go maybe on YouTube or other place. Before the internet we always watched it in Boulder City, when it was Boulder Dam.

[sherman12]

Ditto on the Hoover Dam tour! Fascinating.

Another absolutely great thing to do at the dam is to take the white water raft tour that departs at the closest point available to the base of the dam. Don't remember the name of the outfitter providing the tour but you drive to a nearby hotel and park. They'll take you on a short bus ride to the departure point. These rafts are large powered rafts seating perhaps two dozen passengers. With the trip, a box lunch is provided in a small keepsake cooler and after several miles down the Colorado River they "beach" the raft and you are free to roam around to find a private place to enjoy your lunch. Beautiful! The ride finishes up down river in Arizona and they tour bus you back to the hotel. Worth the effort, you'll have to Google it.

[5er_tom]

You can park at the dam and walk across the skyway, HWY93. There you can get the absolute nest pictures of the dam.

[joshuajim]

Joshua Tree is an amazing place to visit, but be aware it is very primitive. There is NO cell service, NO water, NO electricity, and only pit toilets for the vast majority of the camp sites. Most are bare dirt and very limited on length. Some campsites at the perimeter locations have facilities, but then its a 30 minute drive or more to the “attractions”.

I lived in the town of Joshua Tree for 10 years and now moved to a little further north for the last 20.

It used to be a great place to visit but now over 3,000,000 visitors come every year and getting through the entrance gate can take up to 2 hours on peak weekends.

Don’t be discouraged, but plan accordingly.

[mekkerlc]

Excellent info on Joshua Tree NP and Hoover Dam!
Thank you!

Now I need to decide if I should take a day away from Sequoia NP and use it somewhere else on the trip.
I have two full days scheduled there ..and one full day at Kings Canyon. I'm being told one day at Sequoia is good for getting the main sights in.

[ppine]

I still think you are focused way too much on places that are unbearably hot in summer. It is hard to imagine I am sure but a hot spell in Las Vegas or Joshua Tree can mean 110 degrees or more during day cooling off to 90 at night.

[TitanMike]

Originally Posted by ppine

I still think you are focused way too much on places that are unbearably hot in summer. It is hard to imagine I am sure but a hot spell in Las Vegas or Joshua Tree can mean 110 degrees or more during day cooling off to 90 at night.

Just about anywhere in the West that isn't West of the coastal mountain ranges will have miserable summer temps but at least they aren't like the high heat AND high humidity areas of mid-west and SE.

BTW a quick check of Joshua Tree NP average summer temps shows Jun, Jul, Aug, night time temps ranging from 66-72 F.

[mekkerlc]

These are the areas of focus, yes.
We've already done a summer through Arizona, and all the Utah National Parks...I know, not the exact same heat, but close to!
I remember in Zion I put a cover I made on the roof skylight to help keep the heat out. And tinfoil in the windows.
The family loves the adventures!

I just really want to figure out a way to see Death Valley NP on this trip.

As for the two days in Sequoia, we may trim that down to one full day visiting...and use that day to break up the return trip home by stopping at Hot Springs NP in Arkansas.
Anyone been there?

[ppine]

You have been warned.

[janp3rch]

I would skip San Fransisco and visit the Giant Redwoods just north of there. San Fran is not the place it used to be, Fishermans Warf is a tourist scam. If i remember correctly, you cant drive down Lombart street anymore.. To many complaints from residents..


Just my opinion though....

[bikendan]

Originally Posted by janp3rch

I would skip San Fransisco and visit the Giant Redwoods just north of there. San Fran is not the place it used to be, Fishermans Warf is a tourist scam. If i remember correctly, you cant drive down Lombart street anymore.. To many complaints from residents..


Just my opinion though....

The only park close to SF, with Coastal Redwoods, is Muir Woods National Monument. Coastal Redwoods are the taller and skinnier redwoods.
Otherwise you've got to go much farther north.
Sequoia NP has the true "Giant" thicker Sequoia Redwoods. But it's not close to SF.

Although San Francisco has gotten rougher, it still is one of most beautiful cities in the world and worthy of visiting. Having have lived in the Bay Area, for almost 30 years, I do hate what has happened to my City. But I still love visiting it.

[sherman12]

Love the fact that the OP's family "loves adventures".

[mekkerlc]

What are thoughts of this change... assuming I can work out the reservations appropriately.

The first picture is the current route...and the second picture is the alternate route...where I change the order and add in a stop at Marin RV Park to visit SF for a day, and the evening before can visit Muir Woods NM to see the local Redwoods.

Seems with the second route we miss the drive along the Central Coast, sight seeing SLO, Big Sur, Hearst Castle etc.
This route possibly also removes a day from Sequoia...but may be able to remove a day from Vegas instead.

What are thoughts on this route change? Keep the original? Or make the change?
The biggest benefit seems to be getting a chance to see the Redwood trees in Muir NM.

[moose074]

Traffic Traffic Traffic Traffic 🤮

[simiHal]

For myself, route one. The coastal route will be much more scenic than the Central Valley. Although the Muir NM is scenic it is nowhere near as impressive as Redwoods NP. Plus that route will put you in a lot of Bay Area traffic unless you travel OFF hours. With first route you may be able to hit sites within California’s gold country. If you want Redwoods, plan a separate trip to Redwoods NP.