California NPs Route

[eds451]

Just my .02, Kings and Sequoia are day trips and can be combined due to proximity. While Yosemite is awesome, sadly it has become a virtual parking lot. Be prepared to spend HOURS in bumper to bumper traffic. Lassen is a drive thru sans trailer (did it last summer).
North coast is a must, beautiful redwoods and rugged coast lines. Watch hwy 299 from Redding to Eureka, couple steep incline/decents but has THE most beautiful rest stop in California.
Lastly, going north on 101 at San Luis Obispo, take hwy 1 north to see Hearst castle and the elephant seals. Good parks in Morro bay.
All in all you have a memorable trip planned.

[Beachbourbon]

Originally Posted by eds451

Just my .02, Kings and Sequoia are day trips and can be combined due to proximity. While Yosemite is awesome, sadly it has become a virtual parking lot. Be prepared to spend HOURS in bumper to bumper traffic. Lassen is a drive thru sans trailer (did it last summer).
North coast is a must, beautiful redwoods and rugged coast lines. Watch hwy 299 from Redding to Eureka, couple steep incline/decents but has THE most beautiful rest stop in California.
Lastly, going north on 101 at San Luis Obispo, take hwy 1 north to see Hearst castle and the elephant seals. Good parks in Morro bay.
All in all you have a memorable trip planned.

I agree. We finally got a campsite in the Yosemite valley in 2017. We got there and were VERY disappointed. It was as if the entire population of the Bay Area was crammed into this valley. Not what I would call a getaway or camping. We ended up having lunch, swimming in the river, and then packing up and moving on without staying overnight despite having paid for two nights. The bathrooms were old run down and filthy. The valley is very claustrophobic with the tall mountains, crowds and limited access in or out. I preferred the other parts of Yosemite to the valley, and would not go back.

[vcalder]

I'm looking at a partially similar trip, maybe this August, but just to Yosemite & Sequoia NPs, because we don't have 4 weeks to devote. I've been in discussion with a RV park on the east side, so the post about the steep decent to Yosemite over the pass caught my attention. I've taken my 36' 5th wheel from Slumgullion Pass to Lake City, Colorado, which is very steep and lots of switchbacks. Same for Trail Ridge Road through Rocky Mtn NP. Does anyone know if this road is worse than those? Are there any other roads in that area to avoid with a big rig? Also, is this not a good year to visit Yosemite due to the fires?

[swampdonkey772]

Originally Posted by vcalder

I'm looking at a partially similar trip, maybe this August, but just to Yosemite & Sequoia NPs, because we don't have 4 weeks to devote. I've been in discussion with a RV park on the east side, so the post about the steep decent to Yosemite over the pass caught my attention. I've taken my 36' 5th wheel from Slumgullion Pass to Lake City, Colorado, which is very steep and lots of switchbacks. Same for Trail Ridge Road through Rocky Mtn NP. Does anyone know if this road is worse than those? Are there any other roads in that area to avoid with a big rig? Also, is this not a good year to visit Yosemite due to the fires?

Are you talking about hwy 120? It isn't to bad and can easily be handled with a 35ft trailer. Fires are bad every year don't change plans because their might be a fire only change em when there is a fire close by.

[vcalder]

Yes, Hwy 120. Thanks for the info.

[swampdonkey772]

Yosemite is spectacular but the crowds have really killed it for me. 120 will bring you from Lee Vining through a spot called tuolumne meadows. Absolutely gorgeous and a must to stop and fish if you like fishing.

[swampdonkey772]

Another gorgeous route is hwy 108. Follows the Walker river outside Bridgeport which also houses the Marine cold weather training camp. From Bridgeport west you cross the pass and drop into kennedy meadows, dardanelles, strawberry, and pinecrest. Again miles of gorgeous fishable water and stunning views.

[bikendan]

Where are you planning on staying in Yosemite? If you didn't make reservations in the Park already, it's too late now.
And you'll be be very lucky to find anything outside the Park that's near.
As a retired California state firefighter, I see a very bad fire season coming, since all of California had record rainfall and vegetation will be thick and dry.
Was just there in February and March and vegetation was some the highest and thickest I'd ever seen in the state.
So there's no such thing as a good year to visit. It's a crapshoot. During drought times, everything dries out. And during wetter winters, vegetation grows crazy and then dries out during the hot summers.

[vcalder]

Thanks. I wasn't planning on camping in Yosemite Valley, first because of the crowds and also because probably nothing available for this year. Good idea about finding a place centrally located to visit both Yosemite and Sequoia.

[lablover]

Make reservations as early as you can. Having done this before in the summertime, you know how crowded the parks will be. Stay IN the parks, then you wont need to use your vehicle. We are in Yosemite now and it is still crowded. We use the shuttle, ride bikes and walk thinking we are very glad we are not sitting in bumper to bumper traffic. This is an awesome park, not to be missed.

[babock]

I used to love going to Yosemite Valley. Now if I visit, I just go to the north rim and hike around there. The valley is just such a mess now with over crowding. I think the solution to Yosemite valley is to stop any camping there and just have people take the shuttle buses in from outside the park. Getting rid of all the cars is the only really good solution.

[lablover]

Originally Posted by babock

I used to love going to Yosemite Valley. Now if I visit, I just go to the north rim and hike around there. The valley is just such a mess now with over crowding. I think the solution to Yosemite valley is to stop any camping there and just have people take the shuttle buses in from outside the park. Getting rid of all the cars is the only really good solution.

Babock, I would politely have to disagree with you on this one. It is not the campers that drive throughout the park. They have a place to park their vehicles and tend to use the shuttle system more often than the day visitors.

[swampdonkey772]

The problem with Yosemite is all the people. Domestic and International. To fix it you limit the people. That won't happen so just gotta deal with.

[babock]

Originally Posted by lablover

Babock, I would politely have to disagree with you on this one. It is not the campers that drive throughout the park. They have a place to park their vehicles and tend to use the shuttle system more often than the day visitors.

I agree but to fix the problem you have to eliminate all vehicles which will have to include the campers.


Of course this will never happen. The concessions in Yosemite are huge $$$$. I have camped over 20 times in Yosemite valley..it's a relatively short drive for us. Last time I went into the valley 7 years ago was a **** show and that was in early May. June through September must be crazy!

[vcalder]

Thanks for the info Lablover. If you are camping in the park, you can help with valuable info. Are there campsites that can accommodate large 5th wheels and are there any issues with the roads getting there with big rigs? I couldn't seem to find this information on the NP website.

[lablover]

Originally Posted by vcalder

Thanks for the info Lablover. If you are camping in the park, you can help with valuable info. Are there campsites that can accommodate large 5th wheels and are there any issues with the roads getting there with big rigs? I couldn't seem to find this information on the NP website.

We saw quite a few 5th wheels. Since you are familiar with driving on curvy roads you shouldn't have a problem. As a passenger I was white knuckling it. As I recall there really wasn't a way to get to Sequoia NP from the east. I may be wrong. That being said, we came up the east side on rt 395 and loved the eastern Sierras. 395 is a beautiful and scenic road. We camped at 8000 ft at Sage Flat campground. Gorgeous. Our intention was to take the Tioga Pass(120) to Yosemite but because of the snow it was and will be closed for a while. We had wanted to go to Sequoia NP and Kings Canyon NP as well but many of the roads were closed and campgrounds due to snow. It does not seem easy to get from one park to the other. It seems you have to go out of the parks a good distance (timewise) to get to each one. Keep checking recreation.gov as reservations can open up. Unfortunately some people dont have the courtesy to cancel reservations they dont use, one of my pet peeves. Though the campgrounds said full while we were there, there were plenty of empty sites.

[ppine]

mekkeric has a nice list. I would forget about the desert in summer and Channel Is. California is a great state but is loved to death. Finding reservations is difficult in summer. For a place like Yosemite your best bet may be a NF campground outside the park. Your chances at Lassen are good, and Sequoia pretty good. Good luck with your reservations. The trip will be easy in comparison.

[mekkerlc]

Reviving this Thread as I am closer to a final route and need to start booking campgrounds, etc...wanted to share and get some thoughts (aside from the usual long drive concern )

Day 1-4 – Drive to Salt Lake City (30-hrs)
Day 5 – Salt Lake City (visit friend)
Day 6 – Drive to Reno/Lake Tahoe (8-hrs)
Day 7 – Drive to Redwood (7-hrs) [stop at Lassen V. NP]
Day 8-9 - Redwood NP (2 full days)
Day 10 – Drive to Sonoma/Napa (5-hrs)
Day 11 – Drive to Yosemite (4-hrs)
Day 12-13 - Yosemtie NP (2 full days)
Day 14 – Drive to Kings/Sequoia (3-hrs)
Day 15-17 – Kings Canyon NP / Sequoia NP (3 full days)
Day 18 – Drive to Ventura (3-hrs) [stop at Pinnacles NP]
Day 19 – Channel Islands NP (1 full day)
Day 20 – Drive to San Diego (4-hrs)
Day 21-22 – San Diego (2 full days)
Day 23 – Drive to Joshua Tree (3-hrs)
Day 24 – Joshua Tree NP (1 full day)
Day 25 – Drive to Las Vegas (6-hrs)
Day 26-27 – Las Vegas (2 full days)
Day 28 – Drive to Glenwood Springs (10-hrs)
Day 29 – Drive to Rocky Mountain (4-hrs)
Day 30 - Rocky Mountain NP (1 full day)
Day 31-33 – Drive to Rochester, NY (24-hrs)

[swampdonkey772]

The drive from Yosemite to kings will be longer then 3hrs depending on route probably around 4 to 4.5 and from kings to Ventura is a lot longer as well. That's like 5ish

[bikendan]

Originally Posted by swampdonkey772

The drive from Yosemite to kings will be longer then 3hrs depending on route probably around 4 to 4.5 and from kings to Ventura is a lot longer as well. That's like 5ish

Yep!