CA & OR

“My hubby (Thinkbubelz) & I are heading to CA for a friend's wedding and I thought it might be cool to finally be able to cross off OR on our list of states we've visited/been to/stepped foot in. (I've wanted to go there for years.)

The Wedding's on a Saturday in Dana Point (South of L.A.) Friday/Saturday and part of Sunday will be taken up.

My thought was to try to see a little of Sequoia, Yosemite & Crater Lake-- maybe do the long drive up to Eugene, OR, 1st and then drive back down the coast back to L.A. where we fly back to Michigan.

However, I know that Yosemite's huge, the photos of Crater Lake look amazing and I know little to nothing about Sequoia.... Thought we'd try to cross off a few other smaller National Parks while we're out there.

Does anyone have suggestions as to good day hikes? For the most part, we'll probably be car-camping, with maybe 1 or 2 overnighters...

We're only able to take a week (he has a band gig on the 29th, so realistically, we only have the evening of the 22-27th to actually camp (Wow, that sounds like very little time)....

Any suggestions?

I'm thinking if we end up only having time for 2 Nat'l parks, we'll do Crater Lake & Yosemite, but if we can fit a few of the smaller parks in, we'll try to do that....”

“Yosemite and Sequoia are sorta spread apart. You can just drive up and check out the Sequoias and you can pretty much just drive most of Yosemite and check it out from the car. I'd say climb Half-Dome if you have the time as it's pretty much an all-dayer, will give you killer views of the valley and you'll feel like you got into Cali's mtns a little bit. It'll probably be a zoo, but it's that season. You may have a more challenging time getting a campsite in Yosemite as reservations are made months in advance, but give it a try. There are private campgrounds outside the park available if you strike out. Also, I think some of the walk-in campsites may be first-come-first-serve, so that's an option (and recommended).

Sorry, can't really comment on Crater Lake but I've been there once and it's beautiful.”

“My wife and I just got back form a trip down the OR/Cali coast and then turned around after staying in Yosemite and drove back to MT. We LOVED the OR coast and enjoyed Yosemite but it was REALLY crowded.

I would go to Oregon and camp/hike on some of the coastal trails. If you get sick of the tent, check-out/stay in Heceta Head Lighthouse. It is an amazing B&B with unbeatable views.

Crater Lake is gorgeous to see but it is a NP with one major attraction and not much else.”

“Consider climbing Mt. Lassen - not too hard with great views.”

“Where is Mt. Lassen?

We have a friend from Eugene who is planning to meet us at Crater Lake.

How doable is driving from LA to Eugene, OR in a day? or do you think either taking the train or plane would be recommended--My thought--do the long drive from L.A. up to Eugene & then head southward, so that we land back in L.A for the plane trip home, but on the other hand, we don't want to completely fry out at the beginning of the trip....

Since it's really not a lot of time, We'll probably not get much of a chance to overnight it, unless we do a day or 2 at Yosemite for a back country hike... I lnotice that there are a lot of tiny National monuments & National recreation areas--including 1 on the coast of CA.... Any recommendations there?

Or are we going to be completely over-doing it to think that we have the time to visit more than 2 major parks while we are out there?”

“Has anyone been to the Channel Islands?

Thinkbubelz & I have been making our way through the National Parks Passport book--have had the book since 1992--and am trying to add at least 1 national park to our list a year.... We've been to San Francisco/East Bay / San Jose area for work, but never for play, so this is our opportunity to see some of CA...”

“I have done the Channel Islands, well, a couple of them. They are excellent, Rent a wet suit and bring snorkeling gear. We camped on Santa Rosa maybe? I think it was called Scorpion Bay? I'd have to look at a map, but there is camping there. We stayed a week. It's about a two hour boat ride each way and we departed out of Ventura. I'm looking to go back some day during piniped breeding season.

L.A. to Eugene is really a haul. Prolly 12 hours+ in the car.

If I were you, I would bag Oregon and stay in CA from Yosemite on down. Lots to see and do.”

“Save the Channel Islands for when there is snow in the Sierras. Mt. Lassen is an uncrowded national park near Redding.

The coast can be a letdown if you are just driving through quickly. It takes some time to find the special places. I live near Big Sur, so I wasn't too impressed by Redwoods NP. There are a few big trees and views.

The mountains are impressive immediately. I've been snowed out of Crater Lake but hope to see in in the next few weeks.”

“Another option, if you are up for it, is to bag Shasta. It's an easy, non-technical 14er if you just do the Avalanche Gulch route. That's about an 8-9 hour drive+ from the Bay Area. Lassen is about the same, mebbe a little less. The fastest way is up the 5 and the drive is boring as hell.”

“I looked online... I'm thinking it might be easier for us to fly from LAX to Eugene & then do the drive down from Eugene / Crater Lake and down through some of the parks in CA-- at least that way we won't have to spend 14 hrs on the road on the way up.... It's unfortunate that I don't have a couple of more days, but since I have to work & my hubby has his gig, it's making it a lot tighter time-wise....

what about the smaller parks nearby?
Joshua Tree?
Oregon Caves?
Pinnacles?
Devil Postpile?
I imagine that some are more day-trips?”

“Where is Shasta? Sound interesting? We haven't hiked much this past year or so, so as long as things aren't too tough, that might be cool...”

“I meant to say *8-9 hour drive from LA*

Sorry.

Devil's Postpile is cool and yes, jsut a saunter from the parking, tho you may have to take a shuttle, not sure.

Joshua Tree is expansive. I found Death Valley to much more interesting geologically.

I think your driving one way idea is the way to go if you are set on checking out Crater Lake.”

“Shasta is about an hour north of Redding. I didn't mean to imply it's a cakewalk, tho. It's demanding and requires crampons, iceaxe and a helmet (tho I have seen kids do it in tennis shoes -- those damn thru-hikers!). So, if you aren't in good shape, it would be a stretch. But for a hiker in good shape, it's very doable on the Helen Lake/Avalanche Gulch route.”

“I've never used Crampons, so I'm guessing it may be require a bit more experience than we have...”

“Crampons are no biggie but you should do what you are comfortable with.”

“Shasta is a badass 6300' climb. Lassen is 2000' and doesn't require crampons, has less altitude issues and a similar view.

If you are driving quickly through CA, I guess you gotta see Yosemite. It would be tragic for you to skip Yosemite and dayhike the Pinnacles”

“Since time is limited, I would spend as little time as possible in the car.”

“Visit Yosemite and the west side of Lake Tahoe if you can make it up here. Great views by Emerald Bay. Lassen peak can be bagged in a little over an hour if I remember right, one way if in good shape. Devils Postpile requires taking a very nice bus shuttle down from Mammoth ski lodge area, unless you hit it real early or after 6 or so in the evening, kinda late then.”

“Yosemite takes my breath away every time, even on a crowded day. If you go early in the morning,(5-ish) you will be rewarded with little crowds and more chance of seeing wildlife, and the sun rising over Half Dome is thrilling. If you go on any of the trails, after a couple miles you will leave a lot of the crowds behind. Tahoe also a great idea, many trails with little crowds.”

“Eagle Falls into the Desolation Wilderness is a fav hike of mine, can continue off trail if you follow the creek to Snow Lake--beautiful spot.”

“Joshua Tree is gorgeous, but will likely be well over 100 degrees (with a nighttime low of maybe 90 if you're lucky)... however, if you were to go, you could spend a half-day climbing Quail Mountain (the tallest mountain in the park... maybe all of 5,000 feet if that, but with a great view of the surrounding desert)”

“The trails into Desolation can be busy with dayhikers. You can get a self issue permit to do a dayhike, get there real early, limited parking. Too far to go to see, the east side of Yosemite around Tuolumne Meadows sees far fewer people, but the west side has the views of named spots.”