BS: Holidaying in Northern California

Subject: BS: Holidaying in Northern California
From: theleveller
Date: 28 Jan 08 - 08:30 AM

We're thinking of having a family holiday in Northern California for a fortnight in August, flying into San Francisco and renting a car. Any info on the best places to see, where to stay and is it best to hire a cottage or cabin as a base of just drift around? Any suggestions, please.

Subject: RE: BS: Holidaying in Northern California
From: Peace
Date: 28 Jan 08 - 10:34 AM

Refresh

Subject: RE: BS: Holidaying in Northern California
From: PoppaGator
Date: 28 Jan 08 - 11:01 AM

Bring money. That part of the world is very expensive!

Subject: RE: BS: Holidaying in Northern California
From: jacqui.c
Date: 28 Jan 08 - 11:59 AM

One thing not to miss is the redwoods. They are astounding.

We were there a couple of years ago for a few days. I would like to go back again, there was so much to see there. Even just driving into the foothills of the Sierras almost takes you to visual overload.

Go have a look at Nevada City - Utah Phillips's home town now. There's even an old silver mine around there somewhere.

We hired a car with GPS and that system was worth every penny. We stayed in motels - that way we could be more mobile and never found any problem finding somewhere to stay for the night.

Subject: RE: BS: Holidaying in Northern California
From: ClaireBear
Date: 28 Jan 08 - 12:09 PM

California bear here (southern SF Bay Area)...

I agree with Jacqui about drifting around...Northern California is a big place, and there are intersting things to do and see in all the corners. Please tell us more about your interests...there are many of us Northern Californians at Mudcat, and we like nothing better than giving visitors pointers on what to see and do!

Subject: RE: BS: Holidaying in Northern California
From: Ebbie
Date: 28 Jan 08 - 12:20 PM

In Oregon I used to take my daughter and my niece over the border on the 101. At times the driving was, let us say, interesting. In places - usually at sharp curves with a precipitous drop downslope - slippery wet clay frequently oozed over the roadway. But it was always beautiful. I used to say that with its mountains and trees and rivers northern California reminded me of the Oregon I gree up in, while southern Oregon, with its flat beaches and wide expanses reminded me of California.

Nowadays I go down on the I-5. Either way you get the opportunity to linger in the redwoods.

My favo(u)rite little town in northern California is/was Dunsmuir. I first saw it by train in mid-winter and that first magic has never left me.

Subject: RE: BS: Holidaying in Northern California
From: katlaughing
Date: 28 Jan 08 - 12:59 PM

Be prepared for lot longer distances between places which leads to LONG drives.:-)

Subject: RE: BS: Holidaying in Northern California
From: Q (Frank Staplin)
Date: 28 Jan 08 - 01:30 PM

As noted already, a very large area. What are your interests? Scenery, history, food?
Plenty of cheaper but clean motels, don't rent, unless you want a mountain or redwoods or beach retreat for a while.

I have visited all of the Missions, Spanish history being an interest.

I enjoyed visiting the gold rush towns. Up the coast,the area around Eureka, an old town of the lumber barons, and where the Russians had a trading post. Sacramento has a fantastic railroad museum. I also enjoyed wandering the floodplain of the river, looking at plants, etc.(not everyone's cup of java). The tremendous expanse of the irrigated rice fields near Sacramento was amazing to me.

I enjoyed the train excursion through the Napa Valley, and visits by car to some of the wineries (Beringer's is very commercial but visit the old storage caves, in a part of one are preserved racks of bottles that survived the widespread effects of the SF earthquake of 1906, too dangerous to retrieve. The town of Napa itself is ugly).

I always enjoyed driving from the coast over the high country and into the Central Valley- several routes to take but not the heavily traveled ones.

In San Francisco itself, the old mission on Dolores, SF de Asis, is well-worth a visit. San Francisco would take a couple of weeks in itself to fully appreciate all it has to offer.

Get the AAA "Northern California & Nevada Tour Book," well worth looking through while planning a trip.

Subject: RE: BS: Holidaying in Northern California
From: Barry Finn
Date: 28 Jan 08 - 02:22 PM

Becafe of San Francisco, you could drown in the flood of folk & trad music there.

Barry

Subject: RE: BS: Holidaying in Northern California
From: Ebbie
Date: 28 Jan 08 - 03:13 PM

Becafe? Barry?

Subject: RE: BS: Holidaying in Northern California
From: Bee-dubya-ell
Date: 28 Jan 08 - 05:16 PM

If you're planning on doing much driving in higher elevations, make sure you rent a 4-wheel-drive vehicle with snow tires. You won't need it if you're planning on staying near the coast, but if you're thinking about a day trip to, say, Lake Tahoe, you'll need it.

The higher passes, such as Donner Pass, are patrolled during snowy conditions and you can be told to turn around if your car doesn't have snow chains or 4WD with approved tires. Rental cars are not only not equipped with snow chains, their use is prohibitted by most rental contracts.

Subject: RE: BS: Holidaying in Northern California
From: Q (Frank Staplin)
Date: 28 Jan 08 - 05:43 PM

In August?? Read the 1st post.

Subject: RE: BS: Holidaying in Northern California
From: Bee-dubya-ell
Date: 28 Jan 08 - 07:29 PM

Nevermind....

Subject: RE: BS: Holidaying in Northern California
From: Joe Offer
Date: 29 Jan 08 - 02:47 AM

Hi, Leveller -
A Google search for Northern California Vacation Rentals brings up a huge selection, but I'm not familiar with many of them and don't know how to tell which ones are best. One that's very nice is Sea Ranch - pricey, buy your UK money will go a long way in the U.S. nowadays. My favorite place for a vacation rental is Irish Beach in Mendocino County, some of the most beautiful coastline you'll see in Northern California. You can make lots of great day trips from there. I have friends who can probably find you a reputable rental agent at Lake Tahoe if you're interested in staying there - or you could stay at a Casino hotel or one of the many motels at South Lake Tahoe. You should stay two nights at Lake Tahoe, so you have a full day for a nice hike.

You really should stay a couple of nights in San Francsisco and walk as much as you can. Stop and visit Chanteyranger at Hyde Street Pier. It's hard to get a cable car ride in August, but you might have better luck early in the morning or late at night. Oh, and a walk across the Golden Gate Bridge is spectacular.

You need to see redwoods - Muir Woods is the grove closest to San Francisco, but there are many groves farther north. Point Reyes National Seashore is one of my favorite places in the world, and it's barely an hour's drive north of San Francisco.
You could also go south from San Francisco to Santa Cruz and Montery/Carmel, and Big Sur - but I think the area to the north is a little less crowded.

In the Sierra - Yosemite is wonderful, but I wouldn't go from mid-June until October. The waterfalls dry up, and Yosemite Valley get crowded, hot, and dusty. I'd suggest visiting Lake Tahoe - it's about a 4-hour drive east of San Francisco, at an elevation of about 6,000 feet (and hiking trails will take you much higher). You could easily spend a week at Lake Tahoe, but a couple of nights will give you a taste. There's a good chance I could make myself free for a day to take you on a wildflower hike or a Gold Rush tour.

If you're interested in the Gold Rush, there are many quaint towns along State Highway 49 in the Sierra Foothills above Sacramento - somebody recommended Nevada City - it and its sister city Grass Valley are wonderful, and Grass Valley does have Empire Mine State Park, a large gold mine. It might be a bit too much to try to do anything in the Gold Rush area, though.

If I were visiting Northern California for the first time, I'd see San Francisco and the coast and redwoods first, then the Lake Tahoe area or some other part of the Sierra, and then the Gold Rush towns. It's also good if you can arrange to visit one mission - there are many, mostly within a few miles of the coast (the one in San Francisco is a bit disappointing because it's urban).

If you stay at the Coast or the Sierra, don't expect hot weather. The Central Valley is beastly hot and smoggy in August. Have a good trip. Holler if I can help.

-Joe Offer in Colfax, California-
In the Sierra Foothills on Interstate 80, the highway to Lake Tahoe

P.S. You can find a good bit of snow in the Sierra in August - but not on the highways....

Subject: RE: BS: Holidaying in Northern California
From: theleveller
Date: 29 Jan 08 - 03:32 AM

Wow! Thanks for all the helpful advice. As to our interests, well, folk music, or course, but we also like walking, good food and wine, and scenery (no shortage of that, I'm sure!). We'll be taking our 8-year old daughter and 17-year old son with us, so quite an age range. I'm getting the impression that it will take quite a few visits to see even a small part of it - but where to start?

Subject: RE: BS: Holidaying in Northern California
From: jacqui.c
Date: 29 Jan 08 - 08:19 AM

Take Joe up on his offer - he took us out for a day and was an amazing guide.

Subject: RE: BS: Holidaying in Northern California
From: Donuel
Date: 29 Jan 08 - 09:43 AM

I'd plan for torrential rain.

Subject: RE: BS: Holidaying in Northern California
From: ClaireBear
Date: 29 Jan 08 - 11:33 AM

Huh? Rain in August? We occasionally get a "prune rain" about then -- this is local folklore: before it became Silicon Valley, Santa Clara Valley used to be the world capital of the prune-drying industry. The "prune rain" comes (and it doesn't come every year) in late August, which would be just in time to dampen and ruin all the flats of prunes drying in our warm California sun, if we still had any of those.

Joe's list is quite comprehensive, but he neglected to mention that there are two types of redwood trees native here. Coast redwoods (sequoia sempervirens) are indeed splendid -- the tallest trees in the world. But farther from the coast, there are also Sierra redwoods (Sequoiadendron giganteum), also called big trees. These are my favorite trees. It's a completely different species, the largest tree by volume rather than height, because of its tremendous girth.

These grow in several places in the Sierra, but I'm thinking your best access point for them may be Calaveras Big Trees State Park, on Highway 4 east of Angels Camp. (You must go to Angels Camp, if only to see the place about which Mark Twain wrote "The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County." Actually reading some of Twain's stories of old California would be a great introduction to a visit here, as would Bret Harte and Jack London.)

That state park is a lot less crowded than many of the other, more celebrated big tree viewing spots, because those are mostly in high-profile national parks.

(Joe, help me out here -- am I getting this right?)

More later...

Cheers,
Claire

Subject: RE: BS: Holidaying in Northern California
From: Joe Offer
Date: 29 Jan 08 - 01:20 PM

I love the Big Trees, too, Claire; but visiting them is a bit too much to add to a two-week trip in Northern California.

I think that with two kids, I'd spent two or three nights in San Francisco, make a trip to Lake Tahoe for two or three days, and then rent a place on the coast north or south of SF for a week and use it as a base of operations.

For 25 years, I did security clearance investigations for the U.S. Government, driving all over California and working in almost every town in the state. I made a rule for myself - wherever I went, I make sure I saw whatever there was worth seeing there. And after twenty-five years as a "professional tourist" in California, I still have lots to see. But then, I'm one of those people who would be thrilled to spend three weeks on an architecture tour of Los Angeles County (people have no idea what an architectural paradise that county is).

But for a first-timer, and warn that it's not a good idea to try to see everything. Bite off a few nice chunks and savor them. And make sure you take a few nice hikes - a city hike in San Francisco and a walk across the Golden Gate Bridge, a 2-hour hike in the redwoods at Muir Woods (which is on the San Francisco bus line), a beach hike on the North Coast at Point Reyes, and a wildflower hike at Lake Tahoe. You can do better without a car in San Francisco, but you need a rental car everywhere else. And yes, as Claire says, a hike in the giant sequoias is a wonderful pleasure, too.

-Joe-

And if you like snow, today would have been a perfect day to visit. It started snowing here at 8 AM, and now it's 11 and it's spectacular. My wife and I are going to take a walk in the mile-square woods next door and enjoy the beauty.

Subject: RE: BS: Holidaying in Northern California
From: Barry Finn
Date: 29 Jan 08 - 01:38 PM

As for folk music Leveller, why not post the dates. If you have the chance to attend the Hyde St Pier chantey sing that's one event nit to be missed

Barry

Subject: RE: BS: Holidaying in Northern California
From: open mike
Date: 29 Jan 08 - 02:00 PM

in august the weather is bound to be over 100 degrees in some places.
this is the best time to visit the shasta cavernns where the temp stays at 50 degrees (F). the caverns are on I-5 north of Redding. there is a boat trip across shasta lake and a bus trip up the hill to get to the entrance. there are also other caverns near the Gold Country--Mother Lode area along hiway 49 south of I-80. Mercer, Moaning and other caves are near the Calaveras Big Trees state park. Redwoods grow by the coast and in the high sierras--two varieties of them..Sempervirens, and giganteum.

yosemite national park is quite a jewel, visited by millions of people each year. the granite domes are awesome! August is also the time for
the ;strawberry music fest....labor day...end of aug. which is one of the best music festivals of all....

i can offer more info--hot springs, etc. Laurel

Subject: RE: BS: Holidaying in Northern California
From: GUEST,Val
Date: 29 Jan 08 - 02:04 PM

If seeing BIG trees is on your "gotta do" list, consider a visit to Sequoia/Kings Canyon National Parks. These joined parks are maybe an hour farther south from Yosemite, in the Sierra Nevada mountains. An easy overnight trip from SF.

Sequoia NP is home to several old groves of redwoods and claims to be home to "the largest living thing on Earth" - the General Sherman tree. Kings Canyon is a valley similar to Yosemite (the naturalist John Muir reported it as just as beautiful), but not quite as crowded. It also lacks the readily-identifiable rock formations like Half Dome (which is possibly why it doesn't get the big crowds?) Be prepared for driving on twisty mountain roads, though.

Note that in August even the Sierra will probably be rather hot (temps into the 90's fahrenheit at the valley floors of Yosemite or Kings Canyon. A lot of sightseeing & hiking is a bit higher up & so a few degrees cooler, but then you start dealing with lack of oxygen (The General Sherman tree is about 7000 ft/2200 m above sea level)

Speaking of temperature - bring a jacket. When near the coast (including in San Francisco proper), there is often a very cool fog. But a few miles inland it can be sweltering.

Driving north along the coast to the Avenue of the Giants, another grove of old redwoods (including a tree with a road running through it) near the Oregon border, would be another option (although plan at least 2 if not 3 days for this side trip). Muir Woods (to the south of SF, toward Santa Cruz) would be an easy day-trip with some very big (but not quite as superlative) trees.

Another oft-overlooked historical point that might be of interest along the coast a couple of hours north of SF is Fort Ross - an old Russian trading post from the days when they came south with the Aleut kayakers to hunt otters for fur (early-mid 1800's). Most folks know the Spanish influence in the region, but forget about the Russian.

Hope you have a good trip!

Subject: RE: BS: Holidaying in Northern California
From: ClaireBear
Date: 29 Jan 08 - 02:17 PM

Just to avoid confusion, Muir Woods is north of SF in Marin County, as Joe Offer said,m not south. Big Basin is the redwood park that is near Santa Cruz -- that's near where I live, and I would be happy to play tour guide for that if you wish (or for Monterey, Santa Cruz, or Point Lobos). Not that I'm an expert guide...

I would like to note that although we think of California as hot in August, it's usually quite a tolerable dry heat, and in many areas (though perhaps not in our Central Valley) it can be relied on to cool off at night.

Claire

Subject: RE: BS: Holidaying in Northern California
From: PoppaGator
Date: 29 Jan 08 - 02:26 PM

Be ready for very unpredictable weather, especially in the city of San Francisco, where different neighborhoods have different climates thanks to the very steep hills. When the fog rolls in, it'll fill up a gven urban valley while the sun is out just over the next hill.

Also, because of the fog effect and the relatively high moisture experienced during summer months, July and August see some very cool weather in the City and other areas west of the bay. You'll need a sweater or jacket some evenings.

I remember reading that October is actually the warmest month of the year in San Francisco(!), since that's when there is the least fog and the sun is always out. I've never been there in October, so I can't verify this by my own experience, but I did spend a couple of summers there years ago, and was amazed at how chilly some July and August evenings could be.

East of the bay, in Oakland, Berkeley, etc., the weather is completely different ~ summers are much more "normal," sunny and wearm. North of the Golden Gate, in Marin County, the coastal towns (Stinson Beach, Bolinas, up to Point Reyes) have the same kind of intermittently cool foggy weather as does the City, but the more populated areas east of Mt. Tamalpais experience a regular sunny summer.

Subject: RE: BS: Holidaying in Northern California
From: michaelr
Date: 29 Jan 08 - 03:28 PM

For a food and wine lover, a visit to Sonoma County is a must. We have one of the world's top winegrowing regions, with hundreds of wineries open to the public, and much less expensive than our snooty Napa neighbors. Also great fresh produce, artisan cheese and bread, and organic meats.

Subject: RE: BS: Holidaying in Northern California
From: Q (Frank Staplin)
Date: 29 Jan 08 - 04:08 PM

Sonoma County does produce excellent wines, but I haven't had the opportunity to visit the producers. Driving out of the Bay area across the bridge and into Sonoma-Petaluma one feels a great change in environment, as if one can breathe more freely (one of those changes that PoppaGator mentions).

I guess I was lucky, I remember fog in SF just once, and I was staying in Palo Alto at the time (it was sunny there). My visits were mostly from Fall to Winter. August days are usually fine.

Point Reyes beach area (post by Joe, above) is great.

Subject: RE: BS: Holidaying in Northern California
From: Slag
Date: 29 Jan 08 - 06:49 PM

Though Yosemite is really a central California feature it is something NOT to be missed regardless of when you come. It and the Grand Canyon are at the top of my list as the two most remarkable natural phenomena of the world. If you can hit Yosemite in the early to mid-Spring months the falls will be going at full bore. We've had a good snow pack this year and I guarantee it will be impressive.

Mendo Coastline, indeed. The erstwhile tallest tree in the world (it had about 65' knocked of the top in a storm a few years back) is just a little north and west of Ukiah ( Mendocino's County seat ) off Highway 101. Unlike the big parks in the Sierras, finding it can be a trick. Orr Springs road, little country road off the parallel access road to 101 heads west over some nondescript rolling hills of oak and madrone and after a few miles drops into a deep ravine and stands of Coastal Redwoods. After you pass Orr Springs Lodge (which is in very deep shaded woods) you come to Montgomery Woods Park. Not a lot of hoopla. No Ranger on duty or fee to be paid. Just park, grab you picnic basket and hike about a half mile of fairly level ground. You will pass through several stands that have rudimentary picnic facilities. Take your choice but the end of the trail is where the biggest trees are. Have fun picking out the tallest because they intentionally left it unmarked. A word of caution when visiting big trees anywhere: Look out for widow-makers, falling branches which in themselves are as large as ordinary trees. It's a rare occurrence but it can happen. Just be alert.

You can continue west on this narrow road and sneak in the back way to the shoreline. At the little village of Comptche, Orr Springs road becomes Comptche Road. Just keep heading west and you will come out at between the towns of Little River and Mendocino. The movies "The Birds", "The Russians Are Coming", "Overboard" among others and the television series with Angela Lansbury "Murder, She Wrote" were all filmed in this area. You will probably recognize the scenery.

If you do come this way, take in Noyo Village, a little fishing harbor with some fine dining. About a mile farther up the road you come into Fort Bragg (West Coast's version at any rate) which has many interesting attractions including the Skunk Railroad which operates in the Summer months. Live steam!

Joe's neck of the woods has some very interesting places also not the least of which is the Black Rock Canyon just outside of Chico. The town of Paradise has some interesting features and is in gold country.
I'm sure if you PM myself or Joe or one of the others we would all be glad to give you more detailed info.

Above all, enjoy your time. There is no lack of things to do and places to see.

Subject: RE: BS: Holidaying in Northern California
From: theleveller
Date: 30 Jan 08 - 03:43 AM

A big thank you to everyone for their kind offers - what hospitable people you are; I know that we're going to have a great time. We haven't finalised any arrangements yet but we'll probably be going the last two weeks in August, to fit in with school holidays. Joe, I like your suggestion of spending a couple of days in SF, then travelling for a while before renting a place - we've been looking at some cabins around Russian River - we certainly only expect to see a tiny fraction of what's available; after all, I've lived in the UK for 58 years and still haven't seen half of it!