Upcoming trip to Cali

My family is planning a 2 week trip to California in August. We're flying into Vegas and driving across Death Valley to Mammoth. We'll spend a few days in that area and continue west to Yosemite and on to Point Reyes National Seashore before attending a wedding in San Fran. We'll finish the trip in Monterey and head home from San Jose.

Has anyone spent any length of time in Mammoth/Yosemite/ Point Reyes? With such limited time in each place (2-4 days each), I want to make sure we hit the best spots ... preferably hidden treasures and not tourist traps! Keep in mind we'll be traveling with a 6 yr old and a 1 yr old! I already have our lodging booked, but we're going to start planning our itinerary soon.

Thanks in advance! :)
Jenae

Hi Jenae, I've been to Yosemite but not for any extended period of time (just 2 days). The hike up to half dome was beautiful (although I came short of hiking half dome). Although a great hike (strenous) hike and beautiful scenery, there was a short section that did not have a railing (by the falls). Personally, I would be concerned about bringing children on that hike although there were many kids on the trail. I was there in May and saw some nice wildlife too. Unfortunately, I can't add anything more about that Park.

Hi Jenae, I would agree with Natasha, most hidden treasures are not for the kids. I've through all those areas on a motorcycle, stopped and hiked around some of them. A lot of the out of the way places even "suggest" not for kids. Having said that, I have taken Boy Scouts up to Canada for wilderness training and white water canoing. Ages 14 to 19, so of the 14s were far better than the 19s. So to me kids is a relative term that depends on your teaching. But even the tourist areas have things that are so fantastic as to blow your mind if you have never experienced them before. No matter where you go there you will like it.

Hi Tom,

Thanks for your insight...yes, when people hear the word 'kids' they instantly think 'handicap' for some reason. However, our kids are extremely well-traveled and have probably seen more miles than most adults in this group. My oldest son started traveling at 10 weeks and has been across the country several times and he just turned 6. :)

I was just interested in finding the least touristy areas in Cali as we really don't enjoy the crowds. We love the peace and quiet, but I know Yosemite is one of those places that's tough to find a secluded spot without hiking 10 miles. Thanks for taking the time to reply!

Have a great week!

Jenae,

Point Reyes has to be just about one of my favorite spots in California. I went there quite a few times when I lived in Northern California. It's definitely not a crowded sunny beach though! It's not for swimming on the shore (sharks and rip tides) but it's a great place to play in the sand and enjoy a picnic lunch. Point Reyes Station (the town) has some cute touristy shops and stores to pick up food. There is a park there to see the offset fence from the SF 1906 earthquake (it's short little walk to the fence itself). There's tons of trails, about 5-6 beaches, and a lighthouse. (http://www.nps.gov/po...) I know some of the beaches are drive-up and some have about a 1/2 mile walk over a little trail to get to, so it's worth stopping at one of the visitor centers first.


I've also spent some time in Mammoth and Yosemite. I hiked and rafted in Yosemite, so I don't really have much to add. Mammoth is a very outdoors-y place. You can take a gondola up Mammoth Mtn to see the view from the top and I think there's a gift shop there, otherwise, lots of your basic activities, hiking, mtn biking, and so on. Mono Lake is also near-by and I believe they have a visitor's center. Also if you have time at the end of the trip, Monterey Bay Aquarium is incredible!

It's all incredibly pretty areas (outside of the death valley part) and it will be hot that time of year. That's my two cents, let me know if you want more info on any of that stuff.

That's great Monette! Thanks so much for the insight. We're starting in Vegas, driving west across Death Valley (hopefully the A/C doesn't break!!) and staying in Lone Pine for our 2nd night (1st night in Vegas). Then we're heading north to Mammoth for 4 nights. We do plan to see Mono Lake although I've heard it's very buggy. It looks amazing though.

Then we're continuing west through Yosemite and staying in the park for 2 nights in 'West Yosemite' at a private rental home. I'm excited to have some time there although I wish we had more! From there we're off to Pt. Reyes for 3 nights. We got another private home rental west of Pt. Reyes Station in Inverness Ridge so I'm excited to see the area. We love to hike so we don't mind if we need to go a little way to see a great beach! I'm really looking forward to that part of the trip as that's one place I've never been to.

We have a wedding for my best friend on San Fran Bay so we'll be staying in San Fran for a night and then we're heading down to Watsonville (between Santa Cruz and Monterey) for our last two nights. The aquarium is definitely on our agenda ... probably the climax of the trip for my son. He's quite an 'animal scientist' as he likes to call himself.

I've done quite a bit of research so I have a general idea of what we want to do, but I'm sure there's plenty we don't know about. Do you know of any literature that outlines 'secret' places to visit? When we went to Kauai, we found this great book called "Hidden Kauai" or something to that and it was incredible. We went to some really amazing places that no one knew about. So that's my hope for CA! :)

Hey I just returned from a trip to California, Did 4 days of hiking in Yosemite, and visited Mono Lake and drove down thru Lone Pine and Death Valley. A great place to visit is Bodie ghost town just north of Mono Lake on Rt 395. Here's a link: Bodie.com You'll be going right by.

Yosemite is still a good place to stop with kids. Go to Glacier Point and put up with the tourists, the views are worth it. On Glacier Point Road just before Glacier Point is a parking area for Taft Point, take the 1.1mile hike to the point. Great views, but keep an eye on the kids. My profile pic is taken at Taft Point.

Enjoy your trip out west!

This is great info Scott!! Exactly the kind of thing I was hoping to get. :) I've been to Yosemite before, but not for years so I was having trouble remembering what was worth seeing in the few days we're there. I'm definitely adding this to my trip folder!

My husband is a geologist and a science teacher so he's just thrilled to be visiting Mono Lake. Did you happen to stay in Lone Pine? We're planning to stop there on our way out of Death Valley. How was the drive through DV? We're hoping to make it in a day and sleep in Lone Pine before we head to Mammoth. If you have any suggestions for a hotel in Lone Pine let me know. That's the only place I haven't booked. Otherwise we have some great private rentals throughout Cali. I'm looking forward to it.

If you think of anything else, shoot me a message.

Hi Jenae,

I'm originally from CA--San Diego. First, USE THE BEAR LOCKERS in Yosemite!!! Just in case you haven't heard, the bears have gotten really savvy out there and tend to break open cars like mussel shells looking for goodies inside.

I'm not specifically familiar with Point Reyes, but I would look it and other nearby coastal locations up on the map and see if there's a good place to go tide-pooling. That is a WONDERFUL activity to do with kids!!! I still remember our camping trips to Northern CA and looking at all those starfish and sea urchins--amazing! And if you're anywhere near Monterey Bay Aquarium, that is a must-see!!! Again, TERRIFIC for kids.

If you do hit the tide pools (be sure to check tides online and go at low tide), make sure everyone wears croc's or something to avoid slipping, as algae-covered rocks are just like slick ice!

Have a wonderful time!!! Say hi to the Pacific for me! I miss her terribly...

Jane

Thank you Jane! That's a great idea - I'm going to do some research on that and see what the hot spots are for it in Point Reyes. We DO love tide pooling ... we could do that all day if it was up to me. And as I posted before, my son LOVES wildlife of any kind. I have pictures of him on the beaches of Oregon holding starfish when he was just 2. That was the last time we were on the West Coast so we're very excited to be returning. Thank you for the idea. And we are definitely Croc wearers in general so we'll be set. :) If you think of anything else, let me know! I can't believe August is almost upon us.

Have a great week!
Jenae