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Post by cadesun on Mar 20, 2017 7:16:53 GMT -8
Hi All -
My wife and I are taking our two and a half year old son on a three week road trip in May and would like some input. We will be arriving in CA in mid-May and our itinerary is as follows:
Joshua Tree - 1 night
LA to visit friends for a few nights
Big Sur - 3 nights
Yosemite - 3 nights
Tahoe - 2 nights
We are familiar to Joshua Tree, have only done Tahoe in the winter, and Big Sur and Yosemite will be new territory. I built our 4runner out into a camper and we would like to camp in that in National Forests/Wildernesses to avoid camping fees in the NPs; although we are not completely opposed to paying them if it is worth it to stay in the park. Any input on camping, hiking, or other activities on the above areas would be greatly appreciated. Both my wife an I are experienced hikers/backpackers and will have a kid carrier backpack.
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Post by Dave Ayers on Mar 20, 2017 7:56:39 GMT -8
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Post by cadesun on Mar 22, 2017 15:10:33 GMT -8
Yikes! Amazing how the Big Sur stuff didn't even make the news here in Chicago. I will look into Pt. Reyes and Pinnacles. Anywhere else I should look? We are not opposed to going north of SF.
Sounds like snow will be the limiting factor at Yosemite, but should I look to stay in the park or would an outside spot be ok? Not sure what the lines will be like to get in and I deal with enough traffic at home!
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davesenesac
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Post by davesenesac on Mar 22, 2017 17:10:57 GMT -8
There are places west of the SR120 entrance one can disperse camp in Stanislaus National Forest for free. However one needs experience with doing so including a good topo map, plus a campfire permit one can get online even for just using a backpacking stove. Take the Evergreen Road (Mather and Hetch Hetchy) a couple miles from the SR120 entrance. Lots of places along IS254 at these map cross hairs. (manually copy and paste link in URL field...forum SW parsing flaw)
mapper.acme.com/?ll=37.84351,-119.84320&z=15&t=T
Note there are public NFS campgrounds beyond all 3 park entrances, however they may be full. Alternatively entering from SR140 one can cross the rickety Briceberg Bridge and take the dirt road down the Merced River a couple miles to the beautiful McCabe Flat Campground, an ignored and cheap BLM a zone because it is a longer drive into the park. Two more small BLM camp spots below that. Look up more info online.
mapper.acme.com/?ll=37.59686,-120.00237&z=15&t=T
Instead of Big Sur or Pinnacles, even better and very enjoyable hiking is Point Lobos State Reserve just south of the Monterey Peninsula. Park on SR1 outside the entrance and walk in. Research info online. After that drive north slightly and spend some time along Carmel River State Beach. It has the most beautiful white granite sand on our coast.
David
www.davidsenesac.com/2016_Trip_Chronicles/2016_Trip-Chronicles-0.html
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toejam
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Post by toejam on Mar 24, 2017 1:52:55 GMT -8
The central coast is worth seeing if you are coming from LA anyway. There's Jalama Beach, Pismo Beach, Morro Bay & Cambria, besides Pt. Lobos on the other side of the broken bridge. You can get to a great section of Big Sur coast from the Nacimiento-Ferguson Rd. and it's probably not very crowded now.
There's also Sequoia NP and the Sequoia NF with lower elevation camps & trails on the west side of the mountains where snow shouldn't be an issue. Plenty to see on the way to Yosemite besides the Pinnacles.
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Post by Dave Ayers on Mar 24, 2017 9:26:44 GMT -8
"... Not sure what the lines will be like to get in and I deal with enough traffic at home!"
During busier times (mornings, especially on weekends), there are usually some cars in line at the 120, 140, and Tioga Pass entrances. My waits in recent years have been 0-15 mins. During backups, they often have a ranger come out wave passholders (Interagency, Senior, or Yosemite Annual) through a bypass lane at the 140 and Tioga entrances.
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rebeccad
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Post by rebeccad on Mar 24, 2017 10:01:13 GMT -8
I'll add my bit...Joshua Tree may be a bit hot, but I would still recommend trying to make a reservation at Indian Cove campground, and then plan to get up very early and enjoy the rock piles for a while before it gets hot. I also like the campground at White Tank, but I think that's not reservable. There is no dispersed camping in the park, but in a pinch, there are places right outside the south entrance.
I'll second Pt. Reyes and even on north to Humboldt Redwoods (if it is hot, Pinnacles will be very hot, and the redwoods would feel nice). You'll just have to keep an eye on snow levels and road openings in the Sierra. This year is...unusual.
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speacock
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Post by speacock on Mar 24, 2017 16:19:28 GMT -8
My +1 Sequoia NP should be plowed and open to through traffic. The BIG trees coming out of 4-5 feet of snow are magnificent That time of year the snow will be 'Sierra Concrete' - consolidated and at least in mornings walkable on the hard crust.
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