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Jul, Aug or Sept for California trip, which is preferable and why?

Jul, Aug or Sept for California trip, which is preferable and why?

Old Feb 8th, 2016, 07:35 PM
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Jul, Aug or Sept for California trip, which is preferable and why?

Can I please have some opinions on preferred month to visit California, taking into account weather, road closures, school holidays etc. We are thinking 3 weeks in either July, August or September (coming from Australia).

Trip will be a driving holiday, we want to drive through Yosemite on the Tioga Road towards Lee Vining and then north to Lake Tahoe. Also visiting the coast area between San Francisco and LA.​ We like warm to hot weather. Prefer to avoid California school holidays (busier and accommodation pricier).

We had this trip planned last year but sadly had to cancel, now wondering which month to visit?
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Old Feb 8th, 2016, 07:48 PM
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My vote would be the last week of August and first 2 weeks of September. There should be quite a few less people in Yosemite than earlier in the season. Are you landing at LAX?
Try to get at least 1 night lodging inside Yosemite.
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Old Feb 8th, 2016, 08:03 PM
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Hi, thanks for the vote. Yes, flying in and out of LAX. There are few options coming from Australia. We won't plan to travel too far the first day, after a 14 hour flight we'll be tired. One or two nights at Yosemite would be great if we can get something.

Thanks, Kay
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Old Feb 8th, 2016, 08:06 PM
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Hi, thanks for the vote. Yes, flying in and out of LAX. There are few options coming from Australia. We won't plan to travel too far the first day, after a 14 hour flight we'll be tired. One or two nights at Yosemite would be great if we can get something.

Thanks, Kay
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Old Feb 8th, 2016, 08:58 PM
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I would push it a few days later. The last holiday of the summer is Labor Day (Sept. 5th in 2016). This long weekend is the last chance for most families to take a road trip before the kids start school, and wherever you'd be on this weekend could be crowded. Some lodging might have minimum stay requirements from Thursday or Friday to Sunday.

Our family has a mini-reunion every year at June Lake (near Lee Vining) starting the Wednesday after Labor Day. Nights are usually cool, but days are warm and sunny. Lake Tahoe would probably be cooler overall. By Sept. 15th, you may see some leaves turning color.

You might look into flying to Fresno after landing at LAX. That would eliminate the 4-hour boring drive out of L.A. If you can do this, drive about 90 minutes to Tenaya Lodge just outside Yosemite National Park in Fish Camp or a little farther to the Wawona Hotel just inside YNP.
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Old Feb 8th, 2016, 09:16 PM
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Agree. After Labor Day is perfect for your trip.
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Old Feb 8th, 2016, 09:46 PM
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July/August is not a good time to visit if you have any flexibility. Mid September and onwards is the very best weather of the year along the coast. The warmest and least fog. July/August is very busy at Tahoe while after Labor Day is an entirely different world.

Don't worry - you'll get plenty of hot weather in lots of places.

Re Yosemite -- I would not stay at Tenaya Lodge or at Wawona. Tenaya is a 90 minute drive into Yosemite Valley, and even the Wawona Hotel is an hour. Plus the Mariposa Grove of redwoods (the main reason for staying at the Wawona) is closed to the public til 2017. Definitely stay either IN Yosemite Valley at Yosemite Lodge at the Falls or Curry Village -- OR -- in El Portal at the Yosemite View Lodge (the nearest hotel to the Valley).

note -Due to legal issues, the names of the two Yosemite Valley properties are temporarily changed to Yosemite Valley Lodge (Yosemite Lodge at the Falls) and Half Dome Village (Curry Village)
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Old Feb 8th, 2016, 10:13 PM
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Thanks, this is very helpful. Lots of votes for September. That's what I'm leaning towards but we both have to get leave from work so it's good to have a back up plan if September isn't possible.

Any more thoughts are welcome.

Thanks, Kay
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Old Feb 9th, 2016, 04:48 AM
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I agree, September after labor day weekend.

Since you are doing a loop, you could make Yosemite either near the beginning or end of your trip and I would decide the direction depending on when you can get lodging. If the park is full now, make a reservation outside of the park that can be cancelled and call frequently as people do find they can't make the trip as time goes by.

I would guess you would want to do the coast drive and you can go from the south or from the north. If you don't like to be near the edge, then south to north will be more relaxing. If you go north to south, it is a bit easier to pull in or out of the viewpoints without crossing traffic and you are a bit closer to the views.

Have a great trip.
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Old Feb 9th, 2016, 05:54 AM
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Less crowds, better weather...September
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Old Feb 9th, 2016, 06:06 AM
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A couple things that you might consider...

First, one of the big draws of Yosemite are its beautiful waterfalls. While this winter - so far - the Sierra snowpack is looking much better than last year - the waterfalls fed by melting mountain snows can and do run out of water some years by late August, or are reduced to distinctly unimpressive flows, maybe trickles.

Second, you're not going to avoid school holidays, so put that thought aside. But it really doesn't matter all that much - Yosemite is full pretty much 12 months out of the year, and places like the central coast (Highway 1) won't have any drop-off in traffic or prices just because it's September.

Just thinking out loud, by any chance could you move your holiday into June or even late May? If, for example, you arrived around the second week in June, you'd have plenty of time to get to Yosemite while the waterfalls are still in full flow.

Then you could either go over Tioga Pass and north to Tahoe, or - and this would be my recommendation - travel to Lake Tahoe via the west side of the Sierras, visiting the fabulous Gold Rush country along California Hwy 49, north from Yosemite to US 50, then up to Tahoe. SR49 passes through gorgeous country - rushing rivers, vineyards - and some of California's most interesting towns - Murphys, Columbia, Sutter Creek and more - with their "old west" looks and amazing history.

After Tahoe you could get out to the coast at San Francisco then south through Monterey and Big Sur, and back to LA. If you wanted to get a last blast of desert heat, simply drive two hours past LA to Palm Springs and Joshua Tree National Park.

By the time you got back to central/southern California you'd probably miss the worst of "June gloom," the overcast conditions that sometime impact the coast between mid-May and mid-June, and you'd beat the peaks of the summer crowds, but not by much.

Regardless of your timing, securing accommodations in Yosemite is Job One.
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Old Feb 9th, 2016, 06:47 AM
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To be clear, I wasn't suggesting you stay at Tenaya Lodge or Wawona Hotel for your entire Yosemite stay. I only meant either would be a reasonable drive from Fresno on your arrival day in the U.S. As janisj pointed out, both hotels are too far from the valley floor to make either a good base for your time in the park.

If you can't fly into Fresno, the drive from LAX to either hotel would IMO be too far/too long for visitors coming off a 14-hour flight. Driving two hours (more or less my limit in this situation) might get you to Bakersfield (not counting time to rent the car), and the next day it would be another 4+ hours to Yosemite Valley from there.
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Old Feb 9th, 2016, 07:24 AM
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Jean: Oh -- great -- Thanks for clarifying. I thought you meant staying there for Yosemite. One night would be fine.

Re Gardyloo's post: May/June is great but it sounds like that isn't one of your options. I've visited Yosemite in almost every month of the year - Yes, you will miss the waterfalls but Autumn in Yosemite is terrific as well. The scenery, fall colors, and smaller crowds

>>Second, you're not going to avoid school holidays, so put that thought aside. will avoid school holidays. Most CA schools return in mid August and by a day or two after Labor Day all public schools are back in session.
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Old Feb 9th, 2016, 08:26 AM
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September, by far. If you can manage during the week in the parks/country, and the weekends in the city, you'll get the best hotel rates and crowd control.

You also will get less of the coastal fog that can be heavy in summer.
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Old Feb 9th, 2016, 08:59 AM
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I'm sure it's only a small part of your trip, but the best weather in San Francisco is almost always September into early October.
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Old Feb 9th, 2016, 11:41 AM
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Another vote for September after Labor Day.
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Old Feb 9th, 2016, 12:04 PM
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In Sept. you will avoid school holidays. Most CA schools return in mid August and by a day or two after Labor Day all public schools are back in session.

Yes, when I said that above I should have qualified it by saying that in my view school summer vacation is unlikely to have much of an impact on the OP's plans regardless. Yosemite will be just as jammed in September as it is in July, and school holidays won't have much influence one way or another on other parts of the trip.

If June is out, then I suppose I'd go for September too, with the caveat that September can be hot as hell in the central valley and even Yosemite, not to mention Lee Vining and the US 395 corridor. September is also prime forest fire season in the Sierras, not that one should plan one's visit around such natural disasters.
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Old Feb 9th, 2016, 03:36 PM
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Wow, so many replies! Thank you everyone, lots to digest. We have been to Yosemite and seen the falls before and this time are keen to see the other side of the park which is why we thought to drive the Tioga Road.

Our original plan was a few days in Santa Monica to relax and shop, then collect the car. Drive to Yosemite, up eastern side to Lake Tahoe, across to the coast via the historic towns and down the coast road back to LAX.

Now I'm wondering if it would be a better use of time to drive from Yosemite to Tahoe up the western side, as Gardyloo suggests.

The idea of driving the coast road north to south appeals as we would definitely be wanting to pull over for views etc. That's something I hadn't considered and anything that makes driving on the right (wrong for us) side easier is good.

I doubt we could visit any earlier in the year and one flight is enough, my husband will be keen to get out of the airport and far, far away! We have flown into LAX and then caught another flight onwards before but not unless we have to and on this trip the distances are not that far.

September will be our first pick if we can get leave from work then maybe August or October, though October might be too cold up in the mountains.

Thanks again, great info from everyone.
Kay
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Old Feb 9th, 2016, 03:58 PM
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The route that makes the most sense to me would be LA > Up the coast > Tahoe > Yosemite (driving down 395 and across Tioga Pass to get to YNP) > back to LA/LAX

>>The idea of driving the coast road north to south appeals as we would definitely be wanting to pull over for views etc.
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Old Feb 9th, 2016, 06:35 PM
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I don't mean to add to your dilemma, but there is much to see along 395 (eastern side of the Sierra) both south and north of the Tioga Road turnoff, as well as things along the Tioga Road outside/east of the park gates.

You say you've been to Yosemite before. Did you get to Tuolumne Meadows? Would you be willing to forgo the Valley this trip to explore 395, Tuolumne and Tioga instead? Are you interesting in short hikes, fishing, geology, etc.?

FWIW, if you were thinking of staying a night in Lee Vining, consider June Lake instead.
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