Molly08

Hi -

We are trying to decide whether to go to Utah (Zion, Bryce) or the northern California coast (from San Francisco north to Oregon) in mid-May. My concern is that the CA coast will be too foggy this time of year to really appreciate the scenery. Am I right? What about the weather in Utah in mid-May. I'm assuming it won't be too hot? How chilly will it get at night? Any opinions on which would be a better trip are welcome!

Thanks,
Molly from LA

tomfuller

Did you give up on the Lake Tahoe thread? I asked some questions but you never came back.
The rainy-foggy weather on the coast can move in in May but usually waits until June.
The weather will likely be better in southern Utah.
We went to Moab in the first week of November last year and the weather was beautiful.
We went whale watching on the Oregon Coast in the spring of 2009. It was foggy part of the day (50's and windy). We did see 1 whale blow but overall not that great.
You could visit Muir Woods north of SF and decide if you want to go to Tahoe-possible in 5 hours.

happytrailstoyou

When we were in Utah in May, 2009, the weather was perfect (and the drive on Highway 12 was a very pleasant scenic surprise).

May weather is the NW is very unpredictable. I vote for Utah.

HTTY

november_moon

The Northern CA coast is rarely warm, but May isn't a particularly foggy month. Coastal fog in CA is usually a result of hot temperatures inland - an inversion layer is created along the coast, the fog comes in, etc. May isn't very hot inland, so the conditions are not as favorable toward fog. There may still be some, but it shouldn't be as heavy as you would see in the summer. Also, keep in mind that coastal fog isn't generally the type of fog that obscures the views too much - not like tule fog that sits on the ground. When it does come close to the ground, it is often wispy and on the move, which makes for some neat views.

Molly08

Thank you all for your replies! TomFuller - No, I haven't given up on the Tahoe thread, that is a separate trip in July. This trip is for May, so I'm focusing on it more right now. I will get back to Tahoe though!

It sounds like Utah is a better bet, but that the northern CA coast wouldn't be a total bust. I just thought about May in Southern California - we have June Gloom and May Gray - I happen to like both, and fog on the coast is pretty neat.

If we do Utah, is 7 days enough to do Zion, Bryce, Goblin Valley, Arches and Canyonlands? And that would include driving from LA but We can probably extend a couple of days. At first I was thinking of just doing Zion and Bryce but it seems crazy to be that close to Arches and Canoyonlands and not seem them. Is Capitol Reef worth seeing?

Thanks!
Molly

emalloy

You could do all of them in a week if you didn't spend much time in each of them, and drove back to Vegas from Arches/Canyonlands on the hwy (70 to 15) I'm assuming you'll be going from Vegas. You could do a couple of nights in Zion one or two in Bryce, a drive through Capitol Reef for a quick look and overnight in Green River or Moab then a couple of days for Arches and Canyonlands then back to Vegas. Or, you could do a loop the other way, Arches/Canyonlands first then CR,Bryce, Zion.

Some people want to concentrate on one park and get to know all the areas. We tend to do a shorter trip and then make plans for another trip, sometimes to the same area to see other things that we found wonderful. I've hit the Grand Canyon for a short visit 6 times and would go again anytime I'm in the area.

Have a fantastic trip

elnap29

That would be too much driving for me. We like to enjoy some hikes in each park. I'd put Zion and Bryce together, maybe with Capital Reef, but I'd do Arches and Canyonlands on a separate trip. Canyonlands is a huge park. We spent over a week there and barely scratched the surface.

iamq

I am an ocean person, so that is usually my default.

Mid May along the north coast is usually a great time. We've spent long weekends at Sea Ranch just south of Gualala and have had nice, suuny weather most of the time. This area is a bit of a banana belt and might not be totally representative of the what the rest of the coast would be like.

The yellow lupine and lots of other wildflowers can be blooming all up and down this part of the coast around this time and the rhododendrons at the Kruse Rhododendron State Preserve will likely be blooming.

Have fun deciding. We spent some time at Zion and Bryce this past summer and loved them both. I would think May would be a good time for wildflowers at Zion. No?

spirobulldog

I have done both of these trips more than once in the past couple of years. I am going back to Utah again for the 5th time in May myself. There is that much to do there. I just find the coast ok, but I do really enjoy Redwoods National Park. Although, Yosemite in May might be really nice as well. I personally think you need more time than 7 days for Utah. I would stick with Bryce/Zion or Goblin Valley/Moab/Arches/Canyonlands. The best thing we have ever done on any trip was with www.deserthighlights.com in Moab. Awesome!! If you go to the Redwoods I would recommend hiking James Irvine Trail that connect with Fern Canyon. Truly an awesome hike. I can list about 7 or 8 hikes in Utah that I would put up there in the awesome category as well. Point Reyes is a pretty cool place, just north of SF. THere are several places to go tidepooling along the coast. That's a very neat experience at low tide.

I would just decide if I wanted to see Arches and Red Rocks or ocean and giant trees.

janisj

not quite sure what that "rainy-foggy weather" bit is about. Rain in May anywhere in Northern CA would be pretty unusual. And June Gloom doesn't really start until . . . Well, June.

May is usually a marvelous time on the coast (second only to Sept/early Oct for good weather)

elnap29

I've spent time on the Northern Calif coast in May a number of times and experienced glorious weather. Of course, you need to take layers. You're on the ocean! Utah and Northern Calif are two very different experiences.

paula1470

janis-Here in Southern Calif we often get the June gloom starting in May. In fact we call it "May Gray". So I'm sure that's where Molly is coming from since she lives in LA. It doesn't happen that often, but I have seen some Mays that are gloomier than June. Or sometimes it hangs around for 2 long months (by the coast of course)!!

Molly-I think the weather would be perfect for Zion/Bryce and I agree with others about sticking to just those two parks.