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When to Go

The climate varies amazingly in California, sometimes within an hour's drive. A foggy, cool August day in San Francisco makes you grateful for a sweater, but head north 50 mi to the Napa Valley, and you'll probably need no more than short sleeves. Similarly, nighttime temperatures may differ greatly from daytime temperatures.

Because the weather is so varied throughout the state, it's hard to generalize much about it. Rain comes in the winter, summers are dry. As a rule, compared with the coastal areas, which are relatively cool year-round, inland regions are hot in summer and cool in winter. As you climb into the mountains, the climate changes more distinctly with the seasons: winter brings snow (at elevations above 3,000 feet), autumn is crisp, spring can go either way, and summer is sunny and warm, with only an occasional thundershower.