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?

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.

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

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

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.

Agree. After Labor Day is perfect for your trip.

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).

<B>note</B> -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)

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

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.

Less crowds, better weather...September

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 <i>west</i> 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.

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.

Jean: Oh -- great -- Thanks for clarifying. I thought you meant staying there <i>for</i> 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. <<

In Sept. you <i>will</i> 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.

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.

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.

Another vote for September after Labor Day.

<i>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.</i>

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.

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

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. <<

This is a continual debate on Fodors . . . north or south on the coast. I have driven both directions countless times (and LOVE both -- I have a mini Cooper 2 seat roadster and it is a fabulous road!) and IME/IMO there is absolutely no real difference. There are slight advantages/disadvantages to each. Driving south to north I have never had a problem crossing the hwy to get to a turnout/scenic overlook. It is only a 2 lane road -- and in those scenic bits people are driving moderate speeds (or downright slooooow) so it isn't like trying to cross a major 4-lane speedway.

In fact -- the driver actually has it a bit easier driving northwards because one isn't on the cliffside and can get glimpses of the views. North to south can be white knuckle time for some drivers

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.

Jean makes an interesting point. Now, I never (ever) advise against Yosemite Valley, but just possibly, if you have spent a reasonable time in the Valley before . . . you could skip it. 395 south from Tahoe, a detour in to the Yosemite high country and then back out to 395 to continue south.

This would let you explore things like Bodie, Mt Whitney, June Lake, Mono Lake etc . . .

Not that I'm suggesting you omit Yosemite Valley ;)

Definitely mid to end of September. After Labor day weekend it becomes much less busy than before the holiday. And hopefully by the end of September it will be not as hot as in August.

Mmmm...too many things to do and see and not enough time. The usual trip dilemma.

We haven't been to Tuolumne Meadows but have been to Yosemite Valley twice. We love beautiful scenery and short hikes and really love seeing animals in the wild.

A key thing for me on the trip is shopping, things are so much cheaper than here with much more choice. There are usually malls everywhere - not in the parks obviously - so we can make time for that.

Just looked at the map and it seems if we stayed on the 395 east of Yosemite then there are only two ways to cut across back west, either through Yosemite or way down south near Bakersfield.

Jean, when you say the Valley, do you mean where the historic goldrush towns are? That's not a focus of the trip but I thought if we were there anyway... Can you give me a quick idea of things to see near the 395, are they the places Janis suggests, what else would you recommend?

Kay

Valley in this case means Yosemite Valley. That time if year there are several other passes open north of Tioga: Sonora Pass (Hwy 108) and Ebbetts Pass (Hwy 4/89) Hwy4 also branches off onto 89 and on to Tahoe. We did an all day road trip in October: east over Sonora, north on 395 then west on 4. So beautiful and caught the tail end of the yellow aspens.

I don't want to be an <i>agent provocateur,</i> (well, okay, maybe I do a little bit) but let me chime in, at the risk of upsetting an apple cart or two.

First, US 395 and Mono Lake are on the western edge of the Great Basin - a vast arid zone that comprises most of Nevada and Utah west of the Wasatch Range (part of the Rockies.) Mono Lake itself, just outside Lee Vining, is a salty "soda" lake.

In mid-summer this is hot country, albeit dry. The landscape is transitional - at higher elevations as you descend from the High Sierras it has dry pine forestation, which is replaced by sagebrush and cottonwoods near the (seasonal) creeks as you get lower. Finally most trees disappear and this - https://goo.gl/maps/PB2XmwRFk7k - is what the landscape looks like. (If you're not familiar with Google Street View, it's a great way to "explore" different highways.)

The "gold rush" towns and roads are on the <i>west</i> side of the Sierras, where there's greater annual rainfall, hence much more diverse and lush vegetation. Here's a representative photo of what Hwy 49 looks like - https://goo.gl/maps/CK9A8viDf1y - and here's what one of the towns, in this case Sutter Creek, looks like - https://goo.gl/maps/gm7wZWLEHZ52

So as you can see, there's a very big difference in the two sides of the mountains. Both have their benefits, but - to me at least - the west side and the gold rush country have more to offer the visitor in mid-summer.

<i>We haven't been to Tuolumne Meadows but have been to Yosemite Valley twice.</i>

There's certainly nothing wrong with driving up to Tuolumne Meadows and returning back to Hwy 49 rather than going over the pass.

<i>A key thing for me on the trip is shopping, things are so much cheaper than here with much more choice.</i>

I gather from your profile that you've been to the US on many trips. But this got me wondering a little - have you spent any time in the Pacific Northwest?

Here's my reason for asking. Up in our corner of the world we have several national parks that offer a tremendous variety of natural beauty. For example, Olympic National Park just west of Seattle offers alpine meadows and glacier-covered mountains, but a couple of hours away are stunning rocky beaches and dense temperate rain forests with giant elk often visible through the hanging moss.

Or Mount Rainier, or in Oregon Crater Lake, reached in an easy day's drive from Mount Hood and the superb Columbia River Gorge.

For shopping (and I understand this isn't a key element, rather a nice perk) there's no sales tax in Oregon, so things are almost 10% cheaper than they are in California just off the top, and there are plenty of "outlet malls" to welcome your dollars.

You <i>could,</i> with only minor changes to your air travel plans, hop up to San Francisco and do a northern, rather than southern loop - visit Yosemite, but then north to Crater Lake (the scenic superior of Tahoe for my money, and without the honky tonk of South Tahoe) then up to the Columbia Gorge and Mount Hood, then back to SF via the spectacular Oregon coast and the California redwoods, something like this - https://goo.gl/maps/gPdGhUZeQTn

Maybe more than you want to bite off, but it's a spectacular route with amazing variety, and might be worth considering either now or on your next trip.

Is anybody else seeing the link inserted by Fodor's for my "agent p" phrase? Huh?

Here is an extensive list of sights along 395. I'm not sure I'd make stops/detours at everything mentioned but do recommend most.

http://californiathroughmylens.com/highway-395-roadtrip

To the list, I'd add the Mt. Whitney Fish Hatchery near Independence which helped save the California golden trout but no longer stocks fish in the streams and lakes of the Eastern Sierra. The facility was a public works project during the Depression and houses a small museum of its former operations. The pond in front of the building is loaded with trout that you can feed.

http://www.sierranevadageotourism.or...318E6114FD8CE0

The ancient bristlecone forest at Schulman Grove outside of Bishop are some of the oldest trees on the planet.

http://www.hikingwalking.com/destina...stlecone_pines

Obsidian Dome near the Devil's Postpile.

If you drive into the town of Mammoth Lakes, take the gondola to the top of the ski area for fantastic 360 degree views of the Minarets mountains, the Owens Valley (which 395 runs through) and Yosemite in the distance.

If Mammoth is too much of a detour, do drive the June Lake Loop.

In Lee Vining, the Friends of Mono Lake operate a book and gift shop. Many books about Mono Lake, Yosemite, the Sierra and California and (mostly) local crafts and jewelry.

At Mono Lake, be sure to visit the Interpretive Center to understand the fascinating ecosystem.

From the Tioga Road, take a short dirt road to Saddlebag Lake Resort (look for sign on north side of road about 12 miles west of 395). From there, you can ride a water taxi to the other side of the lake and do a short hike to other lakes in Twenty Lakes Basin.

I'll probably think of more things, but that's a start...

I'm seeing the link gardy.

I sent a note to the admins.

Great info Jean. I need to convince DH to check out that part of our state. So beautiful. A friend from high school spends his summer mule packing up in Mono all summer. Love his photos.

Oh, Michelle, there's so much more if you have time...

Red Rock Canyon a few miles north of Mojave.

In Lone Pine, sights related to the 1872 earthquake. A surviving adobe wall, cemetery of victims, etc. The Cottonwood Charcoal Kilns from the same era are near the town.

Galen Rowell's Mountain Light photo gallery in Bishop.

If you're into geology and specifically volcanology, Fossil Falls is my favorite sight along 395, but Panum Crater (actually a plug dome) near Mono Lake is interesting. Great views of the lake and the group of Mono Craters to the south.

Lundy Canyon when the leaves are turning is spectacular.

A few years ago, we saw a bighorn sheep herd in Twenty Lakes Basin above Saddleback Lake (which I mentioned upthread). Numbers have recovered a little in recent years but very few bighorn are thought to still live in the Yosemite area of the Sierra Nevada. A huge treat for us.

Thanks so much everyone. Gardyloo, you make a persuasive argument, I'm going to check it all out on the map and talk it over with my husband. About 20 years ago we drove up through California as far as Portland, Oregon and did another trip where we visited western Canada and down to Seattle, back around to Vancouver Island. We love America and have seen a lot of it, I guess about 26 states. There is always more to see though!

I think in general we'd rather see green and lush than desert. We did a 4 week trip a couple of years ago around Colorado and Utah and saw plenty of dry landscape there. We loved the trip, and the national parks, don't get me wrong.

I have work today and tomorrow so not much time but I will get back with any questions. Thank you all!

Kay

I should get paid by the Columbia Gorge merchants, the way I keep promoting the area on these boards, but I keep coming back to the belief that this is one of the most overlooked destinations in the country for people wanting a combination of landscapes, towns, activities and scenic wonders. This is not that it's empty, not by any means, and it's not taking anything away from Yosemite or other western national parks, all of which have that status for good reason.

But with the Gorge and nearby areas, here's what you get, roughly traveling east to west:

- A replica of Stonehenge overlooking the red-rock walls bordering the Columbia River. http://www.maryhillmuseum.org/2013/w...benCanales.jpg

- A mile or two away, the quirky Maryhill Museum - www.maryhillmuseum.org - with its remarkable collection of Rodin sculpture, a terrific sculpture garden, a fascinating collection of post-war miniature French fashion mannequins (they didn't have enough fabric for full size.)

- Numerous vineyards and wineries producing outstanding wines.

- Roadside rock walls tumbling down to the mile-wide Columbia River

- Picturesque and comfortable little towns like Hood River and White Salmon, home to numerous microbreweries, vineyards and artisan restaurants.

- White water rafting on several rivers, running from Class I to Class IV-V water, depending on the month and year. Hood River claims to be the world capital of windsurfing, and I believe them. http://gorgeculture.org/wp-content/g...ia%20Gorge.jpg

- The stunning Hood River Valley with its orchards, vineyards, fruit stands and views of Mount Hood in one direction - http://gardyloo.us/20100509_85a.JPG - and Mouint Adams in the other.

- Mount Hood itself, awesome and beautiful, with historic Timberline Lodge and year-round skiing on its permanent icefields. http://www.timberlinelodge.com/

- Back by the river, a series of waterfalls ranging from famous Multnomah Falls to Latourell - http://gardyloo.us/20100509_42b.JPG - to the stunning Oneonta Gorge with its canyon and waterfall - https://res.cloudinary.com/roadtripp...tfpqtd9u9l.jpg

- Bonneville Dam and its fish hatchery, home to Herman the Sturgeon, an ancient, giant fish that's been thrilling kids for sixty years or more.

- Crown Point and the vistas the Historic Gorge Highway offers of the gorge itself - http://gardyloo.us/20100509_5a.JPG

... and all this an hour or two from Portland, with its fantastic food scene, farmers markets, funky lodgings, Powell's books...

And that's just the beginning. Head two hours from Portland to Cape Disappointment at the mouth of the Columbia for waves on rocks below lighthouses - http://icons.wunderground.com/data/w...82/174-800.jpg - and Lewis and Clark history, then south along the Oregon coast past more headlands, fishing villages, sand dunes... all the way to California, where the coast road turns inland and threads its way through the Del Norte and Humboldt redwoods. I just can't think of a 300- or 400-mile stretch of roads that offers this kind of variety, all of it best-in-show.

Sorry, end of speech.

Hi Gardyloo,

If we were to head north up to Oregon would it make much difference, weather wise, to go in August or September?

Also do you think we'd see more wildlife up that way, in the parks etc, than around Yosemite and Tahoe. We love seeing animals in the wild (or wildlife sanctuaries like we saw once near Denver).

Still need to do some talking and deciding but this all sounds very tempting.

Thanks.

Kay