spirobulldog

Tomsd,
You think June is all right for Crater Lake? I've only done it once. We really enjoyed doing the boat to Wizard Island, and I don't think that operates in June. I'm not sure how much of the road would be open at that time.

Tomsd

One never knows how the roads will be. Suggest you start checking the snow reports/depth about Feb and get a better idea as to what might happen and how strong of a winter it has been. Many years ago when I was there (lived in Klamath Falls) they used to plow earlier - when they had more funds, but now - who knows?

Tomsd

spiro: And as for the boat to Wizard Island: Have to admit that in all my trips up to Crater Lake -starting in the 50's - have never taken that ride - but would like to. You know - you live someplace and are going to do it the next time - or some such.

One could google closer to June and find out when they start running. Even if you can't do that boat ride - a drive around the rim is really a trip.

leslieq

We tried to hike Bumpass Hell thermal area in October in Lassen and got snowed out! Often the roads aren't open in June, either. Don't miss Silver Falls State Park near Silverton Oregon or the Columbia Gorge if you like waterfalls. We stayed at the Oregon Garden Resort in Silverton for really cheap (look for Groupons) and got into the garden next to the resort as well. Closer to where I live, don't miss Point Reyes National Seashore. Lots of great hiking and views. Big Sur along the coast past Carmel is gorgeous, too. Am jealous of your wonderful trip!

suz24

If you hit Lassen and other parts of NE California, cheCk out Burney Falls, too, even if just for a peek. Amazing.
One important heads-up about Califoria State parks this year, a few of them may be closed temporarily due to budget cuts. OF course we all hope it won't happen and the State parks Foundation is doing its best to keep parks open if the State pulls some funds. But please do check the State Park web site before your trip to make sure that the ones you want to visit are actually open. Sigh.

Don't forget National Historic Sites that are also run by the park service. There is lots of great history out here on the west coast that are held in state parks or historic sites. California is full of Native American history, Spanish colonial history, and gold rush history. If you are traveling the coast, you should see at least one of the still rural missions, like La Purisima near Lompoc, to get a feel for how mission life was back then.
Also you may want to include the National Recreation Areas like the Golden Gate NRA. Talk about history and natural beauty. Fort Point under the southern portion of the Golden Gate Bridge dates from the Civil War, I believe (but my knowledge on dates is not reliable!). Lots of World War II history as well.

Sounds like a wonderful trip no matter where you go. (And Crater Lake will likely still have lots of snow in June. North exit road may not be open yet. depends on this coming winter's snow fall).

Tomsd

Ahh Suz24: You bring back such great memories. When we lived on Union St in SF (between Gough and Octavia) - after getting back from the office and to forget the "legal" troubles of the day - would job out to Ft. Point and back - along the Marina Green, and enjoying the magnificent view of the Golden Gate and looking across at Sausalito. Some days - there would be wind surfers whipping around/across the bay, as well as sailboats, and when the surf was up - there would be those brave lads in the water near Ft. Point. It's a great place for a drive and then maybe to have a picnic. see: http://www.nps.gov/fopo/index.htm

On weekends, had a favorite market down on Chestnut St, a very cute neighborhood street that parallels Lombard - which has a great proscuitto sandwich (reasonably priced) - and would pick that up along with a beverage - and go to the Marina Green or to the Palace of the Fine Arts (built for the 1915 Exposition was it) - and enjoy the view. also see: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Palace_of_Fine_Arts

And one can also go out to the Palace of the Legion of Honor - for a beautiful view looking back at the Golden Gate, http://legionofhonor.famsf.org/ and enjoy their wonderful art collection, as well as visiting the De Young Museum in Golden Gate Park. http://deyoung.famsf.org/

Also out that way - have brunch at the historic Cliff House. and overlook the Pacific. see: http://www.cliffhouse.com/home/index.html

Tomsd

Errr - that was jog out to Ft. Point from our pad on Union St. It was about a six and a half mile roundtrip run - just perfect for a nice workout after a busy day - and then after a relaxing shower, see what Bagdhad by the Bay (as legendary columnist Herb Caen used to call San Francisco) had to offer us for the evening. For a little SF history: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Herb_Caen

Loved Herb - whose column in the SF paper was the first thing most people read every day - and also loved when he wrote about our favorite waiter - Edsel Ford Fong - who was also a SF legend - at Sam Wo's chinatown restaurant. Edsel used to really pick on the tourists - and we used to encourage him to do so. I know - shame on us. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edsel_Ford_Fong

jrnjill

Thankyou all for these wonderful ideas. Its so good to have a forum with people that have like minded ideas for what a good vacation is. Please keep the ideas coming. Our trip is definetly being planned by the ideas from you. If anyone can recommend some good campsites that are near some of the above mentioned areas please do so. The more the easier for my wife and I to plan this trip. Thanks again..

oregonmom

Last June (2011) I posted that the road to Crater Lake was open I think around June 21. It varies every year. So far there has been very little snow here and some of the ski resorts haven't been able to open. It can change though in the late winter/early spring and come dumping down. I live just an hour from the park so we go often. Check out their website for up to date road info.

spirobulldog

Tomsd,
You should for sure take the boat ride. You get up close to Phantom Ship rock or whatever they call it and a couple of waterfalls. When you get over to the island they just drop you off and leave you. There wasn't even a park ranger there(that I could see anyway), there was a phone to call in case of an emergency. You should also walk to the top of WI and maybe down into it a bit. We took a picnic and enjoyed our 3 or 4 hours there. I decided to jump into the lake(where else can you swim in that perfect of water). Anyway, after I did several other folks did as well. One of them swam a short distance to "the old man"(the log that has been floating in the water there for 120 years). I was mad at myself for not doing so as well. But, about 30 seconds to a minute is all I could stand-very cold.
Link to our Oregon Photos from a couple of years ago. #97 starts CL and 102 begins the boat tour
http://share.shutterfly.com/action/w...0IatW7FqybsWNM

enzian

You asked for campground suggestions. Here is a list of campgrounds in Olympic NP:

http://www.nps.gov/olym/planyourvisit/campgrounds.htm

I'd suggest kalaloch if you want an Ocean view, Hoh to be in th erain forest (wiht elk walking through camp), or heart o'the Hills if you want to be close to Hurricane Ridge.

In Rainier, Ohanopecosh is very nice; cougar Rock is close to Paradise and probably snowfree in June but Paradise itself will be under snow. As for White River, I've skied through there in July. In other words, June is early for much of rainiier, but not all. You can still hike at Paradise if you are prepared for snow, but you won't see the amazing wildflowers.

I don't know if the campground at Crater lake will be open in June. Even if it is, that CG is one of our leaast favorite of the NP campgrounds (and most buggiest!)

I'll skip down to Yosemite, as this is important if you are going there. To camp in Yosemite Valley, you MUST make your reservations on the appointed day, right at 7:00 am, or you won't get a spot. If you are camping the first half of June (arriving June 14 or earlier), you reserve on January 15. If you are arriving June 15 or later, you reserve on February 15. www.recreation.gov Register in advance if you haven't already, and practice navigating the site. Be familiar with the various campgrounds and be prepared to grab one right away. They disappear in 2 or 3 minutes.

joannay

Camping in Yosemite Valley may not be what you expect. I reserved once but it was so crowded I decided to leave and instead camped outside the park. Sequoia NP, on the other hand, was very nice.

cferrb

We went to Bumpass Hell (Mt. Lassen) last year in early August and there was still snow on the ground. We were stomping through snow to get down to the thermal stuff, and had to come back up a slippery snowy hillside to get back to the car. It was an adventure. Also, be aware that NPS is working on the trail to the top of Mt. Lassen so you cannot hike all the way to the top, if you are hikers. We were able to go up about half-way (which was plenty of hiking for me anyway.....) If you were just at Yellowstone, I'm not sure that I would take a day out of your trip for Lassen, given how much else there is to see. Not a slam on Lassen, which I love, just a question of priorities.

jrnjill

From what I have been hearing we probably wont be staying in Yosemite during to the mass amount of people. We definetly dont mind hiking and camping in cold or snowy areas. Adds a bit of adventure for us. Does anybody have any recommendations for the best route from The hudson valley area in upstate NY to the west coast. perfer scenic roads. But time limit is definetly and issue. Thanks again everyone and have a merry christmas.

Michael

Unless you wish to visit sites along the way, it might be best to go as fast as possible to Denver and then take I70-US50 across to California--I happen to like US50 across Nevada. Or, since you are in upstate New York, cross Ontario to the Michigan Lower Peninsula and drive north to the Upper Peninsula and then west, either dipping down to Yellowstone or staying north and driving through Glacier NP and then on to the West Coast. You'll be crossing some National Grasslands (where the buffalo roam) in North Dakota, or the Badlands in South Dakota, but until you hit those western areas of the Dakotas the drive west of the Mississippi River is just a long haul.

tomfuller

If you drive your own vehicle, you will spend a good week of your month east of Denver. One of the cheapest places in the west to rent a car is in Las Vegas. If you fly there and rent a car you can hit Mojave National Preserve, Channel Islands and head up the coast through San Francisco to Redwood NP. From Crescent City decide if you want to continue on the coast or head over to Grant Pass and I-5 for the northern part of your journey. We have not been having much snow yet but Crater Lake may get a lot of snow later. Toward the end of June you should be able to drive through Yosemite and over the Tioga Pass to get to Death Valley on the way back to Las Vegas.

spirobulldog

Mount Lassen Trail is being worked on. Sometimes it is open on weekends only and closed during the week. You would need to check to see

jrnjill

Its about 3 months until we leave. We have decided that we will be leaving June 1 and driving west non stop to Las Vegas. Were we will spend 2 days to" relax". From there we willl head to Joshua tree for a day trip. then death valley where we will spend 2 nites with a rental 4x4 jeep camping near Mahogany flat. And taking in some of the less traveled areas. From here we will head north west to Kings canyon/and Sequoia "area" where we will spend aprox 5 days camping and day tripping to Yosemite. From there we will head to the San Fransisco area. Where We would like to find a state park to camp for a couple days while day tripping in this area.
From this part of the trip we havent set in stone.But I think from the bay area we will head north to Redwoods NP and spend 2 -4 days hiking, and visiting the near by state parks. From here we will head to the Crater Lake "area" weather permiting. While in Oregon I would like to spend about 3 days driving north towards Washington s Olympic NP any ideas on were to camp and hike heading north to Washington. Once in Olympic I would like to spend 5 -7 days on the peninsula area. Please recommend some senic campgrounds with seclusion.
From Olympic we will start the drive back east. We will try and stop at Mt. ranier We are hoping that by the first week of july the going to the sun road will be open and we can end our amazing Natl. Park tour with Glacier.
If it were not for the feedback from all of you I would not of been able to plan this at all. So please if there is one of those places that you think every person should see while in this part of country please let me know. Or is there one of those campgrounds that is your favorite and you didnt want to leave. Or just a certain drive that has magnificent scenery every where you look. These are the places we want to see. Thanks

spirobulldog

You can't really day trip to Yosemite from Sequoia National Park.

Understand that Death Valley will most likely be BRUTAL HOT. I mean the kind of hot that is dangerous.

spirobulldog

I'm not totally sure, but Yosemite probably won't be at peak crowds in early June.