State Guide: California – TakeMyTrip.com

California Guide

The Golden State's limitless supply of vacation fun

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Feb

California

Prisoners to Pelican Trail, Santa Cruz Island

I thought I’d start this page with a look at where the trail ends: a viewpoint overlooking Pelican Bay. This is the reward for a ...

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Apr

California

Keys View, Joshua Tree National Park

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Apr

California

Hiking up Mosaic Canyon, Death Valley

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Sep

California

San Francisco Powell & Hyde Cable Cars, Fisherman’s Wharf

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Sep

California

Walking Across the Golden Gate Bridge

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Feb

California

Mission San Juan Capistrano

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California

Alien Jerky & Big Thermometer, Baker, California

The intense heat of the Mojave Desert can cause you to make some strange decisions. For example, buying overpriced beef ...

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Sep 11, 2018

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California

Bakersfield Antique Stores & Historic Downtown

When in Bakersfield, you need to check out the city’s famous Fox Theater, and the rest of its beautiful downtown. ...

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Sep 11, 2018

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California

Sequoia South Entrance: Amphitheater Point, Big Fern Springs

Most of the excitement of Sequoia National Park is behind you as you leave Moro Rock and the Sherman Tree, ...

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Sep 11, 2018

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California

Tokopah Falls Hike near Lodgepole, Sequoia National Park

One of the best hikes of my visit to Sequoia National Park was on a trail that I didn’t even ...

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Sep 11, 2018

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California

General Sherman Tree & Congress Trail, Sequoia National Park

The biggest attraction (pun definitely intended) in Sequoia National Park is, without a doubt, the General Sherman Tree. If you ...

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Sep 11, 2018

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California

Buena Vista Peak Trail, Kings Canyon National Park

Looking for a great place to watch the sunset in Kings Canyon National Park? Some of the viewpoints along the ...

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Sep 11, 2018

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California

Hanging Rock Trail, Sequoia National Park

There’s no shame in being second-best. Without question, the best overlook in Sequoia National Park is at Moro Rock. But ...

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Sep 11, 2018

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California

Moro Rock Trail, Sequoia National Park

Sometimes they put trails in the craziest places. Moro Rock is definitely that kind of place. The Moro Rock Trail ...

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Sep 11, 2018

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California

Sequoia National Park’s Drive-Thru Tree: Tunnel Log

Just about everybody who visits California’s giant Sequoia forests wants to do just one thing: drive through one. Tunnel Log, ...

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Sep 11, 2018

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California

Crescent Meadow Hike & Tharp’s Log, Sequoia

When you visit Sequoia National Park, you want to hike through a forest of big trees — lots of them. ...

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Sep 11, 2018

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California

Big Trees Trail Hike, Sequioa National Park

The Big Trees Trail hike is one of the easiest ways to see a nice collection of Sequoia National Park’s ...

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Sep 11, 2018

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California

Kings Canyon Panoramic Point, Sunset

Finding a great view can be challenging when you’re surrounded by giant trees. Fortunately, Kings Canyon Panoramic Point offers a ...

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Sep 11, 2018

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California

Buck Rock Lookout, Sequoia National Forest

Fire towers are always fun to visit because they are often positioned in the most impossible places. Buck Rock Lookout ...

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Sep 11, 2018

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California

Exploring Grant Grove, Kings Canyon National Park

You don’t have to drive all the way down into Sequoia National Park to see some of the area’s best ...

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Sep 11, 2018

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California

Zumwalt Meadows Hike, Kings Canyon National Park

A scenic drive into Kings Canyon is pretty great, but it’s capped off with the Zumwalt Meadows hike — quite ...

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Sep 11, 2018

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California

Scenic Drive into Kings Canyon, 180 to Cedar Grove

The scenic drive into Kings Canyon takes you deep into the Sierra Nevada Mountains for a look at a dramatic ...

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Sep 11, 2018

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California

South Grove Hike, Calaveras Big Trees State Park

Seeing some big trees is an essential part of any visit to California. If you don’t have time to make ...

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Sep 11, 2018

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California

California Highway 4 over Ebbetts Pass: One-Lane over Sierra Nevada

The Sierra Nevada Mountains are a formidable obstacle for anyone traveling east or west through California. You only have a ...

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Sep 11, 2018

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California

Hike to Lake Aloha via Echo Lakes, near Lake Tahoe

One of the prettiest spots in the Sierra Nevada mountains is conveniently located near Lake Tahoe. The hike to Lake ...

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Sep 11, 2018

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California

Sunsets along Lake Tahoe: Eagle Falls, Emerald Bay

For a big lake with a road all the way around it, it sure is difficult to find a nice ...

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Sep 11, 2018

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California

Van Sickle Trail Hike, overlooking Lake Tahoe, Stateline Nevada

When hiking in the Lake Tahoe area, the goal is usually to find a great view of Lake Tahoe. You ...

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Sep 11, 2018

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California

California Route 89 Scenic Drive, Markleeville

There are several great roads that take you into the Sierra Nevada Mountains of California. While California Route 89 takes ...

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Sep 11, 2018

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California

Santa Monica, California

Once back in Los Angeles, I still had a few hours before my flight departed. So, I grabbed dinner at ...

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Sep 21, 2016

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California

Old Ridge Route over Tejon Pass into Los Angeles

Between Yosemite and Los Angeles, there’s not a lot of excitement. Hwy. 41 takes you to Hwy. 99, which eventually ...

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Sep 21, 2016

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California

Yosemite’s Bridal Veil Fall

After returning my rental bike and getting back in the car, it was too late to do much more exploring. ...

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Sep 21, 2016

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California

Yosemite 1-Hour Bicycle Tour

After dealing with the buses, RV’s, and campers that clog Yosemite Valley’s main arteries, I gave up on the car, ...

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Sep 21, 2016

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California

The Drive Into Yosemite Valley

Once you reach the end of Tioga Pass Road, hang a left, and head towards the heart of the park, ...

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Sep 21, 2016

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California

Tioga Pass Road, Yosemite National Park

The trip over Tioga Pass Road is a lot less nerve-racking at night. During the previous night’s journey through this ...

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Sep 21, 2016

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California

Bodie, CA – Ghost Town

Bodie may very well be the best historic example of a wild west gold mining boomtown, and the very best ...

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Sep 20, 2016

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California

Mono Lake, California

Day 6 probably should have been devoted completely to Yosemite, but I didn’t have that kind of time, and there ...

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Sep 20, 2016

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California

Tioga Pass Road at Sunset

Here are more great pictures of the moon, lining up perfectly with the road. At this point, highway 120 (known ...

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Sep 20, 2016

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California

Driving from San Francisco to Yosemite

From the Golden Gate Bridge, you can choose either to continue northward to the Richmond- San Rafael Bridge (I-580), or ...

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Sep 20, 2016

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California

Walking Across the Golden Gate Bridge

The Golden Gate Bridge looks good, from whatever angle you view it. You’ll find this viewpoint at the side of ...

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Sep 20, 2016

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California

Lombard Street, San Francisco

You’ll pass Lombard Street, the “Crookedest Street In The World”, on the Powell-Hyde Cable Car route, but it’s certainly worth ...

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Sep 20, 2016

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California

San Francisco Powell & Hyde Cable Cars, Fisherman’s Wharf

After arriving in San Francisco, I found my hotel (for once, I actually made reservations) and settled in for a ...

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Sep 20, 2016

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California

Santa Cruz, California: Pier & Boardwalk

From Monterey, Hwy. 1 carries you quickly northward, as a four lane (or greater) freeway over much of the route. ...

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Sep 20, 2016

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California

Pacific Coast Highway: A Side Trip Up Nacimiento Road

Between Cambria and Monterey, there’s only one road that cuts across the Big Sur mountains, over to US 101: Nacimiento ...

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Sep 20, 2016

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California

Big Sur, along the Pacific Coast Highway

Continue north from Morro Bay, and all of a sudden, you’re in the mountains of Big Sur. The first pull-off ...

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Sep 20, 2016

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California

San Luis Obispo’s Bubble Gum Alley, and the PCH Northbound

San Luis Obispo provides a great opportunity to get out of the car, and stretch your legs for a bit. ...

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Sep 20, 2016

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California

El Camino Real to Pismo Beach

You’ll see signs marking the Historic El Camino Real route as you travel up the California coast. Most are hard ...

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Sep 20, 2016

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California

LA96C – Former Cold War Nike Missile Site, on Mulholland Drive

Mulholland Drive takes you out of Hollywood and along the crest of the Santa Monica Mountains. But if you’re expecting ...

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Sep 20, 2016

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California

Los Angeles: Hollywood Hills, and the Hollywood Sign

There’s no place else in the world quite like LA. It has its own charm, its own style. But most ...

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Sep 20, 2016

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California

Joshua Tree National Park

With the sun quickly setting, my time at Joshua Tree was limited. I thought Keys View sounded promising for a ...

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Sep 17, 2016

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California

Roy’s Motel & Cafe, on Old Route 66

Just a couple of miles past the Amboy Crater, you’ll come across a true relic of Route 66’s heyday: Roy’s ...

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Sep 17, 2016

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California

Pisgah and Amboy Craters, on Old Route 66

After you leave Barstow on Interstate 40, you have several opportunities to exit the freeway, and onto a very old ...

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Sep 17, 2016

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California

Fossil Falls, along US 395

Here’s an interesting natural attraction that you could easily miss. Fossil Falls is just a short drive off the highway, ...

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Sep 17, 2016

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California

Lone Pine, California: Sierra Nevada & Alabama Hills

The drive from Death Valley to Lone Pine takes you from the lowest point in the western hemisphere to the ...

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Sep 17, 2016

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California

Father Crowley Point, Death Valley

After you’ve cut across the Panamint valley (a smaller, but similarly desolate version of Death Valley), you will once again ...

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Sep 17, 2016

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California

Aguereberry Point, overlooking Death Valley

Continue driving on Aguereberrry Point Road, and you’ll pass from a wide open high-desert landscape to a narrow canyon. Tight ...

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Sep 17, 2016

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California

Aguereberry Mining Camp & Eureka Mine

As you head west on highway 190, you’ll climb your way out of Death Valley. Just eight miles after leaving ...

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Sep 17, 2016

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California

Ubehebe & Little Hebe Craters

The other big attraction at the northern end of Death Valley is the giant Ubehebe Crater. This huge, steep sided ...

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Sep 17, 2016

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California

Scotty’s Castle, Death Valley

Continue north through the park and you’ll pass the ranger station at Grapevine, followed by the intersection with Rte. 267, ...

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Sep 17, 2016

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California

Titus Canyon, Death Valley

Devote your second full day in Death Valley to the northern half of the park. If you’re driving in from ...

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Sep 17, 2016

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California

Stovepipe Wells Sand Dunes, Death Valley

I grew tired of walking up and down the sides of sand dunes, and eventually decided that the highest dune ...

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Sep 17, 2016

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