Trip: Golden State (California)

The Golden State Trip

9 Days in California

This trip focuses exclusively on southern and central California, and includes a drive up the Pacific Coast Highway, and a couple of snowy days in Yosemite National Park. Then it's back to southern California for a day in the desert, before visiting San Diego and driving up the coast to LA.

Day 1

A drive up to Ventura

Pacific Coast Highway: Malibu

I arrived in Los Angeles fairly early on Day 1, but my plans to meet a friend for lunch left ...

California

Feb 1, 2016

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Day 2

Channel Islands National Park

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 ...

California

Feb 2, 2016

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Channel Islands National Park: Boat Trip to Santa Cruz Island

As I was planning my trip to southern California, the islands off the coast of Los Angeles caught my eye. ...

California

Feb 2, 2016

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Day 3

A drive up the Pacific Coast Highway

Pebble Beach: 17 Mile Drive

If you’re an avid golfer, you’ll probably plan your entire trip up the California coast around a visit to Pebble ...

California

Feb 2, 2016

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Garrapata State Park, on the Pacific Coast Highway

There’s a pretty good chance that you’ll drive right through Garrapata State Park, on your way up the Big Sur ...

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Feb 2, 2016

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Bixby Creek Bridge, on the Pacific Coast Highway

Even if you limited your drive up the Pacific Coast Highway to just a few scenic stops, the Bixby Creek ...

California

Feb 2, 2016

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Big Creek Bridge & McWay Falls, Pacific Coast Highway

The stretch of the Pacific Coast Highway north of Nacimiento Road holds some of the highway’s most interesting attractions. The ...

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Feb 2, 2016

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Nacimiento Road, on the Pacific Coast Highway

I would never complain that the Pacific Coast Highway is boring, but it is nice that about halfway through the ...

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Feb 2, 2016

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Big Sur, Pacific Coast Highway

A few miles north of Cambria, the Pacific Coast Highway starts to climb, and suddenly you’re in the Big Sur ...

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Feb 2, 2016

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Elephant Seals on the Pacific Coast Highway

Just a few minutes north of Hearst Castle at San Simeon, you’ll find another excuse to pull off the road ...

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Feb 2, 2016

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PCH North of Morro Bay: Cambria and Hearst Castle

After you leave Morro Bay, there’s one more quaint little town before the drive through the Big Sur Mountains begins. ...

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Feb 2, 2016

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Morro Rock and Morro Bay

US 101 and California Highway 1 return to the coast at Morro Bay, where two things dominate the view. There’s ...

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Feb 2, 2016

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San Luis Obispo

The only thing missing in San Luis Obispo is a view of the Pacific. This nearly-perfect small city is on ...

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Feb 2, 2016

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Pismo Beach, California

As you start up the most dramatic stretch of the Pacific Coast Highway, you’ll pass through several small towns which, ...

California

Feb 2, 2016

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Day 4

Headed inland, to Yosemite

Yosemite Falls in Winter, and Lodge at the Falls

It’s appropriate that Yosemite National Park shares its name with Yosemite Falls. Its height alone earns Yosemite Falls top honors ...

California

Feb 7, 2016

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Stoneman & Sentinel Bridges, Yosemite in Winter

The bridges that cross the Merced River provide some of the best places in the Yosemite Valley for photographs. For ...

California

Feb 7, 2016

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Bridalveil Fall & Swinging Bridge, Yosemite in Winter

I was in Yosemite for less than 72 hours, but I still managed to experience almost every imaginable kind of ...

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Feb 7, 2016

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East Towards Yosemite: Mariposa

After leaving Merced, California Route 140 departs from the Central Valley, and heads towards the Sierra Nevada Mountains. It’s always ...

• Day 4 - Golden State (California) Trip

Feb 7, 2016

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Merced, California

Chances are, if you’re heading to or from Yosemite National Park, you’ll pass through Merced, or even spend the night ...

California

Feb 2, 2016

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Los Banos, California

There are a lot of exciting places in California: the big cities, the coast, the mountains… and then there’s the ...

California

Feb 2, 2016

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San Luis Reservoir & Pacheco Pass Highway

Route 152 provides a nice drive through rolling hills, between the Monterey/Santa Cruz area, and Interstate 5. While the scenery ...

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Feb 2, 2016

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Mission San Juan Bautista

I got an early start on Day 4, mostly because I needed to find a set of chains for my ...

California

Feb 2, 2016

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Day 5

Skiing and exploring a snowy Yosemite

Badger Pass Ski Area, Yosemite National Park

I’m willing to bet, when you think of Yosemite, the last thing you think about is skiing. One of the ...

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Feb 7, 2016

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Tunnel View, Yosemite in Winter

No matter what the weather, or time of day, I doubt you’ll ever be able to drive past Tunnel View ...

California

Feb 7, 2016

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Yosemite Valley: A Snowy Morning

Day 5 started with a magical moment. I looked out my window to find Yosemite Valley covered with a fresh ...

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Feb 7, 2016

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Day 6

From Yosemite to Kings Canyon National Park

Montecito Sequoia Lodge

The end of Day 6 and beginning of Day 7 mark the biggest mistake I made on this trip. Weeks ...

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Feb 7, 2016

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Grant Grove, Kings Canyon in Winter

You can’t see a lot of Kings Canyon National Park during the winter months. The road into most interesting part ...

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Feb 7, 2016

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From Fresno to Kings Canyon… with an unexpected detour

The drive from Fresno into Kings Canyon National Park should be an easy one, taking California Rte. 180 the entire ...

California

Feb 7, 2016

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Fresno, California

After spending a couple of days surrounded by more much more granite than concrete, arriving in Fresno was a shock ...

California

Feb 7, 2016

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Sun and Snow at Tunnel View, Yosemite

What a difference a day makes. Just 24 hours earlier, Tunnel View looked completely different: the fog that had filled ...

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Feb 7, 2016

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Yosemite Valley: Winter under Blue Skies

The beginning of Day 6 provided the perfect balance to my visit to Yosemite. After seeing overcast skies during my ...

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Feb 7, 2016

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Day 7

From the snow to the desert

Boron & Kramer Junction, California

After a very long drive across the desert on CA Rte. 58, I was ready for any excuse to stop, ...

California

Feb 7, 2016

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Visalia & Wasco, California

After driving for miles through the San Joaquin Valley, and passing nothing but farm fields and immigrant-worker communities, my expectations ...

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Feb 7, 2016

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Driving Out of Kings Canyon National Park, Highway 180

As I made the drive into Kings Canyon National Park on California Route 180 on Day 6, I had no ...

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Feb 7, 2016

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Day 8

As southern as Southern California gets

Desert View Tower & Mexican Border

After coming out the bottom end of Anza Borrego State Park, I hopped onto Interstate 8 for the drive west ...

California

Feb 7, 2016

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Anza Borrego State Park, the South End

As you travel towards the southern end of Anza Borrego State Park, you’ll cross over several mountain passes. During my ...

California

Feb 7, 2016

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Borrego Springs, and the Drive Through Anzo Borrego Park

After hiking to see the palm oasis in Borrego Palm Canyon, you can head back to the community of Borrego ...

California

Feb 7, 2016

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Hike Into Borrego Palm Canyon, Anzo Borrego State Park

Deep within California’s Colorado Desert, hidden between two mountains, there’s a cool, refreshing oasis. It’s not a mirage — it’s ...

California

Feb 7, 2016

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Desert Shores & Salton Sea Beach, CA

As you drive down Highway 111 from Palm Springs, you’re slowly going downhill, although you probably won’t notice it. Eventually, ...

California

Feb 7, 2016

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Palm Springs, California

There’s plenty to see and do in Palm Springs and the string of nearby cities in the Coachella Valley Desert. ...

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Feb 7, 2016

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Day 9

San Diego, and back to L.A.

Santa Monica Pier at Sunset

My final day in California was timing out perfectly. I avoided traffic jams and made it to Santa Monica with ...

California

Feb 7, 2016

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Mission San Juan Capistrano

I’d guess that the most well-known of the 21 California Missions is San Juan Capistrano — and it’s all because ...

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Feb 7, 2016

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Hiking the Trails at Torrey Pines State Reserve Park

Before heading back to Los Angeles and ending my vacation, I was looking for one more opportunity to hike and ...

California

Feb 7, 2016

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The Best Views of San Diego

When I started planning my California vacation, San Diego was my number one goal. I had never been to this ...

California

Feb 7, 2016

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Main Menu

The Golden State Trip

9 Days in California

This trip focuses exclusively on southern and central California, and includes a drive up the Pacific Coast Highway, and a couple of snowy days in Yosemite National Park. Then it's back to southern California for a day in the desert, before visiting San Diego and driving up the coast to LA.

Day 1

A drive up to Ventura

Day 2

Channel Islands National Park

Day 3

A drive up the Pacific Coast Highway

Day 4

Headed inland, to Yosemite

Day 5

Skiing and exploring a snowy Yosemite

Day 6

From Yosemite to Kings Canyon National Park

Day 7

From the snow to the desert

Day 8

As southern as Southern California gets

Day 9

San Diego, and back to L.A.