Must visit Places in California for first time traveler? (Fresno: 2013, hotel)

[vigneshwartrixy]

Help me out with an itinerary for 3 days in California state with some must-see places. Anything that with natural landscapes are my priority. Researched for different Resources and expecting some better places from here

[ManApplet]

I'll guess that the 'first time traveler' has already seen everything, past present and future and does not need any advice from me, but I am available to ride along

[1200RT]

Originally Posted by nadnerb

California is a very big state! It would be helpful to stick a certain area. Are you planning to fly into a certain airport? Or will you be driving there?

This really is a critical question.

There is absolutely no way to cover the entire state in 3 days, or even norcal or socal unless (and its a big unless) you're traveling by private aircraft. I guess, in theory, you could fly in and tour the airports, but you wont have a lot of fun. You'll need to narrow it down to one major metro/attraction - i.e. SF Bay, LA, SD, Yosemite, tahoe, disney, etc.

[Ruth4Truth]

MUST SEE: redwood forests. You can do this just north of the Bay Area, in Sonoma or Marin Counties (here's one: https://www.parks.ca.gov/?page_id=450 ). or you could drive up the coast to Humboldt County through the Avenue of the Giants, and visit some parks up there. (Note: long drive involved. This area is worth all 3 days of your trip, on its own.). https://www.visitredwoods.com/explor...of-the-giants/

You could fly into Monterey, and see Redwood forests nearby, and also Pfeiffer Beach, and its famous purple sands. A good two-fer. Surprisingly, Pfeiffer Beach isn't crowded. It's a little hard to find, requires an easy hike down to it, and is kind of a best-kept-secret.

[509]

Three days...

Day 1. Yosemite Valley and the Giant Sequoia Groves. Mariposa Grove.

Day 2. Pt Reyes National Seashore and Muir Woods.

Day 3. Big Sur.

[1200RT]

Originally Posted by 509

Three days...

Day 1. Yosemite Valley and the Giant Sequoia Groves. Mariposa Grove.

Day 2. Pt Reyes National Seashore and Muir Woods.

Day 3. Big Sur.

This would be a hellish trip.

Closest airport is Fresno. Earliest arriving flight from Austin lands at 11. 1.5 hours to the park. 1 hour in the park. Thats 1:30. 4 hours to Giants. Thats 5:30-6pm if you just stop for gas. Doable but not much time in the park. Next AM to the coast - 5 hours if if you jam on the highway. Last day... 4 hours down to big sur, but you're stranded - you'd need to backtrack to Monterey (last flight of the day is 7pm thru PHX).

Just doing that in my head is painful!

FWIW - I've do a very similar trip (backwards), with a few extra days - PCH to SF, 130 across to the park, across to 395, back to LA.

[dontbelievehim]

Don't go to Yosemite in the middle of summer(too crowded). That park is best in the other seasons.
Early June is the latest I recommend

You could do Tahoe + napa + Yosemite from Sacramento

Yosemite + sequoia+ central coast from Fresno

Bay + Napa + Yosemite(or Tahoe) from Oakland/sf/Sacramento

Bay + North coast from SF/Oakland

Bay + central coast + Napa from SF/oakland

You have lots of choices

[BRinSM]

3 days in Yosemite would be my recommendation.

[Ruth4Truth]

If considering Yosemite, be aware that reservations must be made months in advance. Shoulder seasons are the best time: spring/fall, as it's far less crowded. In spring, you'd be avoiding the fall fire/smoke season, too. There's a variety of facilities to choose from at Yosemite: platform tents, cabins, hotel rooms, camping spaces. Do your homework well in advance, if you want to try for Yosemite, OP.

[roadwarrior101]

I drove through Yosemite over the summer on my way to Mammoth Lakes. As I was crossing Tioga Pass, I didn't have to do a reservation in advance.

Still, it took an hour to get through the gate, due to the long line. Also, while we didn't stop, every place was very crowded and it seemed that parking was limited. It didn't seem like something I'd want to rush and I'd probably try to avoid going in the summer altogether.