This September I will be in Yosemite for a week. I have another week to spend in the area and would appreciate any suggestions.
(If I were going without my wife, I would stay in Yosemite for two weeks.)
Places that so far have caught my interest: Mount Tamalpais SP, Mendocino Headlands SP, Bowling Ball beach, Russian Gulch SP, Point Reyes.
Kings Canyon NP, including Sequoia. When I passed through Yosemite, it was still hazy from the fires. Kings Canyon was a little clearer, with spectacular scenery. And I guess I'm a tree-huggrer, because the sequoias were wonderful.
I found Pt. Reyes to be disappointing, and it might be tough to find Mt. Tam without a million of your best friends there, too.
Why not consider Carmel, and a pilgrimage to Weston Beach at Pt. Lobos? Lots of shopping for the lady, great food, and spectacular photography. Leaver her to shop (dangerous!) while you roam.
Bruce Barlow
author of "Finely Focused" and "Exercises in Photographic Composition"
www.brucewbarlow.com
HWY 49---the Gold Rush country is interesting. Over on the coast on HWY 1 is Big Sur from Monterey to San Luis Obispo. HWY 101 has the missions and most of the wineries. As mentioned, there's Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks.
All the passes over the Sierra should be open in October and it would be a pity if you didn't get to explore the Tioga Pass area and HWY 395 either South to Mammoth or north to the Lake Tahoe area.
"I would feel more optimistic about a bright future for man if he spent less time proving that he can outwit Nature and more time tasting her sweetness and respecting her seniority"---EB White
Thanks Bruce! I completely forgot about King's Canyon. I will add it to my list.
Originally Posted by Bruce Barlow
Thanks John! I am planning to head over Tioga pass to Mono lake and the Twenty lakes basin. Perhaps Tahoe as well. So much to see!
I pity you. Don't go running all over the place. Concentrate on a limited area. Yosemite and the Gold country below will still both be hot, but the lower hills can be
lovely that time of year if you have an acquired taste for its particular colors. A realistic loop would be over Tioga Pass, over to Mono Lk, then back over Sonora Pass. This would give you some time to actually enjoy some things. Kings Can and Sequoia need some time in their own right; and remember, you're really not dealing
with much of either park in that case, but of distant views of the canyons and peaks which can be obscured by smoke or haze at lower elevations. With Tioga and
Sonora Passes you can actually drive up fairly high to get above that. Just have to keep attuned to the weather forecasts and respective Park website current
warnings. Sometimes thunderstorms come in that time of year and clean up the air wonderfully, sometimes they don't. Often there is already a dusting off snow
on higher peaks - a wonderful treat.
Indeed, you need few more weeks :>). I could name bunch of places (on the central coast), but you could rediscover peace and serenity at Jalama Beach or Montana de Oro. Much depends on what you are after. Then there are something like 1/2 dozen of Calif Missions nearby, etc etc.
Les
I recommend the North Coast. A drive up Highway 1 is beautiful and the light gets really nice in September.
Jon
my black and white photos of the Mendocino Coast: jonshiu.zenfolio.com
I'm with Drew. Pick two places and explore them more deeply. One week for Yosemite (including Tioga and Mono lake), maybe another week along the coast? Would make a nice contrast and break things up a bit.
--Darin
If you like trees, then head over to the King's Canyon and Sequoia National Parks, not too far from Yosemite. If you have never been to the coast, then spend one or two days starting from the north end of the Golden Gate bridge (why not?) and drive down to Big Sur. Then you can decide where you want to spend another day or two.
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