The Travel Thread

[KUTradition]

that’s good

[pdub]

Tourists are back full force.
Good for the local businesses.
Bad for the locals.

[ousdahl]

^^^^^

[ousdahl]

sooo

NorCal

who's been?

gonna be road tripping with an old friend, camping and hiking, hitting parks and natural attractions.

any recommendations?

[Cascadia]

If you’re in this area, stop here.


https://www.thenewmuseumbeer.com/

[Overlander]

sooo

NorCal

who's been?

gonna be road tripping with an old friend, camping and hiking, hitting parks and natural attractions.

any recommendations?

Shasta.

[defixione]

If you were diving I'd say Ft. Bragg for abalone and the aquatic preserve there. But, Mt. Shasta for sure, and the Redwood National forest.

[KUTradition]

Bodega Bay is pretty nice, and Armstrong Redwoods State Nature Reserve is nearby

keep an eye out for banana slugs and some awesome salamanders (Ensatina and Batrachoceps)

[jhawks99]

Went to Sequoia when I was a kid. I still remember it as being pretty amazing.

[zsn]

sooo

NorCal

who's been?

gonna be road tripping with an old friend, camping and hiking, hitting parks and natural attractions.

any recommendations?

Raise your ‘been’ to ‘live’. I second the recommendations so far and add the following.

On either side of Mendocino are two really great State Parks with camping - Russian Gulch and Van Damme. If you want to see redwoods there are many options but avoid Muir Woods. You can go to Redwoods State Park, Standish Hickey or close to my house, Big Basin or Henry Cowell. Advantage of all these are the lack of crowds. Last two are close to Santa Cruz, and wineries.

Near Lake Tahoe, I’ll suggest DL Bliss or Donner Memorial. The latter is close to Truckee, one of the most underrated towns. Great restaurants and pubs but crowded during weekend days. Great hiking all around.

If you want to be close to the overhyped Napa-Sonoma wineries then Bothe Napa SP is good but there are a lot of great wineries in the Russian River area as well as Santa Cruz mountains.

As for the National Parks there’s no beating Yosemite and there’s also Sequoia-King’s Canyon (technically not NorCal). Rules for Yosemite camping have changed recently, so better to check NPS website.

[DrPepper]

I have never seen a mighty redwood forest. I'm putting that on the to-do list and adding zsn's pointers about the less-crowded options. thanks

[KUTradition]

when i visited the Armstrong Redwood reserve it was like a ghost town as far as other people being there. it’s a smaller grove, but with a rather famous inhabitant

this was nearly 10 years ago, so it’s probably busier now

crowds have largely been what’s kept me from Yosemite, unfortunately

[defixione]

When I lived in the Bay Area, we used to backpack in Yosemite a couple of times a year. I think I only spent a couple of hours total in the valley, on our first trip--to see North Face, Half Dome, Bridal Falls, and El Cap--after that we drove straight to the trail head and hiked for about two days before we made camp. The wilderness. No people or traces of people. The valley was packed like a sardine tin.

[Overlander]

sooo

NorCal

who's been?

gonna be road tripping with an old friend, camping and hiking, hitting parks and natural attractions.

any recommendations?

Raise your ‘been’ to ‘live’. I second the recommendations so far and add the following.

On either side of Mendocino are two really great State Parks with camping - Russian Gulch and Van Damme. If you want to see redwoods there are many options but avoid Muir Woods. You can go to Redwoods State Park, Standish Hickey or close to my house, Big Basin or Henry Cowell. Advantage of all these are the lack of crowds. Last two are close to Santa Cruz, and wineries.

Near Lake Tahoe, I’ll suggest DL Bliss or Donner Memorial. The latter is close to Truckee, one of the most underrated towns. Great restaurants and pubs but crowded during weekend days. Great hiking all around.

If you want to be close to the overhyped Napa-Sonoma wineries then Bothe Napa SP is good but there are a lot of great wineries in the Russian River area as well as Santa Cruz mountains.

As for the National Parks there’s no beating Yosemite and there’s also Sequoia-King’s Canyon (technically not NorCal). Rules for Yosemite camping have changed recently, so better to check NPS website.

Truckee is badass. Also under appreciated is Old Sacramento and the River

[zsn]

When I lived in the Bay Area, we used to backpack in Yosemite a couple of times a year. I think I only spent a couple of hours total in the valley, on our first trip--to see North Face, Half Dome, Bridal Falls, and El Cap--after that we drove straight to the trail head and hiked for about two days before we made camp. The wilderness. No people or traces of people. The valley was packed like a sardine tin.

The rule of thumb in California parks is that the crowd density is inversely proportional to the square of the distance from the nearest parking lot or shuttle stop. For example in Yosemite the trail up to Vernal Falls foot bridge is like Times Square. The crowd drops quite a bit after that until the falls itself and even less at the top of Nevada Falls.

To Trad’s point, Armstrong Redwoods is still like that especially midweek. Many of the State Parks are also like that. It’s not uncommon to see a packed trailhead parking lot but not encounter too many people on the trail itself as there are usually multiple trails originating from one place (eg. Big Sur Coast).

[pdub]

I'd say that applies to most popular parks.
If you can park within a mile of the spot, there's going to be quite a bit of people.

It's why the Bubbles trail is one of my favorites in Acadia.
The parking at the trailhead is maybe 10-15 cars.
Or you gotta walk 3 or 4 miles from Jordan Pond.

[KUTradition]

i’m glad i went to Arches when i did…maybe 5 or 6 years ago

even then the crowds were a massive turnoff, but now it’s gotten so bad that you’ve got to reserve tickets (a good thing for the park, obviously)

added to the general crowding is the absurd parking accommodation of tour buses

[pdub]

I don't quite understand where the surge is coming from.
The USA's population growth has been minimal over the last 5-10 years.
But the parks ( from what I gather and first hand experience at Acadia multiple times a year ) are getting more packed by the season.

What gives?
International travel/tourism?
US citizens finding parks a more affordable/better way to entertain?
A successful advertising campaign from the parks?

I know this is totally against what the National Parks stand for ( Federal land for all ) buuuuut I kinda wish there was an week, it could be right out of either edge of peak season, where only people from the state could attend - i.e. show a state drivers license to get in.

[KUTradition]

I know this is totally against what the National Parks stand for ( Federal land for all ) buuuuut I kinda wish there was an week, it could be right out of either edge of peak season, where only people from the state could attend - i.e. show a state drivers license to get in.

Utah did this with state parks for a time during 2020

i’m guessing much of the influx is covid-related. either 1) people are still uneasy, and/or 2) covid reminded many that much fun and enjoyment can be had in the natural world

i’ve seen the influx on regular hiking trails, in addition to the bigger “attractions”. my experience, tho, is also influenced by Utahs ridiculous growth over the past several years

[pdub]

Maine State parks have a reduced admission for in-state.
I'd like, if we can't have the National Parks, to have the State parks do in State only for a week/3 day weekend.

Though, up here, if you travel more than an hour away from Portland, the State parks aren't that bad.