Northern CA road trip - when to go, where to sleep?

In My Humble Opinion
1

I’m planning a road trip that will take about this route:

  1. San Francisco --> Jed Smith Redwood State Park, by way of the PCH and the glorious 101
  2. Jed Smith --> Redding via 101 and 299.
  3. Shasta loop: I-5, 89, 44E, 36W, 44W
  4. Redding --> Lee Vining (Yosemite border) via I5 (to Sacremento), 16, 49, 108, 395.
  5. Lee Vining --> Fresno via 120 (thru Yosemite), 41
  6. The Frez --> San Fran via 99, 152, 101

Probably more detail on the route than needed, but ya never know what detail might matter (for example, if 152 has been buried in a rockslide that’s a good thing to know).

Questions are:

  1. When’s the best time to go? If I go the week before Labor Day, I don’t have to use a vacation day for the Frez --> SF --> New Yawk part of the trip. But how is the weather in late August? Foggy/rainy? What about traffic? Hard to get a room? Rates higher than usual?
  2. Know of any good, inexpensive places to spend the night along this route? Especially in the Shasta circle and within Yosemite? I’m honestly looking only for a place to crash my head. Even the TV’s optional.
  3. I’m thinking this whole thing would need about nine days, moving at a largely leisurely pace.

Any advice is helpful. BTW, if you have thoughts about what the price of gas will do over the next six months, by all means please do share.

2

  1. I’m pretty sure there is a state law against bad weather in CA in August, if you don’t count hot and dry as bad weather. You might get some fog along the coast.

  2. The phrase, “Cheap motel room in CA in the summer,” isn’t a phrase you hear often. It’s just going to be high. In the Shasta area you might try the town of Mt. Cloud, I think that’s the name. It’s about 10-12 miles from the interstate, just get off in Shasta and follow the signs. Being off of I-5 will help a lot.

The only cheap sleeping in Yosemite is the camp ground. Rooms in the lodge are really, really, really high. If you can get one. They could well be booked up for the rest of the year.

Rooms outside the park are only really, really high. Lee Vining is your best bet, but call ahead and make reservations.

  1. Nine days sounds good. The route 108 part is really cool. It’s got some 25-30% grade on it.

I’m not sure if you’ll still be on 101 then, BUT, if you are get off of it and drive the, “Avenue of the Giants.” It runs along beside 101 and is marked as AotGs on maps.

The price of gas will variously go up and down at random moments in various amounts ending at a point where we will still buy it.

3

The weather for the 101 partion of your trip should be great, fog possible in the morning, but it will burn off fairly early. The closer to the coast, the cooler it is. On the PCH, count on weather in mid-60’s to the high 80’s, but at night it may dip into the 50’s, 101 will range from the 60’s to the 90’s, also cool at night. September/October is the best time to come to the NorthCoast if you have to avoid the rain (I don’t know why people think the beaches close when it rains, but they do).

However, if you go all the way to Jed Smith, you will need to backtrack some 50 miles to get back to 299 to go to Redding. This is a windy 50 miles, through redwoods or by the ocean, a beautiful drive, but it will take an hour (unless you get stuck behind an RV, then it’s an hour and a half). You may want to check out Patrick’s Point State Park in Trinidad. It’s only 15 miles or so from the 299 turnoff, and very beautiful. Or camp at Richardson’s Grove or Benbo, both about 40 south of Arcate and the 299 turn-off. If you do go all the way to Jed Smith, you may want to continue up 199 to Grants Pass, then down I-5 to Redding. The I-5 route in not as pretty as 299, but 199 is nice and time-wise, it’s probably the same as back-tracking.

You will be able to find some less expensive motels on the 101 section (in the $39-79 price range) as long as you don’t want fancy. Redding/Shasta is more of a summer recreation area (Lake Shasta, esp.), so the rates will be higher on that side. You may be able to find little, independently owned motels that may hae better rates (off 101, on the Avenue of the Giants, there used to be several of these places, and on 299, if you stop west of Weaverville, you still may find cheap). Redding and all the way down the valley will be hot–100 or more most days, cooling off to the 80’s, Yosemite’s in the foothills, so it’s a bit cooler.

I’m from Eureka, Ca. originally, and go back several times a year. Ask me anything about Humboldt/Del Norte County, if I don’t know, I’ll know how to find out.

4

Thanks… this is helpful. Kallessa, I may have questions for you as the time draws close.

5

Good luck in Lee Vinging which is a wide spot in the road. Here is the entire Lee Vining hotel directory.

The June Lake area south of Lee Vining has campgrounds. Bridgeport also has some but it is out of your way, north of Lee Vining, for Fresno.

6

No swing through Sacramento? No visit to the Crocker Museum? The Railroad museum? Historic though rather overrated Old Sacramento?

Awww…

Nobody loves us…

:smiley:

7

Alternatives: Humboldt Redwoods State Park, instead of Jedediah Smith – I think HRSP is farther south, so less driving/less backtracking, and the redwoods are just as spectacular.

Add Lassen NP, as long as you’re in the Shasta area. Very cool place. Volcanic stuff going on.

Mariposa instead of Lee Vining – just as close to Yosemite, and somewhat larger; more lodging alternatives.

Fresno to SF on 99 is an interesting way to go. Most people take I-5; 99 will be slower but less boring. You’ll definitely get a feel for the agricultural side of California.

8

Of course I’ll swing through Sacremento, as I’m heading between Shasta and the far side of Yosemite. The Railroad Museum and Old Sacremento sounds like it could be worth making it a long stop.

Good to know that New York dopers aren’t unwanted everywhere. :wink:

9

Just a few comments:

Skip Excremento. It is lame. Unless you have a five year old who really wants to see the Railroad Museum. (Sorry Excremento Dopers.) OK, OK Old Sac is kinda cool.

Also, if you make this trip around Labor Day be prepared to stare at the backs of RVs on Highway 1, and any other smaller highways. I see you are planning a leisurely pace and that’s great, because those RVs are slower than molasses in January. (I used to live in northern Mendocino County and summer was the worst time for long commutes because of the tourists in RVs. I realize they were going slow and enjoying the view, but dammit, I’m trying to get home from work and I see the view every day and it is absolute torment to go 25 mph on a road that you regularly do 45-55 mph on.)

10

Things to do in Humboldt and Del Norte County:

Confusion Hill and Trees of Mystery–mini funhouse stops along 101, you’ll know Trees of Mystery by the giant Paul Bunyon and Babe out front (if you’re lucky, Paul will speak to you). Great place to buy tourist items supposedly from the area, but really made in China.

Old Town Eureka–great little shopping area. Check at Humboldt’s Finest (works by local/Pacific Northwest artists), Natural Selections, Pacific Flavors (kitchen supplies and some food stuffs), Kokopali (jewelry and a bith of everything else), Booklegger’s used books (not as big as Powells, but very nice), Los Bagels (best bagels east of the Mississippi) and Ramone’s (a fine little bakery coffeeshop). Head north on 2nd street and it will give you a great view of the Carson Mansion–a very, very big Victorian mansion built by a local lumber baron. It’s now a private club.

If you want to spend a bit of money, there are several Victorian mansions that have been converted into bed and breakfast inns. the Gingerbread house in Ferndale is especially nice. Ferndale is a bit of a artist community, as well as a thriving dairy ranch area–yes, it’s a town of prosperous aging hippie artists and 4th generation Portuguese dairy farmers living together in bemused contentment. Contrast this with Arcata, where Humboldt State University is located. The hippies and the loggers and fishermen used to live peacefully together until the timber wars of the 80’s. That pitted environmentalist (included Southern California and New York college students who didn’t seem to understand that trees grow back) against the working class people who just wanted to keep jobs that paid a decent wage (and who knew that, although trees do grow back, if you cut down too many at once, you have a mess). They have reached a wary peaceful coexistence, but they no longer drink in the same bars.

There is a drive-through tree and a store that is inside a tree (it has a carved bear outside). Both are worth the stop.

Oh, and there are several places to buy carved burl, the biggest being just north of the Mendocino-Humboldt County line. Burl is a wood growth on the side of a tree, it is very hard wood and often has very pretty patterns. Chainsaw carving is another big money-maker along 101. Don’t ask me why, it just is and as far as I know, it has been since chainsaws were created.

That’s all from the Humboldt County Tourist Bureau for tonight. Maybe tomorrow I’ll tell you how to get to the nude beach.

If you want to camp on the beach, there’s camping at both Clam Beach (maybe 5 miles from the 299 turnoff) and Big Lagoon (about 40 north of Eureka). Beach camping is great, but it will be chilly and the sand fleas can be a b*tch.