suggestions for a 2 week vacation in California

[desertflower]

We are planning a 2 week vacation in California and we'd like to be somewhere in the great outdoors. Where's a good place for families in Cali where we can do tons of outdoor activities?. Thanks.

[Danny]

The Yosemite area,Yosemite Valley, Monterey and Big Sur are great bets for an outdoors vacation in California with the family.

Out of all of them, I would suggest spending more time in Monterey and Yosemite Valley depending on what your interests are.

Though, in Yosemite your kids will be able to run around the valley floor to their heart's content, and play with lots of other families and kids. You could either stay at the Curry Village or Yosemite Village and go hiking, horseback riding, biking, etc.

[bmd]

Oh wow! So much fun to look forward to on this vacation! Definitely, as suggested in the previous post, check out Yosemite and Big Sur. Those places are a couple of the biggest attractions for outdoor activities in California. On my last trip, I only had a few days at my leisure, and I was in the San Francisco area, a bit further south, and I took that opportunity to visit the Giant Sequoia Forest. I have to admit that it was a really incredible experience for me, and if you are able to make it to that area, yourself, I would most certainly go for it. There are tons of outdoor activities to take up a few days in that place. There's a marble cave, Crystal Cave, different from the usual limestone caverns that I have been accustomed to visiting, and I really enjoyed that. Hiking is one of the most widely participated in activities, not only here, but as everyone knows, in most outdoor park locations. Of course, there's camping, and we went white water rafting in Kaweah River, which was really exciting. In Reedley, California, you can go floating on the Kings River, which is great with the kids; the water will be chilly during the fall and early spring, but it's perfect for the summer.

[mitraveler]

What a great question! There are so many places to get outside in California. I was thinking about the redwood forests too. I know there are some sweet hiking trails in Redwood National Park/State Park and Humboldt Woods.

I also heard on NPR last week that they're trying to bring rafting to Los Angles. You know those big reservoirs where they do drag racing in the movies? Well, a river flows through there, and they've opened it to rafting, That is totally unexpected.

[krainey]

Wow, where to start? So many great options in this state. I'd second mitraveler's vote for the redwoods. We used to camp up in Northern California when I was a kid, usually in Richardson's Grove State Park, which is a great family-friendly campground in Garberville; it's still a bit of a drive from Redwood National Park and the Avenue of the Giants (which really is fun for the family).

If you want to head for warmer weather, the beaches around San Diego, e.g. Carlsbad Beach in particular, are really great places for the family. If you're in Central California, the Monterey Bay Aquarium and a day trip into Santa Cruz are must-sees.

It's pretty hard to go wrong here—it just depends on how you want to spend your time!