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Old 08-08-2021, 09:22 AM   #1
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Trip to California

I'd appreciate some suggestions for overnight stops during our planned September trip from Spokane to the LA area and return.



Outbound, we plan to drive about 6 hours a day and most likely take Hwy 97 from the Tri-Cities, WA to Weed, CA and get on I-5 for the rest of the trip.


The return trip will be much more leasurely and go through Tucson then up through SLC.


KOA? State and Federal campgrounds preferred though.


Thanks!
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Old 08-08-2021, 10:19 AM   #2
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There are some state park and BLM campgrounds near I5 south of Stockton. Near the San Luis reservoir. Then not much until you hit the Grapevine. The rest is just hot Central Valley, with few spots unless you go off the highway.
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Old 08-08-2021, 11:02 AM   #3
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I don't think I can help you much if you are going to stay on I5 for the most part southbound. Crater Lake, Lake Tahoe, Yosemite and Sequoia NP would be my favorites if you were willing to bounce around.

Northbound- Sedona, north rim of the Grand Canyon, Zion, Bryce would be my favorites.

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Old 08-08-2021, 11:47 AM   #4
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I think bouncing around would be much more pleasurable! Bring it on!
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Old 08-08-2021, 11:48 AM   #5
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Here's a spot at I-5 and CA Highway 12, north of Stockton:

https://www.flagcityrvresort.com/

It's pretty much right on I-5 so you'll have some highway noise but it seems to be nice. We live close by so I've never stayed there. If you want to explore a bit, the California Delta region is just a few miles west and it's about a 45 min drive east to the "gold country" of Calaveras County. There are also local wineries but I don't know how their tasting rooms are affected by COVID.
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Old 08-08-2021, 12:15 PM   #6
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So much depends on personal interests but this is quick list of some we found good.

Tucson?
Pima air and space museum
Sedona? Depnds on level of interest but nice campsites North on the way to Flagstaff Flagstaff?
Sunset Crater for a day of looking what nature can do
West to Las Vegas and a day trip to Valley of Fire
OR?
North to Page and see Antelope Canyons on tours? Don't miss Horseshoe Bend overlook, just South of town? Wahweap RV & Campground was good camping for several days while looking around.

Depending on experience and interests, there are way too many but we wear down!
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Old 08-08-2021, 11:13 PM   #7
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Recommend orange grove campground in Bakersfield off 99 but to get the really good stuf I highly recommend you use a website called yesyoucamp.com to get a California state park or national park site. Unfortunately, due to us being the most populous state most are booked out 6 months in advance but that site will help you get the good ones. I’ve gotten sequoia, Tahoe all kinds of places on that website but the moment you get the text, you need to book on the reservecalifornia or Recreation.gov website.

California is a big, geographically diverse place. If you have further questions about specific spots (I highly recommend Pinnacles national park near that route) reach out.
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Old 08-08-2021, 11:16 PM   #8
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And one other thing. It WILL be hot that time of year inland. Think of our summer as Late July to late September.

Coastal spots like the state beaches on 101 or county park beaches are really awesome but you will need that website I mentioned to get them. And, you might get them very last minute.
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Old 08-09-2021, 09:18 AM   #9
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At this point and in many places, the odds of getting in to the good parks is getting pretty late for this year, so I might say the site more likely to be open are in the commercial sites.
It kind of defeats the purpose of going on vacation if we have to wind up in a crowded parking lot, but that is what we found on our last trip. We stayed where we could, not where we wanted.
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Old 08-09-2021, 09:36 AM   #10
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Recommend orange grove campground in Bakersfield off 99
I second this recommendation. Bakersfield has some great family style Basque restaurants and some great C&W music.
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Old 08-10-2021, 04:11 AM   #11
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I second this recommendation. Bakersfield has some great family style Basque restaurants and some great C&W music.
Indeed! I used to visit a friend there regularly and enjoyed the food and music.

Caution that the air quality is VERY poor as the central valley generally is. Not recommended if you have respiratory issues. Very foggy in the winter months also.
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Old 08-10-2021, 08:28 AM   #12
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Indeed! I used to visit a friend there regularly and enjoyed the food and music.

Caution that the air quality is VERY poor as the central valley generally is. Not recommended if you have respiratory issues. Very foggy in the winter months also.
Yes this is accurate. I was just up there this past weekend and you couldn't even see the mountains from 20 miles away. This is because the wildfires that are in the area are mixing with the greenhouse effect that already occurs in the summer (due to it being a bowl with essentially no rain for 4 months).

cannot recommend www.yesyoucamp.com enough. you will be able to hunt booked sites and get text alerts the moment people cancel. in september the best spots will be off the 101 near the coast as the pacific is absolutely beautiful right now
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Old 08-10-2021, 08:47 AM   #13
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Caution that the air quality is VERY poor as the central valley generally is. Not recommended if you have respiratory issues. Very foggy in the winter months also.
Can confirm its particularly bad right now as I was up there this weekend buying a tow vehicle (trucks are hard to get right now man!). The area's normal summer greenhouse effect is being exacerbated by the fires. Couldnt see the Sierra Nevada from 15 miles away unfortunately.

Use www.yesyoucamp.com! I promise I'm not affiliated, it just has worked out for me over the years. You can hunt already reserved campsites and get immediate notification to book the moment someone cancels. I got an incredible site at Sequoia national park this way.

September is an awesome time for either Sequoia (yosemite is too dried up this time of year unless you do Tuolomne) or the various state beaches along US 101. As mentioned, Pinnacles NP is also great and not far from your route, but it will be fairly hot there.

The beach in September is glorious. The pacific is friggin perfect right now late summer. Enjoy and I would recommend a CA trip to see what we really have to offer with some ramp to get the good spots.
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Old 08-10-2021, 08:48 AM   #14
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Indeed! I used to visit a friend there regularly and enjoyed the food and music.

Caution that the air quality is VERY poor as the central valley generally is. Not recommended if you have respiratory issues. Very foggy in the winter months also.
Bakersfield definitely has its air quality problems but to characterize the central valley as generally very poor (wildfires excepted) is too broad a generalization, it's 450 miles long and 40 to 60 miles wide, extending as far north as Redding.

The winter fog can, indeed, be very bad, although, at least in the Sacramento area, it isn't as bad as it's been in prior years. This is mainly a winter-time problem, September should be OK.
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Old 08-10-2021, 09:09 AM   #15
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Thanks for all the input.
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Old 08-10-2021, 01:00 PM   #16
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Highway 101

Instead of I 5, we enjoy 101. Slower pace, close to the ocean. Monterey, wine country of Paso Robles, Pismo/Avila Beach, through Santa Barbara to LA.
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Old 08-11-2021, 04:39 AM   #17
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Bakersfield definitely has its air quality problems but to characterize the central valley as generally very poor (wildfires excepted) is too broad a generalization, it's 450 miles long and 40 to 60 miles wide, extending as far north as Redding.
Bob my apologies, you are correct. Night and day difference between the valley areas north and south of Fresno.
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Old 08-11-2021, 10:38 AM   #18
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Instead of I 5, we enjoy 101. Slower pace, close to the ocean. Monterey, wine country of Paso Robles, Pismo/Avila Beach, through Santa Barbara to LA.
And certainly more nice spots to camp on the way!
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Old 08-11-2021, 10:51 AM   #19
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Although not as scenic as 101 or as quick as I-5, 99 has a lot of options to take off to the east towards the hills and mountains.
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Old 08-15-2021, 06:52 PM   #20
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I won’t comment on the southbound segment, except to say, from what you said, that you have to transition through the Cascades/Sierras someplace, and given all the fires – that will be the controlling factor. Either through the Columbia gorge, or farther south.There are several options through Oregon and northern Calif, but the fires will be a factor.

For your return, since you stated that you would be starting in Tucson, I would suggest north through Phoenix to Flagstaff. I would definitely recommend a stop in the Sedona Area (there are good options near the freeway just south of Sedona in the Verde Valley area.) If you visit Sedona, don’t take an RV or Trailer north through Oak Creek Canyon when you leave. Very tough climb at the north end of OCC.

Then you have to make a choice. 1) Either northeast from the Grand Canyon south rim up to Navajo Bridge just south of Page, which will take you around the north side of GC, or 2) Do the South Rim of GC and then go West on 40 from Williams and head for Las Vegas. Those are the only two ways around the GC.

If you choose the South, then I highly recommend the Grand Canyon Railway day-trip out of Williams to the South Rim of the GC. West of there, its Kingman and then north through Las Vegas to St George, UT which is your gateway to Zion, Bryce and Cedar Breaks and then I-15 to SLC.

If you go north, there isn’t much except the North Rim of the GC until you get over near the west end (Kanabe, UT) which would be your gateway to Bryce, Zion, Cedar Breaks and then I-15 to SLC.

There is one other option. That would be to stay on the east side of the Colorado and Utah and go up trough Monument Valley, Canyonlands and Moab. Beautiful country. The problem with that is just that there aren’t many good ways to cross the Colorado until you get up to I-70. You are stuck on that side of the Colorado.

I live in Las Vegas, have traveled extensively in Arizona and Utah. I spent a month in Utah 2 years ago and visited every county in the state in my 2009 Winnie Adventurer Class A towing a Wrangler. It is a beautiful state, but it is kind of like Idaho in that it is very difficult to go East/West through the middle.
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