Scenic CA state parks south of Yosemite?

(Patty Winter) wrote in message ...
In article ,
Rosario wrote:
Hi all, I'm making a road trip from San Francisco and was wondering if
anyone could recommend any dramatically scenic California state parks
below Yosemite National as I head towards Orange County.

I don't know if they count as "dramatically scenic," but some of the
state parks along the coast are nice [as the previous poster
suggested]: Morro Bay, Gavota Beach, etc.

If you go to this page:

http://www.parks.ca.gov/parkindex/default.asp?tab=2

you can click on the regions through which you'll be passing,
depending on which route you plan to take from Yosemite to
Orange County.

If you're going through the eastern Sierra, Mono Lake Tufa
State Reserve is fascinating.

Also, if you're coming down via US 395 towards OC, if you hop on to
CA-14 [Antelope Valley Fwy], you drive right through Red Rock Canyon
State Park. Again, I don't know if it counts as dramatically scenic,
but it is kind of nice.

[You'd also be taking CA-14 if you were heading towards the poppy
reserve].

Depending on the time of year
you're visiting, the Antelope Valley California Poppy Reserve
might be a don't-miss place. (They're at their peak in the
early to mid spring.)

Be sure to call ahead. Because if the weather turns just wrong, or if
you're a few weeks early or late, you're just going to see some
rolling hills of grass [green or dead, depending on if you're early or
late, or what the weather was like the previous winter].

If you're taking the coastal route,
there are a number of fantastic viewing areas.

TK

It seems to me I heard somewhere that Patty Winter wrote in article
:

In article ,
Rosario wrote:
Hi all, I'm making a road trip from San Francisco and was wondering if
anyone could recommend any dramatically scenic California state parks
below Yosemite National as I head towards Orange County.

If you go to this page:

http://www.parks.ca.gov/parkindex/default.asp?tab=2

you can click on the regions through which you'll be passing,
depending on which route you plan to take from Yosemite to
Orange County.

If you're going through the eastern Sierra, Mono Lake Tufa
State Reserve is fascinating. Depending on the time of year
you're visiting, the Antelope Valley California Poppy Reserve
might be a don't-miss place. (They're at their peak in the
early to mid spring.) If you're taking the coastal route,
there are a number of fantastic viewing areas.

If you're coming down the San Joaquin Valley side via Hwy 99/I-5 you
might want to visit Fort Tejon State Historical Park at the top of the
Grapevine grade on I-5. It's a Civil war era fort which is partially
restored and sometimes has reenactments. Not as great on scenery as on
history and atmosphere. teaser It was the western terminus of the
army's camel corps. /teaser
--
Don

Thanks guys for all these informative suggestions. I will take them to
heart as I try to somehow encompass most of these areas into my trip.



On Sat, 14 Aug 2004 10:09:00 +0100, "Keith Willshaw"
wrote:


"Rosario" wrote in message
.. .
Hi all, I'm making a road trip from San Francisco and was wondering if
anyone could recommend any dramatically scenic California state parks
below Yosemite National as I head towards Orange County. Any
suggestions would be welcome. Thanks


Kings Canyon and Sequoia NP are the most obvious inland

Along the coast you have Pinnacles National Monument
near Salinas and too many to mention along highway 1
especially near Big Sur and San Simeon

Keith

Thanks guys for all these informative suggestions. I will take them to
heart as I try to somehow encompass most of these areas into my trip.



On Sat, 14 Aug 2004 10:09:00 +0100, "Keith Willshaw"
wrote:


"Rosario" wrote in message
.. .
Hi all, I'm making a road trip from San Francisco and was wondering if
anyone could recommend any dramatically scenic California state parks
below Yosemite National as I head towards Orange County. Any
suggestions would be welcome. Thanks


Kings Canyon and Sequoia NP are the most obvious inland

Along the coast you have Pinnacles National Monument
near Salinas and too many to mention along highway 1
especially near Big Sur and San Simeon

Keith

Peter,

May I use the pass in the Grand Canyon and Monument Valley as well as in
Devi'ls Postpile?

Thanks.

"PeterL" escribió en el mensaje
...

"Rosario" wrote in message
...
Hi all, I'm making a road trip from San Francisco and was wondering if
anyone could recommend any dramatically scenic California state parks
below Yosemite National as I head towards Orange County. Any
suggestions would be welcome. Thanks


There are five national parks south of Yosemite, plus a natioanl monument
and a national preserve. All of them quite scenic. Take your pick.

King's Canyon, Sequoia, Death Valley, Joshua Tree, and Channel Islands.

If you want to visit these buy an annual pass when you visit Yosemite.
That
way one pass gets you into all 6.

Peter,

May I use the pass in the Grand Canyon and Monument Valley as well as in
Devi'ls Postpile?

Thanks.

"PeterL" escribió en el mensaje
...

"Rosario" wrote in message
...
Hi all, I'm making a road trip from San Francisco and was wondering if
anyone could recommend any dramatically scenic California state parks
below Yosemite National as I head towards Orange County. Any
suggestions would be welcome. Thanks


There are five national parks south of Yosemite, plus a natioanl monument
and a national preserve. All of them quite scenic. Take your pick.

King's Canyon, Sequoia, Death Valley, Joshua Tree, and Channel Islands.

If you want to visit these buy an annual pass when you visit Yosemite.
That
way one pass gets you into all 6.

On Mon, 16 Aug 2004 09:41:27 +0200, Xavier wrote:
[in reference to the National Parks Annual Pass]
Peter,

May I use the pass in the Grand Canyon and Monument Valley as well as in
Devi'ls Postpile?

Grand Canyon, yes, but not Monument Valley since it's a Navajo Tribal Park
and not part of the US NPS.

Zeyd

On Mon, 16 Aug 2004 09:41:27 +0200, Xavier wrote:
[in reference to the National Parks Annual Pass]
Peter,

May I use the pass in the Grand Canyon and Monument Valley as well as in
Devi'ls Postpile?

Grand Canyon, yes, but not Monument Valley since it's a Navajo Tribal Park
and not part of the US NPS.

Zeyd

On Mon, 16 Aug 2004 09:41:27 +0200, Xavier wrote:
[in reference to the National Parks Annual Pass]
Peter,

May I use the pass in the Grand Canyon and Monument Valley as well as in
Devi'ls Postpile?

Grand Canyon, yes, but not Monument Valley since it's a Navajo Tribal Park
and not part of the US NPS.

Zeyd

In article , PeterL wrote:

There are five national parks south of Yosemite, plus a natioanl monument
and a national preserve. All of them quite scenic. Take your pick.

If you want to visit these buy an annual pass when you visit Yosemite. That
way one pass gets you into all 6.

Good idea. Just make sure you ask for the National Parks Pass ($50),
not the Yosemite Annual Pass ($40). The latter is only good at Yosemite.


Patty