I know, I know – California is huge, and you should not generalise. However, many of the people visiting California tend to go to similar places. In this post you’ll find 10 things to know before doing a California road trip.
1. San Francisco is freezing in the summer
Before visiting this summer, I was of course regularly checking the weather up to see what I need to pack for San Francisco. While the maximum temperatures range from like 18 degrees Celsius to approx. 22 degrees Celsius, it definitely felt colder than that! San Francisco sees a lot of fog, especially in the mornings. It is also a lot windier than I ever expected. These two factors combined make the city feel a lot chillier than the indicated temperature. If you look around, locals sometimes still wear coats in summer. In hindsight some locals told me, that in fact the warmest month in San Francisco is considered to be October, and not the “classic” summer months of June-August. Therefore, if you’re visiting San Francisco in the summer, pack WARM CLOTHES!!!!
2. Restaurants close “early” in the evening
In my experience, many of the restaurants, both in large cities but especially in smaller towns, close quite early. What I mean with that, is that there are few places that are open beyond 10 pm. Where I am from (Switzerland), even in the smallest village the restaurants will be open to at least 11 or 12 pm, any day of the week. Hence, if you are road tripping, make sure to plan your arrivals into your final (dinner) destination in time before everything is closed.
3. Closures on PCH common after winter months
The landscape around the Pacific Coast Highway is very rugged and highly exposed to the weather. Hence, it is no surprise that every year they close the highway during the winter months. Before reopening for the summer, there are usually roadworks that need to be done. The gravity of those is determined by how harsh the winter was. My family and I visited the PCH in summer of 2023. The 2023 winter was especially hard, which caused multiple landslides to come down on the road. In July 2023, some of the sections were still not restored to the point where it was safe to let traffic pass through. Hence, it was not possible to drive from San Francisco to LA (or vice versa) via the PCH.
Personally, we didn’t know that road closures are such a common occurrence. There is really not much that you can do about it, but I’m mentioning it so that you can at least be prepared in advance that this could be an issue and something you cannot plan for. For up to date info check out the official PCH website here.
4. Napa VALLEY has tons of traffic
Napa is one of the most famous wine regions in California, just approx. one hour outside of San Francisco. When we visited in July 2023, we arrived in the Napa Valley quite early in the morning, and everything seemed so idyllic and natural. Just amazing! We spent the day visiting several wineries, having lunch, etc… When we were ready to leave around 3 or 4 pm, we found ourselves in a huuuuge traffic jam. I mean really, our GPS was saying we would be stuck in traffic for over 40 minutes!!
The issue here is, that Napa is a valley. That means, that all the traffic has to pass through it exactly the same way – there’s really no detour that you can take.
Knowing this, I would HIGHLY SUGGEST to leave the winery closest to the exit to be your last stop of the day. Don’t be like us, where the Beringer Vineyards were our last (that’s basically in Calistoga!). If you follow this tip, you will save yourself some time and headaches!
5. Go early to national parks
The national parks in California were my personal highlight! The nature is so beautiful and you can really detach from reality for a while. However, as with all popular recreation areas, parking is a mess! And if you’re from Europe and thinking “oh just go by public transport”, well… it’s not that easy. You can try googling your options (for example for the Yosemite National Park there are different bus offers that can take you), but there are also many places that can only be reached by car.
If you want to secure a spot in the summer months, you have to get there before 9 AM! After that, finding a place will be pure luck! On weekends, I would strive for 8 AM!! Do not be tempted to park in unofficial parking spots – you will get fined!
The good thing is, the weather is more pleasant in the morning anyway, so it’s really a win-win situation 🙂
6. Lake Tahoe is very cold
When my family said we’ll be visiting Lake Tahoe I thought sweet, we’ll go swimming and chill by the lake. But boy was I surprised when I put my feet in the water – it’s freezing! To be honest, I don’t know what exactly I expected… after all it’s a lake in the mountains. But still, I thought it’s California, how cold could it be?
It’s cold.
7. PCH is very foggy in the mornings
This was really a bummer and something I wish I had known beforehand!!! Similar to San Francisco, the upper portion of the PCH is also foggy and cloudy in the mornings. Hence, if you start driving too early in the morning, you really won’t see anything of the rugged landscape and the many secluded beaches…
8. Waves are big
Again, this one might seem obvious for many. The West Coast is obviously a popular surf spot, hence it is natural that there should be (large waves). Nevertheless, I was still surprised how large the waves or on all the “regular” beaches, even where there were no surfers in sight. I’m not saying this as a bad or good thing, it’s just again good to know. If I were looking to have a beach holiday (especially with smaller kids), I probably would not choose California, since the waves are quite wild.
9. Spend more time in nature and smaller towns
I know that San Francisco and Los Angeles are like the two big, metropolitan, world-famous cities that everyone knows and wants to visit. However, after being there, I would rather say get out and explore the smaller towns and natural parks! If you have only limited time at hands, I would recommend to minimize your time in the big cities and spend more time in other places!!
Heck, you could even skip the big cities completely – there are way nicer cities in the world than these two.
10. Seals in Monterrey are night active
If you love animals, you will definitely want to see the seals in Monterey!! If you type in “seal viewing area” on Google Maps it will tell you exactly where the seals can best be seen in Monterey. Conveniently, it’s right by the Pier, where you can find many shops and restaurants as well 🙂
Anyway, my main point here is that you actually have to go there around sunset to get the full experience!! That’s when the seals are the most active. They’ll be swimming around, making noises, climbing rocks, etc… If you go there in the morning, there will be few to no seals and they will only be sleeping. I’ve seen both scenarios, hence GO IN THE EVENING!!
Of course, there are also so many more things to consider! But I’m assuming you’re doing your research either way, and this post is just supposed to highlight some things that you might not come across otherwise. If you’re looking for a sample 2 week itinerary, check out this post here!
With that being said, HAPPY ROAD TRIPPING! I’d love to hear your stories in the comments…