California Coast PCH Master Thread

[mgarfin]

It's winter. Rain is possible.

Do you ppl really have winter?

[12HRS]

Do you ppl really have winter?

northern california can be pretty chilly especially on the coast. I was there in Aug and was wishing I had more than a thin sweatshirt with me at some points

[Yehoshua]

Do you ppl really have winter?

We met our annual rainfall in LA for the first time in a while this year. But up north it's just as cold in August as it is in February. Feb could be warmer, but that's just near SF.

[Luvtotravel]

We met our annual rainfall in LA for the first time in a while this year. But up north it's just as cold in August as it is in February. Feb could be warmer, but that's just near SF.

are you saying that sfo is cold in summer??

[Yehoshua]

are you saying that sfo is cold in summer??

“The coldest winter I ever spent was a summer in San Francisco.”

-Mark Twain

[Luvtotravel]

-Mark Twain

yes just spending some time googling and the results are sobering to say the least. going to sfo in april and weather is 50-63. yikes.

[mgarfin]

Soooo

For New Yorker, will SFO and drive to LAX count as a warm vacation?

[CS1]

Soooo

For New Yorker, will SFO and drive to LAX count as a warm vacation?

yes. Those vacations are appreciated even more during weeks like last year when it was minus 5 degrees on the East Coast.

[Yehoshua]

Soooo

For New Yorker, will SFO and drive to LAX count as a warm vacation?

Depends on how cold it is in NYC when you leave. If there's a heat wave in Feb in NYC it may not.

[Luvtotravel]

where can i travel within two hour drive of sfo that will give me significantly warmer weather?

[Yehoshua]

where can i travel within two hour drive of sfo that will give me significantly warmer weather?

No where within 2 hours in the winter. In the summer just go a bit east of Oakland (Lafayette Stop on the BART) and it'll be 10+ degrees warmer.

[hachover]

We met our annual rainfall in LA for the first time in a while this year. But up north it's just as cold in August as it is in February. Feb could be warmer, but that's just near SF.

I was in LA for a day this week and it was a pretty dreary rainy day. Was in palm springs the next day and it was a total washout- roads closed and the thursday night street fair cancelled. Nice for the area but lousy for visitors 

[thaber]

I was in LA for a day this week and it was a pretty dreary rainy day. Was in palm springs the next day and it was a total washout- roads closed and the thursday night street fair cancelled. Nice for the area but lousy for visitors 

Palm Springs gets rain like that 1-2 times a year. Ask Rabbi Dennenboim to tell you the mikvah story
LA has been unusually rainy the last two weeks or so and when it rains it can get dreary, and dip into the *gasp* 50's. The downpour we had on Shabbos and the cold weather this evening is pretty unusual though

[PillanSmye]

Is the PCH nice in February?

What part of PCH?  It runs for over 600 miles. And where it doesn't run,  the 101 takes over.

Coming down the 101 out of Oregon,  you're basically in forests on the coastline.  Lots of beaches and Redwood groves.  Great hiking and camping outside of Crescent City on the Smith River and Tolura Dunes.

When you get to Humboldt there's  great camping South of Klamath in Prairie Creek Park at Gold Bluffs Beach and some huge elk herds.  From there you're into Humboldt with more Redwoods and the Avenue of the Giants.  At Garberville you can head out to Shelter Cove.

When you get to Leggett you can break off the 101 to PCH and head through Westport,  Fort Bragg,  Mendocino,  Point Arena and Jenner.  At Jenner I'd take the 116 into the Sonoma County Wine Region personally and catch back up with PCH in SF.  Go down through Santa Cruz,  Monterey.  Bixby Bridge is neat South of Monterey - you'll notice like half of the car commercials are filmed on or around it.

When you get near Hearst Castle check out San Simeon Beach.  In the winter it has a giant Elephant Seal colony.

One thing about the drive from Monterey to Pismo is its twisting and turning.  Fairly tiring drive and I've seen it make people car sick. If you want to go to Solvang you're better off to take the 101 out of Pismo. 

[Yehoshua]

Palm Springs gets rain like that 1-2 times a year. Ask Rabbi Dennenboim to tell you the mikvah story
LA has been unusually rainy the last two weeks or so and when it rains it can get dreary, and dip into the *gasp* 50's. The downpour we had on Shabbos and the cold weather this evening is pretty unusual though

+1, but that rain Friday night was something else. Haven't seen it rain that hard for that long in LA in probably 10+ years.

[Yehoshua]

What part of PCH?  It runs for over 600 miles. And where it doesn't run,  the 101 takes over.

Coming down the 101 out of Oregon,  you're basically in forests on the coastline.  Lots of beaches and Redwood groves.  Great hiking and camping outside of Crescent City on the Smith River and Tolura Dunes.

When you get to Humboldt there's  great camping South of Klamath in Prairie Creek Park at Gold Bluffs Beach and some huge elk herds.  From there you're into Humboldt with more Redwoods and the Avenue of the Giants.  At Garberville you can head out to Shelter Cove.

When you get to Leggett you can break off the 101 to PCH and head through Westport,  Fort Bragg,  Mendocino,  Point Arena and Jenner.  At Jenner I'd take the 116 into the Sonoma County Wine Region personally and catch back up with PCH in SF.  Go down through Santa Cruz,  Monterey.  Bixby Bridge is neat South of Monterey - you'll notice like half of the car commercials are filmed on or around it.

When you get near Hearst Castle check out San Simeon Beach.  In the winter it has a giant Elephant Seal colony.

One thing about the drive from Monterey to Pismo is its twisting and turning.  Fairly tiring drive and I've seen it make people car sick. If you want to go to Solvang you're better off to take the 101 out of Pismo.

Nice accurate summary.

[mgarfin]

I have a trip planned to SFO and to drive the PCH in 10 days.
It seems from here http://www.dot.ca.gov/hq/roadinfo/display.php?page=sr1 that the road is closed.

If the weather stays good from now how long does it usually take them to clear and reopen the road?
BTW for what we can trust it, weather doesn't look too good in sfo in 10 days either

[Yehoshua]

I have a trip planned to SFO and to drive the PCH in 10 days.
It seems from here http://www.dot.ca.gov/hq/roadinfo/display.php?page=sr1 that the road is closed.

If the weather stays good from now how long does it usually take them to clear and reopen the road?
BTW for what we can trust it, weather doesn't look too good in sfo in 10 days either

It may take them a while to clear it if it's in a remote area and the weather is still poor. In LA it usually take 3-4 days for them to clean up a mudslide in a canyon. You may want to think about alternate plans and perhaps taking the 101 or 5.

[mgarfin]

It may take them a while to clear it if it's in a remote area and the weather is still poor. In LA it usually take 3-4 days for them to clean up a mudslide in a canyon. You may want to think about alternate plans and perhaps taking the 101 or 5.

Thanks, Im going to watch the weather forecast for sfo.
As for alternate plans, I may just stay in sfo for a day and fly down to Palm Springs. I have done LAX and SAN in the past.

Any other destination I can add in? We are coming to CA as wife needs a zika free not cold destination.

[Yehoshua]

Thanks, Im going to watch the weather forecast for sfo.
As for alternate plans, I may just stay in sfo for a day and fly down to Palm Springs. I have done LAX and SAN in the past.

Any other destination I can add in? We are coming to CA as wife needs a zika free not cold destination.

HI is warm and Zika free. CA can be chilly in the winter. It's not FL or HI.