UKC

Slightly disingenous thread title, but only slightly...

We've taken the plunge and booked flights to see my brother in SF next Easter.  We've not seen him since 2019 so long time overdue.

We're going to do some touristy stuff in SF itself, we've been a few times but not since we had kids, so we are looking forward to ticking off the Bridge, Alcatraz, the Exploratorium (argh so excited about that one - every time we've been we've walked out at the end of the day saying "next time we come we need to give it more time" and now we are going with children, bit worried it won't live up to the hype).

Buuut after that we're going exploring.  On our last trip to the States one of the highlights was a stay in a State Park in South Carolina, so far off the beaten trail and just magic.  So please give me any recomendations you have for that area.  Oh - not Yosemite, that's already firmly on the radar : )

Also we're thinking about hiring an RV - any advice/thoughts appreciated!

I've had great days out hiking in

• Reinhardt Redwood Regional Park (probably favourite)
• Mt diablo
• Sunol Regional Wilderness
• Del valle

But they've all been day trips to fit around work so possibly not quite what you're after. 

Castle Rock is a nearby climbing location that's pretty popular and has nice walks too. Big basin has lots of redwoods, but recently suffered in fires- not sure how much is left. Also pinnacles national park is pretty interesting (also has climbing).

Another few unsolicited SF recommendations: check out urban putt in the mission, the concrete slides, the swing at bernal heights, and the escape rooms at the Palace of fine arts.

Have fun!

Oh and ps: make sure to check up on yosemite - it's been restricted with covid, and then recently with fires around the area. Worth making sure you'll still be able to get in (and at some point in the winter tioga pass closes).

I've visited a few state areas near SF, all of them north of the Golden Gate. One, I camped in for a few nights was Chinaman Beach which was very quiet and a total contrast to the city. Mount Tamalpais was good and the big redwood trees at Muir Woods but both were (unsurprisingly) busy. Utah would have to be my favourite part of the US and the one I'm most familiar with. Such a variety of landscape from alpine mountain to rocky desert. You could spend years just exploring that one state and its  parks and wilderness areas. After Utah I'd go back to Wyoming. Anywhere in the Wind Rivers is excellent as is the Uinta Mountains and not a NP in sight. Nearer to SF is Great Basin NP in Nevada. The circuit over Wheeler Peak is excellent (but be wary of the altitude!). It's a walk but up to almost 14,000 ft. Further up in California is Lassen NP which has the volcano Lassen Peak. Don't spend all your days driving. Do your research, pick a fairly close together set of places and concentrate on them. See the others another trip.

You can have a really good and quite different day heading along the coast northwest of the City- combine it with the Golden Gate. Start at Muir Woods National Monument- get there really early to avoid the crowds. Visit one of the beaches- pop into Breakers Cafe at Stinson Beach. Then go for a hike in Point Reyes National Park (earthquake trail at visitor centre is fun; lighthouse is worth a visit if you’re ok with more driving) - area is especially good for film buffs (ref The Fog, The Birds). On way back stop at surreal Pelican Inn if you’re missing home!

How long is string?

How long have you got? What kind of stuff do you like?

The thing is almost any of the Parks could fill almost any amount of time, but if you have only a couple of days you don't want to spend them just driving.  For example, Yosemite valley is a teeny part of the park...and Tuolumne is in some ways more beautiful.

I'd suggest get a list and map of the West coast parks and do some headline reading on what each is all about.  Just putting into Google images can give you some feel.  Then choose an itinerary remembering that the distances and travel times are large.

If you only have a few days then realistically the Port Reyes national shoreline is close to SF and great; and Sequoia, Pinnacles and Kings Canyon are the most accessible from Yosemite/SF as a loop.

Personally I'd go for car and camp but depends what you like.  Bears will be waking up hungry.

Haha - yes indeed.  It's a bit like the threads I sometimes see about "I'm in Australia for two weeks, what should I see/do?" that I sometimes respond to with an exasperated reply about how I lived there for a couple of years and only really scratched the surface of one state (ah dear Tassie, still miss you!).

Anyway to reply to your point - we are there for a couple of weeks.  I like the great outdoors and getting off the beaten international tourist trail, it's nice to meet every day Americans and I'm happy to settle for 8/10 in wow factor for 1/10 of the congestion that the honey pots generate.  My OH likes peace and quiet and for everyone to be happy!  The kids like well whatever an 8 year old and a 10 year old like - so yes moderate outdoors stuff is great (when judged at their level - multi-day backpacking probs not so good) but they also need appreciate a good dose of high calory, high octane entertainment which the States can deliver so well.

Oh yes - I also have more than a passing interest in planes so any good plane spotting tips appreciated - fast jets for preference!  

Good info on the bears - I've not got my head round the environmental context yet, e.g. how hot how cold it will be.

Thanks all others for the replies!  All very helpful!

Beale airforce base for NASA U2s.

I quite enjoyed regularly wandering around Las Trampas Wilderness Park when I spent a few months working there some years ago.  Probably not the most spectacular place in the area, but quite nice and satisfied my main criteria - hardly ever anybody else there.  Quite accessible too.

In SF itself - not a national park but I think you might love it - Musée Mécanique 

I was going to suggest some state parks but you didn't give a travel radius.  As far as I can tell, you can't go wrong with picking them at random and they're an absolute under-sung jewel in the crown of the US.

Assuming a large travel radius....

As well as state parks you get "National Monuments" - Lava Beds National Monument is something else.  Watch your head.

I'm particularly taken with Umpuah Hot Springs up in Oregon, a set of bowel depressions in a giant calcite concretion down the side of a steep, wooded ravine fed from the hot spring at the top that made the concretion, with a decrease in temperature as you descend down the dozen or so bowls of water to the cold river at the bottom.  Just heed the sign in the carpark which basically says "Nakedness - deal with it".  When in Rome...

Kings Canyon in the Sierra Nevada is beautiful, wild and far less touristy than Yosemite, Well worth a visit.

Lassen is awesome if you are in the N and want to see some volcanic action

http://www.parks.ca.gov/?page_id=523, Ana Nuevo, close up with sea elephants and reasonably quiet. 

Mineral King is interesting. Good hiking and not very busy

Humboldt Redwoods State Park. 10/10 for tree size wow factor, about 4 hours north of San Francisco. Probably safe to say there's fewer crowds up that way, but don't quote me on that.

If you liked camping in Carolina you'll love camping in the south west! 

We've rented small RVs in the US several times when our kids were young (including a 3 month road trip when they were 8 and 10) and it was always great.

Campgrounds in the most spectacular national and state parks tend to have fairly basic facilities so an RV makes it easier to enjoy these places.

Higher altitudes will also be pretty cold at Easter, so you'll probably appreciate having a warm space to retreat to in the evening. And it means you don't need to be so careful about wildlife - from bears in the sierras to rattlesnakes in the desert. 

A couple of tips: 

RVs described as 'small' or 'mini' on US rental sites are pretty spacious. We found the smallest (22ft) plenty big enough for a family of 4 for 3 months - anything bigger just gets harder to drive. 

There are two quite different types of campgrounds in the US - commercial and public. The commercial ones are usually very developed, with lots of facilities and huge RVs. Public campgrounds include those in National and State parks, plus a vast network of National Forest campgrounds. These have more basic facilities but many are in beautiful wilderness locations, with widely spaced pitches so that you feel like you're wild camping. 

I'm sure you'll have a fantastic trip whatever you decide to do - and feel free to PM if you have any more questions about RV rental.

Also forgot to say... 

When you visit State or National Parks be sure to ask about their Junior Ranger Programs. These involve taking part in various activities in the parks (such as going for a walk or attending a Ranger Talk about eg wildlife) and learning more about the park. They can easily be completed within a family visit of a few hours. At the end the kids get presented with a badge as a Junior Ranger.

Our kids both loved doing these when they were the age of your two. During our 3 month road trip they picked up about 30 of them, and learned lots about nature and the environment in the process. 

Thanks for both these posts, tremendously helpful and may well PM you when sober ;  )   

I would do Death Valley. Even in cold weather, it's well scary, especially if you turn off the car engine, get out, stand in the silence and imagine the car has broken down...

In SF, be sure and do the Cable Car Museum if you haven't already, then go on one, and let the kids hang off the sides. Or not

If the kids are up to a bit of a bike ride, look into riding across the Bridge, head for Tiburon (or Sausalito), have lunch then get the ferry back. Search for "bike the bridge".

One of the very few cities I would live in. Have a great time.

ff