Around California By Car: Places to Visit
California is considered the best place to go on a road trip. This is the third largest state in the United States and ranks second on the most total miles of highway. This simply means that anyone with a car can drive and travel around California for hours and find perfect and memorable destinations.
Anyone who is in California can drive his car or hire a personal driver to tour him around the state. Listed below are five beautiful places in California that should not be missed during the visit.
Around California By Car - Start
The drive around California will start at the Pacific Coast Highway (PCH). This is an iconic and a breathtaking road. PCH merges California State Route 1 and the US 101 which enfolds the rocky California coast to Los Angeles in the south to the Crescent City located in the border of Oregon. PCH is about 800 miles or 1,287 in kilometers. It has twisting curves and stunning bridges like the Golden Gate in San Francisco. Driving in PCH allows tourist to see mind blowing sceneries such as California Highways.
It would literally take more than one day to drive PCH. Therefore, it is highly recommended for tourists to choose places to visit along the highway.
The Northern California Wine Country
One destination along PCH is the Northern California Wine Country. The drive to wine country will not be complete without wine tasting. This place offers hundreds of wineries. Someone who is a sip-and-spit kind of wine taster will surely enjoy this visit. But anyone to engage in wine tasting should have a designated driver to drive him for the day. Aside from the wines, this place also has the best restaurants such as The French Laundry. Thomas Keller, the chef serves tasty and freshly-prepared foods. After eating, a visitor can relax by getting a massage from spas within the region.
Joshua Tree National Park
Another place that can be visited within the PCH is Joshua Tree National Park and then head to Palm Springs which is near the former. This place is just a two-hour drive from Los Angeles. The landscape of Joshua Tree has towering boulders and the plants inside look a lot like Martian vegetation. Tourists can also enjoy activities such as rock and cliff climbing. They can also do a self-guided 18-mile Geology tour. The day in Joshua Tree can be concluded by heading to Palm Springs for dinner. There are several fine restaurants here as well as spas and resorts where one can end his day.
Yoshemite National Park
One more destination to check out around California and PCH is the Yoshemite National Park. This is the best option for nature lovers. The national park is just four hours from San Francisco. Tourists should not miss this because this is undeniably America's most beautiful park because of the glaciers, waterfalls and cliffs. Some of the best places to visit in the park are Bridalveil Falls and Mariposa Grove. Tourists can also go hiking because the park has several trail options such as Mist Trail. They can also climb the peak of Half Dome and see the beauty of Yosemite Valley. Reserving a room in advance is the advised to those who want to make the most of the trip.
The Final Destination in California
The final destination in California and along PCH is the Redwood Highway. Tourists will have a glimpse of the tallest trees in the world, the coastal redwoods. These trees reach 370 feet, equivalent to a 30-story building and can live for around 2000 years. The shortest drive to Coastal Redwood is through the Golden Gate National Recreation Area. This is just about a thirty-minute drive from San Francisco. While there, tourists can also visit the Avenue of the Giants, Humboldt Redwoods State Park and Mur Woods.
