Are we there yet?! We waited years to take this "Bucket List" trip to see the BIG TREES in California. And while we are used to driving on our adventures this was one for the books. 6 hours over here, 7.5 over there, only another 3.5 to up here, and what?! The roads are closed due to snow, so we have to drive all the way around to get there and add on another 6 hours to the trip, but then only 3 more back to the airport before we leave. BUT don't let this scare you! It was worth every minute in the car, and in one day in California we saw rain, snow, sun, clouds, windmills, solar farms, wine vineyards, actual working farms, snow covered peaks, and trees, really BIG trees. From the Redwoods all the way to our adventures in Sequoia National Park and Yosemite the trees are just HUGE, just super, and just so tall!
Below here you will find some details of our trip and a lot of photos!
What did we see on our Big Tree Trip to California?
• San Francisco
• Alcatraz Island
• PIER 39 San Francisco
• The Golden Gate Bridge
• Muir Woods
• Chandelier Drive-Thru Tree
• The Redwoods
• Sequoia National Park
• Yosemite National Park
• Mammoth Lakes
• Mono Lake
• Convict Lake
• Bodie State Historical Park
FAQ
How long was our trip?
• 8 days
What park was our favorite?
• HANDS DOWN... Sequoia National Park / But... Muir Woods was a close second!!
Did we rent a car to get around?
• Yes, needed for the amount of parks we needed to cover in the 8 day time frame.
How was the Spring weather in April?
• Depends on where we were. For the most part, windy, cool, and breezy, and the higher up into the trees you go, and into the mountains the cooler it was. We dressed in layers, and had jackets, and hats and used when needed. Mammoth Lakes still had snow some of the days we were there. Other days a light spring jacket, and a scarf was good enough.
Chandelier Drive-Thru Tree... was it worth it?!
• To drive-thru a tree... um... YES TOTALLY WORTH THE DRIVE! A very cool, BIG TREE experience. The Jeep we had fit through, but you should have seen some of the big trucks that made it, was intense to watch and see! It took us about 3.5 hours to get here driving from San Francisco.
What is Bodie State Historical Park?!
• One word answer AWESOME. Awesome is what it is! One of the coolest things we did. A gold-mining town of the late 1800's. Bodie's silent streets and vacant structures offer guests a glimpse into the past of one of the wildest mining camps of the Eastern Sierra. A town frozen in time in a state of arrested decay, but it is maintained by the California State Parks System. In 1859, gold was discovered in what is now known as Bodie Bluff. A mill was established in 1861 and the town began to grow. It started off with 20 miners and grew to 10,000 people by 1880. At one time it was reported that there were 65 saloons in town.
General Sherman Tree, what's that BIG deal?! Only that its the LARGEST TREE by volume on EARTH is the BIG DEAL. Amazing! So cool! So huge! Goes right up into the sky!
• What an awesome thing to see! This made the entire trip worth it! We called this park the LAND OF THE GIANTS! General Sherman is a giant sequoia tree located in the Giant Forest of Sequoia National Park in Tulare County, in the U.S. state of California. By volume, it is the largest known living single stem tree on Earth.
Take a look at Mono Lake, this place was way cool.
Those are bubbles / foams folks...
• We only saw one other visitor while there and pretty much had the place to ourself. Check out the video coming soon! Make you sure you fill out the envelope, and pay the fee and place your tag hanging from your mirror. We did! But saw others who did not, and the park rangers were ticketing on the way out! Simple rule people... follow the rules.
Have any other questions? Email us or drop us a line on our contact us page!
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