Best places to visit in California during the winter | Squat the Planet

Best places to visit in California during the winter

beginnavagabond

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I'm working in the Colorado Rockies until Mid-November and I was planning on visiting NorCal in the winter and I wandered what were some good places for travellers to check out. I've wanted to see Monterey, Eureka, and Arcata but I would love some more suggestions. I will be mostly hitching. Thanks!
 
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ScumRag

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Imo, northern Calif is the best. You've got Truckee, King's Beach, Emerald Bay- all around Lake Tahoe area + destinations north of SF and the City itself.... Though I haven't been back to SF in several years, the winters used to be rainy and then with the fog rolling in daily @ 330p, just makes for a super spectacular display
 
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Hudson

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I grew up most of my life in norcal. Its cold in the winter with snow always coming in after december above 3,000ft.

Are you talking early or late winter? Because all the nice spots are about 4,000ft plus.

The coast is amazing though. Definetly check out the redwoods. Those are a must see.
 

Dameon

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Norcal in the winter can be pretty miserable...it's a rainforest climate, so constant rain. You'd be better off visiting in the spring. Eureka and Arcata are nothing special; Eureka is brimming with tweakers, and Arcata is generally pretty burnt out on travelers. Pretty much just go down highways 1 and 101, and enjoy the sights. It's pretty all the way down to SF.
 
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LysergicAbreaction

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...wow, I actually prefer Oakland and san francisco In The winter...Though you guys might be talking about a little further north.

In my experience The bay area is always cloudy, foggy, and chilly all summer, and then is always fairly sunny and warm during the winter...

The locals kept teasing me about it, saying: "I thought you were from denver? And you think this is cold?" I tried to explain to them that it's a different type of cold, denver is a high desert, really thin air, it's a light, crisp, cold, where as the bay is that heavy, wet, next to the ocean cold. I always get "chilled to the bone" squatting in the bay area, its that humid type of "chilly" rather than outright cold...

...anyway, I always found the bay area to be nice during the winter and cold in the summer. I mean, the bay never gets super cold, but I would always get chilled to the bone during the summer, and found that the fog would recede and the weather would warm up in the winter.

...but maybe it's just me.
 

Hudson

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Best advice i can give you in general about california. Stay away from big cities. The foothills of the sierra nevadas people are nice. The cities i dont think anyone would piss on you if you were on fire.
 
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Stiv Rhodes

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I's scratch Arcata and Eurica off the list and just do the southern stretch of HWY 1 in the winter. Santa Cruz, Monterey, Big Sur, you could continue south to San Luis Obispo if you wanted to catch a Greyhound back home from a city. Santa Barbara is nice. Don't go south of Oxnard (ie. into LA.) unless you want to go east to see Slab City.
 

Tyler65

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Also curious about finally getting out of dreaded Oregon winters for first time in my life(35 years argh) and hitting up some places in Cali/SW(Tuscon!).


Thoughts on San Diego Area?
 

Ezra Fyre

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Also curious about finally getting out of dreaded Oregon winters for first time in my life(35 years argh) and hitting up some places in Cali/SW(Tuscon!).


Thoughts on San Diego Area?


Personal damn opinion? California is NOT warm.... So called sunny southern California, my ass!!

It gets to white crap too.... Falls from sky, makes you BBBbbuuuuRRRRrrrr.... Don't get me wrong, I haven't met anywhere yet I'd rather be than the Rainbow for New Years Eve! Without or without white shit... But all In all, if you're looking for a warm winter for the first time in 35 years, Cali would not be my choice... For potential of warm i recommend, well South of Los Angeles. And dear frosty-gods, not into/towards the desert...
Good Luck!
 

LysergicAbreaction

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Tyler65, I can offer an opinion, but please keep In mind that it would be my personal opinion based off of my personal experiences. Everybody has their own personal preferences and unique manner of carrying themselves through various situations, and everybody relates to these places in their own way.

Personally I prefer the bay area. San Francisco has to be my favorite city. Then Oakland and Berkeley are just a short BART ride away, there are also smaller towns like Fremont, which has super cheap hotels, Newark and Fremont are connected, both little suburban type areas near Oakland, sometimes I would spend my days in SF or Oakland, then take the Bart to Fremont at night for a hotel, though honestly, most the time I just stayed on the haight and was fine, like they say "there's nothing but love on the haight" (I have always wondered if that was an ironic statement, as I have seen the haight and golden gate park eat people alive, I never had issues though)

(when you are entering golden gate park from the haight passed that McDonald's and through the little tunnel thing there is a pond, it's disgusting, full of used needles and other unpleasant objects, I have seen the punk rockers pretend to be friends with some oogle, then toss them in that pond... same thing happens in denver, the gutter punks will "Platte" oogles, this is where they invite them to the Platte river to drink, then throw them in, I probably shouldn't be saying anything, as most those people probably did something to deserve it, but seriously, be careful. You have two eyes, two ears, and one mouth, so you should be watching and listening twice as much as you are talking, try to get things figured out before you get too comfortable. )

Berkley is amazing.

It doesn't surprise me that alexander shulgin took up residence in the bay area, the place is still a psychedelic playground on many levels, and if you get in with the right people it can be a wonderland which one never wants to leave...

Heading south, Santa Cruz is pretty cool, there are lots of young people, great music scene. Its hella difficult to panhandle there though, specially on Pacific Avenue, there are all kinds of panhandling ordinances you need to be aware of, though most of the other street people should let you know what's up... The police are total dicks in Santa Cruz, I mean, even the Oakland cops treat you better than the pricks in Santa Cruz. its a city that can really drag you down if you let it, though I have always loved it. You know the movie "the lost boys", that's Santa Cruz, I always got a kick out of that. I get considered by most to be a hippy, so I usually hang out with a pretty mellow crowd, but Santa Cruz can be really violent, specially if you are on the streets, I guess that's just like anywhere though. In my case I never had to deal with violence, but I saw a lot of it. Again, I'm a peacenik who associates mainly with hippy types, which is probably the only reason I was able to avoid any conflict.

Personally, I love northern California, well, from Santa Cruz north. I seriously did not like southern California, and as a result don't go south of Santa Cruz. Los Angeles has to be the worst place on earth, I mean santa Monica was ok, but in general I really did not like the place.

Never made it to San Diego, but I hear its pretty cool, specially if you like skateboarding. They are supposed to have a really intense metal and grindcore scene out there. Crash Worship is from san diego, though most of you guys are probably too young to remember crash worship, or the insanity of seeing them live...

Ok, I am done rambling. I doubt I even managed to mention anything useful, but hey, at least I killed some time...
 
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