Destinations

This is your travel route starting from southern California. You can start wherever you want but the destinations are laid out for you. If you are in southern California then start near San Diego and go up to the following destinations in sequence:

1. Universal studios

Universal Studios is a famous amusement park. It is located in the San Fernando valley, which is in the coastal region. Universal Studios also happens to be in two counties. Approximately 30 percent of it is located in Los Angeles county. The rest is located in another county called "Universal City." Even though it is widely known as an amusement park, it is also a studio. Many movies like Jurassic Park, Jurassic World, and Apollo 13 have been filmed there. The rides in Universal Studios include King Kong 360 3D, The Wizard World of Harry Potter, Revenge of the Mummy, and many others. This amusement park was first opened on March 15, 1915, when Carl Laemmle opened his studio to give visitors a chance to walk around his studio. The admission fee was only 25 cents and included a chicken boxed lunch for just 5 extra cents. After a while, Carl Laemmle had to close his studio to visitors so he could add sound to his movies, which required a soundproof building. Universal Studios was then reopened to visitors in 1961. Universal Studios is now one of the most popular tourist attractions on the west coast.

2. Palm Springs

Palm Springs is a well known city for many attractions. It is part of Riverside county. Palm Springs is also a city in the Sonoran desert of southern California. One interesting place in Palm Springs is Coachella Valley Preserve. It is a preserved site, with many interesting features and fun activities. There is the fringe-toed lizard, a creature found nowhere else in the world! The fringe-toed lizard is known for having special adaptations. Scales cover its entire body and it has adapted to living in harsh deserts. This makes it very special. Coachella Valley Preserve also has lots of water in the middle of a desert! The water comes from water spewing out from the San Andreas Fault. It's fun activities include hiking and camping. If you go along the willis palms trail, you will pass the oasis. The McCallum Trail might be the easiest trail over there. It goes through Coachella Valley Preserve. Palm Springs and Coachella Valley Preserve are amazing and fascinating places.

3. Joshua Tree National Park

Joshua Tree National Park is a national park that is in a desert. It is located in Mojave Desert, which is the driest desert in the US. Joshua Tree National Park is also part of the desert region of California. Joshua Tree National park is known to be one of the best places to stargaze in California for multiple reasons. It is away from the city lights. It also does not have much moisture, which interrupts starlight. Also, it does not have much civilization, which prevents light pollution. In 1936, President Roosevelt signed a public announcement that designated 794,000 acres of land what is Joshua Tree National park today. It is merely bigger than Rhode Island. The President was persuaded by a few environmentalists to designate it as a conservation area since it was nearly devastated when poachers and settlers came to the region. It was established into a national park in 1994.

4. Mojave Desert

Mojave Desert spans four states - California, Nevada, Utah and Arizona. It takes up 20 million acres in California, which happens to be one-fifth of the entire state. Mojave Desert also separates the Great Basin Desert and the Sonoran Desert. It is famous for having the hottest temperature ever recorded and the lowest point in the western hemisphere. It is also famous for other reasons like some popular songs and movies that are filmed here like The Ranger movie, and companies like Apple name its products after the Mojave Desert. The Mojave Desert has a lively history. Some Native Americans who lived here hunted deer and bighorn sheep before having contact with Europeans. They lived near the Colorado river in big numbers and their main route was the Mojave trail. Around the 19th century, gold fever struck. The General Mining Law of that time allowed individual gold hunters to stake a claim on a certain area of land where a mineral like gold, copper or iron were discovered. It didn't take long for people to find copper, iron, gold and silver. Then ranchers came and established their ranches. There was much more after that, but this is a basic history. The Mojave desert is a dry, famous and interesting place to go.

5. Sequoia National Park

Sequoia National Park is a park with giant trees in terms of volume. It is located in Sierra Nevada, which is a mountain range. Since it is located in a mountain range, it is part of the mountain region of California. Sequoia National Park is also widely known for having very large trees. Although it does not have the tallest tree in the world, it has the largest tree in terms of volume. The Giant Sherman Tree stands 275 feet tall and its diameter at the base is about 36 feet. It is estimated to be approximately 2,300 to 2,700 years old. That is about 3 times as old as the tallest tree in the world. The volume of this gigantic tree is 1487 meters cubed. The Giant Forest is also home to other giant trees. In fact, there is about 2,000 trees are located within the Giant Forest. It sits approximately 6,000 feet above sea level. 5 of the 10 most massive trees in the world are within the Giant Forest. The Giant Forest is a good place for scenic drives, picnics, short and long hikes, wildlife and photogrpahy. Sequoia National Park has the most amazing trees in the world!

6. Yosemite National Park

Yosemite National Park is known for its waterfalls. It is located in the western part Sierra Nevada, which is in the mountain region of California. If you were to divide California in half, it would be in the northern area. It is home to some of the highest waterfalls in the world. One easy to see fall is the Nevada fall. It may not be the highest fall in Yosemite but it is easy to see. All you have to do is to hike up the mist trail, which is approximately 600 feet tall, and enjoy the waterfall. It is located below the granite dome Liberty Cap. It is popular due to its bent shape, which makes the water fall roughly. It is called Nevada Falls because it is the closest to Sierra Nevada. Another big attraction is the mountains. The highest mountain in Yosemite is Mount Ritter. Mount Ritter stands at 13149 feet tall. It is made of dark rock and is prominent because of its height and isolation from other mountains. It is very cold like all mountains. The highest temperature in the year is 62 degrees and the lowest temperature is -1 degrees. This is one of the many interesting facts about Mount Ritter. So, Yosemite is high, low, and cold.

7. Sacramento

Sacramento is located in the Valley Region of California. The climate is just fine, not too hot or not too cold. In the spring and summer months, temperatures range from 43 to 93 degrees Fahrenheit, rain falls about 0-3 times a month. In the fall and winter months temperatures range from 41 to 79 degrees Fahrenheit, rain falls 2 to 7 times a month. Another reason that makes the climate fine is that winters are mild. Sacramento is 25 feet (8 meters) above sea level. North of the city Red Bluff (close to Sacramento) lies the Anderson Valley, which stretches 30 miles. Between Red Bluff and the end of Anderson Valley, there is a gap, and then there are lots of Urban cities and towns. Sacramento was also once inhabited by Native Americans. They built round houses supported by poles covered with reeds or bark, other houses looked like cones with a bark leaning against the center post. They also stored acorn flour in air light baskets year round to make stew and other dishes. Two groups of Indians, named Ohlone and Miwok, gathered shellfish (extra use as money), while Youkuts hunted and fished. The central area had the largest population in the state and the most abundant resources. Each group here claimed land for more than a hundred years. Sacramento is also the state capital of California. The next time you want to see the Governor of California, go to Sacramento.

8. Monterey (Monterey Bay)

Monterey Bay is among the best places to see whales in California. It is located on the coast and near Monterey. Also, it is home to a big underwater canyon. This canyon is the third largest underwater canyon in the world, in fact, it is approximately twice as deep as the Grand Canyon. In addition to this canyon, Monterey Bay is very diverse. There are all kinds of interesting animals like Blue whales, Gray whales, orcas, Risso dolphins, Pacific white-sided dolphins, Sea otters, Sperm Whales, common Bottlenose dolphin, and many more. Monterey Bay is on the top of every list for the best whale watching places in California. Abundance of kelp in Monterey Bay allows it to support such a diverse ecosystem. Monterey Bay is the best place in California to see whales!

Monterey Bay is our last stop on this adventure before we head back south to our home in San Diego. This is the shortest route possible with this order of destinations, so I suggest you follow this for the smallest carbon footprint. The total budget for a family of four is under $2000 on this trip.

Destination Image Gallery

The Simpsons Ride seen at Universal Studios

Joshua Tree National Park seen during the evening

Mojave National Preserve

The Giant Sherman Tree seen at Sequioa National Park

The Yosemite Falls seen in Yosemite National Park

The California State Capital Park in Sacramento, California

A Humpback Whale seen in Monterey Bay during a whale watching tour