California here we come !! Help!

[nowrelxn]

Thanks to your generous help, we feel a little more secure with our southern faze of our spring 2010 trip out West and now request help with the South to North faze. We will be needing campground advise for California starting with Yosemite NP and the San Francisco area. We would probably spend a couple of days at the park and maybe only a one day visit into the city. I believe by looking at the map, we will have to do this in a two step plan. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated. The state parks all seem to have restrictions on length. We are in a 38' motorhome. We had hoped to access State Parks/ACE/ parks, but private campgrounds that are not off the wall, price wise, are fine. We will be heading up Rt 1 along the coast. Any advise on that route and campgrounds along the way would be great. It all becomes a little mind boggleing. We have the month of May to do California, Oregon and Washington. We would like to travel along the coast, if possible all the way up, but are open to suggestions and advise. Thank you so much!!!!!!!!!

[LargCarPilot]

I would recommend this park for the San Francisco portion of your trip.

San Francisco RV Resort - RESORT

[paz]

We just made a similar trip this year. If you click on the link below to our blog, then scroll about half way down the page and click on May 2009 and June 2009 under "Archives" in the right column, it will take you to that portion of our travels. We have links to the campgrounds we stayed at and photos, so you can check them out to see if they might suit your needs. We also describe the sightseeing we did in each area.

Be aware that May and June along the coast are called "Gray May" and "June Gloom" for good reasons. The weather is cool, overcast, and foggy much of the time. It is often sunny and 10 degrees warmer just a mile or 2 inland.

Also be aware that portions of Highway 1 along the California coast are not suitable for a large RV. You will need to use U. S. 101 and use the toad if you want to drive along the coast. Of course, if you do that in May, it very well could be foggy and you won't be able to see anything anyway.

[CrossCountryNomad]

Originally Posted by LargCarPilot

I would recommend this park for the San Francisco portion of your trip.

San Francisco RV Resort - RESORT

I second that.

Here are some photos from when we stayed there.

Here's our view of the Pacific


Standing if front of our motor home.


Looking north


Slideshow of pictures, photos, and videos, from webshots

[RickO]

Do be careful on Hwy 1 with a 38' coach. You may want to use the toad as a scout car in places to get a feel for what you're in for. In Calif the state parks will give you a hard time with a 38'. You may find some places but it's far from a slam dunk. Many of the private parks are pricey so brace yourself... we're not in Kansas anymore, Toto

Oregon state parks are incredible. Consider trying Cape Blanco. One of our favorite spots of all. The aquarium near Newport is also a good bet.

We're starting our full timing in about a week and plan to start our trip taking the month of October to meander down the coast from Carmel to San Diego. It's a great time to be on the California coast.

Good Luck!