What Are the Best Places to Visit in California?

Take me out to California, take me out to California. What's going on everybody, this is IslandHopperTV and today we've got the 20 best places to visit in California, starting out here in Yosemite. Located out here in the Sierra Nevadas in the eastern part of the state. Known for amazing granite cliffs like El Capitan, they also have plenty of waterfalls like Bridal Veil Falls, clear streams, large giant sequoia groves, an abundance of biodiversity, lots of wildlife as well. Every time I come up here I at least have one or two bears coming around my campsite. So be ready for that, it could happen. There's over 400 different species of animals that live up here in Yosemite, including the Sierra Nevada Red Fox. Next up here we are in Death Valley. Now Death Valley is in the eastern part of California near the Nevada border in Mojave Desert and it's inside of the Death Valley National Park for those of you who want to look it up. Now Death Valley holds the record for the hottest temperature ever recorded on earth in 1913. It reached 134 degrees Fahrenheit or 56 degrees Celsius. Another interesting point is Death Valley is actually the lowest point in North America sitting 282 feet below sea level. While here you will notice that there is these salt flats and that's from dried up old lake beds. Now we're headed down to Southern California area. This here is Joshua Tree National Park. It's actually named after a yucca plant which is very twisted. That's the Joshua Tree and it is actually a location where two deserts meet known for its biodiversity and there's a lot of different species of birds and mammals out here like big horn sheep, bobcats, coyotes and unique plants like creosote, prickly pear, ocotillos. So really an amazing place. Geological formations. Joshua Tree is also known for its stargazing because on clear nights this is some of the best places to see. Meteor showers, the Milky Way and just dark skies with stars. Also the Native American history is quite rich here and from Joshua Tree we're headed west to San Diego. This here is the far southernmost point of California. Right here San Diego is a very beautiful place with a population of around 3.5 million people living in the metro area. It's known as America's finest city because of its pleasant weather which is considered Mediterranean climate, laid back lifestyle, beautiful coastline and there is 266 days a year of sunshine so it is quite good weather obviously. It's also known as the birthplace of California. While here check out La Jolla. You can also go to Pacific Beach, Mission Beach. Beautiful Balboa Park with its museums and gardens and zoo and then the area around downtown where the Gaslamp District is. Also the U.S. Navy has a presence here which you can see at the USS Midway and the statue there. Also the Padres. Great place to watch a baseball game at Petco Park. And then here's a look at those beaches. This here is in La Jolla. So many beaches in the San Diego area. Lots of white sand beaches all the way up and down this area of Southern California. So beautiful. While here I would highly recommend checking out Coronado Island, taking the bridge over the Coronado Bay. This is an amazing place to hang out and they've got great resorts here so if you get a chance cross that Coronado Bay over here to Coronado Island. You can easily do that from a ferry boat in downtown. Now here we are in Orange County. This is just north of San Diego. Here you're going to have Laguna Beach, north of Oceanside actually. And then you have Newport Beach, Dana Point. Also you have San Juan Capistrano, another really cool place. Orange County is very famous and great weather, good scenery. Definitely a must-do place to check out. Also heading over to San Clemente. One of the things I like to do is actually ride the train called the California Coaster from San Diego up here to Orange County. Takes about an hour and a half and it's quite the ride. It's very scenic. By the way, if you do choose to take the train, you would have to get off in San Clemente there and then take the car or a taxi, Uber, whatever you want to do. Maybe even a bus over to Laguna Beach and that would take around 30 minutes to 40 minutes depending on traffic. Orange County does have a modern side to it, as you can see with these skyrises, but really it's known for its beaches, palm trees, beautiful weather and just scenic overlooks. Now we're actually headed to Northern California. This here is Redwood Trees National Park. These aren't the big, big sequoia trees that you're going to get in the Sierra Nevadas, but these redwoods are quite tall and actually they say the tallest tree in the world is said to be out here. The only difference is they don't get the wide, wide trunks like you would get in places like sequoia, but in all honesty, they do have some super thick trees here. Redwoods are famous for being really isolated here in California. So far as I know, this is the only place in the world that has these giant redwoods. So you're going to be in an environment where very unique species are growing. Just keep in mind that this particular park is on the northwestern side of California, nearby Humboldt County and Eureka. Now we're going to go to the Sierra Nevadas again, but this time we're at the Sequoia Kings Canyon National Park. This is where they're going to have the big, big trees like General Sherman and some of the more famous sequoia trees. So this is not coastal California. This is up in the Sierras. Along with General Sherman, there's also the General Grant tree, which is the second largest tree in the world. And also check out the Kings Canyon Scenic Byway. Now here we are at Palm Springs. This is just on the other side of San Bernardino from Los Angeles area. They've got tall towering mountains that get snow capped over here. It's known for its windmills. They also have a beautiful golf course community and climate. This is actually in between Los Angeles and Joshua Tree, you could say. Palm Springs is more of a desert, whereas Los Angeles is more of a Mediterranean type climate with a little bit of a desert. They also have these cool dinosaurs that have been here forever. When I was a kid, I used to go here. But now we're actually out here in Los Angeles. So this is Los Angeles County and you also have the San Fernando Valley. You have Thousand Oaks. And then in the south, you have Long Beach. You also have places in the interior like Anaheim and obviously downtown. Hollywood is very famous, as you know. They've got Universal Studios. But really, I would say when you come here, you're coming here for the beaches. So check out Manhattan Beach and some of the beaches around Redondo, also Santa Monica. Venice Beach is also very famous. They've actually cleaned up the area a bit, so it's a little bit more safe. And then you have places like Griffith Observatory. You also have the museum known as the Getty. So lots to do in Los Angeles. Keep in mind, LA is the second largest metro area in the nation. So it's quite a big city. Also to the north, you have Malibu, so don't forget about Malibu. From LA, we're gonna cruise up the Pacific Coast Highway to Morro Bay. Now Morro Bay is a beautiful place known for Morro Rock. This is a really nice beach area. It's in Central California. You could get here from San Luis Obispo probably within 40 minutes. So just Central California right here around Morro Bay, really nice. Some of the activities you can do out here in Morro Bay are gonna be camping, guided tours. You can do sailing also. They have fishing tours that take you out. They have a nice 18-hole golf course nearby, hanging out at the marina. Lots of hiking as well. They even have a maritime museum for you to check out. So definitely add Morro Bay to your list of places to stop if you're cruising up the Pacific Coast Highway. And just south of Morro Bay is actually Pismo Beach. This is a big beach. It's known for the Pismo Dunes. If you go a little bit further south, you can actually camp there on the beach, on the dunes. I've done that before, where you get the big bonfire going. Really a cool experience. People come out here for off-roading. For those of you who know about the area, it's also known as just simply the dunes. And the area is known as Oceano Dunes Natural Park. Now you have Arroyo Grande and Grover Beach also in the area. This area is also known as San Luis Obispo Bay. If you go inland a bit, they have that beautiful town there. And continuing up the Highway 1, here we are along Big Sur. Now Big Sur is an amazing place. Lots of beautiful camping. They have Juliet Pfeiffer State Park, which is really cool for the waterfall. They call it McQuay Falls. And this is really one of the most scenic places for driving in California along the coast that you're gonna find anywhere. The drive itself can be a bit nail-biting at times because of the cliffs and the bridges, but it's really worth it if you get a chance to do it. You also have San Simeon where they have elephant seals right there on the beach for you to pull over and check out. Now here we are in San Francisco Bay Area. Remember this has San Jose, San Francisco on the peninsula. And then you have Oakland and some of the surrounding suburbs, including Cupertino where Silicon Valley is. But the Golden Gate Bridge, the Bay Area Bridge, those are the two main bridges that span over the Bay Area. I've actually been in San Francisco and seen humpback whales in large numbers underneath that bridge where you can see them right there from Golden Gate Park. Quite an amazing sight to see. But San Francisco is such a pleasant, beautiful climate. And the city itself is definitely one of the most scenic cities you'll see anywhere in the world. Some of the popular places include Fisherman's Wharf, also going out to Alcatraz Island doing a tour, going to the windiest street in America called Lombard Street. You can walk or drive down it, which is nice. Or maybe even take a streetcar, which is what they used to do back in the early 1900s when the Gold Rush was happening. After all, the reason they're called the 49ers is because of the 1849 Gold Rush. Now we're here at the Carmel-by-the-Sea area. This is where they have Pebble Beach Golf Course, one of the most famous golf courses in all the country, known for these beautiful trees that hang over the edges along the coastline. You're gonna get a lot of rainy kind of days out here. It's very gloomy and foggy, especially in the wintertime. So when you get those sunny days, blue skies, that's when Carmel-by-the-Sea really shimmers and shines. You can also do 17-mile drive. Lots of houses and beautiful little village right there along Carmel-by-the-Sea. So if you've got a place that you wanna stop for lunch on that Highway 1 trip, I would say Carmel-by-the-Sea would have to be the spot to choose, just because it's so beautiful here. I mean, this is where million dollar homes exist in volume. Now this here is going to be Monterey Bay. This is where they're gonna have the college. They've also got the Naval Academy here on the west coast. So you're gonna have a little bit of naval presence out here. And like I said previously, lots of whales come in and out of Monterey Bay. So Monterey Bay is known for the cannery row. They've also got an aquarium here called the Monterey Bay Aquarium that you may wanna check out. But really a beautiful place just north of Carmel-by-the-Sea, so you can easily do both in the same day. This Highway 1, the Pacific Coast Highway, is definitely one of the best highways, if not the best highway in all of the country. So you can see why it's so spectacular, all these coastal towns. Monterey might just be worth staying one or two nights actually, so you can explore the whole area in detail. Now we're going up towards Santa Cruz. So this is a little bit further north of Monterey and off to the southwest of San Francisco, San Jose area. And Santa Cruz is known for the boardwalk, also beautiful walking along the shoreline in the sunset hours. They've got a nice vibe out here in Santa Cruz. Some of you may know about Santa Cruz because a lot of clothing brands come out of here. And if you are doing Highway 1 through Big Sur, definitely consider going all the way up past Monterey to Santa Cruz. You don't wanna miss it. And check out the entertainment area around the boardwalk, which is fun. I mean, it's a bit old, but it's still a fun place for the kids and couples. Just a nice place to hang out, especially in the summertime, such a beautiful vibe. And now here we are in Santa Barbara, known for its beautiful beaches that have views looking out towards some of the Catalina islands. You've also got the old mission here in Santa Barbara. And one of my favorite streets to walk here is the State Street area, which connects all the way down to Stearns Wharf. So really spending some time in Santa Barbara could be worth it. They've also got some campgrounds around the surrounding area. It is a bit expensive because Santa Barbara is, well, it's one of the most prestigious areas in all of the country. And when you come out here, you can see why. You also don't wanna skip the Presidio here in Santa Barbara, very beautiful. Nearby Santa Barbara is many small towns to explore, like Goleta, or maybe even Gaviota. If you go a little bit inland, you can head to Solvang, or maybe even towards Simi Valley area. Also, I'd just like to let you know, we've made full videos about each one of these places, including Santa Barbara, Los Angeles, San Diego, San Francisco, all with details of things to do and travel guides. I'll put some of those links below in the description so you guys can actually watch some of those. And as we continue to show you around California, if you're enjoying this video, please consider giving it a like and subscribing to our channel. So let's keep looking around California. Now, just outside of the Bay Area, outside of Oakland, you could say, is going to be Napa Valley. Nearby here is Sonoma County, which is also very beautiful, but we're gonna focus on Napa Valley here. This is wine country, considered one of the finest areas in the country, and even the world, for those of you who like to do wine tasting. You've got so many different types of wine here. There's a couple different wine countries in California, Paso Robles, just outside of San Luis Obispo, but nothing compares to the area around Napa Valley. Very beautiful place, very peaceful, a lot of people get married out here. It's a good weekend getaway for those of you who are living in California, if you're looking for a place to go that's not coastal along the beach. Napa Valley's perfect for that. If you're just visiting California and you're in the Bay Area around Oakland or San Francisco, it's about an hour to an hour and a half away. You can easily do Sonoma County, do the whole route, and that's a nice three-day trip, I would say, if you really take it in stride. Doing it with a rental car, that's how you would do it. Now here we are at the Channel Islands. These are off the coast of Los Angeles, you could say. You can easily get out here by ferry from Long Beach, and I believe there's also a ferry in Santa Barbara. The main island that everyone goes to is the Catalina Island, known as Santa Catalina. And the town here is called Avalon. You can do a day trip here, or you can just stay the night, one night, and come back. Now here we are in Lake Tahoe. There's right there on the border with Nevada, so you can go to South Lake Tahoe and do some gaming, and then come back over to the California side. While up here, it's popular to do alpine skiing in the wintertime. After all, this is where the Winter Olympics were held back in the 70s. Also in the summertime, great place to be, because they've got a beautiful lake to swim in right here at Lake Tahoe. Anyways, guys, if you enjoyed this one and you want more videos from us, please consider subscribing and watching some more videos from California. I'll put Los Angeles and San Francisco next, right here.