Four Ultimate Must-See Destinations on Your Dream California Road Trip Bucketlist

Feb 22, 2024

We’re expanding our usual road trip guide outside of the regional Midwest area, and hoping to inspire you to explore new adventures this summer! Take your new car from Classic on the Ultimate Road Trip as you head out west to explore the incredible natural wilderness of California! We’ve got some incredible stopping points to add to your road trip itinerary as you explore the sunshine state to the fullest. Plus, we’ve even got some tips for some year-round fun if you prefer to visit the tourist attractions in the “off season” for a quieter experience. We love the Pacific Coast highway as much as the next roadtripper, but here are four incredible jaw-dropping spaces to explore on your next trip.

Got some suggestions for your own stops in these areas? Let us know in the comments on our social media! We would love to hear from you and update future blogs with your input.

Yosemite National Park is a nature lover’s paradise! This pristine wilderness is lovingly maintained and monitored by the US National Park Service as well as several volunteer crews and service groups in the touristy areas. This park is unmatched in landscape views and vistas all year round, but especially in the Spring season when the waterfalls are at their peak during the Sierra snow melts. There are 5 massive waterfalls of 1.000 feet or more. With more than 1,200 square miles of protected parklands, you’ll be stunned as you make your way along mountain ridges, explore the Mariposa Grove of Giant Sequoias, take a guided tour through the most scenic regions, and challenge your strength on the miles and miles of hiking trails of varying height and landscape. If you’re hoping to beat the crowds, the earlier you arrive to explore, the better, especially if you’re headed to the Valley area. Wildlife enthusiasts should be on the lookout for Sierra Nevada Red Foxes, Black Bears, Bobcats, Nevada Bighorn Sheep, and more.

Death Valley National Park is a very unique scenic stop on your California road trip bucket list. Famous for clogging the highest temperature ever recorded anywhere in the world (a record breaking 134 degrees in July of 1936), and the driest spot in North America from Autumn to Spring eason, this is a formidable but awe-inspiring exploration spot. With more than 3.4 million acres, this national park is the largest in the lower 48 states. It’s full boundless sparkling landscapes with sweeping sand dunes, magnificent and majestic wildlife, startlingly beautiful carved canyons and rock outcroppings, and incredible wildlife sightings. Points of merit to visit included Badwater Basin Saltflats, Zabriskie Point, Devils Golf Course, Ubehebe Crater, Artist’s Drive and Palette, and Golden Canyon (just to name a few!) Nature photographers can be on the lookout for coyotes, roadrunners, lizards, desert kangaroo rats, Black-tailed Jack Rabbits and more.
Sequoia National Park is home to five of the ten largest trees in the entire world! You’ve never seen anything quite like these prehistoric giants, including the General Sherman Tree, the largest tree on earth by volume. These magnificent trees only grow here, and are so impressively large you really have to see it to believe it. It will really have you reflecting on our connection to our planet as part of a larger ecosystem, and the magnificent grand scale of our universe as a whole. Hiking or driving through this forest of ever-growing trees you’ll be in awe to exist amidst the oldest living organisms on this planet, some as old as 3,000 years! While it is one of the busier, more touristy stops on our list, we can’t recommend it enough. A trip on foot really provides an unforgettable experience! It’s also a great spot for car camping, challenging hikes, and even outdoorsy pursuits like fishing in designated areas. It’s open year round, but Summer is peak viewing season with best weather being from June through August.

Lake Tahoe is known for it’s crystal clear blue waters, world-class landscape vistas, and incredible opportunities to enjoy hiking, boating, fishing, and swimming like you’ve never experienced before. It’s the largest freshwater lake in the Sierra Nevada range, as well as the largest alpine lake in all of North America. Only the 5 Great Lakes are larger by volume, which is impressive given that Lake Tahoe is 122,160,280 acre feet! It’s also the second-deepest in the United States after Oregon’s Crater Lake. Photographers will revel in the beauty of crystalline waters against aquamarine skies with spectacular sunrises and sunsets. It’s even a popular destination during the winter, with prime time skiing and snowboarding available. We recommend checking out Emerald Bay State Park, Eagle Falls, Fannette Island, Vikingsholm, Tallac Historic Site, Fallen Leaf Lake, and D.L. Bliss State Park. It’s an outdoor enthusiast’s paradise, and worth visiting all year round for a unique experience each season!