California in August

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The coastal areas can be really overcast that time of year and you might be disappointed. It's not typically raining, just cloudy and chilly. The sun typically comes out in the afternoon though.

Ugh! Are there any beaches right in the south of California which are warmer and sunnier? Maybe I’m trying to check too many boxes in one trip. I don’t really want to go to the Delaware beaches. They are okay, but I am Australian and my standards are high 😁. Guess I’m trying to combine my desire to explore the US and see the West Coast with everyone else else’s desire to chillax a little.

I just looked at the location of Lake Tahoe. It’s quite far north – would it be cloudy and the water quite cold too?

Tahoe is gorgeous and usually sunny, but the lake is cold and beaches are limited. Renting a boat / taking a lake cruise would be fun though. If you go, take a half-day raft trip on the Truckee or American rivers, that's fun.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Thanks for all the suggestions. I think at least 5 days on one beach is probably nonnegotiable from DH’s POV. He’s British and is more than happy to beach himself like a whale on the beach to bake his lily white flesh. He’s also exhausted from work so needs to recharge.

What is special about the Hollywood Hills? I’m not particularly interested in Hollywood or celebrities but I do like hiking - is this some of the best there is along our route?

If you like hiking and your DH's main interest in the beach is just laying on the sand, you could consider a few days near Lake Tahoe. It's a unique place in the world, IMHO, and it has the virtue of beach (on the lake), mountains, and lots of outdoor activities.

Tahoe is crazy in the summer. We used to have a house there.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The coastal areas can be really overcast that time of year and you might be disappointed. It's not typically raining, just cloudy and chilly. The sun typically comes out in the afternoon though.

Ugh! Are there any beaches right in the south of California which are warmer and sunnier? Maybe I’m trying to check too many boxes in one trip. I don’t really want to go to the Delaware beaches. They are okay, but I am Australian and my standards are high 😁. Guess I’m trying to combine my desire to explore the US and see the West Coast with everyone else else’s desire to chillax a little.

I just looked at the location of Lake Tahoe. It’s quite far north – would it be cloudy and the water quite cold too?

You'll be fine in most of the Socal beaches. Tahoe water is cold and crowded in the summer.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The coastal areas can be really overcast that time of year and you might be disappointed. It's not typically raining, just cloudy and chilly. The sun typically comes out in the afternoon though.

No, they are not overcast in so Cal in August! That is in May, June and maybe until July 4. It's like an 8-hur drive from San Diego to San Diego to San Francisco. I would choose one region or the other. If you want a beach vacation, go to San Diego, to La Jolla or north SD county, like Del Mar. Or to someplace like Laguna Beach or Newport Beach in Orange County. These areas are much nicer than LA if you want the beach experience. Or go to Santa Barbara. There are plenty of side trips from any of these as locales. If you aren't interested in Hollywood, etc., you don't need to go to LA. Also, it is hot in LA in August. Going to San Francisco and northern CA is a different trip altogether. But it's not beachy like it sounds like you want.

It can be overcast in SF in Aug which is one of the areas OP asked about.

[Anonymous]

It’s actually usually not overcast in SF in August either. IMO the CA beaches are so much better than the east coast, especially the mid Atlantic ones!

Southern California has the more traditional white sand, wide beach tract, swimming, volleyball beaches. Loved Huntington, Laguna, and Mission Beach (San Diego). Santa Barbara is great in August. Pismo up the coast is very kid/family friendly.

In Northern California the beaches are gorgeous BUT they are more dangerous. The cliffs can be unstable so pay attention to signs even if you see other people climbing on them. Pay attention to warnings too. Sneaker waves are less common but they happen. The waves at Half Moon Bay are awe inspiring but it is not a place I would swim. Carmel has beautiful beaches but intense rip currents. Santa Cruz/Aptos/Monterey looks really inviting but it’s cold, rip currents and our sharks are big though they tend not to eat tourists just locals.

Tahoe water is cold. Don’t dive in from your boat. However August is great for paddle boarding, jet skiing, boating.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Hi -

La Jolla is lovely but it can be overcast.

Look into Mission Beach in San Diegeo for the initial beach portion. It’s also close enough to San Diego you could go into eat or for evening entertainment (we saw an amazing magic show dinner theater when we were there but that was pre Covid and I’m not sure it survived). Mission Beach h is a long board with a beautiful beach and you can find plenty of apartment rentals right on the beach across from the sand. There are also a handful of restaurants.

I’d spend 5-6 days there (you can do La Jolla as a day trip from there, also Torrey Pines for hiking)

Another option or stop might be Laguna Nigel. The Riz is a gorgeous property there if you don’t want to deal with an AirbNB. There are beaches plus shopping / galleries / lots of dining.

for LA I’d stay in Hollywood Hills if you can find a place with a view. Or, you could do Venice Beach too. Hiking the Hollywood sign for sure. I’d pass on Disney but you could do a universal also. Or the Warner Bros Studio tour is also good. Venice Beach boardwalk is also a ton of fun to walk. Maybe 3 days? LA is a massive city but very spread out so it can be tiring with all the driving.

Driving to San Fran, Santa Barbara can be a lunch stop. You could do overnight (or a couple of night) but you can also make the drive in a day. Malibu which is close to LA also has some great restaurants along the beach.

Just south of LA Santa Cruz has a great amusement park boardwalk. Also Big Sur is gorgeous.

For San Fran, it’s beautiful but not a ton of activities. Since you like hiking I would do Muir Woods for sure.

This is the most chaotic travel plan. Ignore it all! Totally misguided info. To start: Santa Cruz is 90 mins south of San Francisco, not LA and Muir Woods is a boring walk on a path not a hike. Malibu? Right now? No. And Santa Barbara for a lunch stop? No. You def only want to hit the in ‘n out on that drive. Venice beach boardwalk a ton of fun? Oh boy. Only if you bike there and back quickly from Santa Monica and stay at shutters. Maybe stop to watch the skaters at the park for 15 mins? I’m from California and honestly… just enter your interests and ages and price points into claude and ask for a plan. It’s so big - don’t try to do it all.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I was planning on a trip like this for August, spending a few days in LA, a few days in Monterrey/Carmel, and then onto San Francisco. We ultimately decided against it b/c Monterrey Car Week is in August, during the only time we could make it work, and hotel prices were exorbitant and I didn't want to deal with the traffic/crowds. So, just a warning to check when car week is before booking if you're looking to go to the same area.

Monterrey Car Week is no joke. We were there inadvertently while visiting friends and it really takes over the entire city.

[Anonymous]

Skip the west coast.

[Anonymous]

Skip SF. It's gross.

[Anonymous]

Sound like an East Coast beach vacation would be better for your family.

[Anonymous]

Go to Manhattan Beach. It’s a lot of fun, beautiful and August is the perfect time.

It’s an El Niño year and the water is supposed to be warmer than normal.

Ignore the California haters. Americans get a steady stream of Anti-California content. It’s funded by right wing sources and spreads on social media and cable news. People genuinely believe it’s a rotten state. Come, go to Manhattan Beach, go to beaches in Orange County, go to Malibu. It’s gorgeous and you will be content.

[Anonymous]

After you do your stint in OC/LA, you can fly up to SF for a few days and leave from there. Flights are cheap & plentiful between LAX and Oakland/SFO.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP, I get why you don’t want to do the DE beaches (and I say this as someone who vacations there every year), but what about New England? If a beach vacation is important and you have 12 days, you could stay in a beach town for 5-7 days then hit a city or two for a few days.

Except the drive along highway 1 along the coast is shockingly beautiful. You can do it in a day or split the drive and stay overnight in Santa Barbara, SLO, Pismo, or Carmel etc.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:If you have 12 days and are craving a great beach, why not fly a few more hours and go to Hawaii (Big Island + Kauai, or sub in Maui for one of the two if you want more shopping/boutiques)?

Alternatively, do you need a beach or will heat + a great pool suffice? Consider flying into LA, spend a few days there, drive to and spend 3 days in Palm Springs (hiking, great food, shops, architecture, pools, 🚡), then fly up to SFO and cool down with Karl, see an art exhibit, visit banana slugs at Muir Woods, warm up again in Napa or Sonoma.

In all cases, think about how much time you want to spend driving and the classic scenic vs ease of drive trade-off…the Californians skit exists for a reason.

I was going to chime in a suggest tacking on Hawaii. Or even Mexico. The cautions about your potential for beach disappointment are spot-on. And in the time spent driving you could be in Hawaii for half the trip and the same amount of travel time.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Thanks for all the suggestions. I think at least 5 days on one beach is probably nonnegotiable from DH’s POV. He’s British and is more than happy to beach himself like a whale on the beach to bake his lily white flesh. He’s also exhausted from work so needs to recharge.

What is special about the Hollywood Hills? I’m not particularly interested in Hollywood or celebrities but I do like hiking - is this some of the best there is along our route?

You do know that California beaches aren't like east coast beaches, right? People don't rent beach houses and stay for a week, they go for a few hours, dip their feet in, or put on wetsuits and surf for a couple hours. Maybe for a brit it won't feel cold, but the water is chilly year round. (California native)

12 days is enough to do the coast, but if you're going to spend 5 or 6 days in San Diego area, want to hit LA and SF, it's going to be tighter. I really would do 3ish days San Diego, 2 nights in LA if you want to do a WB studio tour or go to universal, and then drive up the coast. Stop in Santa Barbara for lunch, do a tour of Hearst Castle in San Simeon, do a beach day in Santa Cruz if that's a priority and then head into the forests and finish up in san fransisco. 3 days in SF will get you all the highlights, so spread the rest around.

California native here, who still lives in California. I’ve rented plenty of beach houses or stayed in a beachfront resort for days here. I swim in the ocean regularly without a wetsuit.

I’m a little confused by your statement. That’s what I’ve done my whole life.