Best time to vacation in california
Time to hit the beaches of Southern California! The leaves are turning, pleasing pumpkin lattes™ are being consumed and the weather is just right for an awesome time away from the hustle and bustle. Whether you’re headed to Anaheim, Los Angeles or San Diego, here are a few tips to find the best time to vacation in California.
We all have those rooms in our house that are just never used. They sit like an uninvited guest at your cocktail party. A dusty, unused phantom looking on at the festivities from the corner of the room. The room you ignored in your house is my next topic in this article. When I say vacation I don’t mean a staycation or even a workcation if that’s what turns your crank. No I’m talking about going on a trip outside of your normal day-to-day in either business or pleasure. My wife and I took off to California late last year and I wanted to share some of my research notes with you on where to stay, where to eat and when it is the best time to vacation in California.
Which time of year is the best to visit California? Some say you need to go when it’s warm and sunny, but others claim the best time is just after school starts back. Truthfully, there’s no bad time to vacation in California, but this article will help you determine which times will suit your vacationing needs.
The best time to vacation in California is from April to June.
During this time, California is warm and sunny with mild temperatures, making it perfect for outdoor activities such as hiking and biking. You can also enjoy the many festivals held throughout the state during these months.
The area around Yosemite National Park is especially beautiful during springtime.
The best time to vacation in California is between the months of May and September. This period is known as the “state’s dry season,” when the weather is mild and sunny. The temperatures are usually between 70-80 degrees Fahrenheit, with little or no humidity. In addition, there are fewer crowds and lower prices than at other times of year.
Spanning 840 miles of the United States’ contiguous Pacific Coast, and several major metros, California’s borders sprawl around climate zones, elevations, and ecosystems.
It can be tricky to figure out when the best time to visit is when seasonal temps and rainfall can vary widely, and when there are so many activities to choose from.
Here’s a month-by-month guide for the best time to visit California.
Editor’s note: During COVID-19, please check the latest travel restrictions before planning any trip and always follow government health advice. Events may be subject to change.
High season: June to August
Best time for beaches and festivals
The weather in California varies greatly from north to south. The summer months are notoriously hot in the SoCal desert, while the Bay Area can be famously chilly during what many think of as beach season.
Regardless, tourists show up in droves while school is out, and this is when you can expect the busiest beaches, the spendiest hotel rooms, and the biggest crowds.
Shoulder season: April to May, September to October
Best time for getting outside
The fall is when the central coast finally starts to warm up and the heat in SoCal finally breaks, plus students are back in their seats. This makes “shoulder season” prime time for visiting California’s ten national parks, exploring the beach, and taking advantage of fall festivals.
Low season: November to March
Best time for beating the crowds
Winter in California is famously mild (especially in the southern end of the state), but you can still find killer ski powder on the peaks as well as whale watching on the coast, and major events like the Academy Awards and the Lunar New Year. accommodation rates will be lowest along the coast, and this is prime time for visiting California’s deserts.
Month-by-month breakdown
Here’s a monthly guide to what you can expect through the year in California. All events are subject to change.
January
January is the wettest month in California, and a slow time for coastal travel – but this is when mountain ski resorts and Southern California deserts hit their stride. The famous New Year’s parade held before the Tournament of Roses college football game draws over 700,000 spectators to the LA suburb of Pasadena.
Key events: Rose Bowl and Parade, Lunar New Year
February
As California sunshine breaks through the drizzle, skiers hit the slopes in T-shirts, wildflowers burst into bloom, and romantics scramble for Valentine’s Day reservations at restaurants and hotels. February is prime time to spot whales offshore, see thousands of monarch butterflies wintering in California groves, and find colonies of elephant seals nursing pups in Central Coast dunes.
Dig those groovy Palm Springs vibes mid-February, when residents slide open the doors to their sunken lounges and invite mid-Century Modern fans over for tours, art shows, movies and swingin’ cocktail parties.
Key events: Lunar New Year, Modernism Week, Academy Awards
March
As ski season winds down the beaches warm up, just in time for spring break (exact dates vary with school schedules and the Easter holiday). Mendocino, Fort Bragg and nearby towns toast the whale migration with wining and dining, art shows and naturalist-guided walks and talks over three weekends in March.
Meanwhile, after wintering in South America, the swallows return to Mission San Juan Capistrano in Orange County around March 19 – and the historic mission town celebrates its Spanish and Mexican heritage all month long.
Key events: Mendocino Coast Whale Festivals, Festival of the Swallows
April
As wildflower season peaks in the high desert, the southern desert bursts into song and San Francisco twinkles with international film stars as the nation’s oldest film festival lights up with star-studded US premieres of hundreds of films from around the globe, usually held over two weeks in April. Shoulder season in the mountains and along the coast brings lower hotel prices.
Key events: Coachella Music Festival, San Francisco Film Festival
May
Weather starts to heat up statewide, although some coastal areas are blanketed by ‘May gray’ fog. Memorial Day holiday weekend marks the official start of summer, and one of the year’s busiest travel times. California celebrates its Mexican heritage and the victory of Mexican forces over the French army on May 5, 1862. LA and San Diego have the biggest celebrations, but you’ll find margaritas, music and dancing across the state.
Also in May, artists spend months preparing for this ‘triathlon of the art world,’ inventing outlandish human-powered and self-propelled sculptural contraptions to cover 42 miles from Arcata to Ferndale over three days.
Key events: Cinco de Mayo, Jumping Frog Jubilee & Calaveras County Fair, Bay to Breakers, Kinetic Grand Championship
June
Once school lets out for the summer, everyone heads to California beaches – only to shiver through San Francisco as ‘June gloom’ coastal fog descends. Mountain resorts offer cool escapes, but the deserts are just too darn hot.
California also celebrates GBLTQIA+ pride not just for a day but for the entire month of June, with costumed parades, film fests, marches and streets parties. SF Pride sets the global parade standard, with more than a million people, tons of glitter and ounces of bikinis. San Diego celebrates in mid-July, Palm Springs in November.
Key events: Pride festivals
July
California’s campgrounds, beaches and theme parks hit peak popularity, especially on the July 4 holiday – summer’s biggest travel weekend. Horse racing returns mid-July to Del Mar’s elegant racetrack, built by Hollywood stars in the 1930s. Tickets are tough to get, but it’s worth going just to see the ladies’ hats.
Affectionately known as ‘Nerd Prom,’ the nation’s biggest annual convention of comic-book fans, hardcore pop-culture collectors, and sci-fi and anime devotees brings out-of-this-world costumed madness to San Diego in late July.
Key events: Opening Day at Del Mar Racetrack, California State Fair, Comic-Con International, Reggae on the River, Festival of Arts & Pageant of the Masters
August
School summer vacations may technically be over, but you’d never guess in California – beaches and parks are still packed. Travel slows only slightly before the Labor Day holiday weekend. Santa Barbara shows off its early Spanish, Mexican and American rancho roots with parades, rodeo events, arts-and-crafts exhibits, and live music and dance shows in early August.
Meanwhile, Outside Lands is out to reinvent the Summer of Love every August with headliner music and comedy acts plus gourmet food, beer and wine.
Key events: Outside Lands, Old Spanish Days Fiesta, Perseids Meteor Shower
September
Summer’s last hurrah is Labor Day holiday weekend, which is busy almost everywhere in California (except hot SoCal deserts). After Labor Day, prices drop and availability goes up statewide. In early September, the West Coast’s biggest gathering of historical tall ships happens at Dana Point in Orange County, with knot-tying and scrimshaw-carving demonstrations and other kid-friendly maritime activities.
Old-school jazz cats, cross-cultural sensations and fusion rebels all line up to play the West Coast’s legendary jazz festival, held on the Central Coast over a long weekend in mid-September.
Key events: Tall Ships Festival, Monterey Jazz Festival, Folsom Street Fair
October
Summer arrives at last in Northern California, and Southern Californians take a breather after a long summer of nonstop beach-going. The mellow fall shoulder season is a prime time for sweet travel deals along the coast and in cities.
Key events: Hardly Strictly Bluegrass, Vineyard Festivals, Halloween
November
Temperatures drop statewide, the first raindrops fall along the coast, and with any luck, ski season begins in the mountains. Consider this your opportunity to explore without crowds or traffic, except around the Thanksgiving holiday.
Take a trip back to California’s 19th-century gold rush during this annual encampment at Furnace Creek, with campfire sing-alongs, cowboy poetry readings, horseshoe tournaments and a Western art show in early to mid-November.
Key events: Día de los Muertos, Death Valley ‘49ers
December
As winter rains reach coastal areas, SoCal’s sunny, dry deserts become magnets for travelers. Christmas and New Year’s Eve are extremely crowded travel times, but worth it for California’s palm-tree light displays and holiday cheer.