Thank you for all your suggestions on our trip from Carmel to L.A. We are traveling during the holidays. So we can be in Carmel, Paso Robles Cambria but since the govt has closed down we were wondering can we get to the parks to view or hike on Christmas Day? What do we do on that day? Even some restaurants will be closed sooooo suggestions please!!!!
Posted by
San Franciso Bay Area, USA
1117 posts
For Carmel, there are many restaurants open on Christmas Day. The 17–mile drive is also typically open. Many of the parks maybe closed (this is more of a seasonal/weather thing), however, you can walk by the ocean on a nice path from Monterey to Asilomar see route on All Trails: https://www.alltrails.com/trail/us/california/monterey-peninsula-recreational-trail-and-asilomar-ave-loop), it is a nice 4.1 mile loop with amazing views. Bring your binoculars to spot whales/otters. Most of the State Parks will be open, you just need to check the sites.
For Cambria: Fiscalini Ranch Preserve has amazing trails: https://www.fiscaliniranchpreserve.org/ and it is open Christmas Day. Cambria Pines Lodge has a Christmas Day Dinner and in the past Madelines (amazing food) has been open on Christmas Day, not sure for 2025.
Posted by
Salem, Oregon, USA
3495 posts
So we can be in Carmel, Paso Robles Cambria but since the govt has
closed down we were wondering can we get to the parks to view or hike
on Christmas Day?
If the federal government is still shut down at Christmas time, there are much bigger problems in the world. Most of the parks recommended on your other post are state parks, not affected by federal matters, and they are usually open on holidays. Just make sure to purchase the correct parking pass if one is required. I'd suggest staying at a hotel that has some kind of kitchen facility and make sure to buy groceries the day before the holiday as your eating out options will be limited.
Posted by
Long Beach, Ca, usa
2596 posts
California has numerous wonderful state parks, Go to parks.ca.gov for the website. I am a SoCal person who has been in every county in California, most of them numerous times. You will find lots of great places on your road trip. As a matter of fact I am visiting family close to South Lake Tahoe and tomorrow we are off to Carmel (4 hours from our place in the Sierras) to spend 1-2 hours (not shoppers...just the mission and sea views). Then a drive south that afternoon to stay in Cambria overnight before returning home on Tuesday. If you are near San Luis Obispo or Morro Bay or Pismo Beach on Christmas day, Montana de Oro State Park on the coast is great for hikes and great views of the sea. I concur that Cambria Pines Lodge is a nice place to stay. We are staying there tomorrow (not our first time there). Make your reservations with them to get the free, copious buffet breakfast ($20 otherwise). They have a nice restaurant for dinner also. As far as restaurants in any other of those cities, mine the internet or websites like this to find ones open on Christmas day. Also, if you are of a mind to attend any faith services, there may be convenient mass times for you at one of the missions (Carmel or San Luis Obispo) with perhaps more choir music than usual. You would have to check any church website for schedules. If you go to Montana de Oro to hike on Christmas day (or any day), you could spend the earlier part of the day at the beach in Cayucos (close-by town). We always seem to see dolphins playing in the surf there. Pismo Beach is on the migration route for monarch butterflies, and December is in the season for them to be at Pismo. I am sure there will be some restaurants open in all three of those places...probably fewer in Cambria as it is a much smaller town than, say, San Luis Obispo.
Apologies for the stream of consciousness style. It's a lazy Sunday and the organizational part of my brain is having a nap.
Lots of beauty and pleasure in a California road trip! Enjoy!