Other active boards

Try Trip Advisor. If you are going to be in Northern CA and need any information, I would be glad to help. Just PM me. Have a great trip!!

The 'thorn tree forum' at lonelyplanet.com is another active one.

Fodor's is more active on its Europe board, but the U.S. board can be quite helpful as well. There are several Fodor's posters who live in San Francisco, and have lots of useful information for S.F. and northern California. Also, to second tripadvisor, some of those boards can be very helpful. Often, the advice is from locals in the area you're looking into.

I'm in the Greater Los Angeles area and if you have any specific questions, I'll be glad to help you find things out around here on the local level.

I live in the Monterey Bay area and am also quite familiar with Yosemite. Feel free to PM me with questions about those locations.

I'll be glad to help with Sausalito/Marin County (just north of the Golden Gate Bridge), San Francisco and Lake Tahoe!

Tripadvisor is great for California information, and the forum is very active. I follow (and sometimes contribute to) the SanFrancisco and Yosemite discussions, and have found the people there very helpful and friendly. The trouble with using private messages for travel planning is you will get only that one person's view. If you post a question on the board, it will likely be answered by several people, either offering alternative suggestions. Or confirming that the first answer was a good one. I like to use PMs for follow, but not for the original question.

Also, the forums can be a bit hard to find on Tripadvisor, depending where you start. I like to get there by Googlong "Tripadvisor Forums" rather than just Trisadvisor.

Also, the forums can be a bit hard to find on Tripadvisor, depending where you start. I like to get there by Googlong "Tripadvisor Forums" rather than just Tripadvisor.

California: 3 or 4 days in Yosemite; the rest of your life in Napa/Sonoma wine country. Nothing else you need to know. (Oh yes, you can wind through Columbia and gold country between Yosemite and Napa). Thats my idea of a great California vacation

Lola is right, a forum is better b/c you get multiple and different perspectives... for instance, there's a much wider range of great places than just Yosemite and Napa.

I spent my early tour director days giving tours throughout California and I can honestly say there is much more to California than just Yosemite and Napa/Sonoma. Some have already been mentioned so please excuse the repeats (And if I leave things out, sorry, this is just a sample): Redwood National Park Seqouia National Park Death Valley National Park San Diego Zoo and Wild Animal Park The coastal drive between Santa Barbara and San Francisco San Francisco & it's suburbs Monterey Bay and the Aquarium the 17 Mile Drive Hearst Castle The Missions--my favorite being the one in Carmel Hollywood--for entertainment buffs Getty Museum Beverly Hills Gold Country
Lake Tahoe Sacramento (Capital)

Thanks for all the replies. I'll be checking out some of those other boards and I'm sure I'll take some of you up on your offers of advice using PMs. Just for the benefit of the conversation, I think we've narrowed it down to LA, Central CA (Sequoia and Kings Canyon) and then some of the PCH.

Dang it Lee....you left out Pink's on La Brea!

Hi Cary, I live in So Cal as well, so PM me if you have questions or need suggestions. May I ask why you're picking Seqouia over Yosemite??

Claudette, I was wondering the same thing. Nothing wrong with the other parks, but to skip Yosemite...I don't get it. Maybe you have been there before? If not, I would say that in most people's opinion, Yosemite would be the "must see" park to go to.

Yep. Don't skip Yosemite. To see why, just Google a few pics of Yosemite.

If you are in the south, take some time to see San Diego and San Juan Capistrano - my favorite mission. There's a safari park and Sea World if you are into animals. If you like museums, the Norton in Pasadena is a hidden gem. My favorite way to plan trips in CA was always with the AAA book and maps. Just look for all the "gems" in the area you'll be in. They are 98% spot-on. And next time, head further north! The Bay Area is even better, and then there's Oregon.