Best time to visit California: month by month

The best time to visit California for most trips is September and October: the summer fog in San Francisco clears, the coast and the national parks are dry, and the desert starts to cool down. April to June is a good second choice. The state is so varied, though, that the same month can mean fog on the coast, 30 °C in Los Angeles, snow in the Sierra Nevada and extreme heat in Death Valley. We analysed the weather from 2015 to 2024 at four places: San Francisco, Los Angeles, Yosemite Valley and Death Valley.

The short answer

• Best months for a round trip: September and October. San Francisco reaches 21 to 22 °C by day, and from June to September the city gets only 1 to 3 mm of rain a month.
• Spring: April to June. Green hills, waterfalls in Yosemite, mild temperatures on the coast; snow can still close high mountain roads.
• San Francisco in summer: mild and often foggy, at around 20 °C by day – pack a jacket.
• Death Valley and the deserts: November to March. In July, Death Valley averages 44.5 °C by day.
• Rainy season: November to March. San Francisco gets 121 mm in January and 129 mm in December.

California's climate: all 12 months

Temperature and rain: monthly averages 2015–2024 from the ERA5 reanalysis (via Open-Meteo), rounded. A grid cell is about 25 km wide, so the values are a regional average rather than a single weather station. For Los Angeles the cell includes warmer inland areas, so the beaches are usually a few degrees cooler in summer. In Yosemite, much of the winter precipitation falls as snow, and the Death Valley values are slightly lower than the extremes on the valley floor, where the National Park Service reports summer temperatures that often top 49 °C in the shade.

The rain chart shows California's Mediterranean pattern: almost all rain falls between November and March, while June to September are practically dry.

Yosemite Valley lies at about 1,200 metres. In winter the nights are below freezing; in July and August the days average 30 to 31 °C.

California month by month

September and October: the best time

San Francisco has its warmest weeks now, at 21 to 22 °C by day, because the summer fog becomes less frequent. Los Angeles is still summery at 29 to 31 °C, and Yosemite is pleasant at 22 to 27 °C with fewer visitors than in midsummer. Death Valley becomes bearable from late October, at 31 °C. One caveat: autumn is also a time of dry, hot winds and wildfires. The UK travel advice warns that wildfires are a danger in many dry areas and refers to CAL FIRE for current information.

November to March: green and wet

The rainy season brings 90 to 130 mm a month to San Francisco from December to March, often in a few storms with dry days in between. Los Angeles stays mild at 19 to 22 °C. This is the best time for Death Valley and the other deserts, at 19 to 26 °C by day. In the Sierra Nevada it is ski season; Yosemite Valley is open, but the high country is snowbound. Tioga Road, the pass road through Yosemite's high country, is closed to cars in winter.

April to June: spring

The hills are green, wildflowers bloom and Yosemite's waterfalls carry the most water from the snowmelt. The coast is mild, at 16 to 20 °C in San Francisco. According to the National Park Service, Tioga Road typically opens to vehicles from late May or June, so a route across the Sierra Nevada can be blocked in early spring. In late spring and early summer, the coast often lies under a layer of low cloud in the morning.

July and August: summer

The main holiday season, with the most visitors in the national parks. Inland and in the desert it is hot: 31 °C in Yosemite Valley, 44.5 °C in Death Valley, where the National Park Service notes that even summer nights often only fall to 30 to 35 °C. On the coast it is the other way round: San Francisco stays at around 20 °C, often with fog drifting in through the Golden Gate in the afternoon. Los Angeles is warm and sunny at 31 to 32 °C.

Coast, mountains and desert

Base map: Natural Earth

The classic first route links San Francisco, Yosemite, the coast road through Big Sur and Los Angeles; many travellers add Las Vegas and the national parks of Utah and Arizona. Our USA West Coast road trip has a full route. For the cities, see how many days in San Francisco and how many days in Los Angeles. Distances are long and public transport outside the cities is limited, so a hire car^* is the usual choice. If you include Death Valley in summer, drive it early in the morning and carry plenty of water.

How YesTrip helps with this trip

In YesTrip you plan San Francisco, Yosemite, Big Sur and Los Angeles day by day on one map, so you can see how far apart the stops really are. The forecast for your travel days shows fog on the coast or heat in the desert in good time, and the packing list adds layers for San Francisco, sun protection for the desert and the right plug adapter. Travelling with friends, you share the trip and split costs like the hire car, parks and hotels; the map of your places also works offline, which helps in the national parks, where there is often no signal.

Before you go

• Entry: British visitors usually need an ESTA or a visa for the USA. Check the current rules on gov.uk before you travel.
• Time: California is 8 hours behind the UK.
• Power: 120 volts, sockets type A and B, so bring an adapter.
• Mobile data: a travel eSIM^* is usually much cheaper than roaming; our eSIM price index compares the prices per gigabyte.

More destinations by month: Best time to visit: where to go when.

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