In 1954, the Oakdale Saddle Club held its first professional rodeo, keeping the name the Oakdale Clover Round-Up. By, 1957 the name of the rodeo officially changed to the Oakdale Rodeo.
Barrel Racing, Rodeo Dance, Oakdale Rodeo Parade on Saturday morning. The parade features, a grand marshal, horses, local businesses, bands, classic cars.
Oakdale Saddle Club Rodeo Grounds 1624 East F Street Oakdale, CA 95361 209-847-4083
Los Angeles County Fair is held several miles from downtown LA; at the Pomona Fairgrounds (off Interstate 10). Concerts, carnival rides & games, exhibits, horse shows, home & garden shows, arts & crafts. Big event for the county of Los Angeles.
NOTE 2022: The LA Fair has permanently moved to the month of May
Annual rodeo running 65+ years in the western foothills of the Sierra Nevada mountains. Held before the heat of summer, during the spring. Slogan is the “Biggest Little Rodeo in the West”
Tulare is located in the California Central Valley (the “bread basket”) – so summers can still be quite warm, or should we say HOT, even in September.
Big county fair for this farming region. Agriculture shows, auctions, destruction derby, exhibits, competitions, 4H livestock, parade, rodeo, tractor pull and much more. Don’t miss the delicious Dutch Oven Peach Cobbler Cook-Off and the Tri-Tip Cook-Off. Carnival rides and carnival games too.
Annual event; September
Tulare County Fair Assoc.
620 South K St.
Tulare, CA 93274
559-686-4707
The NorCal event Lassen County Fair is held in Susanville California. Carnival rides, destruction derby, ranch rodeo, arts & craft vendors, food, & plenty local music too. This whole Northern California region is awesome for summer camping & fishing, so make a week of it & enjoy the natural scenery, outdoor recreation & this annual county fair.
Located in the California Central Valley farming region in Lodi, California. Carnival games, rides, entertainment, livestock & animals, wine tasting, square dancing, arts & crafts.
Crescent City in the infamous Redwood Empire of Northern California hosts the Del Norte County annual fair in late summer. This traditional country fair includes livestock, carnival, entertainment, talent show, 4H exhibits & arts. This is a prime time to plan a summer vacation to the north coast. More than a dozen local redwood campgrounds nearby to choose from.
90 years running. Intermountain Fair is held annually at McArthur Fairgrounds, east of Fall River Mills, CA. Small town parade, exhibits, livestock, motocross, demolition derby, carnival rides and games. If you are looking for a small hometown fair inside California, this one is choice pickins.
The Inter-Mountain Fairgrounds is located in the northeastern tip of Shasta County on Highway 299E in the town of McArthur, CA. McArthur is located in the Fall River Valley – along with neighboring communities of Fall River Mills, Glenburn, Pittville, and Dana. All are farming communities with a total population of about 2,000 people @ 3400′ elevation.
Summer is the time for the Santa Clara County Fair in the San Francisco East Bay region; Santa Clara County Fairgrounds. Horse show, livestock exhibits and auction, carnival rides, food vendors, performers and agriculture.
Santa Clara County Fairgrounds
344 Tully Road
San Jose, CA 95111
Annual parade kicks off the Elks Lodge traditional rodeo – in the agricultural mecca of Santa Maria, on the California Central Coast. 79 years running!
Over 80 years of this coastal event in California. Carnival rides, livestock show, food, live music, arts & crafts, horse races & wine tasting. This is by far the largest summer fair event in the whole region. Campgrounds and hotels in the area fill up fast in warmer months, so make reservations if you want to visit the Monterey Bay Area.
Northern California Coast near the Humboldt Redwoods, this county fair has to be one of the oldest in the golden state – over 100 years running! The scenic Victorian Village of Ferndale hosts the annual Humboldt County Fair every August. Carnival rides, games, music, food, livestock & horse races too.
Before the heat of summer sets in, this Country Fair featuring livestock, exhibits, carnival rides; Look forward to a Pie Eating Contest, or better – the Greasy Pig Contest. Whooo hoo!
In the mountains numerous places called ‘big meadows’ exist in California. Large meadows, huge meadows, high elevations and low. We are truly blessed by such a natural beauty in our local region. Remember those who have protected the land for future generations.
camping
picnic
grazing
hike thru
bike around
horseback
wildflowers
Inyo National Forest – highcountry backroads
For Southern California meadows – Mount Pinos has a large meadow next to the walk-in campground, Chula Vista. San Diego’s Laguna Mountain has some meadows and Big Bear Lake offers sage meadows, on the Fawnskin side.
Wild Meadows range from 3000′ elevation in the foothills, to about 11,000′ elevation in the highcountry. Vacant of trees, these wide open areas are generally colder spots, with moisture and with fragile ecosystems.
Eastern Sierra’s Inyo has gorgeous meadows of lupine wildflower (see above). Cattle grazing and 4×4 roads all over, up to 12,000′. High country mountain peaks surround. That area is called Coyote Flat w/ Coyote Lake. 4WD needed! Winter, snowy and almost inaccessible.
SNOW – Since meadows are generally located in the mountain regions, deep winter snow can make these special places impossible to reach (for about half the year). Summer is the prime time to explore the higher elevations, so plan accordingly.
WILDFLOWERS – Remember that the higher the elevation, the later the wildflowers will bloom. High Sierra meadows often bloom well into July & August.
AUTUMN COLORS – Aspen groves are often located next to meadows. Fall colors can be quite decent around October, before the first snow fall of the season.
MENDO glade – In the Mendocino National Forest the meadows are called “glades” – and the area has been heavily impacted by wildfire. Snow Mountains Wilderness was totally burnt in the Ranch Fire 2018, the largest wildfire in California history.
NORCAL history – Some Mountain Maidu tribes are known as the “Big Meadow Indians” – they made the Big Meadows of the Upper Feather River their home. Damming the Feather River created Lake Almanor in 1914, which flooded the meadows and forced native people to relocate.
Horse pack station Red’s Meadow, behind Mammoth Mtn. Eastern Sierra
The Big Meadows below are listed from south to north.
Enjoy!
