FWIW,
The 2 groves that I know of and frequent are Wawona up in Yosemite, and Richardson's up around Crescent City.
Yosemite is such a wonderful place, everyone should visit there first and foremost, this is the time of year it gets really nice after the snow starts to melt and the falls start roarin'...
As you travel north on 101 above the Golden Gate, about 3-4 hours you'll hit the Richardson's grove, and around Fort Leggett you can still drive through one of the trees. Yosemite doesn't allow cars to be driven inside Wawona anymore.
As you keep traveling north on 101, you will eventually cross 199 up around Crescent City, and the drive along the Smith River is very nice, and the section close to Crescent City has a nice area the road drives through with some of the redwoods.
Every woodworker should see the redwoods, they are so massive, they are so strong, yet stand silently. These are the trees of the trees...there are many tourist traps around the redwoods with gimmick one log homes, and such, but it's pretty noticable.
There's a bunch of places that carve redwood and/or other burls, either turn bowls or other similar that are sold along several places on the highway. the "Big Foot" store, south of Garberville is one of the larger ones.
Highway 199 heads up to Grants Pass, and you can catch 5 if you go that route, and that will take you all the way up to Seatle if you desire.
Crater Lake is Oregon is also a must see. But of all the places, Yosemite is a must see as the first and foremost, that place is so beautiful, it can humble the best people. Wawona which is south of the park (see google maps), all around the various falls in the park, and even tioga pass which drops out of Yosemite back into Mono Lake, a very interesting salt lake in the middle of the state.
The other wonder of CA, that is a must see is Big Sur, and highway 1 along the coast between San Luis Obispo and Carmel. Nepenthe in Big Sur is awesome to stop for lunch/dinner if you're in that area, its's one of the few places on the ocean side at Big Sur.
That is one of my favorite areas, as is Carmel. Santa Barabara is similar to Carmel in climate (Medeteranian) and has a lot of tree growth. Those areas are typically foggy in the morning due to the climate.
There are probably better places to live than California, I just haven't found them yet...
I own
property on a lake in NorCal (Clear Lake) but it has oaks all over the property.
That will be my greatest woodworking project ever...building a log home on that property...
Here's a taste of Yosemite at the end of summer, going into fall...other areas are packed with trees around the water falls and such...(ignore car content).