Road trip route for first timer (from Britain)

[Abii]

hey guys, I thought i'd put this in here as i'm sure there's lots of people very qualified to answer my questions.

We're beginning to think about going to the west coast of your wonderful country instead of the east next year and want to do the typical tourity road trip idea. As you know the US is just insanely larger than the UK so we're not great with working out distances and how long should be spent where and how spread out our stops should be (or if they're even realistic!)

So basically, there's some things we definitely want to do which are..

• Vegas

• Death Valley

• Pacific Coast Highway (Monterey/Pismo/Morro Bay?) and stopping off for pictures along the way - which direction is best to go in?
• Los Angeles
• Anaheim (for 2? days at Disney)
• San Francisco
• Yosemite

We can go for a maximum of 13/14 nights due to costs/work etc

Is there a route that would realistically include all of these things? Or should we be looking to ditch a couple?

Sorry this is long and rambling but any infomation would be great

 

[StageTek]

Can be done. I've done it.

Start in Vegas. Head to Parump and then through Death Valley. You go through
“Death Valley Junction” then CA 190 to Lone Pine, CA. Then go north to Mono
Lake and from there to Yosemite.

Then on to San Francisco. Take PCH to Los Angeles with a stop in Santa Barbara
and end in Anaheim.

Or the opposite direction; Anaheim to Los Angeles then PCH on to San Francisco
then over to Yosemite. Over the mountain to Mono Lake then through Death
Valley to Parump and on to Vegas.

 

[GrandBob]

That sounds like a perfectly reasonable itinerary for 2 weeks. You can choose to fly into/from: Las Vegas, any of the 3 SF Bay airports, or any of the airports in the LA basin. You should price the airfare through all points of entry to see what's least expensive.

An example road itinerary starting and ending in Vegas may be something like this:

https://www.google.com/maps/dir/Las...6d5b379a3!2m2!1d-115.1398296!2d36.1699412!3e0

Google shows it to be a total of 24 hours of driving time. When you spread that out over 2 weeks, it's very doable. One of the things I like about my proposed itinerary is that it takes you up the Owens Valley and over Tioga Pass to get to Yosemite. Both these locations will be beautiful drives. Of course, you can start and end at any point in this plan, and also can take it either clockwise or counter-clockwise (anti-clockwise for you ).

HTH,
Bob

ETA - StageTek, great minds think alike! Posted at same time, and with same route!

2nd Edit - I just noticed that Google didn't take you all the way down Highway 1 via Santa Barbara. Here's a slightly better one:
https://www.google.com/maps/dir/Las...6d5b379a3!2m2!1d-115.1398296!2d36.1699412!3e0

 

[usnuzuloose]

When are you planning this? Death Valley can be so hot, this year it got in the 120 degrees. Do you have children you are bringing? Asking for the sake of Las Vegas. So a few questions would be helpful for certain things. Just got back yesterday from Monterey, Morro bay and stuff. We live close so we go quite a bit.

 

[GrandBob]

Slight route variations:
1. Leave Vegas via Pahrump, Shoshone, and Death Valley Junction. That takes you down the length of Death Valley.
2. From SF, take Highway 1 through Half Moon Bay and Santa Cruz. That portion is not quite as majestic as the Big Sur portion, but still pretty darn scenic.

Weather considerations:
1. If going in summer, be very careful through Death Valley, and bring several gallons of water. It will be life-threateningly hot.
2. If going any time other than summer, check the status of Tioga Pass through Yosemite. It's likely to be closed for snow from November to June.

Enjoy the trip! It's a great one.

Bob

 

[usnuzuloose]

Grandbob, we will have to meet you sometime. We are in Monterey quite a bit.

 

[GrandBob]

Grandbob, we will have to meet you sometime. We are in Monterey quite a bit.

Sounds good. Drop a note sometime when you'd like to get together. Email is best. I could even give you a short tour of http://www.mbari.org/

Bob

 

[Paula Sedley-Burke]

Sounds great! We have done a few trips of West Coast.

First we started in San Fran ( return flights ) did Muir woods, Jelly Belly factory in Fairfield ( can you believe one of the highlights lol ) , lake tahoe, mammoth , Yosemite , Carmel on Sea, back to San Fan. The other we did La then flew to Vegas for 3 nights and back. Then MK, LA , San Dieago etc. Loved it all!

Oh and another in Hawaii for an island cruise on Pride of America. Awseome!

Enjoy. The west coast stole my heart. A lot to see!

 

[usnuzuloose]

Sounds good. Drop a note sometime when you'd like to get together. Email is best. I could even give you a short tour of http://www.mbari.org/

Bob

That sounds awesome!

 

[buzz242]

Hi fellow Brits we've done a couple of trips on that coast. The first time we flew to Las Vegas, visited the Grand Canyon and Hoover Dam by helicopter. We then drove to San Diego for a few days then drove up to Los Angeles stopping at Newport Beach on the way. We stayed in Anaheim for a few days then drove back to Vegas to fly home.
Second trip we flew into LAX and stayed for four days before driving up to Carmel and Monterey. We then continued to San Francisco staying for four days before driving back to Anaheim for a further four days.
Our third trip will be starting Friday this week, this time we are flying into San Diego and staying four days (we have tickets to see Guns N Roses ) we then drive up to LA for a few days then onto San Francisco for a further four days. We will then fly home from there so less driving than usual.
There's so much to see and we would love to go for longer but we are restricted to two weeks because of work commitments. I would say make a list of the things you most want to see and work around that rather than trying to cram to much in.

 

[Abii]

Thanks for all the information guys it's all really helpful

Based on your ideas, I came up with this..

Fly into LAX, and stay around Anaheim for Disney - 2 nights
Drive to Santa Barbara - 1 night
Drive to Morro Bay - 1 night
Drive to Monterey - 2 nights
Drive to San Francisco - 3 nights
Drive to Yosemite - 2 nights
Drive down to Lone Pine - 1 night
Drive through Death Valley and onto Vegas for - 4 nights
Fly home from Las Vegas airport

Although that comes out at 16 nights which is probably 3 too many for us sadly!!

Does anyone have any ideas to reduce this without meaning that we would be driving for large portions of the day/night? I thought about internal flights, but that might get a bit confusing with the hire car

Vegas being 4 nights and 2 nights at Disney are the two that we're happy with keeping the same, the rest we're flexible I guess!

 

[Paula Sedley-Burke]

Word of warning don't stay overnight at Yosemite national park. Beyond expensive and the worst hotel we have ever stayed at. Stay outside in a holiday inn or something.

I would get internal flights and drop the car off at the airport. We often do that.

 

[Abii]

Word of warning don't stay overnight at Yosemite national park. Beyond expensive and the worst hotel we have ever stayed at. Stay outside in a holiday inn or something.

I would get internal flights and drop the car off at the airport. We often do that.

Oh that's interesting, i'll have a look!

Which places would you recommend flying from/to if we were to do that?

 

[Paula Sedley-Burke]

Oh that's interesting, i'll have a look!

Which places would you recommend flying from/to if we were to do that?

When we did San Fran, Muir Woods, Fairfield ( Jelly bean factory tour it's free! ) , wine country and Yosemite, Lake Tahoe, Mammoth, Carmel by Sea then back to San Fran we just flew into San Fran. Had 1 night at air port. Picked up car and started our tour. I booked mostly Holiday Inn express, Great Western tried to get Free breakfast! We drove back to San Fran dropped off car and then had 3 nights sight seeing. No internal flights.

When we did LA and Vegas we did LA with car. Then drove back to LAX then dropped off car flew SW to Vegas then had 3 nights ( not enough lol ) and then flew back to LAX picked up car and carried on. Then drove back to LAX at end for flights home. So always return flights to the UK from same airport either San Fran or LAX because it's cheaper.

Enjoyed both. They are to do them justice two seperate trips. LA, DL, Seaworld Universal and sight seeing in LA etc. Then Vegas is a blast to itself. Then you got your San Fran, Wine Country, Lake Tahoe, Yosemite eye candy.

Then another time we flew into San Fran had 3 nights there then went to Hawaii on a cruise. That is also drop dead goegeous.

The order we did them in was LA trip
Hawaii island cruise trip
SoCal driving tour including Lake Tahoe

I could not pick one thing I liked the most it was all amazing. I was probably least underwhleamed with LA. San Fran stole my heart. Vegas is a blast. Hawaii is breathe taking. Yosemite is inspring. Lake Tahoe is just a place you will love. Carmel by sea is charming.

 

[Paula Sedley-Burke]

Then there is New England in the fall but that is another story lol...

 

[GrandBob]

Word of warning don't stay overnight at Yosemite national park. Beyond expensive and the worst hotel we have ever stayed at. Stay outside in a holiday inn or something.

Oh come now. Expensive, yes. And you must keep in mind that the accommodations are rustic, in keeping with the natural surroundings. But if you're prepared for that, they're quite adequate. Besides, there are no Holiday Inn's within driving distance.

If you don't want to stay in National Park accommodations (and, warning, to do so you may need to reserve a year in advance), then the reasonable alternatives are:

1. Stay in the "town" of El Portal at the western entrance. Yosemite View Lodge is a good alternative - comfortable and within a 20 minute drive of the valley.
2. Rent a cabin at Yosemite West, which is within the park boundaries. However, these tend to be larger accommodations, more suitable for a family. They may be too expensive for a single or couple.
3. Stay near the south entrance, at Tenaya Lodge (or one of the lower priced motels nearby). Tenaya Lodge is a beautiful resort, though a bit pricey. But the south entrance is about an hour's drive from the valley, which may be inconvenient.

Whatever you do, don't fall for the lodging in the town of Mariposa which tends to advertise itself as the "gateway to Yosemite". Mariposa, while lovely in itself, is a long, twisty drive from the park. I wouldn't want to do that drive daily.

Bob

 

[buzz242]

I'm sure other people will disagree but we would only spend one night in Monterey and the extra night in San Francisco as there's so much to see. Just a word of warning many of the hotels charge a fortune for parking in San Francisco so maybe consider ditching the car on arrival as you won't need it and then hire again when you're ready to leave. (We're saving nearly £200 doing this)

 

[Disney Dad ADL]

Thanks for all the information guys it's all really helpful

Based on your ideas, I came up with this..

Fly into LAX, and stay around Anaheim for Disney - 2 nights
Drive to Santa Barbara - 1 night
Drive to Morro Bay - 1 night
Drive to Monterey - 2 nights
Drive to San Francisco - 3 nights
Drive to Yosemite - 2 nights
Drive down to Lone Pine - 1 night
Drive through Death Valley and onto Vegas for - 4 nights
Fly home from Las Vegas airport

Although that comes out at 16 nights which is probably 3 too many for us sadly!!

Does anyone have any ideas to reduce this without meaning that we would be driving for large portions of the day/night? I thought about internal flights, but that might get a bit confusing with the hire car

Vegas being 4 nights and 2 nights at Disney are the two that we're happy with keeping the same, the rest we're flexible I guess!

Actually flying within California doesn't save you much time, the distance is too short, so I wouldn't worry about flying much within California, it's probably not worth the money. Especially because security lines can be bad if you're unlucky. You have to consider getting to the airport early, going through security, flying, then landing, getting your bags, renting another car, then driving to your final destination. I've read that distances less than 300-400 miles you actually save time by driving over flying. Flying from Northern California to Vegas is probably worth it, though it doesn't look that that is necessary given your itinerary.

Driving North or South along Pacific Coast Highway doesn't make that much of a difference. The main consideration is that the cars drive on the right side of the road, so driving south means your car will be on the outside nearer the ocean, driving north your car will be on the inside farther from the ocean. Which one is better depends. Most of Highway 1 in the Big Sur area is basically driving along the edge of a cliff on a 2-lane highway (one lane in each direction). It's a bit curvy, so speed limit is typically about 35 MPH. In the winter, it can get foggy/wet. If you're squeamish regarding heights, driving north might be better because you will be farther from the edge. You might get slightly better views driving south because you are closer to the water. Also many of the turnouts where you can stop and take pictures will be on the ocean side, meaning it is easier to access going south (turning right into the lots and then turning right again to leave) rather than going north (having to turn left into the lots and left again to leave).

If you're trying to shorten your trip, I would probably get rid of 2 nights in Vegas. 1-2 nights in Vegas is plenty of time I think. You could also shave off a day in Monterey if you really needed to and stay just 1 night there. I've never been to Death Valley or Lone Pine before, so I can't comment on that portion.

Edit: sorry, I missed the part where you want to keep 4 nights in Vegas. I think skip a night in Monterey then. Maybe skip Santa Barbara or reduce SF to 2 nights? I'd hate to decrease your time along Pacific Coast Highway, since it's one of my favorite trips of all time, but there's not much else to cut out unfortunately.

I could not pick one thing I liked the most it was all amazing. I was probably least underwhleamed with LA. San Fran stole my heart. Vegas is a blast. Hawaii is breathe taking. Yosemite is inspring. Lake Tahoe is just a place you will love. Carmel by sea is charming.

Yeah, I agree with you. Of all those places, LA (or Hollywood specifically, which is what most people are thinking of when they say "LA" I think) is probably the least interesting and would be the first place I would skip out of all those places, though it's hard to recommend that sometimes because Hollywood is so famous.

 

[S. Lopez]

My own personal opinion but....Vegas is the worst representation of the US - it's awful. If you're a partier and like to go out, check out shows, gamble, etc. then it's worth 4 nights - otherwise I wouldn't waste time there. California is a beautiful state and seeing as much as you can is much more worth it then Vegas. But of course I might be biased, as a native Californian.

Here are some suggestions.

Fly into LAX, and stay around Anaheim for Disney - 2 nights (it's worth a 3 night visit but can be done)
Drive to Santa Barbara - 1 night (I lived near SB and my favorite, aside from shopping on State St., is the botanical gardens and the SB mission - and the beaches are nice but I'm from a beach town so I didn't usually go to SB for the beaches)
Drive to Morro Bay - 1 night (love camping in Morro Bay but remember, if might be foggy and cold. It's a sleepy town but I like it)
Drive to Monterey - 2 nights (from Morro Bay to Monterey you definitely need to drive via highway 1 - the drive is long but pretty. Stop in Big Sur, then Carmel and finally Monterey. Monterey is great as it has nice historical importance to CA. Best restaurant, Restaurant 1833...awesome drinks and food)
Drive to San Francisco - 3 nights - (3 nights is good - and you'll have plenty to see but just keep this in mind. If you go anywhere near Powell St., expect craziness with a lot of homelessness and the scent of urine).
Drive to Yosemite - 2 nights (my favorite place ever and the drive from the Bay Area to Yosemite is pretty but beware, you'll hit one grade (Priest Grade) that is windy and if you're not a fan of heights, a bit scary. I love Yosemite Valley but Tuolumne is amazing and less traveled. Also, Hetch Hetchy is fantastic and less crowded)
Drive down to Lone Pine - 1 night (never been there)
Drive through Death Valley and onto Vegas for - 4 nights
Fly home from Las Vegas airport

 

[hilarys]

Another California native here. If you are trying to shorten your trip by a few days, I would maybe drop the overnight stay in Morro Bay. You can drive from Santa Barbara to Monterey in a day with plenty of time for stops for photos along the way. I would not shorten Monterey. There is so much to see there, it could easily be 4 days. I know you said you wanted to keep 4 days in Vegas, but I really think you could eliminate a day there. I was just there for a two night (basically 48 hour trip) after not having been for 12 years. It gave us time to see two shows, have two very nice dinners out, a little bit of gaming time, and a full day from 9 to 4 at the pool and it was just right. With one more day you could add in a bunch of shopping, wandering through the other hotels, or more pool time.

I also have never been to Lone Pine so not sure if this is a day you could eliminate.