California Road Trip

Dear all

My husband and I are planning a trip to California and Nevada.

We have 3 weeks, and would like to see LA. Santa Barbara, San Diego, Santa monica, Hollywood, Malibu, San francisco, Las vegas, and the grand canyon.

Of course concentrating on LA. Sand Diego, San francisco, and vegas.

We%26#39;ll be renting a car.

I%26#39;d like your advise on where to start and end (We%26#39;ll be flying from DC) and how much time we should stay at each.

Thank you!

California Road Trip

I would fly into San Francisco. Rent your car as you are leaving the city then begin your roadtrip to the South.

Have a look at www.mapquest.com for driving directions, travel time and distances.

1. San Francisco

2. Monterey/Carmel

3. Big Sur

4. Cambria

5. Santa Barbara

6. Los Angeles

7. Laguna Beach(Orange County)

8. San Diego

9. Las Vegas/Grand Canyon

Fly home from Las Vegas since they have good air connections.

Each destination above does not indicated an overnight stop but has places of interest nearby and helpful for trip planning.

Enjoy!!

California Road Trip

Hello!

I did something similar this summer, driving all the way for 21 days.

This is my route and time devoted to each place:

San Francisco-4 nights (and still needed more time!)

Monterey-1 night

Cambria-1 night

Solvang-1 night (I wanted to go to Los Olivos Cafe like in the film Sideways)

Santa Monica-2 nights (LA is not worth staying longer unless you want to go to the Universal Studios and then will need 1 or 2 days longer, I didn%26#39;t)

Las Vegas-2 nights (more than enough)

Flagstaff-1 night (to go to the Grand Canyon but, if you are not afraid of flying in a helicopter or small plane, better take a tour from Las Vegas and see it from the air in one day!)

Bryce Canyon-1 night (spectacular, much better than going to Grand Canyon and with much fewer tourists!)

Las Vegas-1 night (just to sleep before going back to CA)

Lone Pine-1 night (perfect after leaving Las Vegas early in the morning and visiting the Death Valley:WOW!!)

Lee Vining-1 night(perfect as an entrance to Yosemite if the Tioga Pass is open. You can also see the Mono Lake and go to Bodie)

Sonora-1 night(Yosemite was full so I slept at each end of the park and this was a nice option, honestly!)

Sonoma-2 nights (better than Napa, fewer people and perfecte for such little time)

Mill Valley-1 night (near SF to take the plane back, near Tiburon, Sausalito and Muir Woods!!)

Enjoy yoursel there!!

Thanks a lot guys!

After a bit of research I think we%26#39;ve decided to fly into San diego:

4 Nights San Diego

4 Nights LA

1 Night Santa Barbara

4 Nights San Francisco

1 Night Yosemite

1 Night Death Valley

3 Nights Vegas

and fly back home from Vegas. I%26#39;ll definately be making stops in Cambria, Monterey and Lone pine.

Oh yeah, what%26#39;s a good 4 cylinder car to rent?

My usual suggestion ~ only one night in Yosemite is not enough for more than a drive by visit. Four hours to Yosemite from SF, and seven hours (June-October via Tioga Pass) or nine hours (October-June via Bakersfield.) When are you planning to take your trip?

Also, Yosemite lodging is very difficult to get. Try to find something ~ anything ~ then check back often for a cancellation. You%26#39;ll probably want to stay in Yosemite Valley to maximize your limited time in the Park.

Have a wonderful time!

Hi

We%26#39;ll be there early April.

I didn%26#39;t understand what you meant by 7 hours or 9 hours taking different routs. Can you explain more please?

Thanks

Sure. Yosemite Valley is at about 4,000 foot elevation. There are several entrances %26amp; exits to the Yosemite National Park. The most scenic one is located to the northeast of the Valley and goes through Tuolumne Meadows and over Tioga Pass ~ about 11,000 feet elevation. This road is closed in the winter because of snow. Although the dates vary, in general it is open mid June through mid October. So if you visit Yosemite in April (waterfalls starting to really pick up, spring in the Valley), you will not be able to use this exit. This exit is also the closest and most scenic route to Death Valley.

The other way is to drive south of Yosemite Valley and use the South Entrance. You%26#39;d drive Highway 41 through Oakhurst to Fresno, then go south on Highway 99. These roads are always open, but 99 is certainly not scenic.

The best tool I%26#39;ve found is Google Maps. Try entering ';Yosemite Valley, CA'; and ';Death Valley, CA'; for driving directions. Then drag the driving route map to include Fresno or Bakersfield and you can see the difference.

Yosemite is wonderful, but it will add driving time to your trip.

Shawana, probably the only tweeting I would do to your trip, I would omit Yosemite and Death Valley as the drive alone will take up alot of time. Save those days and add them to your LA Sd or SF stays. Then Fly from San Francisico to Las Vegas.

Ok, this is the map

http://www.mapquest.com/mq/1-NF4s4CDV

I won%26#39;t be needing a car for San francisco? I should rent when I leave, right?

Thanks for your help

Congratulations!!! You did a great job with your trip planning.

Yes, rent the car in SF when you are ready to leave the city.

Have a nice trip!!

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