Family trip planned to California - some advice please?

Hi Everybody,

I am planning a trip to the US for next August for my family of 5. Our 3 kids are 10, 12 and 14.

Our current itinerary is:

San Francisco 3 nights

Carmel 1 night

Yosemite 1 night

Lone Pine 1 night

Death Valley 1 night

Las Vegas 2 nights

Grand Canyon 3 nights

Lake Havasu 1 night

San Diego 2 nights

LA 3 nights

We will be hiring a car and clearly driving lots of miles.

My main questions are...

1) I think that it may be too hot to visit Death Valley in August, especially for the children. Also I have read that there isn%26#39;t a huge amount to see/do there and that the accommodation isn%26#39;t too good (Furnace Creek). Therefore should we rethink our route to exclude Death Valley? We definitely want to see Vegas and the Grand Canyon. I am wondering whether we should take the southern route from Yosemite to Las Vegas stopping off in between somewhere, rather than choosing the route via Lone Pine.

2) Is it usual for a family of 5 to be able to stay in one (large) room? Otherwise it means getting two rooms which pushes up the cost a lot. The kids will be fine to share a large double bed.

Any help or advice is greatly appreciated.

Family trip planned to California - some advice please?

The desert temps are going to be hot in Death Valley and Las Vegas. The route from Yosemite will take you through Death Valley so you can make a decision to stop and visit or continue on to Las Vegas. I would not change the route, because it is all desert terrain with the same temps.

I wouldn%26#39;t suggest alot of trekking during the month of august because of the heat, but the mornings are fine for a little walking. Be sure to have each person carrying their water bottles with extra in the car.

For the hotels%26#39;just have them bring in a rollaway bed tin addtion to the two doubles or queens. Look for as many ';suite'; hotels as possible(Embassy,Comfort,Residence Inn,etc).

Enjoy!!

Family trip planned to California - some advice please?

Thanks for your quick response!

I was wondering whether we should take the Route 99 from Yosemite (via Bakersfield) rather than the 395 via Lone Pine and go straight onto Vegas.

I think it is a long drive from Yosemite to Vegas without a stop with the children?

Thanks

I would take the route which you had originally planned via Lone Pine. This is the most scenic route from Yosemite and would be a pity if you missed the landscapes through the Tioga Pass.

This route is the most popular route for visitors from Europe and is never disappointing.

The cars are ariconditioned so you will not notice the high temps outside. Just be sure to carry water in the car and enjoy the ride.

My 2 cents ~ add another night to Yosemite (4 hour drive from Carmel doesn%26#39;t leave much time in Yosemite) and ';steal'; that night from either Las Vegas or the Grand Canyon. Although I have visited the GC several times, I find there is more to do %26amp; see in Yosemite. Perhaps the geography appeals to me more, but more of Yosemite is accessible.

Also, accomodations in Yosemite open %26amp; fill up 1 year in advance, so you need to start searching now. Check back OFTEN for cancellations to get your desired lodging. Stay in the Valley for such a short visit.

Another thought ~ I think Santa Cruz or Monterey would be more kid friendly than Carmel, but the TA forum participants on those forums can give you better feedback.

Thanks for all your tips - it is really appreciated.

I actually made an error on my original post - we are planning to stay 2 nights in Yosemite.

I guess we just need to treat Death Valley as a %26#39;driving experience%26#39; as it will be too hot in August to do much activity.

I will also look at alternatives to Carmel as suggested.

Once we have confirmed our flights then we will book up accommodation. Flights not yet available for booking but will be in a couple of weeks....

Thanks Chris

Just a word about the heat. You are correct in that it will be *blistering* hot in Death Valley in August. (Thus the name of the place, lol)

It will also be scorching in Las Vegas, and Lake Havasu. Expect temperatures in the range of 100º to 120º F . . . 38º to 49º C.

So prepare accordingly -- lots of water, hats for everyone, sunscreen, and don%26#39;t plan to ';walk'; around LV outside, take buses or taxis.

As far as hotel rooms, many have family rooms with two queen beds. This size is in-between a double and a king. They very often will provide a rollaway bed for a third child at low or no cost. Alternatively, some rooms will have the two beds plus a couch which may be suitable.

When PacificNWFamily commented that he/she thought that Santa Cruz or Monterey would be more kid friendly than Carmel, he/she was probably thinking of the Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk.

This is an old fashioned amusement park (not a ';theme'; park';, with rides and booths and food and a great beach. Admission is free, you just buy tickets for food and games and rides.

Here are a couple of websites to look at, with information on the Boardwalk and the general Santa Cruz area if you are uncertain.

http://www.beachboardwalk.com/

http://www.santacruzca.org/index.shtml

There is also a redwood grove here, Henry Cowell Redwoods State Park, just 7 miles north of town.

It will be extremely hot in Death Valley, Las Vegas, Lake Havasu, and the Grand Canyon, as they are all in the desert. The Grand Canyon might be a little more forgiving as the elevation is higher, but once you start down the canyon, it will be hot. Yosemite will also be hot in the valley, but not unbearably so.

As far as Carmel vs. Santa Cruz or Monterrey… it depends on what you want to do. If you and/or your kids are into scenery or history, Carmel would be a good choice. It is a quaint town full of shops, galleries and restaurants, so really probably more enjoyable for adults. However, just outside of town is Pebble Beach. You can do the “17 Mile Drive” which goes through Pebble Beach and has some wonderful scenery. Also outside of town is an old Spanish Mission that you can tour that may be of some interest. As mentioned above, Santa Cruz has the boardwalk that would be a lot of fun for the kids. I really enjoy Monterrey. There are several shops and restaurants (but not as uppity, for lack of a better word, as Carmel), some of which are kind of geared towards kids. There is also a fabulous aquarium in Monterrey that I highly recommend visiting.

Again - thanks for the really helpful responses.

I have now been looking at Santa Cruz and agree that this is a better location for families - thanks.

Can you recommend a good place to stop over when travelling from Grand Canyon to San Diego? I was thinking about Lake Havasu but would be interested in any other suggestions?

It seems that we will have to go quite near Lake Havasu when travelling from Las Vegas to the Grand Canyon so we will almost be doubling back on ourselves for our route down to San Diegp. I guess that can%26#39;t really be avoided.

Chris

OMG your trip is almost identical to mine. We are doing:

3 nights San Francisco

2 nights Carmel

2 nights Yosemite

1 night Death Valley

1 night Grand Canyon

4 nights LasVegas

3 nights San Diego

3 nights LA

We are going June 27th. Happy planning :)