2 weeks SF to LA

[biggkerr]

Hello everyone,

me and my girlfriend are planning what to see in ours 2 week trip in California. We're arriving on 08/09 in S. Francisco and leaving from LA on 08/24. We've already booked our stay in SF from 08/09 to 08/13. After a few days this is what we've come up with:

08/09_Milano-SF
08/10_SF
8/11_SF
8/12_SF
8/13_SF-Morro Bay
8/14_Morro Bay- Yosemite
8/15_Yosemite- Death valley
8/16_Death valley - Las vegas
8/17_Las Vegas - Bryce canyon- Page
8/18_Page-Monument valley
8/19_Monument Valley - G Canyon
8/20_G Canyon - Kingman
8/21_Kingman - LA
8/22_LA
8/23_LA
8/24_LA- Milan

What do you guys think? I'm looking forward for any kind of suggestion and advice

[Midwest Michael]

Welcome to the RTA Forum!

I think your plan looks solid. The only issue that I see is Vegas-BC-Page would be a very long day on the road. It would be about 8 hours, and that's not going to leave you much time at all to see Bryce. I would stay closer to Bryce that day, even though it will mean a longer drive to MV the next day.

[biggkerr]

Thanks for the help Michael! We will stop at Page the next day on the way to MV then. I would also appreciate some suggestions for the stop between GC and LA. I wrote Kingman but just because I've adapted this intinerary from some other ones I found online. Would you recommend something else?

[glc]

It all depends on what time you get out of the GC. It doesn't really matter because it is possible to drive from the GC to LA in one day. You could spend the night in the GC, or stop in Tusayan, Williams, or Kingman.

It's also a fairly easy 1 day drive from Bryce to MV - so I'd stay the night right near Bryce instead of trying to head for Page.

[Southwest Dave]

A couple of things I might alter are the following.

You haven't much time in Yosemite with the driving either side of your night there, which is a magnificent place and quite large to get around and enjoy. Death valley will be extremely hot in August. What I would do here is stay in Yosemite valley, visit Glacier point until after lunch and then make your way over Tioga Pass [CA120] with time to stop and enjoy the views and take a stroll in the Meadows and/or around Tenaya Lake. Stop around Mammoth Lakes/Bishop for the night and then drive across Death valley direct to Vegas the following day with some sight seeing.

I would also stop at Bryce for the night and try and fit in a stop at Zion NP on the way. In fact if I had to choose, I would pick Zion NP over Monument valley, but thats a personal choice.

I would also maximise the time at the GC and stay in Williams.

If you are to visit all those National parks then buy the annual pass for $80 at the entry kiosk to Yosemite as it will work out cheaper than individual fees. [You can also purchase the pass on Pier 39 while in SF, the NP service have [well had] a small store up one of the stairways.

If you are planning on visiting Alcatraz while in SF [highly recommended] I would certainly book tickets in advance. This is the only ticket office recognised by the NPS that does not add charges or other tours to the price of the ticket.

[CAnative]

Hi,

After the Grand Canyon, Williams, Kingman and Needles are all potential overnight stops. There isn't much between Needles and Barstow. Williams might be a good option because you could stay at the Grand Canyon to see the sunset. You can easily get to LA in one day. We drove from Williams to west LA area in April and arrived before evening rush hour traffic.

[biggkerr]

Some friend told that the coastal route to Morro Bay may be at high risk since it is very likely that there will be fog in August.
I was also thinking that avoiding MV could save more time to visit Bryce-Zyon-Page-GC. Would you guys think?

[Southwest Dave]

The weather will be what it will be but June through August you have higher chances of fog as the cool sea air mixes with the heat building up in the central valley. It often burns off late morning through early afternoon and can make for some wonderful sights though. One day can be clear the next foggy, you takes your chances as it's totally unpredictable !

MV isn't a huge detour and you can get a feel for the place in a couple of hours but as I mentioned earlier, if time was tight, I would much sooner stroll alongside the Virgin River with the towering red canyon walls around me in Zion.

[CAnative]

Although individual days or hours are not predictable, June tends to be foggier than August and mornings foggier than late afternoons.