17 Days Roadtrip in the west

Hello everybody

My wife and I has like many other planned a west coast roadtrip from the 17 of april to the 4 of may. 2015

our plan in the start was to make a trip with no stress, but... That is not possible with so many beautiful thing you MUST see:-)

We where hoping to get some good advises etc mayby changes to our plan so far.

From the 17-20 april los angeles
20-21 april lake havasu
21-22 april grand canyon
22-25 april las vegas
25-26 april driving trough death valley to bakersfield with 1 night stay to see sequia national park the next morning
26-27 april yosemite national park staying inside the park
27-30 april san fransisco
30-2 may highway 1 with stop in monterey and madonna inn
2-4 may los angeles

We really look forward to hear your tips have a nice day:-)

Best regards

David and Sandy

Hello and welcome to the RTA forums !

It looks as though you are pretty well sorted and that you have done your homework. A couple of thoughts are [if you haven't got it covered already] that on the way to Lake Havasu you could visit Joshua Tree NP. Between GC and Vegas you could detour on to old route 66 through the quirky town of Seligman to Kingman and coinsider stopping at Hoover Dam. After Death Valley you would have the option of staying near Lake Isabella. If you are arriving in Yosemite on the 26th after visiting Sequoia you won't have much day left and if you are planning on leaving the following day to get to SF, it really doesn't leave you a lot of time to enjoy this amazing NP. I would consider leaving Vegas a day earlier but that is your decision to make.

Thank you very much for your reply, today we have sit all day to plan the exact route, and actually we have taken the route via jushua tree and the old route 66 , so its just perfect :-) my wife and i were just talking about an extra day in yosemite, but after your response we are now sure:-) im thinking on the first day to stay outside yosemite and then stay on the 2nd day inside the park at The Ahwahnee to get that experience. Thank you again:-) we cant sleep just want it to be april:-)

The Ahwahnee is a wonderful experience but is very expensive, over $500 US for one night.

Yes you are in for a fantastic time and in April the waterfalls will be flowing in Yosemite, just adding the beauty of this place. Oakhurst has a range of lodgings and is reasonably close to the south entrance into Yosemite while giving you chance to enjoy Sequoia NP. Have a nice walk through the Giants Forest in Sequoia where you will find the General Sherman tree, the largest living thing on the planet ! A more budget friendly option in Yosemite is the Lodge at the Falls, but boy what an experience the Ahwanee would be, at a price!

Thanks for the inputs our new route is:

17-20 april → Los Angeles (3 nights)
Hotel: ?
What to see: Hollywood, Hollywood sign, Beverly Hills, Venice Beach, Santa Monica, Rodeo Drive, Griffith Observatory, maybe bette center?,Malibu Beach.

From Los Angeles to Lake Havasu (drive at 7 am 20 april)
Route: Stop at palm springs and Joshua Tree National Park


20-21 april → Lake Havasu (1 night)
Hotel: ?

From Lake Havasu to Grand Canyon (Drive at 8 am the 21 april)
Route: Drive via Route 66 (Kingman city to seligman)


21-22 april → Grand Canyon (1 night)
Hotel: El Tavor Logde Hotel
What to see: all the amazing views:-)

22 april From Grand Canyon after sunrise to Las Vegas.
Route: Antilope Canyon, Bryce & Zion Canyon Las Vegas

Mayby we will take 1 night in Zion/Bryce which we take from Las Vegas so we only stay 2 nights in Vegas

22-25 april → Las Vegas (3 nights)
Hotel: Stratosphere Tower
what to see: The Strip, Belagio fountains, all the big hotels/ venice etc, The neon museum,


25-26 april → Bakersfield (1 night)
Hotel:
Route: Las vegas 25 april 7-8 am to Death Valley then to Bakersfield

26 april From Bakersfield to Yosemite on the way drive via general sherman tree


26-28 april → Yosemite National Park/Oakhurst (2 nights)
Hotel/Logde: The Ahwahnee and?
What to see: Nature Nature Nature and sequoia


28 april-1 may → San Francisco (3 night)

28 april drive from Yosemite to SF 12 am (5 hours drive?)

Hotel?
What to see: The Cable Car, Alcatraz, Fisherman’s Wharf, Golden Gate Bridge, Alamo Square Park, Lombard Street, Castro,

1-2 may → Highway One (1 night)
Hotel: Madonna Inn
What to see: Monterey, 17 mile drive and of course the fantastic scenery.

2-4 may → Los Angeles (2 night)
Hotel?
What to see: Universal studio, and relax:-)

Thanks again:-)

You would certainly need an overnight between GC and LV if you plan to visit Bryce and/or Zion. I would plan for a night in Springdale UT and just visit Zion. Bryce is wonderful but its more of a detour and I think it would be better go enjoy one than rush through both.

If anything stay your first night in Oakhurst and then a night at the Awahnee.

China town is pretty cool if you have the time but I wouldn't put it above the others you have listed.

I would highly suggest staying in the middle of the strip when you're in Vegas. The Stratosphere is on the far north end and is a long way to walk to where the action is. My favorite inexpensive place to stay is the Flamingo and the location can't be beat.

I agree with Matt715 - the Stratosphere is a bit far from it all. It's doable, but it's funner to be closer in. I prefer the MGM or a little off strip, the Westin Las Vegas.

Also I highly suggest checking out the Mob Musuem in Vegas. It's in the old downtown courthouse building where all the older casinos are. They don't white wash anything at all and it's well worth the entry fee. Then you can go visit the older casinos where that all happened.

In SF, look into renting a bike and going across the Golden Gate Bridge. One of the companies allows you to rent in SF, cross the bridge then drop it off in Suasilito. Then you can just take the ferry back. I also highly suggest the Zoo there. It's probably my third favorite zoo in the country.

When you're at Universal, I can highly recommend the Safari Inn on W Olive Ave in Burbank. It's been in a few TV shows, is right in the middle of all the other studios, has a great attached restaurant, and is relatively cheap for the area.