San Fran -> LA : 18 days July 2008 - suggested route
Hi,
Firstly, thanks for such a wonderful resouce as this site is - I'm planning our summer 2008 trip and I've learnt so much from this site. :)
We're from UK, family of 4 with 2 kids (18 & 16). Been to USA for 10 of last 12 years (mainly North East, Florida, Carlolinas) but first vacation on West coast planned for June/July 2008.
We arrive in SF late June and have 18 nights before departing LA. That's the only thing booked - now planning our route and stay. :)
Below is my first attempt at a route with some brief explanation - I know its not novel as I've read many similar posts here but I'd appreciate any comments or particular routes to take, especially towards end of trip. We would like to 'chill' for a few days before coming home but don't where to do this!
We've done the Disney/Univeral parks loads of time in Florida and not planning to take these in in LA. We like being near the sea but not beachy people. Like easy water-sports activites, eg hiring speedboad and crusing ands easy cycling. Not into hiking or mountin walks but like 'promenade' walks, sightseeing and visiting places of interest.
Day 1 - arrive SF lunchtime, taxi to city. Overnight SF
Day 2 - sightseeing SF. Overnight SF
Day 3 - sightseeing SF. Overnight SF
Day 4 - pick up car am. Overnight Monterey/Carmel.
Day 5 - Drive to Yosemite. Overnight Yosemite
Day 6 - sightseeing Yosemite. Overnight Yosemite
Day 7 - drive Death Valley. Overnight Death Valley.
Day 8 - sightseeing Death Valley. Drive Las Vegas. Overnight Las Vegas.
Day 9 - sightseeing Las Vegas. Overnight Las Vegas
Day 10 - sightseeing Las Vegas. Overnight Las Vegas
Day 11 - drive Grand Canyon. Overnight Grand Canyon.
Day 12 - sightseeing Grand Canyon. Overnight Grand Canyon.
Day 13 - drive Palm Springs ? Overnight Palm Springs
Day 14 - drive LA / Coast. Overnight LA / Coast (Santa Monica?)
Day 15 - Sightseeing / Shopping / Rest and Relaxation. Overnight LA / Coast (Santa Monica?)
Day 16 - Sightseeing / Shopping / Rest and Relaxation. Overnight LA / Coast (Santa Monica?)
Day 17 - Sightseeing / Shopping / Rest and Relaxation. Overnight LA / Coast (Santa Monica?)
Day 18 - Sightseeing / Shopping / Rest and Relaxation. Overnight LA / Coast (Santa Monica?)
Day 19 - Sightseeing / Shopping / Rest and Relaxation. Home to UK
Thanks :)
Ken
what in LA would you like to see?
Hello Ken --
Basically your trip looks pretty good from a schedule standpoint -- not too crazy on driving, lots of places to see. The one question I think needs to be filled still is what in LA are you interested in sightseeing?
One of the reasons I say this, is everyone seems to head for Santa Monica. But, I'm not really a fan of Santa Monica compared to other areas in LA. LA's a big place -- like 2 hours across at full freeway speed, If I had to pick somewhere to sort of lay back, relax and do a bit of shopping and sightseeing, I might pick somewhere closer on the southern edge of LA, in or closer to the OC.
Santa Monica's a cool place -- home to a very nice beach, near Venice, the Santa Monica Pier, near the two Getty Musuems, and not too far from Hollywood. Some very good restaurants and some interesting places to wander.
But for a kick back and relax place, as an alternative you might consider somewhere down on the south coast area, near the Huntington Beach/ Newport Bearch/ Laguna Beach area. There are a couple of world-class shopping malls (South Coast Plaza and Newport Center), lots of things to do a long the beaches from sailing to surfing to snorkling, and you're not that far from the rest of the LA area via freeway (as much or as little as anywhere else in the area). Laguna Beach in particular is one of my favorites -- a small artists colony. Plus you're within a day's drive from San Diego and La Jolla.
Las Vegas -> Grand Canyon -> Los Angeles route
Hi,
As part of our 17 day summer vacation, we're planning to travel from Las Vegas to Grand Canyon (South rim) and then on towards Los Angeles Coast
Few questions;
1. It appears that the only way to get to GC from LV is via the I-40 - is this the only sensible route? Is there any alternatives to save having to drive back down the I-40 when he head for LA?
2. The drive from GC is too much for us to do it one day - what route shoulds we take to LA and where should we stop overnight? Our options are to stay on the I-40 are stop around Majave Nat Preserve or else take the I-40 then 95, stop at Lake Havasu and then down the 62 through Twentynine Palms and on to LA.
Any and all suggestions welcome!
Ta.
Ken
san fran to vegas in June
We like to visit the National Parks.Unfortunately , we only have 8 days and I am trying to set up the itinerary. At the moment, we figure 2 nights in SF, 2 nights in Yosemite, maybe one in Sequoia/ Kings Canyon, one around Death Valley and 2 nights in Vegas area. any suggestions, about routes and where to stay.
What time of year are you going?
The first question and comment on this, is what time of year are you going?
If you're going to Sequoia National Park, you may not have this option -- but there's a road just north of Yosemite that takes you over the crest of the Sierras through the Tioga pass, and brings you down near Mono Lake on the east side. However, that pass is closed in the winter by deep snows, and not opened until late spring at the earliest.
Secondly, Death Valley can be very warm (HOT!). If you do in the summer, just be prepared for the heat -- lots and lots of people visit in the summer, but you need to be prepared for heat that may peak during the day in excess of 120 F.
A couple of suggestions...
From GC to the Orange County area, there are a couple of options --
The usual places you can stay are
Needles
Lake Havasu City
29 Palms
Blythe or ...
Palm Springs/ Indio area
Needles and Blythe don't have anything amazing to recommend them -- other than a selection of hotels. I've stayed in both -- no problems or issues, other than they were places to stay because we were passing through or doing other things in the area that day.
Lake Havasu City has the London Bridge (moved from its original location). That hasn't been a draw for me, but there are selection of hotels there, and its right on the Colorado River.
29 Palms sets you up to pass through Joshua Tree National Park on your way out. On the road there from the north, you can go over part of old Route 66 (now called the National Trails Highway in that area), and visit Amboy Crater, and a few other areas. There are several small towns in this area, and there's a major Marine Corp training base there, so there are a reasonable selection of hotels.
Palm Springs/ Indio area is the largest set of towns in the area, with lots of hotels. That's probably the furthermost of your options, but the most hotels and things to see (in the area).
There are lots of places you might look at, or stop and visit along the way
- Indian Italagios along the Colorado north of Blythe
- Old Indian ceremonial spot (a labryinth) near Needles (but unmarked -- you have to know where to look)
- Lots of desert scenery along the way, including old mining towns and ghost towns/ vanished town sites if you know where to look
- Gen George Patton musuem at Chiraco Summit
- Amboy Crater
- Joshua Tree National Park (several interesting places there...)
- Palms Spring Tramway (but a multi-hour stop, minimum)
- Several real desert oases -- the one near Thousand Palms is one of the better.
- Big wind farms in Cabazon area/ Whitewater Pass west of Palm Springs
etc
