Road Trip - LA/San Francisco/Vegas

Hey buddies!!

Nice too meet everybody! Im planning a road trip along California with some friends and i would be glad if someone could help me to suggest some changes in my plans...

First, im planning a 14 days trip, starting in LA (3 days), traveling along Santa Monica, Santa Barbara, Big Sur and Santa Cruz (2 days), San Francisco (2 days), traveling along Fresno to visit Sequoia National Park and Death Valley National Park (3 days), Las Vegas (3 days) and the last day a trip back to Los Angeles Airport...

So, i would like to know if the days i've chosen to stay in each city are reasonable and some locations i could include to visit (like yosemit park, outlets, ... ) without changing the total period of traveling (14 days)

Thanks for the helping!!!!!!!

Welcome to the RTA forum!

You've got a good plan, but I see 2 issues, that are kind of related.

First Sequoia and Death Valley are fairly close as the crow flies, but the two are separated by a mountain range, and there is no road over those mountains at this point. Basically, it means a full day drive to get between the two.

The other aspect is that you have left out Yosemite. Personally, I'd easily drop a day each out of LA and Vegas to spend some time there. The other thing is that this is a point where you can cross the Sierras, via the very scenic Tioga Pass (assuming this Summer trip is going to be in mid-June or later). If you don't want to give up any time in the cities, I think I'd skip Sequoia and use your 3 days to visit Yosemite, drive across Tioga, and then visit Death Valley.

I would also do it counter-clockwise so your trip along the coast road will be north to south. This way, the scenic overlooks will be on your side of the road.

I too would sacrifice time in the City for Yosemite, this place is amazing ! If you do not wish to do so then I would do as Michael suggested and leave Sequoia from your itinerary for Yosemite and drive across the very scenic Tioga pass [CA120] to Death valley. The good news is you can visit the Mariposa grove of giant Sequoia trees close to the South entrance of the park. Although not quite as big as in the 'Giants forest' in Sequoia NP it's hard to tell the difference.

I would also recommend booking an Alcatraz tour in advance for your visit to San Francisco and the only direct official tickets can be bought here. China town, Union square, [shopping] Pier 39, and Coit tower as well as riding the cable cars are a few more of the main tourist attractions in SF.

If you wish to stay in Yosemite and/or Sequoia NP during the summer Months you will have to book real early to secure lodgings. Death valley also has a limited amount of lodging options, they can be found at Panamint springs, Stovepipe Wells and Furnace creek.

Great!!! Nice tips buddies, im really considering them in my plans!!

So suppose I decide to visit Yosemite instead of Sequoia NP... Does anyone have indications of good lodgings near from Mariposa Groove and the most beautiful parts of Yosemite Park??? How much time in advance do you think is secure to book the lodgings (for Death Valley and Yosemite Park)?

Im planning to visit these places in SF.... hope i will have enough time to do what i want hehehehe... traveling counter-clockwise is an idea that i really enjoyed too, because i can enjoy something in LA before going to the airport....

In addition, I would be so glad if anyone could tell me great places to visit in Santa Barbara, Big Sur and Santa Cruz, places i could take beautiful photos and enjoy a wonderful sunset...

Many thanks!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Yosemite is beautiful where ever you look, and I mean beautiful !!

As well as Mariposa grove you can drive up to Glacier point which has one of the most amazing views you can imagine. You could spend a whole day wandering around the valley floor and be amazed at every turn and still only 'scratch the surface'. Tioga pass has plenty of beauty along it and many stops such as 'Tenaya lake and the Meadows.

You can stay inside the park or find cheaper lodgings around it at many towns such as Grovland, Mariposa, El Portal or Oakhurst and to the East of the pass, Lee vining. It often makes sense to stay a night either side but there will depend on your overall plan and which way around you are heading.

You can find Lot's of info here on the Yosemte NPS site. Once you get your trip 'nailed down' I would book lodgings asap, especially if you are travelling in the height of the summer season.

You should note that Death valley gets unbelievably hot in the summer months and although it is fine to drive through and take short walks from the car you should be well prepared and carry water, sunhats and cream and keep it in mind when planning your stay.

You will also find great scenery as you head down the coast and you have State parks such as Julia Pfeiffer burns and you could consider a Hearst castle tour near San Simeon.

A photo from Glacier point

http://www.roadtripamerica.com/forum...4&d=1218658396

Waterfall at Julia Pfeiffer burns state park


http://atenpo.smugmug.com/photos/43622549-S.jpg

Many thanks Dave!!! With these tips i have just finished my trip... these are the places and the routes I plan to visit in the summertime...

Day Places

1º LA airport - rest
2º travel to Vegas, going to the theatres and casinos
3º shopping, going to the circus and Vegas night
4º lunch at a good Vegas restaurant and travel to Death Valley
5º Death Valley
6º Travel to Mariposa groove and after a stop in a hotel near Tioga Pass
7º Tioga Pass an Glacier Point (Yosemite)
8º Travel to San Francisco - Union Square, Coit tower and Pier 39
9º Alcatraz and cable cars, SF at night
10º Chinatown and travel to Santa Cruz
11º Travel to Big Sur and San Simeon (Hearst Castle)
12º Travel to Santa Barbara, Malibu and Santa Monica
13º Travel to LA - Huntington Beach, Laguna beach, LA at night
14º Shopping and going to the LA airport

What do you think????

I would like to receive some advices about traveling in California roads at night....is it safe? Are there roads a little bit dangerous to drive after the sunset?

Thanks for the helping!!! A wonderful year for everybody!!!

That is a very well planned trip!

The roads are not particularly dangerous after dark, but why drive after dark unless you have to? You can't see any scenery! If this is a summer trip, you will have at least 14 hours of daylight every day, with daylight savings time it stays light well into the evening.

The only thing you need to adjust a bit is Yosemite. Tioga Pass is the road that will take you from Death Valley across the Sierra Nevada mountains and then into the Yosemite Valley. Mariposa Grove and Glacier Point are both located south of the Valley, so those would also be after Tioga.

I wouldn't want to be doing too much driving after dark, you would miss to much amazing scenery and the chance to relax at the end of a long day. Sunset will come later in the summer Months as well.

As you are having lunch in Vegas then travelling to Death valley, Furnace creek would make a good place to stop in Death valley as it is only about 2.5 hours away and would give you time to explore nearby. Just down the road is Badwater, the lowest point below sea level in the USA. To get to Furnace creek take 160 to Pahrump and then Ash meadows/ State line Rd to Death valley junction. Stop at Zabriske point on the way !

As Michael mentioned you would have travelled Tioga pass to Mariposa. I think you may be referring to staying near Tioga pass on night 5 after a day in Death valley and then travelling to Mariposa on day 6, could you confirm ? If that is the case on day 7 you could visit Glacier point and the Valley floor but there would be no need to go back over Tioga pass.

Quote:

---

take 160 to Pahrump and then Ash meadows/ State line Rd to Death valley junction.

---

A minor point to avoid confusion - in Pahrump on 160, it's signed as Bell Vista Ave. It's on the north edge of town and you would turn left.

I have asked about driving at night just to know how dangerous are the roads after the sunset, but it is not in my plans doing this kind of crazy thing hehehe (how can i drive and lose all of the scenic landscapes??? hehehe)... the only way of driving at night it is in an emergency case...
I just forgot the 14 hours of daylight in summer hehehe... this will improve a lot the quality and quantity of my photos...
Yeah, the fact of going to Tioga Pass after visiting Mariposa grove is a little mistake on my schedule... now im planning to do this:

....
4º lunch at a good Vegas restaurant and travel to Death Valley (Furnace Creek)
5º Death Valley and travel to a hotel near Tioga Pass
6º Tioga Pass and Mariposa grove
7º Glacier Point and the Valley floor (Yosemite)
8º Travel to San Francisco - Union Square, Coit tower and Pier 39
....

Only one more doubt:

If I travel to Furnace creek on day 4, what will be a nice place to visit in Death Valley on day 5 morning?

Hey Dave, thanks for the road tips... im searching the best roads to drive all of the way now, and your tips are coming in a good time heheheh...

Thanks everybody!!!!!!!!

If safety is your only issue, then no there isn't any problem with driving at night.

When you say you are planning to stay in a hotel "near Tioga Pass" where are you thinking of staying more specifics. The pass is a mountain road, and there really isn't much for lodging option. You pretty much have to stay either on the east side before you enter the park, or in the valley/to the west. Where you are planning to stay will have a big impact on what you can do with day 5.

The closest hotel to Tioga Pass on the east is in Lee Vining. You can also stay in June Lake or Mammoth Lakes. Once you cross the pass, the closest lodging is in Yosemite Village itself.

Yeah, i was thinking about staying somewhere on the east side of Tioga Pass in the end of the 5º day, so I could drive in the 6 day morning across this scenic pass and visit Mariposa grove and other places in Yosemite in the afternoon... glc said about three possibilities of lodging (Lee Vining, June Lake and Mammoth Lakes), and I am pretty impressed with Mammoth... the city has good hotels and is near from beatutiful places, like the Twin Lakes.... what do you think???

I have one doubt about the route Las Vegas/ Furnace Creek... i was searching at http://www.nps.gov/deva/index.htm and another route has given me ideas... what do you think about driving across the Old Spanish Trail and Badwater Road instead of going to Pahrump and then driving across Ash meadows/ State line Rd to Death valley junction??? Can I choose the first option and take some road to see the Zabriskie point after???

Thanks everybody!!!!!!

Any road that is red on the official park map is paved, and may be driven in a rental car. Zabriskie Point is very near Furnace Creek, and that's where Badwater Road meets Highway 190.

The Old Spanish Trail/ Badwater Rd looks a viable option but will take you about an Hour and a half longer to Furnace creek[4 hours or so]. However if you are planning on leaving Vegas early enough to visit Badwater the same day there actually is not much in it at all. A drive around the one way Artists drive between Badwater and Furnace creek in the early evening makes a wonderful opportunity for photo's through the Artisits Pallette section. It's only about 9 miles long but you should allow up to an hour to drive around and take some shots.

I have not stayed at Mammoth but have wanted to do so, [and still do] it does look very nice.

Now I think my trip schedule is almost complete.... these are the roads that i wanna drive across and the period of traveling on each one (and total too):

(1) Los Angeles to Las Vegas ---> Interstate 15 N (4 hours and 20 minutes)

(2) Las Vegas to Death Valley

Route (a) (2 hours and 40 min)

Las Vegas to Pahrump ---> Interstate 15 S - NV 160 W Highway
Pahrump to Death Valley junction ---> NV 160 W Highway - Bell Vista Ave - Ash Meadows/State line road
Death Valley junction to Zabriskie point ---> Ash Meadows/State line road - CA 127 N highway - CA 190 W highway
Zabriskie point to Furnace Creek ---> CA 190 W highway

Route (b) (4 hours and 20 min)

Las Vegas to Zabriskie Point ---> Interstate 15 S - NV 160 W Highway - Old Spanish Trail - CA 127 N highway - CA 178 W highway (Badwater road) - CA 190 E highway
Zabriskie Point to Furnace Creek ---> CA 190 W highway

(3) Death Valley to Mammoth Lakes ---> CA 190 W highway - CA 136 W - US 395 N/S route (left track) - CA 203 W highway (3 hours and 50 min)

(4) Mammoth Lakes to Mariposa grove (by Tioga Pass) ---> Mammoth Scenic Loop - US 395 N route - CA 120 W (Tioga Pass) - CA 140 E - CA 41 S (3 hours and 10 min)

(5) Yosemite Valley to San Francisco ---> CA 120 W - CA 99 S - CA 120 W - Interstate 5 S - Interstate 205 W - Interstate 580 W - Richmond, San Rafael Bridge - Golden Gate Bridge (4 hours and 20 min)

(6) San Francisco to Santa Cruz ---> CA 101 S - CA 85 S - CA 17 S (1 hour and 25 min)

(7) Santa Cruz to Big Sur and San Simeon ---> CA 1 S (3 hours)

(8) San Simeon to Santa Barbara, Malibu and Santa Monica ---> CA 1 S (4 hours and 30 min)

(9) Santa Monica to Huntington Beach and Laguna Beach (Los Angeles) ---> CA 1 S (1 hour and 25 min)

Total period on the road ----> choosing Route (a) in Death Valley : 28 hours and 40 min
choosing Route (b) in Death VAlley : 30 hours and 20 min

Should I change some details???

And I wanna thanks everybody for the helping.... you are amazing!!!

That looks like a very good plan, but some of your travel times may be more than you think. If you are using computer software to get the drive times, they do not account for any stops or delays due to traffic or construction.

Hello!

I'm a first-timer on this forum and this thread was very useful to me!
I am planning a similar two-week road trip in California this summer.
We are a family of five from Norway, who plan to spend two weeks in Orlando, Florida, and two weeks in California this summer, and the route presented in this thread looks very interesting.

We plan on starting our trip in Vegas and ending it in LA before we go back to Norway, would it be practically possible cram a trip up to the Grand Canyon into this 14-day schedule? What would we possibly need to give up on/cut down on to get time to see Grand Canyon?
Or should we forget about Grand Canyon and spend another day in Yosemite instead?
Could we visit Joshua Tree on this route?
We are traveling with children aged 9, 11 and 17, is there anything in this route that is not at all interesting for children?
What would be the cheapest accomodation type for us, as we are on a budget and five traveling together? Any spesific tips for good and cheap accomodation along the route?

I will be very thankful for any reply to my questions. I hope it is OK to ask these questions here in this thread, or should I maybe start a new thread?

Thank You very much in advance!

Hello and welcome to the RTA forums !

With 2 weeks you have the time to visit those places on your 'wish list' but if it's an option it might be one of those trips where a complete loop might work better and start and finish in the same City, whether it be Vegas, LA or SF. Starting in LA it would look something like this; LA > Joshua tree NP > Grand canyon > Vegas >Yosemite [via Death valley and Tioga pass?] > San Fran and down the coast back to LA.

Get the kids interested in the planning stages and let them make some choices along the way and everyone should be happy.

You can use sites like Expedia and Tripadvisor to get a feel of lodging types and costs and what is best suited to your budget and requirements. Most Hotels are geared towards 4 guests to a room which is awkward for a family of 5 but I understand that some are willing to put a fold away bed in a room for an extra small fee, so you might have to do some calling around.

The National park lodgings are generally costlier than that of the surrounding towns but in the summer Months do get booked up early.

Hey Plomma, nice to meet you!!

Yeah, you can post your doubts here, no problem.... I see we have almost the same plans, and this is a good way of sharing informations and tips about lodging, places to visit,.... hehehe!!!! I will say what i was searching these days, maybe can be useful to answer some of your doubts (people here can correct me if i am saying something wrong hehehe...).
If you really want to go to Grand Canyon, you will have to reserve at least one day for this route... in my plans i have separated almost one day to travel LA/Las Vegas and to rest, so i think you can perfectly fit your visit using this time (because you wont do the LA/Las Vegas trip hehehe)... here it is a possible schedule for the first days of your trip:

1º Las Vegas airport - Vegas night - rest
2º Going to the theatres and Vegas casinos, shopping
3º Going to Grand Canyon
4º Travel back to Vegas - lunch at a good Vegas restaurant - and travel to Death Valley (Furnace Creek)
.....

In the 4º day, go to Death Valley by my Route (a) - Pahrump, Death Valley junction -... it seems faster, what will turn your day of traveling less exhausting!!!

Lodges in Yosemite are more expensive and are always full of people (for example, for the next July some lodges have only 2 free days!!!!!)... glc has given me 3 useful options of lodging on the east side of Tioga Pass (Lee Vining, June Lake or Mammoth Lakes)... if you want the cheapest ones among this 3 cities, i would choose to stay at Lee Vining...

Visiting Joshua Tree i think it is a little more complicated... if you really wanna pass sometime there, i think you will have to be faster in the route San Francisco/ LA (what would be too bad!!! hehehe)...

People here said that the roads are not dangerous and the landscapes are marvelous... i really think your family will love it!!

Thanks everybody!!

Thank You both very much for the warm welcome and Your useful insight!

Today I have purchased our plane tickets! We fly to Miami, and plan to spend four days on the road in south Florida, before we stay at a rented apartment for a 10-day park-bonanza for the kids in Orlando. We then fly from Orlando to Las Vegas for our road trip!

The coming week we're going to book lodging, so I need to determine our travel route this weekend! I think rod1510 has come up with a very interesting route, but I would very much like to go to Grand Canyon. A friend of mine speaks very highly of San Fransisco and advise us to stay there for several days, so I'll give up Grand Canyon if we really need more days in San Fransisco. Do we? I have also decided that we won't go to Joshua Tree this time.

This is the route that I have borrowed from rod1510 and modified a bit:

1. Late arrival at Las Vegas airport, go to hotel in Vegas
2. Las Vegas, shopping, go to the circus and casinos, stay over in Vegas
3. Travel to Grand Canyon in the morning, lodge somewhere in Grand Canyon, where?
4. Grand Canyon in the morning, then travel to Death Valley in the afternoon (stay at Furnace Creek?)
5. Death Valley, travel to east side of Tioga Pass (stay in Lee Vining?)
6. Tioga Pass across Sierra Nevada mountains, Mariposa Grove (where to stay?)
7. Yosemite, Glacier Point, valley floor (where to stay?)
8. Travel to San Francisco - Union Square, Coit tower, Pier 39
9. San Fransisco - Alcatraz and cable cars, SF at night
10. Travel to Santa Cruz (stay in Santa Cruz?)
11. Travel to Big Sur and San Simeon (Hearst Castle) (Stay in San Simeon?)
12. Travel to Santa Barbara, Malibu and Santa Monica (where to stay?)
13. Travel to LA – see Hollywood, Beverly Hills, shopping, LA at night
14. Shopping and going to the LA airport in late evening

My question number one is concerning day 4, can we go up to Grand Canyon on the morning of day 3 and to Death Valley in the afternoon of day 4, or do we need to stay two nights in Grand Canyon to spend a full day there? If we need an entire day and two nights up there, where on the route could we "save" this time, and not lose time in San Fransisco?

I also would appreciate further input on where it would be wise to stay along the route?
Obviously we already know we want to stay in Las Vegas, San Fransisco and LA, but where to stay for Grand Canyon? And where to stay for night 6 and 7? On the coast from SF to LA, where to stay on nights 10-12? Santa Cruz -> San Simeon -> Santa Monica? Other good tips for places to stay?

Finally, what about Road 1 south of LA to San Diego?

Thank You very much in advance for any input!
Regards, Plomma

Your Grand Canyon stay will depend on your budget. There are places to stay right on the rim, or just outside the park, but they will cost over $100 a night. Otherwise, you can drive about an hour south to Williams or Flagstaff and find rooms for $50.

The only problem with your route that I see is your plan to drive from Grand Canyon to Death Valley in an afternoon. That's a drive that's going to take you about 8 hours, so its basically a full day trip there.

There is no CA-1 south to San Diego. The road ends at I-5 in Orange County, and from there you start going through Military Base area, so there's really no access to the coast until you start getting closer to San Diego again.

Yeah Plomma, I think the best way to visit Grand Canyon without losing onde day in San Francisco is like i said in my last post, spending one day to drive along Grand Canyon to Furnace Creek...
About some lodges, i think these links can help you (they are in portuguese, but i think its easy to you find the names of the hotels and hostel ehehhe):

Santa Cruz - http://viagem.uol.com.br/guia/cidade...ondeficar.jhtm
Santa Monica - http://viagem.uol.com.br/guia/cidade...nde-ficar.jhtm

Mammoth Lakes (if you wanna spend one night there) has a great and cheap lodge that a lot of people recommend: The Village Lodge (http://www.mammothmountain.com/Lodging/TheVillageLodge/)...

Man, I think you gonna travel before me this time, so i would be very grateful if you post here your trip experience doing this route (including the lodges)... it would be awesome!

For everybody here, i have a doubt about one thing: Im planning to get a convertible car to do this trip (its gonna be outstanding driving along Tioga Pass and Highway 1 in this type of car!!!), but we are in a group of 4 people and im really concerned about the baggages (usually covertibles have limited trunk space)... can i pay some enterprise to do the baggage traveling or are there some places that i pay some fee to keep safe some bags???

Thanks for the helping!!!

Even with zero bags, a convertible is going to be a really poor choice for 4 people. The back seat is miserably small for anyone who isn't a small child. I would strongly recommend you go with a full sized car. Having the top down isn't going to provide enough enjoyment to overcome just how uncomfortable the 2 people in the back will be.

If you still try, you are right, there will be almost zero room for your bags. I know of no service that will ship your bags to another destination, although if you are leaving a place for a couple of days and then returning, you can usually store your extra luggage at your hotel, even after you check out.

Thanks Michael, you are right... the space for the passengers are too small in the most of the convertible cars, I agree with you about the uncomfortable situation of the 2 people in the back... this made me think about other alternative: rent a car that has a really good space and a great sunroof... is it easy to find this kind of car to rent in LA aiport?
The idea of storing the extra luggage at the hotel is really interesting, but only if the hotel agree to store the baggages for 2 weeks hehehe... i dont know if they will do this if i try so hard, but it would be nice because my trip starts and ends in LA...

Thanks!!!

You won't have any problem finding a good size and well equipped car, not sure about a 'great' sunroof though but you will get Air Con. If you search the Internet you can compare prices and car 'types' available. When selecting a 'type' of car you will notice it states 'or similar' so you are guaranteed a car in that class but not necessarily the exact same model.

Minor point, but you are guaranteed a car "at least" in that class - if they are out, you will get a free upgrade.