Vancouver, BC to Los Angeles California in 4 days....needs some tips and advice.

Hi All,

Me, my wife and my 5 year old son are planning a road trip from Vancouver BC to Los Angeles California. We plan to do this in 4 days time and i will be the only driver. We will probably leave on the first week of June and go back to Vancouver by the third or fourth week of June.

It will be the first time that we will take this trip, as we are recent immigrants to Canada.

We have decided to take a road trip to save on car rental fees (when we are in LA) as well as save on plane fare (vancouver to LA) and have a chance of some sightseeing as well.

In my research, the trip will take approximately 1,300 miles and around a total of 20 hours of driving using the I-5 highway.

I would like to kindly request some inputs and suggestions on my planned itinerary for my trip.

Day 1 Vancouver to Portland (overnight at La Quinta Inn and Suites Vancouver (WA)) (6 hours drive)
Day 2 Portland to Canyonville Oregon (overnight at Seven Feathers) (4.5 Hours drive)
Day 3 Oregon to Sacramento overnight at (La Quinta Inn Sacramento) (5 hours drive)
Day 4 Sacramento to Los Angeles (some hotel in Encino) (6 hours drive)

Here are some of my questions:

1) does a 5 year old need a child seat?
2) what are some stops that we can make that are must sees?
3) are there any other recommendations?
4) what will the weather most likely be like during this time?
5) what are other things that we should prepare for?

thank you very much!!

best regards,
jaydy

Welcome to the RTA Forum!

We'll start with the easy stuff. Yes, you will need at least a booster seat for your child. Most states require them up to age 8 (I suspect that is also the law in British Columbia).

The drives you've laid out are pretty reasonable from a distance standpoint, just keep in mind that times offered by online mapping programs are usually about 20% less than what you'll actually see in real world conditions where you have to stop/slowdown etc.

The question I would ask, however, is why did you pick these places to spend the night? They work fine if you are just looking to break up the drive in pretty even legs, and don't want to drive more than about 6 hours, but did you have any thoughts on the things you'd want to see and do?

There are lots of things you could see and do. Mount St. Helens, Crater Lake, Lassen Volcanic National Park, Yosemite, and Sequoia are just a few of the great natural wonders you could visit with relatively short detours off I-5. You also wouldn't necessarily have to stick to I-5. The Pacific Coast Highway is one of the most scenic drives in the world, and with 4 days, doing some of this would certainly be a possibility.

How long are you planning to stay around LA, and how much time do you have for the drive back?

Welcome aboard the RoadTrip America Forums!

You should be in for a great time as you take your very relaxing trip down to Los Angeles and back. You've allowed yourselves plenty of time for the drive and having your lodgings pre-arranged will save you the time and effort of finding them on the fly, letting you get to the relaxing bit a lot sooner.

As to your specific questions: Child seat and/or booster usage is determined by height and weight, not by age so you should check the recommendations on the seat you have. Five year olds are about in the range of making the transition from full-up child seat to just a booster seat which lets them sit high enough to use the car's seat belt and shoulder harness. A booster seat also lets them sit high enough to get a good view of all the scenery you'll be driving through. They should still sit only in the rear passenger seat however.

For places to stop, there are a few well known sites along the western edge of the US, but they are a bit far off of I-5, especially considering that you want to limit your driving hours to about five a day. However, your son won't really notice. There are plenty of smaller venues up and down all our major highways where he can get out, get some fresh air and exercise, and generally just blow off steam in a scenic environment.

You won't get an accurate prediction on the weather until just a couple of days before your departure, but generally the Central Valley will see high temperatures ranging from the low 70s (~23ºC) in the north to high 80s (~30ºC) in the south, but with the distinct advantage that June is smack dab in the middle of the dry season.

AZBuck

To tag onto what MM and AZB had to say, your first day is a little over 300 miles. But you also have to consider a border crossing, which could be short or it could be long. Then you have to traverse the Seattle area. I would allow at least 8 hours to make this first day. For a stretch , the Mt St Helens visitor center is not that far off of I-5. You could also take a little detour to a state park or two that aren't that far off the road, to let the little one stretch (as well as you, too).

A thought for Day two -- take another detour, since the through Oregon is rather short, this time over to Crater Lake National Park. Get off the 5 at OR-138 East, go into the park and do the west shore drive and some of the stops in it. Then head down OR-62 to Medford and stay the night there. Lots of opportunities for scenic beauty!

On Day Three, you can stop at the viewpoint for Mt Shasta (highly recommended) and the one for Castle Crags (also highly recommended). There are some places for Shasta Lake, too.

Count on the Day Four portion to be 8 hours. We've driven this many times and I don't think we've ever done that route in 6 hours!!!!! You have to deal with the connection of I-405 and the 101, and that right there can take 15 minutes to an hour, depending on the time of day you approach it. (I personally try to avoid that intersection if I can!)

Child seats: All children need to be in a booster or child seat in every state -- they just have different laws about height, weight and age.

Are you a member of the Canadian auto club, CAA? Take your card with you. I believe it's reciprocal with the AAA here.

June weather should be okay, though we are certainly having a crazy winter and spring down here in California! Bring layers of clothing and a variety of clothes, you'll need them. When you are on the coast in June, we call it "June Gloom" for a reason (morning low clouds and fog). In the Central Valley, it will warm and dry. So pants and sweatshirts, bathing suits, shorts and t-shirts, all into the suitcase, and a jacket in the car.


Donna

The north entrance and west rim drive at Crater Lake may not be open yet when you are coming through, you will have to check on that.

Hi Midwest Michael,

First i would like to thank each and everyone (AZ Buck, Donna R57, and glc) for taking time out to help me out. What you are doing is great and I surely appreciate it very much. Thank you so much!!

you are right, we pretty much just split up the travel time and route and just plan on seeing the sights right around or near the highway (I-5). We would like to see some of the sights that you have mentioned because we do love nature, but maybe you can suggest some places that are along our route and maybe we can spend the night in those places(scenic spots) instead. I would also review the PCH route as per your suggestion.

We would probably be staying in LA for 2weeks. for the drive back, we can also have a 4 or 5 day schedule.

Thanks.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by DonnaR57

Are you a member of the Canadian auto club, CAA? Take your card with you. I believe it's reciprocal with the AAA here.

---

Basic roadside service is, but you will need to go to the office to get that confirmed. While there, pick up the free maps of all the States through which you will be travelling. You will need these when on the road. Don't be tempted to rely solely on your electronics. While at it, you may find it handy to have the city maps of SF and LA as well.

If you don't have a CAA membership, or any other roadside assistance, it might be a good idea to get one before you leave.

Lifey

thanks for the feedback AZBuck,

for this trip we have to do something important in LA and the sightseeing is just secondary. So we will be limiting our sightseeing to places near I-5. Thanks for the info on the smaller venues near I-5.

hello donna,
thanks for your feedback, you indeed have given us much to consider and i appreciate the suggestion of the CAA very much!

i will be doing some tweaking of our itinerary to be able to visit some places that you have suggested. however i don't think i will be straying from I-5 as i think this is the most direct and fastest way to get to our destination.

i might be extending another day as i have noted on your suggestions on giving an allowance for delays and stuff.

i will be giving my new and revised itenerary and tell me what you guys think. Thanks!!

thanks GLC

hi donna,

i think i will do the mt shasta as it's near the highway.

although i really wanted to check out the redwood trees. can you guys suggest a park that is not too far off my travel route so i can drop by to check out the redwood trees. thanks.

There are actually two very different trees people often talk about when they say they want to visit the "Redwoods." One is the coastal redwoods, the other are Giant Sequoias, here's more about the differences.

If you want to visit the coastal redwoods, then you'll have to detour to the coast, to see them at places like Redwoods National Park, or Humboldt Redwoods State Park. The easiest way to do that would be to detour off I-5 at Grants Pass onto US-199 to US-101, and follow that all the way down to the Bay Area.

If you want to see the Sequoias, then your options are Sequoia National Park, Sequoia National Monument, or Yosemite National Park. Any of these places would have you detouring off I-5 at Stockton or Sacramento, and then use CA-99 down the east side of the Central Valley before heading up into the Mountains for any of those parks.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Midwest Michael

You also wouldn't necessarily have to stick to I-5. The Pacific Coast Highway is one of the most scenic drives in the world, and with 4 days, doing some of this would certainly be a possibility.

---

Hi Midwest Michael,
I have been giving your suggestion much thought and i would really like to alter my route and bring the pacific coast highway into my trip. can you help suggest to me a good plan?

so from vancouver i plan to take the I-5 until grants pass and then take the redwood highway to visit the REDWOODS! :-)

then continue down to san francisco.

here is my question....where do you suggest i start taking the #1?

is it nicer to take the #1 from the Standish-Hickey State Recreation Area or just continue down the 101 until i hit the #1 in Mill Valley and then continue using the #1 all the way down to Los Angeles?

If not, please suggest the segments that i should do the Pacific Coast Highway and when i should use the 101 or the I-5 for my way to Los Angeles.

thanks in advance.

The most scenic portion of CA-1 is between Monterey and Cambria - but with only 4 days you will be pressed for time if you want to take both US-101 through the redwoods and any portion of CA-1.

You could probably do both if you do one on the way down and the other on the way back - I'd drive 1 going southbound.

Hello jaydy! I am a former Sask. native, living in Southern California for most of my life. Question 1)- Refer to California Department of Motor vehicles CA. DMV, for 5 year old child seat regs. I would say yes to the seat, but check there for recent specs.
4) Weather in June traditionally in CA is cool with fog- however recently, you never know. Usually in the 60's, but prepare for the 80's or above!
Day 4- Encino- Encino is not a hotbed for tourists. Depending on traffic, it can be a nightmare. LA traffic jams 6am-10am, then 4:40pm-7pm. If you can hold up (and traffic not too bad), I would recommend a hotel down by Knott's Berry Farm in Buena Park (they have their own hotel now) or Disneyland (plenty around the resort that are not so costly!) That is if you are heading there with your child!
3) Highly recommend Adventure City (about 2 miles past Knott's) Perfect for a 5 year old. Reasonably priced with great food available. A smaller alternative to the craziness and crowds of Disneyland. Knott's is normally less crowded than Disneyland. All three places have 5 year old friendly rides. Disneyland- we eat at the chicken place that overlooks the large lagoon and sailing ship in main lot. Lots of seating and fresh air! Disneyland is hard and exhausting to do in one day. They do sell "park hopper" tickets- check into that. Also AAA or AARP sometimes has discounted tickets. Knott's (I believe) has an on-line discount- so if you purchase and print your ticket online you save money. Don't forget the parking pass- expensive but worth doing all at once. If you want to eat at any of the "fancier" Disney restaurants, highly recommend reservations- ask when you get there.

The Long Beach Aquarium in Long Beach, CA is great for kids, including a feed the lorikeet birds area (birds at an aquarium, don't ask!) They have a new sea otter area that is very fun to watch at too. Near there is the Queen Mary ship- you can purchase a ticket for both and save some money too.

The California beaches are beautiful- May be too cool to dip in water, but you never know. Wear sunscreen. Torrance beach in Torrance, CA is very nice. It is in the South Bay area of Los Angeles. Denny's in Torrance great place to eat for families. Actually, Torrance is a nice hotel area too, and not a bad hike to Disney, Knott's or Adv City, depending on not hitting the traffic. Usually traffic is bad going South in am, and North in pm.

Hope that helps you out! We are planning a trip from LA to Seattle or Vancouver during the same time frame... Good luck and safe driving, eh? (Had to add the prairie lingo!)

chrisw

Hi Chris, welcome to RTA !

Thanks for jumping in on your first post and offering help and ideas to another member, it's greatly appreciated.

Dave.

As above, I also recommend you do CA1 on the journey south, and 101 on the homeward bound leg. This will take you past the Humboldt State Park and The Avenue of Giants. Definitely worth a drive through, if not a stop. Nearby is also the drive-through tree. That would fascinate a 5yo.

Best way to pick up CA1 is to head down 101 till you get to 156, and take that to CA1 north of Monterey. The Cambria area is a good overnight stop.

Lifey