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Time to hit the road again. This time we shall be taking the family, so four adults two kids. We only have two weeks and need to finish in San Francisco for three nights at the end of the trip. We wanted to start in Phoenix, but no tickets for our dates. My plan is to start in LA, but go straight from the airport towards the Canyon. I guess we could be in Barstow in a couple of hours, which would be more than enough driving. Do you think that this is the best idea, or is there somewhere nicer?
Hi Colonel, good to see you back !
Is there a reason why you haven't considered a loop trip. Could work well taking in the coast from SF, over to GC and perhaps Yosemite on the way back. You could head towards Palm Springs and Joshua tree on route to GC if you start from LA, but I usually stay the first night nearer to the airport and get well rested for an early start the following day.
We've done the coast road many times and are aware of our time limitations. I would prefer 3 weeks for the loop. Since posting, we are moving towards stopping in Joshua Tree, which would be more exciting than Barstow. We've never been to Joshua Tree and it seems a similar distance to the Canyon.
We are used to getting in a couple of hours after the flight, having done Phoenix to Sedona a few times. We don't know what to expect of Joshua Tree or of the hotels, though.
After the Canyon, we are thinking of Marble Canyon, Bryce, Las Vegas, Death Valley, Mono Lake, San Francisco, but we shall be firming that bit up later. Any comments regarding Joshu Tree v Barstow would be welcome.
Yosemite? Tioga Pass? April 6th?
Very doubtful.Quote:
Originally Posted by colonelhall
Your best bet for lodging near Joshua Tree is in Palm Springs or Indio. That way you can enter the south entrance the next day and exit via 29 Palms, take Amboy Rd to Amboy, then old 66 to I-40. If you prefer, there are a few hotels in 29 Palms.
The 29 Palms Inn in Twentynine Palms is a favorite of many of us on this forum. The Inn shares a border with the Joshua Tree national park and many guests undertake small walks and then return to their rooms.Quote:
Originally Posted by colonelhall
Joshua Tree itself is pretty fascinating -- here is a guide book I highly recommend and the photos are great too!
Twentynine Palms is a funny little town -- it's long had a hard edge -- it is near a famous US Marine training base with all of the side effects of such a placement. But it also has an extraordinary collection of murals -- several of the murals we've documented can be found in Twentynine Palms. This one is always fun to see in person.
Mark
You could certainly visit Yosemite in April, but there is no chance that Tioga Pass would be open yet. You'd have to approach the park from the west, crossing the Sierras either around Bakersfield or Lake Tahoe.
When does your flight get into LAX? Don't underestimate LA traffic when figuring out how far you want to go after getting off the plane.
I was thinking this as I read the initial post. LA to Barstow, or Indio, is possible in 2 hours, but is normally longer than that due to traffic. It's 127 miles from LA to Indio, and in rush hour (1:30 pm to about 7 pm, in reality), that may be a 2-1/2 to 3 hour trip. Barstow is 10 miles less distance, but will have much the same issue. If arriving on a Friday or Saturday, it could be even worse, as LA and SD folks head for a Las Vegas weekend.Quote:
When does your flight get into LAX? Don't underestimate LA traffic when figuring out how far you want to go after getting off the plane.
Donna
Many thanks for your quick responses. It is good to be back on the site and planning yet another trip. Looks like 29 Palms Inn is booked for our date, darn! Looks like Joshua Tree is the way to go, though. I take your point about the L.A. traffic, but we have three drivers and a large vehicle. Anything to get out of L.A. and into the desert!
Don't for get Zion NP between Bryce and Vegas and if you have time you could detour through the Valley of fire on route to Vegas.Quote:
After the Canyon, we are thinking of Marble Canyon, Bryce, Las Vegas, Death Valley, Mono Lake, San Francisco
O.K. Let's look at the last stretch. In the past, we have done Las Vegas to Lone Pine then Lone Pine to to Yosemite. However, with the pass closed how shall we split it? I would like to keep it to two stop-overs. The area around Mono Lake would be worth looking at and also there is a ghost town around there. We like Lone Pine, but that leaves a long way to go, so where do we spend the next night? As always, value the contributions here.
Mono Lake is problematic, simply because it forces you to go the long way around, via Lake Tahoe.
If you're going to go the direct way, while still going through Death Valley, then I'd look to spend the night around Lake Isabella.
If you do want to go around north, if Monitor Pass is open (50-50 chance) you can take that instead of going all the way to Tahoe. That would be US-395 north to CA-89 to CA-88 to CA-49.
Thanks for the advice, Monitor Pass seems worth ... er .. monitoring. Now I am now back at the start, and Phoenix looks to be on, so Sedona here we come! We have done this drive three times previously, so know what to expect. A marvellous first morning with the family!