Family Roadtrip from SF to LA. 1st time in the USA !

Hi,

My name is Jean-Christophe, I'm 43 years old and I live in Brussels.
My family and I are planning to come next summer between July the 21st and August the 11st. We expect to have a lot of fun but there is so much to discover that we need your advices to do the right choices.

My major concerns are about the trip it self. Is it faisable ? Do we have enough time to really enjoy the places we go thru ?

We've made the choice to avoid the Sequoia NP so we could drive across the Tioga Pass and do the road 395 straight to LV in one day.

Is it a good idea ? I don't know but I need to win time somewhere to stay at least 2 nights in LA. Or I wonder if it won't be smarter to visit Zion and Bryce the same day and spend one night in the Death Valley in place of 2 night in the Zion Park?

The second thing to deal are the choice of the place to spend the night. We are looking for average budget places but always adapted to the place we are visiting. It may be as much motels, camper camp as little hotels...

Another important thing to keep in mind is the obligation to stay at least 3 nights in Sacramento to visit my far away family (grand cousins) that I haven't seen in about 20 years.

Here is the idea:

D0 (fr): BXL/SF arrival (4h30pm), Night in SF but where ?
D1 (sa): visit SF, Night SF but where ?
D2 (su): visit SF, Night SF but where ?
D3 (mo): road SF/Sacramento (4h), Night in Sacramento
D4 (tu): Family meeting Sacramento, Night in Sacramento
D5 (we): Familuy meeting Sacramento, Night in Sacramento
D6 (th): road Sacramento/Yosemite (4h), Night Yosemite but where ?
D7 (fr): Visit Yosemite, Night Yosemite but where ?
D8 (sa): road Yosemite/???? via Tiago Pass, Night ??? but where ?
D9 (su): road ???/Las Vegas thru the Death Valley, Night in Las Vegas but where ?
D10 (mo): road Las-Vegas/Zion (3h00), Night in Zion but where ?
D11 (tu): Visit Zion, Night in Zion but where ?
D12 (we): road Zion/Bryce (2h), visite Bryce, Night Bryce but where ?
D13 (th): route Bryce/Page (3h), Night in Page but where ?
D14 (fr): Visit Antelope, road to Monument Valley (2h00), Night in Monument Valley but where ?
D15 (sa): road MV/GC (3h), Night in GC but where ?
D16 (su): route GC/Kingman ?? via road 66 (4h), Nuit Kingman ?? but where ?
D17 (mo) road Kingman/LA via Joshua Tree (6h), Night in LA but where ?
D18 (tu): visit LA , Night in LA but where ?
D19 (we): visit LA (Universal), Night in LA but where ?
D20 (th): visit LA + Flight LA/SF (arrival 7H50 pm) = Night in SF but where ?
D21 (fr) SF + FLight to BXL, Night in BXL.... home ;-)

It amazing how your website is a really mine of ideas and I hope you will help me to find the best.

Best regards,

JC

Hello and welcome to the RTA forums !

The exactly where to say questions are difficult to answer and is something you need to research some more to see how it suits your budget and balance that with how close you want to be to the attractions, as staying in or close to the National parks often come at a premium. As you are arriving late afternoon I would consider staying in an airport hotel with a free shuttle bus system and head straight there.

SF is not really a car friendly city, so you may be better off picking one up when you depart for Sacramento. In SF there are some budget friendly options around the Lombard/Gough St area but the more central the higher the price it seems. You would have the option of staying in your airport hotel and using the free bus to and fro to the airport and using the B.A.R.T rail system.

For Yosemite, staying in the park is amazing but there are lodgings in surrounding towns, Groveland, El Portal, Mariposa etc and if you don't mind rustic lodgings search 'Yosemite Bug'.

Mammoth lakes or Lone Pine would be good choices before continuing to Vegas.

Zion you should check out the town of Springdale. You may pay a bit more but you can get the free shuttle bus into the park and not have to worry about parking.

Bryce canyon. There are a few options near the entrance, Rubys Inn being a popular one. The town of Tropic will have a few options more budget friendly.

I would not try and visit both in a day Zion and Bryce in the same day but you could visit Bryce and continue to Page on day 12. So if you stayed in Springdale on night 10 and then east of the park on night 11 having spent most of the day at Zion. There is a Best western[ Thunderbird lodge] by the Mt Carmel junction.

Monument valley. You should have time to check it out from Page and get to the Grand canyon, or at least nearby. Look up the Cameron Trading post near the east entrance to the south rim.
For your night after GC you could find lodgings in Williams to save a few miles.

If it were me, I would look at returning the car at SF airport and completing the loop rather than be hanging around airports for a short flight, but that's me. To be honest I would much rather enjoy a couple of days checking out the seaside towns along the coast highway than I would in LA, but it's your trip to make it the way you like it.

Check out the Roadtrip Motels link to the right of this page where you can search lodging options and get an idea of costs.

You may like to consider reversing your trip, so that when driving the Pacific Coast Highway, you drive it from North to South - San Francisco to LA.. That way you not only have the ocean on your side, but it avoids having to cross over on-coming traffic each time you turn in and out of the many viewpoints and overlooks.

Lifey

Hi Dave,

And thank you for this fast and helpful answer.

The idea for day 12 is quite good.

What about the crossing of the Death Valley in 1 day ? Does-it seem too much for you ?

I must admit that the road N°1 seems to be a real gem but I still hesitate.
My children are 10 and 16 and I wonder i they would not be disappointed if we don't stay at least 2 days in LA.


Take a look at this one:

D0 (fr): BXL/SF arrival (4h30pm), Night in SF but where ?
D1 (sa): visit SF, Night SF but where ?
D2 (su): visit SF, Night SF but where ?
D3 (mo): road SF/Sacramento (4h), Night in Sacramento
D4 (tu): Family meeting Sacramento, Night in Sacramento
D5 (we): Family meeting Sacramento, Night in Sacramento
D6 (th): road Sacramento/Yosemite (4h), Night Yosemite but where ?
D7 (fr): Visit Yosemite, Night Yosemite but where ?
D8 (sa): road Yosemite/???? via Tiago Pass, Night ??? but where ?
D9 (su): road ???/Las Vegas thru the Death Valley, Night in Las Vegas but where ?
D10 (mo): road Las-Vegas/Zion (3h00), Night in Springdale
D11 (tu): Visit Zion, Night in Zion in Mount Carmel
D12 (we): road Zion/Bryce (2h), Night in Page but where ?
D13 (th): Visit Antelope, road to Monument Valley (2h00), Night in Monument Valley but where ?
D14 (fr): road MV/GC (3h), Night in GC but where ?
D15 (sa): road GC/Kingman ?? via road 66 (4h), Nuit Kingman ?? but where ?
D16 (su): road Kingman/LA via Joshua Tree (6h), Night in LA but where ?
D17 (mo) visit LA , Night in LA but where ?
D18 (tu): visit LA (Universal), Night in LA but where ?
D19 (we): visit LA + road N°1, Night on the road N°1
D20 (th): Road N°1 + Night on the road N°1
D21 (fr): Road to SF + FLight to BXL, Night in BXL.... home ;-)

Best reagards,

JC

Your trip is perfectly doable so it's just a case of 'fine tuning' to suit your needs. After a visit to Yosemite you could stop in Mammoth lakes after sight seeing over the Tioga Pass. That will leave you plenty of time to get to Vegas via Death valley, remember DV is extremely hot and you won't be hiking in July, so it's a case of driving through while stopping briefly at some attractions/ viewpoints for photo opportunities. If you wanted to make up time to be able to drive the coast highway, [you would need 2 full days] you could leave SF late on day 2 and have your first night in Sacramento then and arrive to Yosemite a day earlier. Then you have the option of staying just outside of LA on day 18, perhaps Santa Monica or Malibu beach and then heading to Cambria day 19 and up the coast via Monterey on day 20.

Hello,
We will spend 2 nights in the area of the Yosemite NP.
Should we stop the first night in Oakhurst for instance and spend the day after in the park ans sleep the second night in Lee Vining or is it too tight ?

Thank you

JC

From Sacramento Oakhurst is the other side of Yosemite to the south but it does have a range of lodgings. There are options at El Portal and Mariposa and the Yosemite Bug as I mentioned previously. It's a case of you finding something to suit your budget and needs, ideally staying in Yosemite NP for one night would maximise your time there. You seem to have 'lost' a night for Yosemite from your original plan ?

Hi Dave,


I realize how difficult it is to organize this kind of trip. From now on the different lodges inside the Yosemite NP are already sold out !!, I still have a hope to find something but I still hesitate on the end of the trip between a direct flight between LA and SF en the Road N°1.
Have you any good advice to let me make a final choice ?

I'm holding on my original idea for the Yosemite part:

D6 (th): road Sacramento/Yosemite (4h), Night Yosemite
D7 (fr): Visit Yosemite, Night Yosemite
D8 (sa): road Yosemite via Tiago Pass, night in Mammoth Lake

Best regards,

Quote:

---

Have you any good advice to let me make a final choice ?

---

It's your trip and it's all about what suits you and whereas we try and help make it as pleasant an experience as we can for you, the ultimate choice is yours and how it all fits together. I know I would opt for the drive but that doesn't make it right for others.

Have you looked at alternative lodgings around Yosemite in places I mentioned ? Have you looked at the Yosemite bug here ? Again it's not for everyone and it's your choice to make.

I think you have a nice trip plan coming together so keep at it and as you put the pieces of the puzzle together and more questions come up, don't hesitate to ask.

The coastal highway between SF and LA is really beautiful, but anything more than a short drive/visit could bore kids and teens. Every new beautiful view can start to look like the last one. Depends on what your kids like/want, I guess. (Full disclosure: I'm a single, childless 36-year-old man whose thoughts on these matters come from a lot of time spent with my 9-year-old nephew and 13-year-old niece.)

I think you could easily have two full days in LA, which is one of those places that tugs at the imagination if you grow up on American movies and TV. A lot of the attractions might be "touristy," but they are the kinds of things (Walk of Fame, Rodeo Drive, Universal, etc.) that are also oddly satisfying to finally check off your list. There are also plenty of other less obvious attractions/nature options in the city: Griffith Park and Observatory (you can ride horses there and it's nature-friendly -- I saw a fox and coyote), Venice Beach, La Brea Tar Pits, Huntington Gardens, etc.

I have a lot of friends in SF and LA, so I visit often. If I'm short on time, I fly between the cities, and I'm a huge nature lover who really enjoys drives like the coastal highway and tries to get out of cities when possible (spent 9 days on horseback in Outer Mongolia last year).

For accommodations in either, I'd look at AirBnb and stay in the heart of the city. Lots of young, mobile, well-traveled people living in expensive homes/condos looking to make a little cash while they're briefly out of town. I don't think it is worth your time to stay outside the city proper and take the train in for day trips. The money you save won't be worth the trouble, and your experience of the city will be limited.

For Yosemite, see if you can find lodging outside the park, but call up every lodge in the park and ask them to notify you ASAP when someone cancels their reservation. I've been lucky enough to catch a break this way. It takes a lot of patience and a willingness to gamble a bit, but people cancel all of the time.

Good luck!

Hi,

I thank you all for your help.

"Monument valley. You should have time to check it out from Page and get to the Grand canyon, or at least nearby. Look up the Cameron Trading post near the east entrance to the south rim.
For your night after GC you could find lodgings in Williams to save a few miles"

Dave, do you think that PAge-->MV--> GC could be done in one day (day 13) or do I have misunderstood ?
Between Page and MV I would like to visite at least Antelope.

Best regards,

JC

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by jcgilles

Dave, do you think that PAge-->MV--> GC could be done in one day (day 13) or do I have misunderstood ?
Between Page and MV I would like to visite at least Antelope.

Best regards,

JC

---

This is not a doable day, especially if you stop at Antelope Canyon. These aren't strictly speaking "drive-by attractions" it would be better to add one more night or cut the visit to Antelope Canyon. There is plenty to see at Monument Valley -- especially if you plan to drive into the Tribal Park.

I just went back and looked at your schedule. On Day 13, you show staying overnight at Monument Valley -- I've stayed at hogan nearby called the Firetree Inn but more easier accommodations, my suggestion would be Goulding's Lodge. Even if you don't stay there, the views from the restaurant are very special!

Mark

I agree that with an Antelope canyon tour and if you wanted to take a jeep tour through Monument valley, it would be a long day and maybe too much. However, I do think that with an early tour at Antelope and if you were only to do a brief visit to MV [an hour or so] then you could still get to the Cameron Trading post for the night, which is just a short drive to the east entrance of the GC south rim.

Hi,

The puzzle is almost complete thanks to you.
I will follow your advices, visit Antelope then drive to MV and sleep at Firetree In if it's still available.
The day after I will drive to GC and maybe take a little tour around MV on the morning.

Dave sugggested me to sleep at Williams in place of Kingsman.
Is there any particulary reason because the day after should I have more miles to join LA specially if I make a stop in Joshua Tree.

Is there any other good option for the night between day15 and day16 on the road between GC and LA ?

It was suggested as an option to maximise your time available at the GC and maybe stay to witness a sunset, but Kingman would make a shorter drive to LA the following day and is a better option if you are visiting Joshua tree. It's about 3 hours to Kingman once you have exited the park, so you could still spend much of the day there and arrive in Kingman in the evening.

Hi everyone,

I still have a lot of practical questions but first I would like you to take a look at my last trip planning having in mind these questions:

Is it a good idea to drive thru the Death Valley all day long ?
Is Lone Pine a good place to stay on D8 (someone suggested me to rather stay in Furcace Creek)
On D11 should I sleep in Carmel Junction or closer to Bryce ?
Does the Road N1 still in good condition after the fires of this summer ?


D0 21/7: SF (rest in the hotel, little walk in town)
D1 22/7: SF(visit SF)
D2 23/7: SF (visit SF)
D3 24/7: SF-SACRAMENTO thru the NAPA valley/ Night in SACRAMENTO (Family meeting)
D4 25/7: Family meeting in Sacramento
D5 26/7: Family meeting in Sacramento
D6 27/7: Road to the south + Visit the MARIPOSA GROVE/ back to OAKHURST to spend the night
D7 28/7: Glacier Point + walking in the YOSEMITE Valley/ Night in Tuolumne Meadows
D8 29/7: Road 395, little walk in Mammoth Lake/ night in Lone Pine
D9 30/7: Road thru the Death Valley/ Night in Las Vegas
D10 31/7/ Shopping in Las Vegas + road/ Night in Springdale
D11 01/8: Visit Zion Park/ Night in Mount Carmel Junction
D12 02/8: Visit Bryce Canyon + road / Night in Page
D13 03/8: Visit Antelope + road / Nuit on the Monuments Valley site
D14 04/8: Road + sunset and night in GC Village
D15 05/8: Little walk in the GC + road 66/ Night in Chloride
D16 06/8: Road + visit the Joshua Tree/ Night in Palm Springs
D17 07/8: Road + little walk in Santa Monica/ Night in West Hollywood
D18 08/8: UNIVERSAL Studio/ Night in Santa Barbara
D19 09/8: Road N° 1/ Night in Cambria
D20 10/8: Road N°1/ Night in Monterey
D21 11/8: Return in SF et flight back

I thank you all for your contribution.

JC

It's taking shape nicely !

1)Lone Pine to Vegas via Death valley is a good day on the road.

2)Lone Pine is a nice spot to stay, giving you time to enjoy the meadows, Mono Lake and Mammoth etc on route. Furnace Creek is an option but DV is very hot in summer.

3) Either option will work. Mt Carmel to Bryce canyon is about 90mins and then 3 hours to Page.

4] CA1 should be fine.

Hi everyone,

I'm back on my reseachs now that I have heard that THe Mariposa Grove wil not be open this summer.
Wich alternative do we have to see giant Sequoias nowing that we will leave Sacramento on thursday to reach Oakhurst. Orignally we wanted to visit de Mariposa Groove the same day and go back to the hotel. The day after we go thrue the Yosemit Park and sleep in Tuolumne Meadows.

Should we find another place to spend the night on thursday and visit the Tuolumne Grove ? Or does it exist other place to see Giant Trees that I don't think about ?

Here is my original roadtrip for that part:


D5 26/7: Family meeting in Sacramento
D6 27/7: Road to the south + Visit the MARIPOSA GROVE/ back to OAKHURST to spend the night
D7 28/7: Glacier Point + walking in the YOSEMITE Valley/ Night in Tuolumne Meadows

I thank you for your advies,

Best regards,

JC

Between Sacramento and Yosemite you could detour to Calaveras Big Trees State park along CA4 but it will take a big chunk out of your time in Yosemite. Whether or not it's worth it to you is what's important but personally I might opt for more time exploring in Yosemite.

You should be aware, that in addition to Mariposa Grove now being closed until fall, the coastal portion of your trip will also have to change from your original plan.

CA-1 is closed at Big Sur due to a collapsed bridge and will not reopen until at least September 2017. Essentially, you will have to use US-101 from Monterey to Cambria. You can follow the latest here: http://www.roadtripamerica.com/forum...-Big-Sur-Issue!!!

That's really bad luck !

I have to do with it but is there a good way to deal with it.

For the CA-1 part:
Should I still try to reach Cayucos from LA on day 19 and then take the road 101 to Monterey on day 20 ?

Or should I let the CA-1 down and privilege LA or maybe a 1 day visit of San Diego ?

For the Mariposa Grove issue:
I really don't have any idee. I had in mind to take the road 49 from Sacramento directly to Oakhurst and take a look the same day to the Mariposa Grove area.
I also have a night already booked at Oakhurst.

Shoud I find another place to spend the night on day 6 and try to reach the Yosemite Park from the north entrance ?

Any idea is welcome :-)

JC

I think spending a night in the Cayucos area and Monterey is a good option but there isn't a bad choice, just that which you will enjoy. As I mentioned in my previous post you could visit Calaveras SP for big trees, but there is much to see and do in Yosemite to keep you occupied. You also have the coastal Redwoods to consider, one grove being the Henry Cowell Redwoods State park just north of Santa Cruz. Again it's all about choices.

You could still keep your booking in Oakhurst and spend much of the arrival day exploring Yosemite Valley. There are alternatives in El Portal, Groveland and Mariposa for example if you wanted to be closer, but Oakhurst has a bigger range of options.