West Coast Road trip stop offs?

Hi guys, I'm new to this forum so firstly hello to you all. I'm after some advice and knowledge on places to stop along our long drives. Below are the destinations we are travelling from and we are looking to stop between these to rest, look at scenic views or visit attractions that 'tourists' see and any hidden gems you may know. Thanks in advance.

From: San Francisco CA
To: Yosemite National Park

From: Yosemite National Park
To: – Mammoth Lakes

From: Mammoth Lakes
To: Las Vegas

From: Monument Valley
To: – Grand Canyon

From: – Grand Canyon
To: Phoenix

From: Phoenix
To: Hollywood

From: – Los Angeles
To: San Francisco, CA

Welcome to RTA!

When is this trip? Before you embark, you should ensure that Hwy. 120, the Tioga Pass Road through Yosemite, is open. Otherwise, that Yosemite to Mammoth Lakes Day is going to be a super long one, as you have to go around the Sierras via an open pass. Right now (June 2nd), it's still closed (to my knowledge).

The other thing -- why Las Vegas to Monument Valley and then Grand Canyon? If this were my trip, I wouldn't want to backtrack like that. But at the GC, don't miss either a sunset or a sunrise over the Canyon.


Donna

How much time do you have for this trip and when will it take place ? With enough time you could go from Vegas to Zion and through Page to Monument valley and then to the Grand canyon. We would normally recommend you reverse the trip and head south down the coast to put the ocean on your side of the road, but CA1 coastal highway is closed at the time being.

Thank you so much for your replies. The trip is this August and the route was actually planned by an operator. We'll be there for 2 weeks. Do you think that's enough time to do as you say? Thank you so much for your help.

The beauty of the open road is having the freedom of choice to go where you please and do what you want rather than following someone else's idea of a good trip. We can help you with that but I would urge you to look at the maps and search around these forums for ideas and se what appeals to you so we can help you piece it together.

With 2 weeks you could certainly look at the outline I mentioned and have the time, but it also depends on how many days you would like to spend in the City's. Yosemite is a place where you could easily spend a couple of nights, or as mentioned the second night in Mammoth. From a personal point of view I would much prefer to spend more time in the natural wonders than in the concrete jungles, but that's me. You may have to decide on whether you would rather see Zion more than Phoenix, you could possibly do both, but then again there is Bryce canyon, and in the Page area Lake Powell, Glen canyon Dam, Antelope canyon etc. We can help you build your trip but do a little research and make it yours.

As I told someone on another thread, Phoenix during the summer is like the inside of your oven: HOT. Mostly it's hot and dry, but it could be a humid heat, as late July and into August becomes "monsoon" season. Zion can be much the same, but Bryce (at higher elevation) is cooler. So is the Grand Canyon. You'd have the cooler temperatures *and* the natural beauty at the national parks (for the most part).



Donna

Quote:

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Originally Posted by lozenges

To: Las Vegas

From: Monument Valley
To: – Grand Canyon

From: – Grand Canyon
To: Phoenix

From: Phoenix

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If you are planning to go from LV to Monument Valley via Kanab, then the North Rim of the Grand Canyon would be the logical one to visit. At 1000 ft higher in elevation, it is not only deeper to view, but every bit as spectacular as the more developed South Rim - in fact in some places it is even more spectacular. It is also easier to get around and park. Smaller crowds, especially significant in August No need to wait for a shuttle bus, as you can drive yourself around to all the view points. There are still the short hikes to get away from the visitor centre and of course the rangers with their stories and advice.

You could then head towards MV. You could book a tour, but for me, US163 which passes through the middle of MV is a spectacular drive, even if it means you drive North to Mexican Hat, (or beyond) and back south again. The country you pass through and the route you will take is srunning.

On your way down to Flagstaff you will pass by several attractions, all of which are worth stopping at IMHO - Cameron Trading Post, Sunset Crater and Wupatki National Monument. From Flagstaff to Phoeonix you have the choice of going via Walnut Canyon with it's cliff dwellings or Oak Creek Canyon and Sedona.

Quote:

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....... the route was actually planned by an operator.

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Makes me wonder if this person has ever actually driven around the area.

Lifey

Southwest Dave - I agree, the beauty about this trip is that we can pretty much do what we want when we pass something we like. I'd just wondered if you guys had stopped off at any points and thought what a gem this is! The natural wonders is what we are after really, obviously the concrete jungle is not to be missed, we just prefer the nature side of things.

Donna - Thank you for letting us know this. A few family members are saying its going to be absolutely boiling in each place!

Lifey - Thank you. The other half wishes to walk on this see-through footpath/rim they have built, which is why we have gone for the south rim. What you suggest does sound good though, I'm not sure how I'd work it in without making the change of rim though.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by lozenges

Lifey - Thank you. The other half wishes to walk on this see-through footpath/rim they have built, which is why we have gone for the south rim. What you suggest does sound good though, I'm not sure how I'd work it in without making the change of rim though.

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Be aware! The Skywalk is not the National Park. It is on Indian land near the west rim which is no where near as spectacular as the Grand Canyon NP, which will be familiar to you from pictures and film.

Furthermore, whereas $30 (or the Anerica the Beautiful Pass) will admit all of you in the car to the NP, the Skywalk is charged individually - close to $100 per head. On top of that you will not be allowed to take a camera or a telephone with camera with you, as photos are not permitted. I am not sure if you can now drive all the way, but it used to be that you were driven the last part over an unmade road.

If I were you I would think this over carefully, lest you be disappointed with your visit to what you thought was the world famous Grand Canyon National Park.

Lifey

Quote:

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Southwest Dave - I agree, the beauty about this trip is that we can pretty much do what we want when we pass something we like. I'd just wondered if you guys had stopped off at any points and thought what a gem this is! The natural wonders is what we are after really, obviously the concrete jungle is not to be missed, we just prefer the nature side of things.

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Sure we can but first we need to know those details of where you are going and then we can add suggestions. So are you already tied into an operators plan and if so what does the full itinerary look like, or can you start planning from scratch ? If you can start over tell us what you would like, does Zion NP appeal to you ? How much of your time do you want to spend in SF, LV and LA ? If you give us an idea of your itinerary we can make meaningful suggestions but it all comes from the detail.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Southwest Dave

Sure we can but first we need to know those details of where you are going and then we can add suggestions. So are you already tied into an operators plan and if so what does the full itinerary look like, or can you start planning from scratch ? If you can start over tell us what you would like, does Zion NP appeal to you ? How much of your time do you want to spend in SF, LV and LA ? If you give us an idea of your itinerary we can make meaningful suggestions but it all comes from the detail.

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We are tied to the above areas in that order unfortunately. Below are the durations in each place and few ideas of things to visit and do...

San Fran - 3 nights
Alcatraz, Pier 39, Golden Gate Bridge, Vista Point

Yosemite - 1 night
Nevada Falls trail

Mammoth Lakes - 1 night
boating, canoeing, kayaking, Biking

Las Vegas - 2 nights
General look around, get monorail, Fremount st - night glow

Monument Valley - 1 night
Monument Valley Navajo Tribal Park

Grand Canyon - 1 night
Sky walk west rim (although this may change to Lifey's suggestion)

Phoenix - 1 night
Balloon ride, guided tour on guads

LA - 3 nights
Walk of fame, Hollywood sign, Beverly Hills - Paley Center for Media, Rodeo Drive, Mulholland Drive, Santa Monica/Venice Beach

San Fran - 1 night
Relax!

We know there is a fair amount of travelling between the places so if you can recommend any stop of places in between we can visit for an hour or so to break up the drive that would be great.

Not only is the west rim more expensive and less impressive than the national park, it really is out of the way based on your current plan. The Skywalk is accessed by a tribal road that you get to off of US-93 near Kingman - in other words you'd be backtracking most of the way to Vegas, driving past the National Park in the process!

It's also worth noting that just giving yourself 1 day to get from LA to SF would mean you would have to stick to the freeway and wouldn't have time to follow any of the coast - although the big section from Cambria to Monterey through Big Sur is closed for several months (at least) due to mudslide and bridge damage.

You may want to check out China town in SF and I would certainly recommend you book your tickets in advance for Alcatraz from the only official ticket office.

Any activities you plan on doing at Mammoth lakes I would plan them for early morning before heading towards Las Vegas. You are already very limited on time in Yosemite which is among my favourite places I have been. You could spend a full day in the valley but you really need to see the views of it up on Glacier Point which are spectacular and when you start heading to Mammoth you will need time to enjoy the stops and views along Tioga Pass so you shouldn't plan on arriving to Mammoth until the evening. There is a gas mart as you get near to the junction with 395 where you could turn off at and drive up the hill for views of Mono Lake. In the gas station there is a pretty cool diner called Woah Nellie Deli which serves great food.

From Mammoth, providing you don't get away to late, you could head across Death valley on CA190 to Death valley junction and then take the 'Locals route' along Bell Vista Road into Pahrump and 160 into Vegas. In Death valley you could make quick stops at the Dunes near Stovepipe Wells, Furnace creek and get a good look at the basin from Zabriske point.

You really must visit the south rim of Grand canyon NP and forget about Skywalk as it's a tacky tourist trap designed to lure people to a part of the canyon outside of the National park. If it was anywhere near as good it would be included in the National park system.

Thanks Michael & Dave, really appreciate your feedback. I've managed to convince my partner to go to the South rim based on your feedback. If we are going to the South Rim, is there an address or zip code I can put into the sat nav for the best way coming from Monument Valley?

We've already got Alctraz booked, we thought this would sell out around the date we went so booked in advance.

Mike, the route you suggest from Mamouth Lakes sounds great, we'll take this way round for sure.

Thanks again guys.

You shouldn't solely rely on Sat Nav for your travels, always have paper maps as your main source so you can see the bigger picture. From MV you would head WEST ON us163 to 160 and head south on US89 and west again on AZ64 just past Cameron. This takes you to the canyon in the same direction as the river flows carving through the canyon. Lots of great viewpoints along Desert view drive and the first being the Desert view Watchtower which should be on your Sat Nav, but like I said, make sure you have paper maps for your trip.

Top man Dave. You're a real source of knowledge. Great to have.

My family and I went from Los Angeles to San Francisco last summer and a few of our favorite stops were 17 mile drive (a small fee to enter but AMAZING views), the Monterey Bay Aquarium and the Winchester Mystery House.

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Originally Posted by SarahRose

My family and I went from Los Angeles to San Francisco last summer and a few of our favorite stops were 17 mile drive (a small fee to enter but AMAZING views), the Monterey Bay Aquarium and the Winchester Mystery House.

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Thank you, really appreciated. I'll take a look at these and get them added to our itinerary. Really appreciated.