san fran - ? it is my first trip to the USA

Hi i am from the UK and myself and friend are coming over to the states for 8 nights.
We will be arriving 9th april and flying home on the 17th 2004. So roughly 6 days

Now apart from staying in san fran for the last 2 nights, we wanted to hire a car and get out and about.

Now i'm aware our time is limited, but what route could we take to give ourselves a sample of the surrounding area.
Is there a circular route which would incorporate the PCH ? or should we go south, north ? stay at home (the last part was a joke ;) )

If anyone has read Bill Brysons book on the UK, well some of it was spot on, mostly the part about brits not having a clue about land mass!! we forget the difference between two inches on a map of britain and two inches on the map of the US can be some 400 miles :)

So any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

Thank you

[imported_Bob]

In 6 days (on the road) you could explore California in some depth, or you could circle out a bit further and take in some of one or two of the southwestern states as well, at a necessarily faster pace. In April, not all of California's highways will be open -- winter snows (see other posts on the site concerning Las Vegas to San Francisco, for example.) But it is possible for you to see some mountain country, old growth forests, beautiful desert areas, maybe even a visit to Nevada, Arizona or Mexico, within the time you have available. What interests you?

Hi bob

thank you for replying

Well coming from london i don't really want to spend too much time in big cities, i would love to see yosemite np if it is possible that time of year, but as long as i get out and about and see plenty of scenery then that would be cool aswell.

And i really should stay away from snow chains, (if possible) because it could well take me 6 days to work out how to use them :)

toni

[imported_Bob]

In less than 6 days of driving, about 250 miles each day between 9:00 AM and 2:00 PM, you could do the following:

See the California coastline south from San Francisco to San Diego, visiting Monterey and Carmel, Solvang, Santa Barbara, & Los Angeles and the mountain village of Julian (and maybe the Anza-Borrego Desert State Park, or a shopping trip to Tijuana, MX). Returning north, the route would follow the central California valleys, along I-5 and SR99, visiting your choice of Sequoia NP and/or Kings Canyon NP, and then Yosemite NP before returning to San Francisco (you should be able to get into Yosemite from the west in April).

This limits the driving per day to leave you plenty of time to relax and see some of the things you encounter along the way. There are many, many attractions along this route. Total miles would be approx. 1400, and the driving time total is about 27 hours. You will find gorgeous scenery, plus historical attractions (such as Spanish missions), winery/vineyard tours, Disneyland (Yoo Hoo!) and all the other delights of the Los Angeles area, etc. You could take the passenger ferry out to Santa Catalina Island (from Long Beach) and snoop around out there for a day. Julian is a quirky little town in the mountains outside San Diego, and is quite often a day-trip destination for locals. San Diego itself has lots to see and do.

Not ALL of these possibilities can be done, but you could do most of them. You might have to leave off one or two in order to get it all back to SFO for your last two nights.

Personally, no matter which direction you choose, I'd make a LOOSE plan just so you can keep track of where you are and what's possible, then just go (and stop) where your whims take you that day.

Of course, going north from San Francisco there is lots to do and see also, so if you'd rather go that way, let us know. I put this together using Microsoft Streets and Trips -- if you want more specifics or have questions, just reply to the post and we can give you more. Bob

&gt; Hi i am from the UK and myself and friend are <BR>
&gt; coming over to the states for 8 nights. We will <BR>
&gt; be arriving 9th april and flying home on the 17th <BR>
&gt; 2004. So roughly 6 days <BR>
&gt; <BR>
&gt; Now apart from <BR>
&gt; staying in san fran for the last 2 nights, we <BR>
&gt; wanted to hire a car and get out and <BR>
&gt; about.<BR>
&gt; <BR>
&gt; Now i'm aware our time is limited, but <BR>
&gt; what route could we take to give ourselves a <BR>
&gt; sample of the surrounding area. Is there a <BR>
&gt; circular route which would incorporate the PCH ? <BR>
&gt; or should we go south, north ? stay at home (the <BR>
&gt; last part was a joke ;) )<BR>
&gt; <BR>
&gt; If anyone has read <BR>
&gt; Bill Brysons book on the UK, well some of it was <BR>
&gt; spot on, mostly the part about brits not having a <BR>
&gt; clue about land mass!! we forget the difference <BR>
&gt; between two inches on a map of britain and two <BR>
&gt; inches on the map of the US can be some 400 miles <BR>
&gt; :)<BR>
&gt; <BR>
&gt; So any suggestions would be greatly <BR>
&gt; appreciated. <BR>
&gt; <BR>
&gt; Thank you <BR>
<BR>
Hi Bob

you are a star, i have taken up most of your suggestions, with the exception of LA san diego.

Ok if i give you my info would you be so kind as to take a look through it for me,if we are passing you i'll buy you a beer) :)

ok i have extended my leave, so we have a little longer with the car hire 9 days now.

so i thought we could leave san fran 82 south? - 1 at montery. continue on the 1 as far as pismo beach. Where we connect with north 101 - paso robles >> 46 east.
now there are two options and i'm not sure which one would be best?

option 1 connect with the 5 south to near arvin then with the 58 to bakersfield.
or
option 2 stay on the 46 east all the way to wasco then south on 99 to bakersfield?

these are both with the aim to head to vegas for a few days.

re-track back to bakersfield and head north on the 99 to sequoia np >>> kings canyon np , we can then check to see if yosemite is accessable.

then continue on the 99 norht to redding>> west on 299 to arcata (eureka) and hopefully to redwood np

&gt; Hi i am from the UK and myself and friend are <BR>
&gt; coming over to the states for 8 nights. We will <BR>
&gt; be arriving 9th april and flying home on the 17th <BR>
&gt; 2004. So roughly 6 days <BR>
&gt; <BR>
&gt; Now apart from <BR>
&gt; staying in san fran for the last 2 nights, we <BR>
&gt; wanted to hire a car and get out and <BR>
&gt; about.<BR>
&gt; <BR>
&gt; Now i'm aware our time is limited, but <BR>
&gt; what route could we take to give ourselves a <BR>
&gt; sample of the surrounding area. Is there a <BR>
&gt; circular route which would incorporate the PCH ? <BR>
&gt; or should we go south, north ? stay at home (the <BR>
&gt; last part was a joke ;) )<BR>
&gt; <BR>
&gt; If anyone has read <BR>
&gt; Bill Brysons book on the UK, well some of it was <BR>
&gt; spot on, mostly the part about brits not having a <BR>
&gt; clue about land mass!! we forget the difference <BR>
&gt; between two inches on a map of britain and two <BR>
&gt; inches on the map of the US can be some 400 miles <BR>
&gt; :)<BR>
&gt; <BR>
&gt; So any suggestions would be greatly <BR>
&gt; appreciated. <BR>
&gt; <BR>
&gt; Thank you <BR>
<BR>
Hi Bob

you are a star, i have taken up most of your suggestions, with the exception of LA san diego.

Ok if i give you my info would you be so kind as to take a look through it for me,if we are passing you i'll buy you a beer) :)

ok i have extended my leave, so we have a little longer with the car hire 9 days now.

so i thought we could leave san fran 82 south? - 1 at montery. continue on the 1 as far as pismo beach. Where we connect with north 101 - paso robles >> 46 east.
now there are two options and i'm not sure which one would be best?

option 1 connect with the 5 south to near arvin then with the 58 to bakersfield.
or
option 2 stay on the 46 east all the way to wasco then south on 99 to bakersfield?

these are both with the aim to head to vegas for a few days.

re-track back to bakersfield and head north on the 99 to sequoia np >>> kings canyon np , we can then check to see if yosemite is accessable.

then continue on the 99 norht to redding>> west on 299 to arcata (eureka) and hopefully to redwood np

Hi Bob.

you are a true star, i have taken on most of your suggestions except for LA and san diego.
i have extended my annual leave, nothing to hectic.

Is the following being a bit too optimistic.

Ok this is what i have in mind (a rough guide anyway)

south from san fran from the 82 > monterey > 1 to pismo beach north on 101 > paso robles> 46 east .

Now i have two options from there and i don't know which is the best one.

option 1 46 east > 5 south to arvin > 58 to bakersfield. then >15

option 2 continue on the 46 east > wasco > then south 99 > bakersfield. then >15

both with a view of staying in LV for 2 nights
(i couldn't resist) :)

back track to bakersfield via 15

99 north to sequoia np and > kings canyon after we can see if yosemite np is accessable?

99 > redding > west 299 to arcata (eureka) then north to redwood np.

finish there and take 101 south to novato? is that where we cross the bridge back to the airport?


what do you think?

You'll be OK on any of the trans-Bakersfield routes, but there is a posting about the BEST one on this site somewhere -- it is between the two routes you mention.

I'd skip either Sequoia or Kings, and do Yosemite instead --I don't think there's much chance it would be inaccessible as long as you approach from the west.

Overall, this is pretty ambitious unless you like whirlwind trips -- to do ALL of this you'll need to stick to the high speed highways as much as possible (US101, I-5, and SR99), and again, stay flexible. You can adjust your plans as you go if you see you're not going to have time for everything. I'm not sure you can do it all and still stay two nights in Las Vegas (I can check later using my trip software if you wish).

Coming back to San Francisco, just stay on US101 over the Golden Gate Bridge and it will take you right past the airport -- SFO has its own exit off the 101.

Perhaps some California experts on the site would comment on these plans to confirm I'm giving solid advice here?

Run a search on "Stockdale Highway," and it will bring up the thread.

we could have a good 9 days or even extend to 10 if we lose a night at san fran. Plus we could also stay just the one night in vegas (or miss it out altogether) which would stop me from gambling.

I'm pretty flexible really and open to all options and suggestions, i would sooner cut down my time in san fran and vegas to see more of the country.

If i'm not using up too much of your time, i would love to take you up on your offer of running a search.
I have tried numerous sites online without much success.

The map that i'm using shows me roughly which roads to take, but i haven't found a site whereby i can check distance and times.

Thank you

toni