First roadtrip (LA, SF, GrandC, LakeP, LasVegas)- July 1 --> Aug 1

[Southwest Dave]

There is plenty to see and do in and around SF but it is a fairly compact city and easy to get around, personally I would take a little more time along the coast and spend another night, perhaps in the Carmel area.

[glc]

I would recommend you book a Hearst Castle tour if you add a day between LA and SF.

[Sch0sler]

I've just seen the movie from hearst Castle, and it looks wonderful. It's very near Cambria where we will be staying a night.

Would it be worth just driving arround and exploring the National State Beaches and take another night where the wind blow us before going SFO?
Anything to see on all those state beaches?

[Sch0sler]

When traveling in July, how far ahead do I need to book accommodations in the various areas, is it 2 days, 1 week or can I just show up most places and get a room?

And also

Anything to see on all those state beaches on PC HW-1?

[Southwest Dave]

With regards to lodgings it is a very personal choice between "winging it" and hoping you find suitable lodgings or booking in advance and having the security of a bed for the night. If you wanted to stay inside the National parks for instance it could already be too late as they book up real quick in the high season, [as mentioned in post 4] and when booked up the surrounding nearby towns start to fill as well. If you know where and when you will be in a place, then I would recommend booking asap, if you want to keep things open to change then you will have to gamble but expect to have problems in popular areas, but most people seem to find somewhere.

The scenery is fantastic all the way down the PCH and you will find lots of info on various places by putting key words into your search engine [PCH, Big Sur, San Fran to LA etc].