Aussies to West Coast

[Southwest Dave]

Yep the contingency plan is to go around. But if this occurs, Im tempted to skip Death Valley and head around the fast way to Bakersfield or Fresno to then have more time at Yosemite.

Still contemplating.

Yeah, it's all about making choices and out of the above two it's a tough one as they are both totally different landscapes but somehow share the same magnificence.
So the question, is would you contemplate losing a day in Disneyland area or Vegas? I know I would ;-)

Happy planning.

[CC OZ]

Yeah, it's all about making choices and out of the above two it's a tough one as they are both totally different landscapes but somehow share the same magnificence.
So the question, is would you contemplate losing a day in Disneyland area or Vegas? I know I would ;-)

Happy planning.

We will probably lose a day in Disneyland at this stage. I hope two days is enough. We are staying across the road, so they will be loooong days and nights.

But now the big question is where do slot the extra day between Vegas and San Fran?

How is this fpor a suggested Itenary

Day 1 Leave Vegas for Death Valley. Stay over night in DV

Day 2 Leave DV and head towards Yosemite and stay at ???

Day 3 Leave ??? and head to Yosemite stay overnight at Yosemite.

Day 4 Leave Yosemite and head for San Fran.


OR

Should we just drive Death VAlley to Yosemite in one day and have two days at Yosemite?

OR

Have an extra day at Death Valley?

[Southwest Dave]

For Death valley lodging you could stop at Stovepipe wells near the sand dunes, as the other option [Furnace creek] is probably to soon from Vegas, or as previously suggested you could head towards the Lake Isabella area, but a sunset in the desert is worth stopping for.

I would either head for Yosemite for the 2 nights and have time to relax and enjoy it or if I were to stop in between I would take a detour through Sequoia NP on the 198 [the Generals highway] to see the giant trees. With this option it will keep you on the go, and although it is very scenic it is a slow, twisty mountain road.

[CC OZ]

Ok,

Final itenary is getting pretty close to being locked in.

Day 1 Arrive 6.30am. Quick look around LA to Hotel
Day 2 Disneyland and surrounds
Day 3 Disneyland and surrounds
Day 4 Day tour to San Diego (from anaheim)
Day 5 Drive to Vegas via Barstow outlet stores.
Day 6 Vegas
Day 7 Vegas
Day 8 Travel to Death Valley O/night stop
Day 9 Travel to Yosemite (or Bakerfield.Fresno) via Sequiona NP
Day 10 Yosemite, then travel to San Fran
Day 11 San Fran (Day tour and alcatraz)
Day 12 Travel Big Sur and coast road...closer to LA
Day 13 Coast road, Malibu, to Santa Monica/Venice Beach
Day 14 Universal studios/Hollywood attractions, fly out at 10.30pm

Day 8,9 and 10 worry me for driving hours/times. Is it too cramped? Any advice welcome...

[Lifemagician]

Ok,

Final itenary is getting pretty close to being locked in.

Day 8,9 and 10 worry me for driving hours/times. Is it too cramped? Any advice welcome...

For my money, I'd be inclined to spend a day less in LV and an extra day in Yosemite. But then, I'd rather be in nature than a glitzy city. LV locals may disagree. :)

[Southwest Dave]

Day 8,9 and 10 worry me for driving hours/times. Is it too cramped? Any advice welcome...

8 AND 10 are no problem at all, and 9 is doable with around 450 miles to cover which can be done in 8 or 9 hours going to Yosemite. I would leave Sequoia this time or you won't have the time to get from there to Yosemite and then on to SF while spending any quality time in Yosemite. If you can't find an extra day then I would actually enjoy the drive through DV and continue out the other side before stopping the night as previously suggested. That would mean arriving in Yosemite by lunchtime and having till the following lunchtime before leaving to SF.

[CC OZ]

Ok folks,

the first 2/3rds of the trip is pretty much planned.

The final trek is getting from San Fran back to LA in 3 days. But here is the catch. We want to be within a two hour drive of LA on the last night. That way we can drive to LA in two hours to do Universal studios that day.

So we are after recommendations for a nice beachside place to stay the second last night, then another place to stay 2 hours from LA the last night.

Recommendations?

PS. We are taking predominantly the coast road from San Fran.

[glc]

I would spend the first night in San Simeon. It will be a pretty full day getting there from SF. Then, the next moring I'd take a Hearst Castle tour and head to Santa Barbara for the night. That's only about a 4 hour drive.

[CC OZ]

Getting closer now...7 days until we fly out.

Just sorting out the last few days. How is this for an itenary

Day 12 Leave San Fran. Stay at Monterey

Day 13 Leave Monterey, Stay at Pismo Beach

Day 14 Leave Pismo, Drive to West Hollywood

Day 15 Universal studios, other Hollywood stuff. Fly out that night.

Does this sound OK? What are some attractions to see on the way down? We will probably do Monterey Aquarium, Hearst Castle,

I recall reading somewhere there are 'big trees' on the way down?

Remember, 10 year old an 8 year old kids to be entertained...

[PNW Judy]

The big trees are quite a ways north of San Francisco, if you're talking about the famous Redwoods, that is.

Remember you will need to return your rental car and check in at the airport, probably at least 2 hours before departure. Maybe more for an international flight. And LA traffic can be quite congested. I'm not local to LA so I have no idea how long it takes to get from Universal to LAX. Please allow yourself ample time.

I guess I'm the only one here who is thinking "only 2 days in Disneyland??!!" I'm a big kid when it comes to that place. To get the most out of two days, the Main Street area of the park opens up an hour earlier than the rest of the park. So get there an hour early and then check out the map for the rides. Position yourself as close to the major rides you want to do and then run like heck when they open that part of the park. You can easily get a good ride or two in before the lines start getting really long. Anytime there is a parade, the rides are shorter. We usually bang out a few rides during the parades. You can often see at least part of the parade from the ride line anyway. And the crowds really clear out after the night time show is over so, if you stay after that, you can easily bang out a few more rides with fairly short lines.

This time of year is probably a slower time and they aren't open as early/late so some of these tips may not work as well for this time of year.

Enjoy! I think you're gonna have a great time.