Vancouver to San Diego

[kolbie]

Hi there! My boyfriend and I would like to do a camping road trip from Vancouver, BC to San Diego and back at the end of August. I would like to do most driving down Hwy 1. We definitely want to stop in San Franciso, LA (we definitely must do disneyland and universal as my boyfriend has never been!), and San Diego (want to do the zoo and sea world etc). I am just wondering if you think 2 weeks is enough time to do this, and any other places you might consider stopping? We've seen most of Washington and some of Oregon so we don't really need to stop much there except maybe to spend the night and maybe a couple neat towns along the way (if you have any to recommend). Also, any campsites along the way that you know are cheap and have good amenities and location would be a great help! This is our first big road trip where we actually get to enjoy the trip! but we are pretty used to long haul driving for moving and such. Any help is much appreciated! Thanks.

[glc]

If you want to go down on 101 and 1, it's going to be pretty slow going and you may start running out of time if you dwell in SF and/or LA for any real period of time. You need to allow 3 days to get home from San Diego taking I-5 all the way, please keep that in mind.

Yes, you can do this in 2 weeks, but you have to plan carefully.

[Elvis2005]

This is a fantastic trip you have planned. I think you can make it in 2 weeks, provided you very plan well. 3 weeks would be more comfortable.

There are tons of campgrounds along the way. You may want to consider booking ahead as that route is popular (summer and all) and some campgrounds can get full. A place I find useful to do my research is http://www.CampingRoadTrip.com I like it because CampingRoadTrip.com has an easy way to select a city, then a radius function, so you can see campgrounds within 25 miles of what ever city you plan to be in that night.

Cities to stop in, well, hard one, but...from north to south along your route, my picks would be:
1. Seattle (WA) - do the underground tours of the city which is super interesting; catch a live band somewhere; fish market is also facinating
2. Cannon Beach (OR) - grab a pizza (great pizza there for some reason!) and sit on the beach and eat it, watching the sun set
3. Oregon Sand Dunes (OR) between Winchester City and Florence - worth doing a sand buggy ride over th dunes, and also looking at the lighthouses in the area
4. Cresent City (CA) - Redwood National Park is beautiful, and some hiking for sure
5. Pt Reynes National Seashore (CA) - has great hikes and jagged coastline, bring camera and water
6. San Francisco (CA) - DON'T MISS ALCATRAZ, there is also Haight Street for some edge / counter culture, the usual Golden Gate Bridge, Chinatown for dim sum, that crooked street etc. A friend of mine hired a mini car thing which she swore was the most fun she's had on vacation!
7. Carmel by the Sea (CA) - quaint town, good to stop for lunch
8. Pebble Beach (CA) - must if you are a golfer, also there is a wildlife sanctury near there (can't remember the name) but you can see seals and all types of creatures basking on the rocks in the ocean
9. Julia Pfeiffer Burns State Park (CA) - one of my favorites for hiking and camping in that area is great
10. Hearst Castle (CA) - worth paying the money and seeing this thing! You'll be impressed by the stories alone. There is a campground around there at Moro Beach or San Simeon (if I remember corrrectly) that is great
11. Santa Barbara (CA) - nice town, worth a stop and stroll
12. Santa Monica (CA) - gorgeous and interesting beach, you'll waste an entire day here and be perfectly happy
13. Legoland California (CA) - fun for big kids!
14. San Diego (CA) - fun city to hang around, but go to Coronado Island, sit by the sea and have a beer.

Have fun on your trip!