Southwest USA & The West Coast (California, Arizona etc) - General Thread

northwest1965

I guess you could fly into vegas (do GC, possibly stay 1 night there) then back to Vegas for another night and go from there. We have done similar, not San Diego though. We went from LV to DV then up to Yosemite before cutting across and driving up the coast to SF.

JoeA81

Hello all,

Planning a 3 week californian trip.

Current plan is to Fly into San Fran and Fly out of Vegas (after having seen the Grand Canyon) 19 days later.

We want to drive from SF to Grand Canyon over the 3 weeks, and we really want to take in the famous coastal Route 1 drive (Santa Cruz, Big Sur etc) going south - but we also really want to spend a few days walking in Yosemite.

Its seems like we have to choose one or the other, otherwise it would involve some serious doubling back and cutting across which doesnt make sense route wise....or does it? I dont want to spend the whole time driving, but cant decice if I would prefer the route 1 experience or the Yosemite experience (on the way to Grand Canyon). Perferrably both!

The Ideal scenario would be we spend a few days relaxing in SF, and then do Yosemite for a few days, and then Route 1 (or vice versa) and then head towards the Grand Canyon and finally fly out of Vegas (not bothered about seeing Vegas at all).

Is this do-able in 19 days without spending too much time driving?

Thanks,

glenbois

The driving is ridiculously easy over there but I found that I spent too much time getting from one place to another without taking in the culture.

In my planning I worked out how many miles there is between different places and how long it would take to get there. For example:

Los Angeles Intl to Cambria 235 miles (route 1)
Cambria to SanFrancisco 225 miles (route 1)

SanFrancisco to Moccasin 324 miles (to Yosemite)
Moccasin to Bishop CA 297 miles (Yosemite towards death valley)
Bishop CA to LasVegas 377 miles (death valley to Vegas)

LasVegas to Grand Canyon Village 273 miles

I would think again about flying in to San Fran and fly into Los Angeles instead and go north on route 1 (no sun in the eyes that route from what I have read).

blindman

JoeA81 wrote: »

Hello all,

Planning a 3 week californian trip.

Current plan is to Fly into San Fran and Fly out of Vegas (after having seen the Grand Canyon) 19 days later.

We want to drive from SF to Grand Canyon over the 3 weeks, and we really want to take in the famous coastal Route 1 drive (Santa Cruz, Big Sur etc) going south - but we also really want to spend a few days walking in Yosemite.



The Ideal scenario would be we spend a few days relaxing in SF, and then do Yosemite for a few days, and then Route 1 (or vice versa) and then head towards the Grand Canyon and finally fly out of Vegas (not bothered about seeing Vegas at all).

Is this do-able in 19 days without spending too much time driving?

Thanks,

Fly into Phoenix AZ
Drive to GC (228 miles-3 hrs) (or Flagstaff on Rt 66)
GC to Lee Vining (Yosemite entrance) assuming after 1st June (Tioga pass usually open then)
Via Death Valley or Rhyolite NV Goldman Art

Yosemite to SF (West entrance)
SF south down Highway 1-You are near the Ocean side
Stop at \near Hearst castle (do the night tour) \ San Louis Obisbo + Load so other places

Fly out of LAX No one way hire car charges bewteen AZ and CA

My latest trip

JoeA81

Thanks for the advice.

We've decided to drop the Grand Canyon completely and just do a circular tour going SanFran - Route 1 - Yosemite - SanFran. So flying in and out of SF. Hopefully then we can keep the level of driving manageable while still seeing a good range of places and being able to relax for a bit.

northwest1965

JoeA81 wrote: »

Hello all,

Planning a 3 week californian trip.

Current plan is to Fly into San Fran and Fly out of Vegas (after having seen the Grand Canyon) 19 days later.

We want to drive from SF to Grand Canyon over the 3 weeks, and we really want to take in the famous coastal Route 1 drive (Santa Cruz, Big Sur etc) going south - but we also really want to spend a few days walking in Yosemite.

Its seems like we have to choose one or the other, otherwise it would involve some serious doubling back and cutting across which doesnt make sense route wise....or does it? I dont want to spend the whole time driving, but cant decice if I would prefer the route 1 experience or the Yosemite experience (on the way to Grand Canyon). Perferrably both!

The Ideal scenario would be we spend a few days relaxing in SF, and then do Yosemite for a few days, and then Route 1 (or vice versa) and then head towards the Grand Canyon and finally fly out of Vegas (not bothered about seeing Vegas at all).

Is this do-able in 19 days without spending too much time driving?

Thanks,

Two years ago, we flew into Vegas. Stayed for a few days (too long for us:)). Went for an overnight to GC. Back to Vegas for an overnight. It's well worth the time travelled. From there, to Death Valley. You really should do this. Up to Yosemite for a couple of days. Then across to Monterey and up the coast to SF. We spent 14 days doing this.

I would say, it depends on what you really like doing. Prioritise. The driving is so easy. Scenery is always changing.
Have fun

janemac01

Hi we're planning a 2-3 week trip flying into Las vegas, july - august this year, then on to San fran to fly out, wanted to hire a campervan or RV as I know they're called, just wondered if anyone had any dealing or experiences of hiring and also any tips for good campsites, want to stay in GC, then along the way to San Fran, taking in the giant redwoods, my most looked forward to bit of the trip. 2 adults, 3 kids 9.12 and 16, thanks

Vikki_74

janemac01 wrote: »

Hi we're planning a 2-3 week trip flying into Las vegas, july - august this year, then on to San fran to fly out, wanted to hire a campervan or RV as I know they're called, just wondered if anyone had any dealing or experiences of hiring and also any tips for good campsites, want to stay in GC, then along the way to San Fran, taking in the giant redwoods, my most looked forward to bit of the trip. 2 adults, 3 kids 9.12 and 16, thanks

I've always fancied doing the RV thing but never have as the cost compared to a car & hotels didn't seem worth it in the end. There are a few links to older posts on the subject on the first page of this thread which might help though.

If you don't have it already, here is the link for RV sites at the Grand Canyon:

http://www.nps.gov/grca/planyourvisit/cg-sr.htm

For there and other popular spots (including in/near any of the other National Parks) I would get something booked ASAP if there's still availability - bookings open 6 months in advance and for a busy period like the summer you may find places are already booked up.

jackieblack

Vikki_74 wrote: »

I've always fancied doing the RV thing but never have as the cost compared to a car & hotels didn't seem worth it in the end.

Same here.
Also, there have been some amazing roads we have driven that I would not want to drive in an RV, if those roads were even accessible to RVs! (The 120 'scenic route' to Yosemite springs to mind.) Seems a shame to limit what route you can take between points when the secenary is so spectacular.

Someone we know spent most of their RV trip down the PCH in the back with her hands over her eyes as she was too terrified to look!

JoeA81

OK our definate plan now is to Fly into San Fran, and stay there for 4 days.

Then we are going to drive down the PCH on Route 1 going through Santa Cruz, Monterey, Big Sur etc until we get to Cambria.

Then from Cambria we will cut across east to the National Parks, and go up through Kings Canyon, Yosemite, through the Tioga Pass, up to Lake Taho, and then finally back to San Fran for the Flight home 19 days after arriving.

We have booked the 4 nights in San Fran, and have almost booked up accomodation for all the days we plan to spend in the Kings Canyon/Yosemite.

We wanted to retain a little flexibility in our highway 1 drive (which we plan to spend 5-7 days doing), so if we liked a certain place we could stay an extra day perhaps and then whiz through anywhere that didnt really grab us.

Is it realistic to expect to be able to walk into hotels/motels along route 1 anywhere between Santa Cruz and Cambria with nothing booked in advance? Are there lots of places to stay or is accomodation more scarce - in which case should we book in advance to ensure we have somewhere to stay?

Thanks for any advice.