California Road Trip - How long to spend where

I know this is probably going to leave me with more questions than answers, but I'm hoping my fellow V-Flyers can help me work out the best split of days in various locations around California next summer for a delayed honeymoon.

We'll be flying into LAX (PE as the new Mrs rdm wouldn't agree to UC for this trip :0 ) so the first couple of days will be in the LA vicinity. After that we're planning on going to San Diego - Las Vegas - Yosemite - Napa - Bay Area before flying back (PE again v( ) from SFO after a total of 20 nights in the various locations.

Any suggestions for "must see/do" places would also be appreciated.

Thanks in advance

[Darren Wheeler]

With 20 days, the state is your oyster.

When in 'Summer' are you going as it can make a difference to routing?

We arrive on May 19th & fly back on June 8th, which with the benefit of hindsight isn't great as it means that we'll be hitting Vegas around the Memorial Day weekend so it's a little more pricey (not good for my Yorkshire & Scottish blood!!!).

Sounds like a great trip you're planning there.

Try to visit La Jolla just outside San Diego - lovely stop for some lunch and a browse for an afternoon.

You could always surprise your new wife with UC seats?

You could always surprise your new wife with UC seats?

True, but the K tickets are booked & paid for. Would have been nice to start the trip in the CH at LHR, but given that the outbound is a daytime flight PE will be fine. UC would definitely be better on the way back but upgrade prices are a bit steep at the moment - might see what we can do for miles nearer the time. I've been told that paying cash for UC will lead to decrees nisi & absolute!!!

We did a similar thing over 14 days - it was the best holiday I have ever had. San Fran is great you must go to Alcatraz and do the audio tour, also have a meal in china town. In Yosemite we did a horseback treck which was great fun as OH's horse had very bad wind and I was behind him. Spent the whole thing in hysterics watching its tale rise and fall to blow off noises. In Vegas you must see a couple of shows also the animals at the mirage are worth going to see (have dolphins). Hoover dam is good and we did an early morning helicopter trip o the grand cannon and landed at the bottom. Have a wonderful time,

[Darren Wheeler]

I would say Yosemite, as it'll be reasonably quiet then. Trouble is, May is early in the season and although the park will be open, there is a strong possibility of snow on the ground. It also means you may end up using the west entrance as the Tioga pass may still be closed.

We arrive on May 19th & fly back on June 8th, which with the benefit of hindsight isn't great as it means that we'll be hitting Vegas around the Memorial Day weekend so it's a little more pricey (not good for my Yorkshire & Scottish blood!!!).

If you can plan to avoid Vegas on any weekend, it's so much cheaper! I've seen prices 3 times higher on Friday-Sunday nights vs. a Monday-Friday stay.

[Neil]

We arrive on May 19th & fly back on June 8th, which with the benefit of hindsight isn't great as it means that we'll be hitting Vegas around the Memorial Day weekend so it's a little more pricey (not good for my Yorkshire & Scottish blood!!!).

If you can plan to avoid Vegas on any weekend, it's so much cheaper! I've seen prices 3 times higher on Friday-Sunday nights vs. a Monday-Friday stay.

True, but we hit Vegas on Memorial weekend last year and it was fantastic. It was very busy, but that just helped make it even better, the few days afterwards just felt really flat.

We did a California road trip when my OH retired from the RAF 4 years ago, and went in the may its an ideal time to go to yosemite as you get all the winter snow melt so the waterfalls are in full flight like no other time of year. Yes the Tiogia pass will be closed but the rivers will be at full pelt there is nothing like it to be seen we stayed for 3 nights in a lodge you have to book very early to get in. He tried hiking me up to the top of the waterfall at something like 10,000 feet only made it halfway you need good walking boots and sticks its that difficult.

It can get quite cold in SFO and Yosemite in May and it will be 80+ Vegas. We did the SFO day tour, all the cable car routes and Alcatraz and drove to Yosemite then down to Vegas via Mammoth lakes and Death Valley, best holiday ever.

If you want any more info just ask. regards linda

Depending on whether you have the time between San Diego and Las Vegas, the Joshua Tree desert is worth a diversion (staying at the 29 Palms Inn). As Mallin said Death Valley is also worth the stop.

If you opt to go to Alcatraz, try the night tour and make sure you book in advance. The Cable Car Museum is pretty good too.

Enjoy your trip.

Paul

Worth a visit here even if you don't stay http://www.yosemitepark.com/accommodati ... ahnee.aspx

(PE as the new Mrs rdm wouldn't agree to UC for this trip :0 )

and you still agreed to marry her ????????? )

(PE as the new Mrs rdm wouldn't agree to UC for this trip :0 )

and you still agreed to marry her ????????? )

Well I guess we all have faults!!!!

Anyway, it seems that the general opinion so far (after the disbelief that Mrs rdm didn't want was to fly UC!!!) is that we're going to the right cities on our road trip, but the real question is how to split the time between each of these places?

Happy New Year!

Did the same for my honeymoon, 21 nights - 5 in LA 2 in Disney 5 In Vegas 1 in Grand Canyon 1 in lake Powell 1 in death valley 1 in Yosemite 1 in Sacramento 2 in SanFrancisco 1 in Monterey and 1 in Pismo beach then flew back from LA. About 3000miles driving and plenty of hours in the car but worth it for £3000!

I may be biased since I live here but to my mind there's definitely more to do in SF than in LA - despite the obvious size difference between the cities - so don't spend too little time up here.

There's the obvious ones like Alcatraz, Chinatown, the Golden Gate Bridge, Fisherman's Wharf (for the tacky gifts) but there's also things like just walking around North Beach (the Italian area) or heading up to Twin Peaks to get a great aerial view of the Bay Area. Not to mention that you can drive up to Napa for some wine tasting if you have the time for a day-trip.

As for LA my feeling is always that the "Hollywood" stuff just isn't that exciting so you can visit the Chinese Theater with the cement hand-prints and / or tour a studio if you want or just pick up one of the Star Home Maps but that's about it.

I would definitely suggest taking a drive out to the beaches in Santa Monica though since you won't want to dip your toes in the Pacific any further North in May or you run the risk of getting hypothermia! :0

SFO-Brit

Spent Christmas in Carmel by Sea (Montery) to escape LA and worth a stop - aquarium, etc.

Drive down the coast on PCH - Route 1, rather than the freeways.

Didn't stop at Pismo Beach but it did look lovely - not sure there is much to do there though?

Depends if you want to do the tourist stuff or the nice stuff

If you want to do a helicopter tour of LA drop me a pm and I will recommend someone - I can also do them for you dependding on how many want to go- downtown LA, etc. at night when it is clear is a good trip.

W.

Your right not much in Pismo but nice for a chill day.

If its a drive, then drive to the South Rim of the Grand Canyon and stay there a night at least. Or do the helicopter trip to the west rim (though I'd say if you ever visit Vegas again, the helicopter (or indeed bus to west rim) is much easier to do, so perhaps do South Rim by car for sure).

While I have my SF bias too, I do like LA enough to spend a few days there. Early June is a great time to do the Bay Area IMO, and timewise I'd budget six nights in the LA/San Diego basin, six nights in the Bay Area and surroundings (anything from Monterey to Napa/Sonoma), which leaves you eight days to move around.

It then comes down to whether you want to spend "quality time" in a couple of places, or scoot around and cover as much as you can drive. I've a friend who takes his family on these vacations and he will go through Italy in two weeks, two nights per town, Uffizi gallery for two hours, etc etc. Doesn't work for me, I can't focus that much.

Personally I wouldn't spend more than three nights in Vegas. Joshua Tree is still a great place at that time of the year, although "winter" so far out here has been so dry that we seriously risk having no flowers in the southern deserts, and no water in Yosemite this year. Would absolutely drive through Death Valley and gauge whether you can do Tioga Pass closer to the time (in which case you'd stop somewhere like Lone Pine on the way up), or swing back south and cut to Bakersfield and up 99 to Yosemite area. If you go up 99, a stop in the "minor parks" near Visalia is also an option.

If you go to Joshua Tree, spend a night in Palm Springs - you might as well. Some really fun places to park yourself for the evening.

The biggest downside of this itinerary is that you miss out on the Highway 1 drive. If you wanted to incorporate that in, you would probably skip Joshua Tree and Death Valley, spend three nights in Vegas, then swing back through north LA/Pasadena into the SF Valley, Santa Barbara, then Highway 1 until Monterey, after which you could cut inland at some point and head for Yosemite.

I hope you enjoy driving

[Darren Wheeler]

According to NPS, the Tioga pass is still open

http://www.nps.gov/yose/planyourvisit/tiogaopen.htm

Which if correct, is unheard of. Apparently Tahoe is suffering a snow drought.

Its been in the high 70's/80's here (LA) for last week or so... we were on the beach last week.

Winter hasn't really happened and there are high risk fire warnings in force as it is so dry. Indeed there is a 5 acre one burning a couple of miles away right now.

Friends were in Tahoe for NY and they were on/in the water with their boat.

PW