Vegas - California Road trip

Advice needed from you worldly well-travelled types.

Me and the Mrs are flying to Vegas for a couple of weeks and are planning a road trip round California. Current plan is to spend a few days in Vegas going crazy then hiring a car and driving to San Fransisco via Death Valley, Yosemite - then returning for a few days chill out time in some sw@nky Vegas Hotel.

Thought about maybe doing L.A, and Universal Studios or Pacific Coastal road, Santa Barbara etc.

Any suggestions of places to go/things to do around Vegas/California would be greatly appreciated, as would advice on places to avoid. Also do we need to book up Motels in advance or are there loads you can just turn up at?

Cheers

Sounds brilliant that. I want to do something like it and will read responses avidly.

It's a lot further than you think. We once had a spare ten days in San Francisco and drove over 1800 miles around that part of California. Yosemite is a must. Giant sequoias at Mariposa grove and the other one. Muir woods north of the Golden Gate for the giant redwoods. Wine valleys at Healdsburg, Napa & Sonoma valley. Gold mine history at Columbia, up near Reno Silver City & Virginia City are interesting. On the coast Carmel is beautiful, Pebble Beach & 17 mile drive are glorious. San Francisco to LA is about 440 miles, I think, so be warned! (edit: 347.16 miles apparently but that's by crow) You should be able to find a motel without any trouble. If you're worried, look up some names online and ring ahead in the morning, worked well for us in New England. Have fun I'm jealous!

It's a lot further than you think. We once had a spare ten days in San Francisco and drove over 1800 miles around that part of California. Yosemite is a must. Giant sequoias at Mariposa grove and the other one. Muir woods north of the Golden Gate for the giant redwoods. Wine valleys at Healdsburg, Napa & Sonoma valley. Gold mine history at Columbia, up near Reno Silver City & Virginia City are interesting. On the coast Carmel is beautiful, Pebble Beach & 17 mile drive are glorious. San Francisco to LA is about 440 miles, I think, so be warned! (edit: 347.16 miles apparently but that's by crow) You should be able to find a motel without any trouble. If you're worried, look up some names online and ring ahead in the morning, worked well for us in New England. Have fun I'm jealous!

Cheers Whitey, ringing ahead sounds like a good plan. Don't want to be too tied down. Definitely doing Yosemite and Mariposa, and I think Napa. Gonna check out Carmel etc now.

Would you say driving from San Fran to Vegas in one go is a bit ambitious? It says 9.5 hours on google maps but I figured if I put my foot down on the freeways I could cut a fair bit off that.

This, or something like this, has been earmarked as the Next Big Family Holiday. Not to subvert the OP's thread too much, but any general tips on road-tripping would be welcome.

Cheers Whitey, ringing ahead sounds like a good plan. Don't want to be too tied down. Definitely doing Yosemite and Mariposa, and I think Napa. Gonna check out Carmel etc now.

 

Would you say driving from San Fran to Vegas in one go is a bit ambitious? It says 9.5 hours on google maps but I figured if I put my foot down on the freeways I could cut a fair bit off that.

That sounds a lot for one day and you wouldn't see much on the way. We did a day trip San Fran - Modesto -Yosemite - Mariposa Grove - Carson City - Virginia City - Reno - San Fran. But we didn't stop in Carson City or Reno and we got back late at night. If you just want to get from A to B then it should be ok. Remember that Reno is to San Fran as Vegas is to LA, a place for getting away and having a bit of fun. The road from Reno to San Fran is downhill all the way, great fun in a BMW but a bit swervy in a Toyota with a flat rear tyre! What time of year are you going?

Take your time and have some overnights between SF and LV. We have stayed West side of Yosemite at El Portal (as its name suggests, at the western gate to the national park) and spent the next day crossing Yosemite. If you want to spend a couple of days in Yosemite (and why not, it's fantastic) there are hotels in the park. They can be a bit pricey, but use your website (Hotrooms.com, Lastminute.com, Expedia.com) for deals.

I don't know when you're planning to go, but the snows to come early and they do shut the Tioga Road pass across the park - and it is a big detour if the road is closed. Check out the Yosemite Park website (http://www.nps.gov/yose/index.htm) which details of road closures.

Depending on what speed you want to go at, once you've crossed Yosemite you might want another overnight stop on the east side at somewhere like Mammoth Mountain, which is a ski resort in winter.

This sets you up you go into Death Valley. You must go to Death Valley, it's an amazing place. First time, we went there in the height of summer (August) and it was 124degs at Stovepipe Wells. The Furnace Creek Inn is a bit more upmarket than the Furnace Creek Ranch (and more expensive). Again, it depends whether you want to potter around the park for a couple of days, or pass through. From Death Valley, it is a relatively easy drive into Vegas.

It's 275 miles from LV to LA and easily drivable in a day, although you can stay at somewhere like Barstow or Victorville.

Universal is a good shout in LA, although if you've been to Universal Studios in Florida you might be a little disappointed as the Florida parks are bigger. However, the California Universal does remain truer to its movie roots.

If you want to do a theme park, Knotts Berry Farm is the best all-rounder, and Mrs Cordelia Knott's Chicken Dinner is the best meal deal at any park (in fact, locals go there just for the meal without visiting the park itself).

Kmotts Berry and the two Disney parks (Disney's California Adventure has taken some stick, but I liked it) are in Anaheim, which is a 30m drive from central LA.

It's worth spending a day in LA driving the length of Mulholland Drive, the road across the top of the San Gabriel mountain which provides all the iconic views of LA. Finish your drive at Griffith Park Observatory.

It sounds shallow, but it's worth spending a day at one of the big galleria shopping malls. Shopping may not be your bag, but if you want to see how Angelenos regard the epitome of the American Dream and what drives the US economy, just have a wander round.

LA is a vast, sprawling city, covering roughly the same area as Belgium.

But driving in the States is rarely a chore. The distances may be huge, but the roads are good, the radio stations are always wacky and there are always interesting places to stop off.

My best bit of advice would simply be to spend as much time as you can before you go on the net, doing as much research as possible.

That sounds a lot for one day and you wouldn't see much on the way. We did a day trip San Fran - Modesto -Yosemite - Mariposa Grove - Carson City - Virginia City - Reno - San Fran. But we didn't stop in Carson City or Reno and we got back late at night. If you just want to get from A to B then it should be ok. Remember that Reno is to San Fran as Vegas is to LA, a place for getting away and having a bit of fun. The road from Reno to San Fran is downhill all the way, great fun in a BMW but a bit swervy in a Toyota with a flat rear tyre! What time of year are you going?

Next week! Got the first Vegas place booked, Yosemite and San Fran. Just left a few days open-ended in the second week. Probably will be either around Napa and the Redwoods then hammer it back to Vegas in a day or down the Pacific coast towards LA then back to Vegas.

Having done this road trip a few years back can say that whilst the roads aren't bad, they can get busy (weekends LA to LV particularly so) and those long drives are hard work. Also didn't help being diverted due to a sudden downpour in August on the drive back from Vegas and taking hours to get to LA.

My favourite part of the road trip was following PCH1 all the way from San Fran to LA (Newport Beach) and taking it easy in Big Sur, Santa Barbara, Moterrey etc. Lovely scenery on the drive.

We were on the go for a full two weeks and it eventually got very tiring. That said, I do think we were burning the candle at both ends and not giving ourselves enough time to recover and enjoy the places we were passing through. Needed a week+ by the pool in Huntington Beach courtesy of Tijuana Tim to recover.

Take your time and have some overnights between SF and LV. We have stayed West side of Yosemite at El Portal (as its name suggests, at the western gate to the national park) and spent the next day crossing Yosemite. If you want to spend a couple of days in Yosemite (and why not, it's fantastic) there are hotels in the park. They can be a bit pricey, but use your website (Hotrooms.com, Lastminute.com, Expedia.com) for deals.

I don't know when you're planning to go, but the snows to come early and they do shut the Tioga Road pass across the park - and it is a big detour if the road is closed. Check out the Yosemite Park website (http://www.nps.gov/yose/index.htm) which details of road closures.

Depending on what speed you want to go at, once you've crossed Yosemite you might want another overnight stop on the east side at somewhere like Mammoth Mountain, which is a ski resort in winter.

This sets you up you go into Death Valley. You must go to Death Valley, it's an amazing place. First time, we went there in the height of summer (August) and it was 124degs at Stovepipe Wells. The Furnace Creek Inn is a bit more upmarket than the Furnace Creek Ranch (and more expensive). Again, it depends whether you want to potter around the park for a couple of days, or pass through. From Death Valley, it is a relatively easy drive into Vegas.

It's 275 miles from LV to LA and easily drivable in a day, although you can stay at somewhere like Barstow or Victorville.

Universal is a good shout in LA, although if you've been to Universal Studios in Florida you might be a little disappointed as the Florida parks are bigger. However, the California Universal does remain truer to its movie roots.

If you want to do a theme park, Knotts Berry Farm is the best all-rounder, and Mrs Cordelia Knott's Chicken Dinner is the best meal deal at any park (in fact, locals go there just for the meal without visiting the park itself).

Kmotts Berry and the two Disney parks (Disney's California Adventure has taken some stick, but I liked it) are in Anaheim, which is a 30m drive from central LA.

It's worth spending a day in LA driving the length of Mulholland Drive, the road across the top of the San Gabriel mountain which provides all the iconic views of LA. Finish your drive at Griffith Park Observatory.

It sounds shallow, but it's worth spending a day at one of the big galleria shopping malls. Shopping may not be your bag, but if you want to see how Angelenos regard the epitome of the American Dream and what drives the US economy, just have a wander round.

LA is a vast, sprawling city, covering roughly the same area as Belgium.

But driving in the States is rarely a chore. The distances may be huge, but the roads are good, the radio stations are always wacky and there are always interesting places to stop off.

My best bit of advice would simply be to spend as much time as you can before you go on the net, doing as much research as possible.

Cheers for that, very helpful.

It was the sheer size of L.A. that was putting me off going there (limited time, don't want to spend it in traffic Jams). Definitely fancy the San Gabriel mountain drive and Griffith Park Observatory though. Might try and take in the views without getting caught up in the city.

Next week! Got the first Vegas place booked, Yosemite and San Fran. Just left a few days open-ended in the second week. Probably will be either around Napa and the Redwoods then hammer it back to Vegas in a day or down the Pacific coast towards LA then back to Vegas.

I did LA to vegas...via a quick side trip to Hoover Dam. Highly recommend the drive LA to Vegas...not loads of stops required (unless you want to see the world's biggest thermometer along the way, no really...only in America) but the scenic views of the Desert, then the city rising out of nowhere on the horizon make the drive worthwhile. It take the best part of the day to do properly.

I would agree that it is further than you think. In 2009 we spent 3 weeks, flying in to San Francisco and out through LA. We spent 3 days in SF, then moved to Lake Tahoe, and on to Yosemite for 4 days. Then back to Monterey for a while. After that, down Highway 1 to Valencia for 6 Flags theme park. We then travelled to Palm Desert for some golf. Finally we moved across to San Diego for 3 days, and straight to LAX for the return flight.

It was a fantastic trip, which we hope to repeat soon, but as the only driver, it was quite tough for me. We would certainly go back to Yosemite and Monterey, and San Diego was really good.

We used a combination of hotel, motel and self catering, but everything was booked in advance. Accommodation seems more expensive than in Florida for example.

Has no one mentioned the Grand Canyon?

Thumbs up from me for Monterey and Big Sur. Loved the feel of Downtown San Fran and obviously Golden Gate bridge, Alcatraz etc

Has no one mentioned the Grand Canyon?

 

Thumbs up from me for Monterey and Big Sur. Loved the feel of Downtown San Fran and obviously Golden Gate bridge, Alcatraz etc

That's in the other direction. I did it from Vegas in a day trip with a colleague in the early 1980s. We had a spare day after an exhibition. Went to bed at 02:00, up at 04:00, taxi to airport, hired a car, off at 06:00, arrived at Grand Canyon 12:00, had 4 hours there, back in Vegas by 23:00 but there were two of us driving. I think it was 360 miles each way.

Silly question, but you have applied for your ESTAs?

Did something similar 10 years ago - flying to LA and then doing a circuit back to LA taking in Vegas, Death Valley, Yosemite, San Francisco and Santa Monica. Its a great trip and wherever you go you'll end up having a great time.

I had some of the best times in places I never heard about before arriving there. Rusty's bar in Bishop CA where I got into a pool competition with the locals and girl burst into tears when she asked for and I gave her a disposable Union Jack bic lighter, the monitor pass in May (80f and snow on the ground), farmers market day in San Luis Obispo when all the students come into to town. The point is I guess is to take in all the big ticket sights, but dont ignore the small places on the way. Also sounds obvious but I forgot there can (will) be a massive difference in climate between LV / Death Valley and SF.

Have done the Big Sur coastline between LA and San Fran twice now, one of the best drives in the world. Better the SF to LA route as you are on the right side of the road for the best views. I would recommend stopping at Santa Cruz for the night, brilliant place. Fun boardwalk, some great restaurants and bars and a general chilled out vibe. Monterrey aquarium is also a must, one of the best in the world and great fun for adults and kids regardless. We found Carmel to be extremely boring with not much to do, but each to their own. Santa Barbara is a good call to stop off as well. L.A. is massive, Santa Monica and Venice Beach are worth a trip out to, but the sheer scale of L.A. is daunting. Whenever we've been, we've rarely managed to get out of West Hollywood and Sunset Strip.

Sounds like you've got a lot on your plate already, but if you can manage it, Kings Canyon is also a lovely drive with some stunning scenery. Vegas can also be a bit daunting if you've never been before. We arrived and took a day to aclimatise when we did a road trip through Texas, New Mexico, Arizone, Vegas and California last year. At the weekend Vegas can be quite expensive, we ended up walking the main drag, buying beer from the Pharmacies and liquor stores along the way as bar prices were stupidly high. If you can, make the most of the all you can eat buffets. A lot of them do Champagne buffets at the weekend, we went to one at the Freemont and it was brilliant. £13.99 for all the food you can eat and all the Champagne you could guzzle.....and it was all delicious. Vegas can be difficult to get out of at the weekend....it took us 3 hours to drive from Vegas, south to the next town where we stopped at a Del Tacos (lovely). Don't know if you've driven in the U.S.A before, however if not, it is an absolute ball. Dead easy though you do have to be ruthless as Americans very rarely let you out in traffic. Also, you have to pay at petrol stations before you dispense the petrol. Do as much research on your route as possible before hand on Google and Streetview, especially in the cities. It is invaluable, especially in L.A. to know where you are going. The view going into San Fran over one of the bridges is amazing and something I'll never forget.

Finally, if you see any, especially when walking the Vegas strip in the Pharmacies or liquor stores, Mikes Hard Lemonade is very, very tasty. Black Cherry flavour was our favourite.

Did this last year.

If you go to wine country, stay on Yountville. Much nicer that the commercialised napa town. Some of the bet restaurants in the area are there. Would recommend lunch at domaine Chandon . Also if you are feeling flush, hire a driver and car. They will take you round some of the best but small wineries that you would never find on your own.

Yosemite was great - stayed in el portal.

Thought la was a bit of a dump, Hollywood boulevard makes shirley high street seem upmarket.

Carmel was amazing, worth driving around the pebble beach golf course as well.

San fran was great, Alcatraz is one of the best tours in the world. Just make sure you book before you go.

California was one of the best holidays I've ever been on. We were told to drive LA to SF as the views up the coast as you hit the mountains are better. Driving North to South you don't get that. SF to LV is a two day trip at least as you'll want to drive through Yosemite and Death Valley at a pace to take it in rather than just with your foot on the floor. We stayed in Santa Monica, Santa Barbera, Monterrey, SF, Bishop and LV. Monterrey was the only dissapointment and that was because the weather was dull and overcast.

Enjoy it, there's loads to do regardless of what you are interested in.

Monterey Bay Whale Watching Trip. Be sceptical, expect to be ripped off see nothing for 40 minutes then IF the big man upstairs is smiling on you that day you will find yourselves surrounded by whales....

We had Blue Whales & Humpbacks. One was so close to the boat I could have stepped onto his back. Got covered in Whale Spume, even today for me and my kids it still ranks as one of the best days of our lives.

We drove from LA to SF, started at Farmers Market and did the coast road. Found a small town just before Hearst Castle & a classic Motel - it was full. They sent us to the top of the Hill and we stayed at a Pine Lodge. Had a cabin that had 2 bedrooms, kitchen & lounge and included dinner for 2 (Kids got Pizza) for $105 for the room.

Pictures of celebs on the wall of the restaurant inc Jennifer Aniston on her honeymoon there. And I have NO idea what it was called.

Yosemite is stunning. Like something from the Lost World. Definitely consider Lake Tahoe seeing as you're not far away. You can then do a nice long desert drive from Reno to Vegas taking in Area 51. Very jealous. Great part of the world.

Yosemite, Hoover Dam , San Diego, Palm Springs Tramway (a must), Giant sequoias (Whitey),PCH,Hollywood Ok,Santa Barbera nice, Queen Mary, Venice Beach/aquarium. All the tourest spots in San Fran a must!! You well never forget it Brillant! Lived and Worked in Cali.

I've done the round trip several times and would recommend clockwise.

Best to get the Vegas to LA desert stint over with early on, stopping only for petrol, food, bladder needs. We have done the 900 odd miles in one long day but it's a drag.

Northwards up Route one is great, clear scenery, although more recently there tend to be fires in the hills behind Santa Barbara. Stop at Venice Beach, Malibu pier, Santa Barbara and San Simeon (Hearst Castle).

Monterey and Carmel are sea orientated and have a relaxed feel to them, we have stayed there as annual holidays on completely different holidays to a road trip.

The aquarium is on the front, Steinbeck's Cannery Row, and canoeing with the sea otters is a good half day as is cycling the 17 Mile Drive, which apart from a steeper section around the hills is all pretty flat.

The Monterey Plaza Hotel on the front generally has accommodation. Carmel is delightful and rustic.

San Francisco is a good day although the weather can be the opposite of everywhere else. Over the Golden Gate bridge to the boat homes of Sausalito and the wine tasting area of the Napa Valley.

Lake Tahoe is delightful.

Yosemite I would maintain is still the best place I have ever been to anywhere in over 50 years of travelling the world . If you can book in advance stay for a week in somewhere like Curry Village. Any hike up to the Vernal and Nevada Falls or Half Dome is great as the paths quickly clear of day trippers.However you will need a wilderness permit for Half Dome. Do not be put off by the ludicrous times given to reach destinations as a reasonably fit European can generally half these.

Then down to Death Valley and maybe a trip to the Grand Canyon , via the Hoover Dam, albeit quite a big detour.

Enjoy !

Can't really add anything to the above...loads of good advice there.

Aintforever - you mentioned you wanted to take in Griffith Park Observatory. If interested in astronomy, and traveling through Furnace Creek, Death Valley on exactly the weekend of 12/13th Oct (that's a big long shot!), my astronomy posse and I, armed with some fat scopes will be enjoying the dark skies there at the airport strip.

Whilst in Las Vegas and you fancied to get away from it for a few hours, there's the scenic Redrock Canyon and loop to the west and Valley of Fire to the East...recommended if you like that sort of thing. Gives you a good taste of desert scenery if the Southern Utah parks (although the magnificent Zion Park is only 3 hours northeast of Vegas) and Grand Canyon are too far out for you.

Enjoy and take it easy man! That's a lot of ground to cover.

I spent a week in Vegas a few years ago, and the one thing I would thoroughly recommend is a Grand Canyon trip. We did a sunset trip with Sundance Helicopters and it was utterly stunning.

Went out in the late afternoon, set down in the canyon (kind of on a plateau, above the floor of the canyon but below the rim) had a bite to eat and then back to Vegas as the sun set, ready for a fly-by down the strip in darkness.

Catalina Island

Randsburg

Lake Havasu

Coranado

Nixon Museum in Anaheim!

Catalina Island

Randsburg

Lake Havasu

Coranado

Nixon Museum in Anaheim!

Meteor Crater and Flagstaff (Arizona is just about doable from California)

Having done a lot of this trip it is a great trip. Think you might be pushed for time though.

My tips not so far included: Look out for elephant seals at Cambria on highway 1. If you fancy a short trip away from the sea Solvang is about the only town I've been to in the States that qualifies as picturesque. (If you're Danish you might want to give it a miss though). North part of highway 1 can be cold and foggy, especially San Francisco - take a jacket! Might be of interest to some, Edwards Air force base do a tour about twice a month, but you have to book before you go.

Lake Havasu

Ah, the place where they thought they'd bought Tower Bridge only to find it was the crappy London Bridge. Can't see the attraction of Lake Havasu myself.

My parents are in their 60's but do this or something very similar every other year. They did Route 66 this year. All they do is book a flight, 1st night's accommodation and a car - after that they just see what happens. Must have done most of USA now and never had any problems.