West USA road trip - Things to do?
Discussion
Hi everyone,
In February my wife and I are on a 10 day road trip which is as follows
San Francisco 2 BT’s
Yosemite
Death Valley
Vegas 2 BT’s
Grand Canyon
Phoenix
Palm Springs
LA
Does anyone have any recommendations on things to do in these places or routes to take/ pit stops or diversions?
I don’t particularly want to just get on the interstate to go from place to place.
At the moment the car booked is a Mazda 3 but I will try and upgrade, I can’t do a US road trip with a car I can get here!
Al tips appreciated!
Bob
In February my wife and I are on a 10 day road trip which is as follows
San Francisco 2 BT’s
Yosemite
Death Valley
Vegas 2 BT’s
Grand Canyon
Phoenix
Palm Springs
LA
Does anyone have any recommendations on things to do in these places or routes to take/ pit stops or diversions?
I don’t particularly want to just get on the interstate to go from place to place.
At the moment the car booked is a Mazda 3 but I will try and upgrade, I can’t do a US road trip with a car I can get here!
Al tips appreciated!
Bob
My initial thought, having done something similar, is that 10 days is probably not really long enough.
We had 16 nights and could have done with more tbh.
Yosemite in February could be interesting weather wise and I suspect that to get to Death Valley from there may involve a long drive as the Tioga pass May be closed with snow
https://www.nps.gov/yose/planyourvisit/seasonal.ht...
It’s a long drive even without a detour although stunning scenery- we went from snow at the top of Tioga to 40 C plus in one day.
Some of the viewpoints in Death Valley are spectacular as is the Grand Canyon which you can do from Vegas.
Personally, in February, you may be better missing Yosemite out all together - still a long drive from San Fran though.
If you can re route, then you may be better starting from LA and, much as I like SF, giving it a miss this time to concentrate on the other places on your list.
We had 16 nights and could have done with more tbh.
Yosemite in February could be interesting weather wise and I suspect that to get to Death Valley from there may involve a long drive as the Tioga pass May be closed with snow
https://www.nps.gov/yose/planyourvisit/seasonal.ht...
It’s a long drive even without a detour although stunning scenery- we went from snow at the top of Tioga to 40 C plus in one day.
Some of the viewpoints in Death Valley are spectacular as is the Grand Canyon which you can do from Vegas.
Personally, in February, you may be better missing Yosemite out all together - still a long drive from San Fran though.
If you can re route, then you may be better starting from LA and, much as I like SF, giving it a miss this time to concentrate on the other places on your list.
10 days is no where near enough to do all of that
I've done a good few RV trips in the West and Mid-West from 2016 to 2021 (new one planned for next year)
The link below is the route I used in 2016 (our 1st ever RV trip in USA) that took 14 days - and that was not but a million miles enough either. We assumed, as you have that it's all doable. You come home knackered. Subsequent RV trips have been far more cut-down and specific to make the most of the things you want to see etc.
You have to consider how vast distances actually are.
To give you an example, part of your route is likely to traverse the Mojave desert - which is 2x the size of Lithuania.
Another example - driving from Yosemite to Vegas via Death Valley is 375 miles and then requires a 50 mile each way detour into the DV park at 30mph. That would only get you to bad water creek if you were lucky. You'd also be knackered (although stay in Furnace Creek is a winner!!)
What you have listed there, even in a car or RV is actually two 2 week holidays
My notes below : Sorry for formatting
Date Start Finish Notes
07/02/2016 LHR SFO Flight 1540 LHR - Lands 1830 - Pier 2920 Hotel
07/03/2016 San Fran San Fran Pier 2920 Hotel
07/04/2016 San Fran San Fran Pier 2920 Hotel - Alcatraz Booked - Collect ticket- Need Picnic or something for 4th
07/05/2016 San Fran Morro Bay "Pier 2920 Hotel - Check Out - Collect RV Early Bird - Need Uber early Morning - Drive to Morro Bay RV Camp Ground - 250 Miles via HWY 1
"
07/06/2016 Morro Bay Las Vegas 430 Miles via Santa Barbara and LA to Oasis RV Campground LV
07/07/2016 Las Vegas Las Vegas Bellagio Fountains, Freemont St Lights, Venetian Grand Canal, Pawn Stars
07/08/2016 Las Vegas Williams 310 miles, Hoover Dam, Skywalk, Canyon Railway RV Campground
07/09/2016 Williams Williams Grand Canyon Village via Train Parlor Class Day Trip
07/10/2016 Williams Furnace Creek 330 Miles - Furnace Creek Campground
07/11/2016 Furnace Creek Yosemite Through Death Valley to Yosemite Pines Campground 375 miles
07/12/2016 Yosemite Yosemite Nature stuff
13/7/2016 Yosemite Yosemite Nature Stuff
14/7/2016 Yosemite Newark then Carmel Return RV in San Fran and go Camel by Taxi ? 120 miles - Best Western Plus
15/7/2016 Carmel Carmel Beach
16/7/2016 Carmel SFO then LHR Get to airport taxi - Flight 1740 - Lands 1200
Edited :
So with your 10 days
San Francisco 2 BT’s
Yosemite
Death Valley
Vegas 2 BT’s
Grand Canyon
Fly into SF and stay 2 nights (book Alcatraz and enjoy the place - it's awesome)
Drive to Yosemite and stay 3 nights (this is a minimum)
Drive to Furnace creek and stay 2 nights (gives you chance to see some of DV - not all by any means)
Drive to LV and stay 2 nights (drive to Valley of fire for the day and do a bbq - it's only an hour away) (you do NOT have enough time for Zion)
You could drive to the Canyon but with the time you have you really should just get a helicopter ride - do it properly another time
I've done a good few RV trips in the West and Mid-West from 2016 to 2021 (new one planned for next year)
The link below is the route I used in 2016 (our 1st ever RV trip in USA) that took 14 days - and that was not but a million miles enough either. We assumed, as you have that it's all doable. You come home knackered. Subsequent RV trips have been far more cut-down and specific to make the most of the things you want to see etc.
You have to consider how vast distances actually are.
To give you an example, part of your route is likely to traverse the Mojave desert - which is 2x the size of Lithuania.
Another example - driving from Yosemite to Vegas via Death Valley is 375 miles and then requires a 50 mile each way detour into the DV park at 30mph. That would only get you to bad water creek if you were lucky. You'd also be knackered (although stay in Furnace Creek is a winner!!)
What you have listed there, even in a car or RV is actually two 2 week holidays
My notes below : Sorry for formatting
Date Start Finish Notes
07/02/2016 LHR SFO Flight 1540 LHR - Lands 1830 - Pier 2920 Hotel
07/03/2016 San Fran San Fran Pier 2920 Hotel
07/04/2016 San Fran San Fran Pier 2920 Hotel - Alcatraz Booked - Collect ticket- Need Picnic or something for 4th
07/05/2016 San Fran Morro Bay "Pier 2920 Hotel - Check Out - Collect RV Early Bird - Need Uber early Morning - Drive to Morro Bay RV Camp Ground - 250 Miles via HWY 1
"
07/06/2016 Morro Bay Las Vegas 430 Miles via Santa Barbara and LA to Oasis RV Campground LV
07/07/2016 Las Vegas Las Vegas Bellagio Fountains, Freemont St Lights, Venetian Grand Canal, Pawn Stars
07/08/2016 Las Vegas Williams 310 miles, Hoover Dam, Skywalk, Canyon Railway RV Campground
07/09/2016 Williams Williams Grand Canyon Village via Train Parlor Class Day Trip
07/10/2016 Williams Furnace Creek 330 Miles - Furnace Creek Campground
07/11/2016 Furnace Creek Yosemite Through Death Valley to Yosemite Pines Campground 375 miles
07/12/2016 Yosemite Yosemite Nature stuff
13/7/2016 Yosemite Yosemite Nature Stuff
14/7/2016 Yosemite Newark then Carmel Return RV in San Fran and go Camel by Taxi ? 120 miles - Best Western Plus
15/7/2016 Carmel Carmel Beach
16/7/2016 Carmel SFO then LHR Get to airport taxi - Flight 1740 - Lands 1200
Edited :
So with your 10 days
San Francisco 2 BT’s
Yosemite
Death Valley
Vegas 2 BT’s
Grand Canyon
Fly into SF and stay 2 nights (book Alcatraz and enjoy the place - it's awesome)
Drive to Yosemite and stay 3 nights (this is a minimum)
Drive to Furnace creek and stay 2 nights (gives you chance to see some of DV - not all by any means)
Drive to LV and stay 2 nights (drive to Valley of fire for the day and do a bbq - it's only an hour away) (you do NOT have enough time for Zion)
You could drive to the Canyon but with the time you have you really should just get a helicopter ride - do it properly another time
Edited by arfur on Saturday 30th July 18:07
Edited by arfur on Saturday 30th July 18:14
BigGingerBob said:
Thanks everyone, I’m thinking of sacking off Phoenix as it’s a 6hr drive from the previous stop and another 6 hours to Palm Springs. I fancy a couple of nights there to look around
Are you flying back from LAX ?If so then it's 4 hour drive from LV if you time it right and ignore the speed limits - 5.5 hours if you don't. Best bet is to leave early from LV and use the time you have when you get to LA to go see the Hollywood sign etc on the way to the airport, it's not far out of your way really.
We were in Palm Springs area over xmas/NY 21/22 and it is wonderful. Book that separately for a week some time. It really is a lovely area
PM me if you need any advice. We have done a lot of West/Mid West touring and visits in RVs and cars ..
craig1912 said:
As said you will struggle getting from Yosemite to Death Valley in Feb. We did that in June and the Tiago Pass had only just opened a few days before we drove through. A few feet of snow piled up at the road side.
Very true - I'd missed the Feb bit in the OP's postIn fact, as it's Feb - OP - Forget my ramblings, they were meant for may/june/july. Your route from SF to LV via Yosemite and DV may well require chains if you are unlucky
Fly in to SF and stay a couple of days
Go to Carmel and stay a day
Go to Santa Barbara for a day or so
Go to LV for 3 days OR go to Palm Springs, not both
Go back to LA
IMHO LA is a hole, I wouldn't waste too much time there - Huntington / Newport beaches etc are nice for a wander around but I don't know how quiet it'd be that early in the year.
As far as the grand canyon goes, not far from Vegas is the west rim, it isn't actually part of the national park and has the skywalk and helicopter rides etc. From what I understand its designed as a handy day trip from Vegas. The south rim that is in the national park are a lot further over, maybe 4 hours ride, I think you can get helicopter/small plane runs out there and transfers to the canyon itself but don't know if they'd be running at that time of year..
The north rim is also part of the national park but is closed until May. Seems the west rim doesn't open until March.
If you're going to the South rim, not that far away (about 40 miles out of Flagstaff) is a big meteor crater called the Barringer Crater, didn't get the chance to go but I'm told its quite impressive.
You didn't mention the hoover dam & boulder city which are close to Vegas.
I did a quick route of the places you'd mention and its over 1400 miles, so you'd be doing ~150 miles a day, keep in mind the weather issues mentioned above and CA traffic, you won't get much time to see anything.
As far as the grand canyon goes, not far from Vegas is the west rim, it isn't actually part of the national park and has the skywalk and helicopter rides etc. From what I understand its designed as a handy day trip from Vegas. The south rim that is in the national park are a lot further over, maybe 4 hours ride, I think you can get helicopter/small plane runs out there and transfers to the canyon itself but don't know if they'd be running at that time of year..
The north rim is also part of the national park but is closed until May. Seems the west rim doesn't open until March.
If you're going to the South rim, not that far away (about 40 miles out of Flagstaff) is a big meteor crater called the Barringer Crater, didn't get the chance to go but I'm told its quite impressive.
You didn't mention the hoover dam & boulder city which are close to Vegas.
I did a quick route of the places you'd mention and its over 1400 miles, so you'd be doing ~150 miles a day, keep in mind the weather issues mentioned above and CA traffic, you won't get much time to see anything.
craig1912 said:
As said you will struggle getting from Yosemite to Death Valley in Feb. We did that in June and the Tiago Pass had only just opened a few days before we drove through. A few feet of snow piled up at the road side.
We were the same - kept looking at how the snow clearing was going and was getting a tad concerned but I think it opened a few days before we left the UKBigGingerBob said:
I know it’s not really long enough which is why I’m thinking of binning off Phoenix. The crater is a great shout! I’ve always wanted to see it
Did four weeks this June in that area, back again for four weeks over Xmas. Palm Springs I have been to twice a year for 25 years , make sure you can walk to downtown otherwise it ain’t Palm Springs. ,!!, Your itinerary looks a little “non holiday” I would shorten the time on the road, do a little research and of course ask on here .
You asked for recommendations for things to see and do on your trip.
Pier 39 in SF
Monterey Bay Aquarium in Carmel
Beach at Santa Barbara (hire bikes if you fancy it)
El Capitan in Yosemite.
Venice beach in LA
You need at least another 10 days to see all the places on your list and have time to relax and see stuff. I'm glad someone else said not to bother with LA. I wish I hadn't. The traffic is something else. I'd like to have had time to carry on to San Diego but ran out of days.
Pier 39 in SF
Monterey Bay Aquarium in Carmel
Beach at Santa Barbara (hire bikes if you fancy it)
El Capitan in Yosemite.
Venice beach in LA
You need at least another 10 days to see all the places on your list and have time to relax and see stuff. I'm glad someone else said not to bother with LA. I wish I hadn't. The traffic is something else. I'd like to have had time to carry on to San Diego but ran out of days.
With 10 nights I would just head south and enjoy the coast. You’re not going to see much of that properly at all otherwise. I’d do 3 nights in San Francisco if you haven’t been before
Not sure who you’ve hired the car from but sign up to their loyalty programme if it’s one of the bigger companies. That will enable you to bypass the counter and pick a car of your choice from the relevant category.
Not sure who you’ve hired the car from but sign up to their loyalty programme if it’s one of the bigger companies. That will enable you to bypass the counter and pick a car of your choice from the relevant category.
I've spent a lot of time touring the west coast and the desert states, and as others have said, 10 nights is not nearly enough for the itinerary you are thinking about. I'm assuming from your post that you are flying into San Fran and out of LA, and you didn't visit California before, so my suggestions are based on this assumption.
First off I would ditch Phoenix. If you ever end up staying there, Scottsdale is a nice part of town to stay and hang out in, and driving around is cool (lots of cactus!) but it's too much of a detour for 10 days.
Some people love San Fran, I'm not a great fan, but if it's your first time there I'd allow 3 nights from your 10 day itinerary. You won't get much done on the first day as it's a long flight and you'll arrive late. I'd book an Alcatraz Tour in advance, Golden Gate Park, Cable Cars, Pier 39, Fisherman's Wharf, Coit Tower.
After San Fran I'd make a call on whether you want mountains and forests or coast, or a mix of both.
- If you want to focus on mountains and forest, then an early start and drive to Yosemite. Drive around the park a bit, see El Capitan and Half Dome, maybe some walking. There is zero chance of the Tioga Pass being open in February, so you'll have to retrace your route out of the park. I'd probably head for somewhere in the vicinity of Visalia for my next stop. Two nights here will give you a chance to visit King's Canyon and/or Sequoia National Park, both of which are magnificent.
- If you want a bit of Pacific Coast Highway action, then I'd drive down Route 1 as far as Monterey. It's a lovely town, have lunch there, and explore a bit and then head for Visalia as above.
- If you'd rather focus on the Pacific Coast Highway, then I'd stop in Monterey for lunch, and make Santa Barbara as my destination and plan to stop a couple of nights there. It's a lovely place, and a very different relaxed vibe compared to places like Santa Monica.
Death Valley is on your list and well worth seeing. If you brace for an early start and long day of driving, you could make it from Santa Barbara or Visalia to Vegas via Death Valley. There are plenty of places to stop which will mean taking some detours off the main route: Badwater Basin, Dante's View, Zabriskie Point, Furnace Creek Visitor centre.
I'd allow 4 nights in Vegas, one for the Strip, one for Downtown / Fremont Street area along with some shows, and two for excursions. If you really want to, you can drive to South Rim of the Grand Canyon from Vegas in a day and back again, but it's a long old drive. Instead I'd book a trip in a small plane - there are a number of operators, and you'll see and experience so much more. Personally I'd avoid the helicopter tours, a few too many accidents over the years for comfort. There are a number of other places for potential day or half day, including the Hoover Dam, Lake Mead, Valley of Fire and Red Rock Canyon.
The final night I'd plan on staying in LA, and rather than just take the Interstate all the way there, if you add on an hour or two, you could detour through Joshua Tree National Park. Relaxed final night somewhere near the Pacific, and depending on the time of your flight home, a little time the next day in LA, or up the coast a little in Santa Monica or Malibu.
First off I would ditch Phoenix. If you ever end up staying there, Scottsdale is a nice part of town to stay and hang out in, and driving around is cool (lots of cactus!) but it's too much of a detour for 10 days.
Some people love San Fran, I'm not a great fan, but if it's your first time there I'd allow 3 nights from your 10 day itinerary. You won't get much done on the first day as it's a long flight and you'll arrive late. I'd book an Alcatraz Tour in advance, Golden Gate Park, Cable Cars, Pier 39, Fisherman's Wharf, Coit Tower.
After San Fran I'd make a call on whether you want mountains and forests or coast, or a mix of both.
- If you want to focus on mountains and forest, then an early start and drive to Yosemite. Drive around the park a bit, see El Capitan and Half Dome, maybe some walking. There is zero chance of the Tioga Pass being open in February, so you'll have to retrace your route out of the park. I'd probably head for somewhere in the vicinity of Visalia for my next stop. Two nights here will give you a chance to visit King's Canyon and/or Sequoia National Park, both of which are magnificent.
- If you want a bit of Pacific Coast Highway action, then I'd drive down Route 1 as far as Monterey. It's a lovely town, have lunch there, and explore a bit and then head for Visalia as above.
- If you'd rather focus on the Pacific Coast Highway, then I'd stop in Monterey for lunch, and make Santa Barbara as my destination and plan to stop a couple of nights there. It's a lovely place, and a very different relaxed vibe compared to places like Santa Monica.
Death Valley is on your list and well worth seeing. If you brace for an early start and long day of driving, you could make it from Santa Barbara or Visalia to Vegas via Death Valley. There are plenty of places to stop which will mean taking some detours off the main route: Badwater Basin, Dante's View, Zabriskie Point, Furnace Creek Visitor centre.
I'd allow 4 nights in Vegas, one for the Strip, one for Downtown / Fremont Street area along with some shows, and two for excursions. If you really want to, you can drive to South Rim of the Grand Canyon from Vegas in a day and back again, but it's a long old drive. Instead I'd book a trip in a small plane - there are a number of operators, and you'll see and experience so much more. Personally I'd avoid the helicopter tours, a few too many accidents over the years for comfort. There are a number of other places for potential day or half day, including the Hoover Dam, Lake Mead, Valley of Fire and Red Rock Canyon.
The final night I'd plan on staying in LA, and rather than just take the Interstate all the way there, if you add on an hour or two, you could detour through Joshua Tree National Park. Relaxed final night somewhere near the Pacific, and depending on the time of your flight home, a little time the next day in LA, or up the coast a little in Santa Monica or Malibu.
For 10 days I'd just do LA -> Vegas with side trips to Death Valley and the GC.
If it is not closed you can drive through the Angeles Crest Highway to get out of LA and into the desert.
Definitely go to the South Rim of the canyon, as it is the best part. There several Route 66 tourist trap towns on the way, for good or ill.
At both Death Valley and the GC make sure you make the effort to go for a stroll beyond the basic viewing areas next to the car parks - there's excellent scenery just a few minutes walk away from the crowds.
If it is not closed you can drive through the Angeles Crest Highway to get out of LA and into the desert.
Definitely go to the South Rim of the canyon, as it is the best part. There several Route 66 tourist trap towns on the way, for good or ill.
At both Death Valley and the GC make sure you make the effort to go for a stroll beyond the basic viewing areas next to the car parks - there's excellent scenery just a few minutes walk away from the crowds.
BigGingerBob said:
I know it’s not really long enough which is why I’m thinking of binning off Phoenix. The crater is a great shout! I’ve always wanted to see it
Phoenix is very meh anyway. It’s essentially a collection of golf courses filled with facelifted wealthy retirees who’ve fled the north for their holiday homes. There’s a few nice restaurants in Scottsdale but it’s an utterly soulless place certainly not worth driving all that way to see it.As others have said there’s way too much on that list for 10 days. You’ll just spend the whole time driving and not actually seeing anything. Are you prepared for the winter weather in Yosemite? It’s an amazing place but unless you’re wanting to go hiking in the ice and snow it might not the best place to visit at that time of year. I’m guessing you’ve looked at Google maps for distances and times and it’s telling you can do DV from Yosemite in 6 hours? With the Tioga pass closed as it will definitely be at that time of year it’s a minimum of 8 hours.
If I had that time and those starting and finishing points and a desire to see DV I’d go:
SF
(Yosemite)
Death Valley
Vegas
(Palm Springs)
San Diego
Leave from LA without stopping there
Picking one or neither of the bracketed destinations.
I've probably linked it on here before, and it seems the photos no longer load annoying but here's the road trip diary of a similar trip I did a few years ago now, though I imagine much of it still holds true.
If you only see one thing in that part of the USA, make sure it's Hearst Castle - I'd fly over again just to go back there, it was that good.
https://www.roadtripamerica.com/forum/showthread.p...
If you only see one thing in that part of the USA, make sure it's Hearst Castle - I'd fly over again just to go back there, it was that good.
https://www.roadtripamerica.com/forum/showthread.p...
I might have to come back to this thread as and when I think of things, but depending on what type of thing interests you, I would still do a few days in LA personally, for the following reasons.
We stayed in Pasadena, which is a lovely city. Very friendly people, so great architecture and a very lively music/arts scene.
Hollywood. Only needs half a day because it is a s
thole but worth going to see Graumans chinese theatre, the walk of fame and the capitol records building. Use the rest of the day to have a look round Beverly Hills and maybe a visit to the Petersen automotive museum.
Universal Studios is a good day out IMO (buy the fast access passes, very much worth the money)
We did a couple of days at Disney, but I get that its not for everyone.
If you want to do some car stuff both Foose and West Coast Customs have shop tours IIRC and there used to be some amazing car meets and shows, but they were usually in the summer, not sure about February.
We stayed in Pasadena, which is a lovely city. Very friendly people, so great architecture and a very lively music/arts scene.
Hollywood. Only needs half a day because it is a s
thole but worth going to see Graumans chinese theatre, the walk of fame and the capitol records building. Use the rest of the day to have a look round Beverly Hills and maybe a visit to the Petersen automotive museum.Universal Studios is a good day out IMO (buy the fast access passes, very much worth the money)
We did a couple of days at Disney, but I get that its not for everyone.
If you want to do some car stuff both Foose and West Coast Customs have shop tours IIRC and there used to be some amazing car meets and shows, but they were usually in the summer, not sure about February.
HI,
I'd put two things at the very top of your itinerary:
1. Grand Canyon - just unbelievable. Give yourself some extra time to appreciate it. As has been said, the South Rim is best (because it's about 1,000 foot lower than the North, so the view is even more impressive. Remember it's high desert country, so extremes of temperature (freezing to > 30 deg C when we camped there overnight in summer) and of course the UV is also accordingly high;
2. If travelling from SF --> LA do it North --> South. That way you are on the ocean side of the Pacific Coast Highway & can take in the views much more safely. And make rapid stops if things such as Sea Otters make an appearance.
Just about everything else is also worth doing - it's the time & distances that are the challenge.
I'd put two things at the very top of your itinerary:
1. Grand Canyon - just unbelievable. Give yourself some extra time to appreciate it. As has been said, the South Rim is best (because it's about 1,000 foot lower than the North, so the view is even more impressive. Remember it's high desert country, so extremes of temperature (freezing to > 30 deg C when we camped there overnight in summer) and of course the UV is also accordingly high;
2. If travelling from SF --> LA do it North --> South. That way you are on the ocean side of the Pacific Coast Highway & can take in the views much more safely. And make rapid stops if things such as Sea Otters make an appearance.
Just about everything else is also worth doing - it's the time & distances that are the challenge.
Gassing Station | Holidays & Travel | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff