West Coast family road trip

ktulu123

Hey, myself(27) & the family(Mother, brother-17, sister-23) are heading on a trip for three weeks starting 22nd June. Pretty much everything is booked so far. I'm just looking for some advice on where & what to see along the way. Hoping to get as much done as possible while there. We are renting an SUV.

Here's the itinerary:

22nd June - San Francisco - 4 nights
25th June - Yosemite Park - 3 nights

Making our way down towards Santa Monica

29th June - Monterey - 1 night
30th June - Pismo Beach - 1 night

1st July - Santa Monica - 5 nights

Out to Vegas

6th July - Las Vegas - 4 nights

Taking two days in flagstaff to do the canyon & maybe the meteor site

10th July - Flagstaff - 2 nights

Back to vegas for flight home

12th July - Las Vegas - 1 night

13th July Flight home


Just looking for general tips/ideas of things to do while in these places. I have a few things planned myself. Hopefully some of you guys can help!

Edit: This is the route i'll be taking: https://roadtrippers.com/trips/usa-west-coast-trip/537c7faef79d51cf11003818

Cheers!

tricky D

Get SatNav.

Check out Hearst Castle near San Simeon, 50ish miles north of Pismo Beach. Be sure to book in advance.

Think about doing the Grand Canyon heli tour. It's pricy at ~$250pp but worth it imo. That or do the Canyon by road, just be sure to try and see it sunrise or sunset.

Your route map has you going inland between Pismo and Santa Barbara. I'd stay on route 1/PCH instead, hugging the coast as much as possible. Same for your route between Ventura and Santa Monica, I'd stay on route 1/PCH instead, going through Malibu.

ktulu123

Thanks for the advice, yup I'll be getting sat nav & also plan to travel the whole PCH down to Santa Monica. Can't wait to do that drive. Will look into that castle sounds interesting.

I would personally love to do a helicopter tour of the canyon but a couple people in the family are not mad about doing that. So were driving to Flagstaff to do the canyon. Going to travel north out of Flagstaff & then head west along the canyon ridge to the canyon visitor center. I did that drive before & it was great!

Bannerman7

From Ventura I would stay on US1 thru Malibu and stop for lunch at Paradise Cove. Its a easy drive into Santa Monica too.

http://goo.gl/maps/U0hym

http://www.paradisecovemalibu.com/

GoProGaming

As said above stay to the p.c.h as much as possible, the views are great the whole way down and there is a few places to stop off for a rest and food. The freeway from San Francisco down to l.a is torture and very empty and boring. if your into shopping the outlets at Camarillo near Oxnard are pretty good for cloths, electronics and well pretty much anything you want!!

Where in Santa Monica are you staying? Have you ever been before? i love that place, will be returning there for the third time in September. Just be aware even in july, Santa Monica can be pretty cool and misty in the morning time but by the afternoon it gets pretty warm and sunny.

The drive from Santa Monica to Vegas isn't to bad, its desert all around you for the most part but 4-5 hours would be all it takes, if your doing it in the late afternoon/ evenings don't get fooled by the town called primm i think it is, it's lit up like a mini Vegas at night and if you where tired like i was you might just pull in and get massively disappointed.

I have done most of the road trip you are planning myself last summer, so if there is any finer details you'd like to know just ask.

tricky D

Bannerman7 wrote: »

From Ventura I would stay on US1 thru Malibu and stop for lunch at Paradise Cove. Its a easy drive into Santa Monica too.

Good call on Paradise Cove. I stopped there for grub which was fine. Liked that stretch of Malibu coast as you're kind of gearing up for LA as you head down through it.

GoProGaming wrote: »

The drive from Santa Monica to Vegas isn't to bad, its desert all around you for the most part but 4-5 hours would be all it takes, if your doing it in the late afternoon/ evenings don't get fooled by the town called primm i think it is, it's lit up like a mini Vegas at night and if you where tired like i was you might just pull in and get massively disappointed.

Primm is just over the Nevada border with this sign
.

Just a miles before it on your left is the Ivanpah SOlar Array which is pretty cool. Another I noticed was after heading out the far side Primm was there was loads of people pulled over by the cops. Seems they crack down on speeding a lot more in NV, which has a lot tougher laws and enforcement. What might be a misdemeanour in California can easily get you deported in Nevada.

GoProGaming wrote: »

I have done most of the road trip you are planning myself last summer, so if there is any finer details you'd like to know just ask.

Ditto

Another thing you'll notice a lot:



Lastly, if the pavement has a red border painted on the kerb by the road, do not park. There might also be other similar rules.

InTheTrees

You route looks great. Nothing to add there.

On Highway One once you get onto the scenic road, make sure to stop here for lunch/snack/rest:

http://www.nepenthebigsur.com/

Absolutely stunning views and an amazing atmosphere to relax for a few minutes.

InTheTrees

Something to be aware of on the California coast is the fog in the summer. SF is most famous for it but it effects the whole coast. Its very very localized and usually not long lasting, so if you wake up in your hotel and its grey and cloudy dont despair, it will probably burn off by midday. Check with your hotel or a local because it varies day to day.

Its a blessing really, the place would probably look like florida if it had blazing heat all the time. And it also means you dont need A/c if you live near the coast.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/San_Francisco_fog

LostinBlanch

InTheTrees wrote: »

You route looks great. Nothing to add there.

On Highway One once you get onto the scenic road, make sure to stop here for lunch/snack/rest:

http://www.nepenthebigsur.com/

Absolutely stunning views and an amazing atmosphere to relax for a few minutes.

I was going to post that as well, it's an absolutely amazing place.

InTheTrees

LostinBlanch wrote: »

I was going to post that as well, it's an absolutely amazing place.

I know. Its always hard to describe why its so amazing. Its like its floating a thousand feet about the sea and its so quiet and serene.

Lots of fond memories of the place.

GoProGaming

tricky D wrote: »

Primm is just over the Nevada border with this sign
.


Ditto

Another thing you'll notice a lot:



Lastly, if the pavement has a red border painted on the kerb by the road, do not park. There might also be other similar rules.

On one road trip i had driven for 8 hours with just a few rest stops, it was around 10pm and i seen the lights of primm in the distance, thinking it was vegas i was all set to pull in and get to the hotel until my girlfriend started laughing, looked at the sat nav and realised i still had a long way to go.

Op just be aware as above they are pretty strict with traffic laws over there, the highway patrol stopped me inbetween mojave and bakersfield last summer and my ticket came with an automatic court appearence. It took a whole day and a nice fine to fix that incident at the courthouse. So stick on cruise control and don't speed( especially around the mojave bakersfield area anyway lol)

InTheTrees

There should be a lot of Big Events happening in LA over the 4th of July. There's usually parades all over the country but I dont know about LA (they like their cars too much!).

InTheTrees

GoProGaming wrote: »

Op just be aware as above they are pretty strict with traffic laws over there,

Speed in particular but not much else unless its really blatant.

The american way is slow and deliberate, get on the freeway, move into a middle lane and just stay there, wallowing along with everyone else. Cruise control on, A/C blasting, one finger on the steering wheel and a slurpee in the other hand, and you're good.

Its probably important to know that speeding fines are handled by local autorities and that means town by town. Sometimes a town (or "city" in the US) funds its police from fines, so they can be very vigilant, especially out in the middle of nowhere where you'd least expect it. I think there's some places where you have to pay on the spot.

Its the speeders who stand out. SO as long as you stay with everyone else you're good.

ktulu123

Going to do a multi quote post as so many of you have offered great info. Cheers!

Bannerman7 wrote: »

From Ventura I would stay on US1 thru Malibu and stop for lunch at Paradise Cove. Its a easy drive into Santa Monica too.

http://goo.gl/maps/U0hym

http://www.paradisecovemalibu.com/

Nice one, looks class! I'll give that a look

GoProGaming wrote: »

As said above stay to the p.c.h as much as possible, the views are great the whole way down and there is a few places to stop off for a rest and food. The freeway from San Francisco down to l.a is torture and very empty and boring. if your into shopping the outlets at Camarillo near Oxnard are pretty good for cloths, electronics and well pretty much anything you want!!

Where in Santa Monica are you staying? Have you ever been before? i love that place, will be returning there for the third time in September. Just be aware even in july, Santa Monica can be pretty cool and misty in the morning time but by the afternoon it gets pretty warm and sunny.

The drive from Santa Monica to Vegas isn't to bad, its desert all around you for the most part but 4-5 hours would be all it takes, if your doing it in the late afternoon/ evenings don't get fooled by the town called primm i think it is, it's lit up like a mini Vegas at night and if you where tired like i was you might just pull in and get massively disappointed.

I have done most of the road trip you are planning myself last summer, so if there is any finer details you'd like to know just ask.

Thanks for the info! We'll be staying on the PCH as much as possible, driving on a boring interstate doesn't sound too appealing :P Will give those outlets a look.

Staying in The Double Tree Hilton Suites near the coast. Looks like a nice place & is only a few minutes walk from the boardwalk. I've been to LA before but never ventured down to Santa Monica so looking forward to that. Were planning to access LA from there also, doing the studio tours etc. We've also booked Queen with Adam Lambart for the 3rd July. Can't wait for that.

I've driven to Vegas twice in the last 5 years, once from San Diego & once from LA. Enjoyed the drive both times & your right, that primm place almost fooled us the first time :P

Again, thanks for the info. I'll be sure to ask if I need more

tricky D wrote: »

Just a miles before it on your left is the Ivanpah SOlar Array which is pretty cool. Another I noticed was after heading out the far side Primm was there was loads of people pulled over by the cops. Seems they crack down on speeding a lot more in NV, which has a lot tougher laws and enforcement. What might be a misdemeanour in California can easily get you deported in Nevada.

Lastly, if the pavement has a red border painted on the kerb by the road, do not park. There might also be other similar rules.

They were building that Solar Array the last time I drove that direction, meant to look class now. I don't want any issues from the cops over there so will be throwing on the cruise control & just going easy. I've never actually seen cops on that drive before but when I did do it guys were flying on the road. Not surprised they are stepping up the speed checks.

InTheTrees wrote: »

You route looks great. Nothing to add there.

On Highway One once you get onto the scenic road, make sure to stop here for lunch/snack/rest:

http://www.nepenthebigsur.com/

Absolutely stunning views and an amazing atmosphere to relax for a few minutes.

Thanks for that, will give it a look for sure!

InTheTrees wrote: »

Something to be aware of on the California coast is the fog in the summer. SF is most famous for it but it effects the whole coast. Its very very localized and usually not long lasting, so if you wake up in your hotel and its grey and cloudy dont despair, it will probably burn off by midday. Check with your hotel or a local because it varies day to day.

I've experienced the fog in San Fransisco but did not know about it on the rest of the coast. Thanks for that, may of been some upset bodies wanting the sun :P

GoProGaming wrote: »

Op just be aware as above they are pretty strict with traffic laws over there, the highway patrol stopped me inbetween mojave and bakersfield last summer and my ticket came with an automatic court appearence. It took a whole day and a nice fine to fix that incident at the courthouse. So stick on cruise control and don't speed( especially around the mojave bakersfield area anyway lol)

Jaysus that sounds like a pain. Will do! The only place i'm actually worried about driving in is LA. I've been driving near 10 years and had never seen an accident until I went there a couple summers ago. Driving on the freeway leaving the city we saw an SUV do multiple flips over the other side of the road. The passengers looked in bits. It was like something you would see in an action movie. Freaked us out for the rest of the time there. Saw a few other bumps & crashes in the four days there also.

Will be constantly on the lookout in LA

InTheTrees wrote: »

There should be a lot of Big Events happening in LA over the 4th of July. There's usually parades all over the country but I dont know about LA (they like their cars too much!).

Yeah I didn't realize we would be over there for the 4th when I booked it. There are a few events on in LA that look kinda cool. Fireworks shows etc. Will definitely check them out

Thanks all for the great info, sorry for the long post :P Anything more tips guys have are well appreciated

Cheers!

InTheTrees

ktulu123 wrote: »

The only place i'm actually worried about driving in is LA.

If you've driven in Dublin you'll be fine in LA. Its a little faster and more frantic than the rest of CA but only a little. And not as much as Dublin.