Rowingf35

Hi there,

I am planning a trip for September 2014 for 2 weeks, we are a French couple in our 40's. we would like to mix our holidays with some hiking and then some rest /visiting the southern coast of California. We know pretty well Northern California. In France we are based in the French Alps.
I have a main itinerary in mind but would appreciate few pointers to adjust the logistic/itinerary.
First week we would like to concentrate our visit to Zion Park & Bryce, couple of days each to have a fair amount of time for hiking.
Then we would like to drive off from Las Vegas -> Palm springs -> Los Angeles

So first question : I was wondering if I should take a flight from Paris to Las Vegas or Salt lake city ?
Looking at the map if I we start off from Las vegas, we would drive up to Zion and Bryce and go back down by more or less the same route. Would it be more interesting to land in Salt lake and drive down to Zion, Bryce and then to Las vegas etc ...

Secondly : From Las Vegas to Palm Springs which route would you recommend and how much time would you suggest to stay in Palm Springs ?

Thirdly : Once in the L.A region we would like to avoid checking In&out of hotels constantly so which city would be best to use as a base ? We would like to visit the coast up to Santa Barbara and then down to San Diego.

Are we trying to fit too many things or drive too much over two weeks ? I do not want to be rushed.

As for our flight out, what would make more sense, flying out from Los Angeles or San Diego ?

Many thanks in advance for your ideas !
Laurence

Tomsd

I would recommend you fly to SLC and then check out the arches at Moab (good hiking too) - and take the beautiful drive along hiway 12 through various rock formations and wind up at say Boulder (about 9,000 feet and looks like Colorado) for the night.

Check my post from a year ago for driving through Canyonlands, etc. Spriobulldog also has a lot of posts about the area and he is one heck of a hiker too.

Again - there are hiking opportunities all thoughout that area.

From there - you can head on to Bryce and Zion.

BTW - have you ever been to the Grand Canyon? Certainly worth it in my view.

Las Vegas to Palm Springs - really only one route (unless you go the back way through the Lucerne Valley - which is fine/interesting)l

You could also consider taking a detour through scorched rock Death Valley - which IMO is fine once - but that's all you really need there - if that. Others like it but it will be hot hot in September/

Palm Springs - a couple days is fine - and as for flying back from SD or LA - just get the best deal. We are only two hours from LA airport.

Tomsd

As for where to base when you get out here to So California, depends on what you really want to do.

You can stay by the beach in Santa Monica/LA - or in Orange County - or come a little further south to less congested San Diego.

Rowingf35

Many thanks Tom for all the helpful advices.

I only mentioned Zion and Bryce as I am not sure to have the time to fit everything ?

The first & last day are booked because of the timing of our flights.

Which leave us with 12 full days.

On arrival I suspect that will be a bit tired and jet lagged so no point of considering hiking on the very next day.

So that's one day spent in Vegas or SLC as per your recommendation ( 11 days left)

I have roughly allocated 3 full days for Zion & 2 1/2 days for Bryce + travelling ( 6 days left)

In six days, I have to fit the route from Las Vegas to Los Angeles ( stop in Palm springs or else ?)

and the coast from Santa Barbara to San Diego ...

On paper, it sounds already to me a bit ambitious ?

Tomsd

Las Vegas to LA is a four hour drive - except on a Sunday afternoon when everybody else is heading back.

From Vegas to SD is 5 hours. If you miss Palm Springs this trip - no big deal IMO.

Ditto for getting to Santa Barbara.

MichelleY

I would fly into LV, visit Bryce and Zion. Throw in the North Rim of the Gran Canyon if you have never been. One night at the GC would be fine.

Then, since you only have 6 days left, skip Palm Springs. Split your time between Santa Barbara and San Diego. You would have to weigh where to fly out of based on the best flight options.

tomfuller

My preferred route would be to fly to Las Vegas and rent the car (cheaper than California) and spend the whole time in Southern Utah and NW Arizona (Grand Canyon).
The only part of southern California I really like is Santa Barbara.
If you really want to see a part of Southern California, turn in the Las Vegas rental car and fly to San Diego and then ride a Surfliner train through Los Angeles all the way to Santa Barbara. In either case skip Palm Springs.

Rowingf35

Well I wanted to max out my time in the national parks and my husband wants to visit the south part of California. So we need to compromise or take separate vacations

Jokes aside, Palm springs is not a must do for me, so I can happily skip that part of the trip.

Would it be workable to Fly in Vegas, do Zion - Bryce - GC - back to Vegas then road trip from Vegas to Santa Monica and narrow our visits down to L.A & surroundings + Santa Barbara ( leaving San Diego for another trip ) fly out from LAX ?

jamie99

Yes, I think that plan is workable, and skipping Palm Springs is a good idea because it is very hot in September and it is only a 5 hour drive from Las Vegas to LA (avoid driving this on Sunday afternoon when all the people from LA who spent the weekend in Vegas start driving back).
Santa Barbara is beautiful, my parents fell in love there while going to college. Stay a couple of nights, you might even like to take a short 45 minute drive from SB to the Santa Ynez Valley to sample some California wines there.

emalloy

I would fly into Vegas,rent a car go to Zion and Bryce (and Grand Canyon if you wish) then back to Vegas and return the car then fly to LA or San Diego and rent a car and do the California portion.

Rowingf35

wine tasting sounds rather appealing

And Thank you Emalloy, I did not think of taking flights between LAS to LAX as I wrongly assumed that it would be too expensive but having checked the fares, that's by far the best option !

MichelleY

Check Southwest Airlines for better fares.

Tomsd

Suit yourself - but by the time you turn in the rental car and get another one when you arrive at LAX - plus check in time/flight, etc - you could have driven the 4 hours - repeat - 4 hours it takes to get over to LA from Vegas.

It's 5 hours from Vegas to SD and we have driven both routes many times.

POlson

Another vote for flying between Las Vegas and LAX. Tomsd is right it can be about the same in travel time once you consider the logistics of rental cars and security lines, but I really dislike the drive. It can be quick but it can also be really long due to construction and traffic. I recall one miserable 8 hour drive. And, the airfares are usually very reasonable.

With 6 days in LA area, I would consider heading from LAX to Santa Barbara for 2 or 3 days (preferably during the week, not over a weekend), with a day of wine tasting, and return to LA area for 3 days in Santa Monica or other beach town.

Be strategic about getting around LA. There is nothing worse then bouncing all around because things look close on the map and then getting stuck in traffic all day. Figure out what sights you want to see. For example, if you want to go to an art museum, research what other activities are nearby, such as Getty combined with Malibu and Zuma beach, or LACMA combined with LA Farmers Market and Hollywood, or The Huntington Library and Gardens combined with Norton Simon art museum and old town Pasadena. Also be mindful of when you are driving - 7 to 10 in the morning and 4-7 in the afternoon are much heavier traffic periods. Early on a weekend is great (before 10am).

If you are planning your trip over Labor day weekend, be prepared for more crowds, traffic and make reservations earlier. The Malibu triathlon is the weekend of September 13/14 so you might wish to avoid driving through Malibu at that time or plan to come watch the fun.

I'd skip Palm Springs in favor of the coast in September.