Two weeks will be barely doable but an awful rush. You have 11 destinations (10 if you are only flying into Phoenix and don't plan on seeing anything there).

That means a series of one-night stopovers w/ a lot of driving in between, not leaving much time to see/do things. One night somewhere doesn't equal a day - not w/ the travel times. So to get a full day somewhere, one usually has to stay 2 nights.

Can you add 5-7 days? If not, you'll need to cut a few places.

I think that you will save some time by going from Monterey directly to Yosemite and then to San Francisco. You'll have seen the most impressive part of the coast by then.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/mksfca/sets/72157624512998387/show/with/4853767722/

Thank you for your replies. Where do you suggest if we drive from Las Vegas to the coast, Santa Barbara? Is that the best place to start for the best scenery, then up the coast to Monterey then to Yosemite then to San Fran?

From Las Vegas go to Morro Bay, north of Santa Barbara.

If you take Highway 1 north from Morro Bay to Monterey you'll see the most impressive part of the coast. You could shave off a few miles by taking SR 46 from Paso Robles area to SR 1 just south of Cambria and still see the best part of the coast. Going to Page, Bryce and Zion from the South Rim or LV adds a lot of desert driving.
Just my 2 cents worth, but I'd skip LV, other than a drive through along the Strip and a meal. Go directo to Zion then retrace your route back though LV and head for the coast.
If you have the time, take the slightly longer and slower way and go via Parhump and Death Valley into Ridgecrest and then SR 178 overthe mountains, parts are very scenic into Bakersfield then across to Paso Robles and on to the coast.

Your itinerary is ambitious for 2 weeks and has a too much backtracking>
Skip Phoenix and go direct to Sedona-2 nights
1 night Grand Canyon
Then to Vegas for a couple nights.
3 hrs north to Zion but you completely back track to California! You prob. should skip Zion-you will see enough in other places.

Choose one of the following-you can not do all you want in 2 weeks.

#1Then from Las Vegas head up to Yosemite going in the back way through Mammoth. 2 nights there, and then a LONG Unsenicdrive to Monterey Bay. Do Pismo, (17 mile drive), Los Lobos State Park-beautiful, and then up the coast to San Franciso. Spend a couple nights there

#2-From Grand Canyon go direct across to Los Angeles area and then up Highway 1 along the Pacific Coast. Stop at Santa Barabra, or Morro Bay. See Hearst Castle, and then Carmel/Pismo/Monterey Bay and up to SAn Francisco.

Daisee,

Do Pismo ???

Do you mean Pismo Beach between Big Sur and Santa Barbara?

among other issues (misplacing Pismo Beach - twice) - daisee's plan probably won't work since Tioga Pass is seldom open in late April/early May so you can't >>from Las Vegas head up to Yosemite going in the back way . . .<<

I have had another look at what you have said and are now looking at 18 nights.


So.... flying into Phoenix on Sat 27 April around 3:30pm, renting a car and driving to Sedona for 2 nights.
Then Sedona to Grand Canyon, overnight
Grand Canyon to Page, overnight
Page to Bryce, overnight
Bryce to Zion, overnight.
2-3 nights in Las Vegas
Drive to Pacific Coast via Death Valley perhaps overnight
then to Lone Pine or Ridgecrest overnight
arrive at Cambria 1-2 night
Monteray 1 night
then drive to Yosemite for 2 nights (early May)
Drive to San Fran for 2-3 nights
Fly from San Fran or Oakland to Hawaii

Have a day or 2 to add in somewhere??

I would appreciate your comments and suggestions,

Thanks, Sue

You have 4 places in a row staying only one night in each. To do that and enjoy it you've really got to know the area and have a very efficient plan.

I would add a night to Zion and/or Bryce (if you add a day to Bryce you can gor to Willis Creek slot canyon or into the Escalente area).

I assume that in Page you won't be spending time on recreational activities and are limiting yourself to Antelope Canyon and Horseshoe Bend. That's fine if that's your plan.

Unfortunately in early May Glacier Road in Yosemite will probably not be open yet so you'll be limited to the Valley. That's ok if that's what you're expecting.

If you have a problem renting a car in Arizona (or Nevada) for a one way rental to California, consider flying to Phoenix or Las Vegas and renting a car there to do your Nevada, Arizona and Utah loop and then flying to either Santa Barbara or Oakland and renting a car there for your California loop.
It's great that you don't have a drop off fee but you can save a long drive through some unattractive desert by making a loop then flying and making another loop.

Thanks for your quick replys. About Yosemite in early May, is it not open, is it worth going there then and if so what road do we take?
Yes was considering flying to Santa Barbara and renting a car there but others have recommended Death Valley and by the time you drop car off at airport and pick up at other end etc ....
If we did drive to Death Valley where is a good place to stay at Death Valley or somewhere further along?
Thanking you, Sue

Yosemite Valley will be open, just not the very high roads. Still worth visiting any time of the year. I would skip DV and add the time else where; Bryce, Zion, or the Callifornia coast from Santa Barbara to SF.

"Unfortunately in early May Glacier Road in Yosemite will probably not be open yet so you'll be limited to the Valley. That's ok if that's what you're expecting."

Yosemite Valley is THE reason 90% of visitors go there. I've been to Yosemite 15+ times and probably 8 of those visits were only to the Valley. The park won't be closed - the back country will be.

And at that time of year the waterfalls will be absolutely magnificent. It is the best time of year there. Of course it is "worth" it. No question. IMO much more 'worth' it than is Death Valley.

I've also been to DV a few times and really enjoy it - but it just isn't in the same league as Yosemite Valley.

Your problem is too many places and too little time. The ones that IMO can be cut to give you enough time for others would be first Las Vegas and 2nd (unfortunately) Death Valley.

The distances are great between stops and with only one night's stay in many places, you won't have time to enjoy the destinations. I, too, would eliminate Death Valley and LV. Or at least reduce LV to one night. You can see the strip at night and move on.

I beg to differ about Yosemite. It's probably true that 90% of the go to the Valley and maybe even 90% only go to the Valley.

That's probably party because it's always accessible and you can see things without any effort.

Also, parking on Glacier Road is a disgrace. You've got to go either early or late in the day.

The Sentinel Dome hike is amazing. Absolutely spectacular circular views.

I once read that in most national parks, for every 50 yards you venture away from your car you lose 25% of the people (or something like that) . That's great so that if you hike even a couple of hundred yards off the beaten track you'll most likely find peace and quiet in addition to great scenery.

Myer - we know you had a bad/crowded experience at Yosemite. But to imply that Yosemite Valley is somehow not impressive or 'worth' it is doing a disservice to folks who haven't been there and rely on us for advice/information.

No one even mentioned not walking/hiking away from the roads/parking lots.

To suggest that Yosemite should be avoided if Glacier point or the back country is off limits . . .

aussielovesholidays: When you are visiting, there won't be massive crowds. Here is a trip report of one of my short visits which was during Mar - and since you'll be there in April/early May it will be even nicer than when I was there. The first bits are about Sonora/Columbia/Hwy 49 which you don't have time for so you might want to skip to the Yosemite sections.

http://www.fodors.com/community/united-states/yosemite-and-hwy-49-short-getaway.cfm

I'm with Janis on this. Aussies should go to Yosemite, no matter. The valley will be open and they should not miss out on this beautiful park. This may be their only visit EVER. I have gone in May several times and the waterfalls were at their most spectacular.

"Unfortunately in early May Glacier Road in Yosemite will probably not be open yet so you'll be limited to the Valley. That's ok if that's what you're expecting."

Janis, I never wrote that Yosemite Valley is not impressive. I also never suggested that Yosemite be avoided if Glacier Road isn't open.

I wrote that they shouldn't expect to be able to go along Glacier Road and that's ok if that's what they were expecting.

I did not have a bad crowd experience when I was there. Just a bad traffic experience and how it was handled on several levels.

I think the Valley is beautiful.

"I think the Valley is beautiful."

Whew - glad we finally cleared that up!

Wow, thanks everyone for your input! After reading janis trip report, we will definately be going to Yosemite. Just have to work out what road to take either from Las Vegas or from Monteray? On google maps the road from Monteray to Yosemite said it will be closed near the park entrance, how then do we get into the NP and out again to go to San Fran?

On google maps the road from Monteray to Yosemite said it will be closed near the park entrance,

You must be misreading the information. Barring a severe snowstorm, CA 140 is the lowest elevation road into Yosemite Valley and will be open.

From Monterey, you will take Hwy 1 to 156. Go thru San Juan Bautista, perhaps stop and see the historic mission in SJB. Then continue on 156 to 152 thru Los Banos, north on Hwy 59 thru Merced. You will then take Hwy 140 to Yosemite.

To get to SF, take Hwy 120 out of Yosemite, thru Manteca. From there it is freeway to the Bay area and SF.

The roads into Yosemite Valley will not be closed, but the very high country roads and Tioga Pass will be. This will not affect you as you are coming from Monterey. You may be looking at an old map of Hwy. 140 and several years ago it was closed due to rock slides.

Highway 140 is not "closed" due to rock slides. It is open, with controlled traffic (one way at a time, about 20 miles east of Mariposa) in the River canyon around the slide area. It is a beautiful way to access Yosemite. The little town of Mariposa is neat for lunch.
In April May time frame, it depends on how much snow we get during the winter (Nov - Mar). So far, not much. Tioga Pass will probably be closed at that time, but 41, 140 and 120 are usually open, though in some years, tire chains may be required. At that time of year, one should always carry tire chains, just in case. You can check hiway conditions on http://www.dot.ca.gov/cgi-bin/roads.cgi. Also, an automated phone system for hiway info is 800-427-7623.
I have not read all of the comments, but agree that you are crowding too much into too few days. Consider after Arizona, etc., and Vegas, fly from Vegas to the coast (forget Death Valley).
Yosemite could be just gorgeous in May. May and June are our favorite times. The waterfalls are roaring (you will get wet walking to them), and the trees are leafing out. The Merced River is flowing bank to bank, and nature is awakening from it's winter slumber. But please be aware of the elements. This is not a theme park.

New revised itinerary, thanks for comments and suggestions.

Now flying into Las Vegas on Sat 27 April for 2 nights
Renting a car and driving to Flagstaff for 1 night
Grand Canyon, overnight
Page, overnight
Bryce, overnight
Zion, overnight
Zion to Las Vegas airport, drop off rental and catch late afternoon flight to San Francisco or Oakland for 3 nights
Rent a car to Yosemite for 3 nights
Drive to Montery for 2 nights
Drive back to San Fran or Oakland for 1 night
Fly from San Fran or Oakland to Hawaii

Not sure whether to fly in and out of Oakland or San Fran, any comments or suggestions.
Thanks, Sue

You don't have to go all the way to Flagstaff from Las Vegas if you don't want to. I did a volunteer project this Fall and stayed at the Spring Valley cabin/bunkhousde about 10 miles north of the little town of Parks, AZ. http://www.fs.usda.gov/recarea/kaibab/recreation/camping-cabins/recarea/?recid=11662&actid=101
This puts you closer to the South Rim. The rental is $100/night.
I stayed free since I was working for the Kaibab NF.
You can add San Jose and Sacramento to your list of airports to check the price and schedule from Las Vegas.

You can save some time by flying from Las Vegas to Fresno, instead of SF/Oakland. Direct flights are on Allegiant Air.
http://www.allegiantair.com/aaIndex.php
They are not daily, so you may have to juggle the dates around. This is a discount airline, and flying OUT of Vegas pre-weekend (like on Thurs or Fri) are the cheapest. We use this airline a lot from Fresno when we visit family in Vegas. They also have non stop flights from Vegas to Monterey. Allegiant does not show up on Expedia type web sites.
From Fresno, you can rent a car and be in Yosemite Valley in about 3 hours or less (about one hour from the Park gate to the Valley floor).
Make every effort to stay in the Valley itself.
Leaving Yosemite, drive to SF via 120 or 140, (or Monterey via 140) about 4 hours, maybe a little more.
(Travel times depend on snow in the mountains. If a little snow, you are ok. If recent storm, not unheard of in your time frame, but unlikely, and you need tire chains, will take more time.)
Again I will say, Spring is the most beautiful time of the year to see Yosemite. You must stay in the Valley. Recommend get reservations at Yosemite Lodge early (on line); you can cancel and change dates easily.
SF can be your last stop 3 or 4 nights before returning home.

Be careful about Allegiant - yes they fly to Fresno but you need factor in all the extra fees(they charge for everything and then you'd probably have an extra fee for a one-way car rental.

But IF the dates work out - yes, consider allegiant to save about 3 hours drive time - just know what you are and aren't getting and what it will cost.

As for SF vs. Oakland vs. Sacramento vs. San Jose -- really not too much difference. San Jose and Sacramento will be the easiest drives to Yosemite. I'd just go w/ whichever one gets you the best fare (unless you opt for Allegiant). Besure to check Southwest flights/fares on its own website since it doesn't show up on the search sites.

Same w/ your flight to Hawaii-try all 4 airports and see which is the best deal.

Hi, janisj. You and I have commented on lots of threads together. Your advise is always very good. Yes, Allegiant charges for everything. But can still be economical, depending on your luggage situation. But, these folks could save some time with them if it fits their needs.
I hadn't thought of Southwest. They don't fly to Fresno, but certainly those other airports.
So that's a good suggestion also.
Caio!