wilees

Me again. With more stupid questions. (Kiwi couple - 3 months away). I am just in the very early stages of planning the West Coast portion of my North America trip (August to November).

I will have somewhere between 3 weeks and 8 weeks (depends on how much we want to see) to get from Vancouver to LA. And I don't like to fly.

I want to see Disneyland (we will go mid week for a few days), Las Vegas (again mid week for a few days, we are taking a escorted tour around Grand Canyon and surrounding NP (6 days). I want to go to San Francisco. Any that's all my ideas. It turns out I don't know anything else about the west coast. We like scenery and we travel fast. Any ideas?

My questions
1. Can I take the trains or should we get a car (wrong side of the road)?
2. Can anybody suggest a vague itinerary that I can take away to research. It is so big I don't know where to start.
3. Can anybody suggest their 3 favourite places on the West Coast? (gives me ideas!)

I know this is one of those random posts that the regulars throw up their hands in disgust but I am totally stuck - please help!

FainaAgain

The trains here are slow, and a waste of time. Unless you have a fear of flying, the only advice I have is: don't.

Only you can decide to drive or to fly. If by air, look into the cheaper airlines: Southwest, Jetblue, Frontier, Alaska. Southwest charges 1/2 price one way, don't know about others.

Amtrak buses run on schedule (as opposed to trains!) so you may look into taking a bus from LA to Anaheim (town of Disneyland).

Are you on a Cosmos tour out of LA? I took this one - couldn't be better, my only regret was it's too short.

Also, if you think of taking Greyhound buses - DON'T. Very unpleasant, to say the least.

capxxx

Hi wilees,

Well I think it is kind of fun.

Do you mean Vancouver, Washington, US, or Vancouver, BC, Canada?

1. You can take the train north/south for the most part, but you'll need a car to go east to Las Vegas/Grand Canyon; drive there from LA.

The N/S train travel alone probably takes around 35 hours -- of course you don't want to do it all in one sitting. But you can stop in some interesting places on the way...

2. Vague itenerary, working north to south (here are some interesting cities on the train route):

Vancouver Washington.

Portland, Oregon.

Get off the train, drive west to the coast to see the Redwood National Forest and the giant redwoods for a few days. Then drive back and get on the train (in Redding, CA, maybe?)

Sacramento is nice.

Oakland. Get off the train, spend some time in San Fransisco. 4 nights.

San Jose is nice.

San Luis Obispo. The train from here to LA is supposed to have spectacular ocean/coastal views. I've always wanted to do it.

Los Angeles. See Disneyland, Hollywood, etc etc. 1 week

Drive to Las Vegas and tour the Grand Canyon. 5-7 nights, total.

Drive back to LA or fly home from LV.

3. My three favorites: Vancouver BC, San Fran, and Las Vegas.

jbass

Hi-all I can say initially is "a few days in Disneyland" is way over the top. Anaheim is not an interesting town and Disneyland itself can be done in less than a day; unless you are bringing children.

christycruz

There are trains available. Check out Amtrak's Coast Starlight.

http://tinyurl.com/36n3q7

L.A. to Seattle takes a total of 35 hours. There are Coast Starlight trains daily. The station stops look like what you had in mind. I don't know if point-to-point or rail passes would be a better deal.

San Francisco isn't on this route, but it's nearby. You'd have to look at train or bus connections (Emeryville is a nicer station to switch trains at than Oakland).

You will probably have to fly to Las Vegas and for your Grand Canyon tour. Check to see which airports have deals, probably L.A.

Santa Barbara, San Luis Obispo, and Paso Robles are all wonderful and hard to get to for those that fly.

J_Correa

I am absolutely salivating over the prospect of spending 8 weeks from LA to Vancouver. There is just an amazing amount to see along the way. I would say that if you have the time and are including Las Vegas, Disneyland, and the 6 day national parks tour, go with 4 weeks total for this section - more if you can, of course

First of all - absolutely rent a car. You will get used to driving on the other side of the road reasonably quickly. The train is ok, but bypasses the most scenic sections and most of the best towns. You wont see nearly as much on the train and you will really be limited by the train schedule. Long distance public transportation is severely lacking in this part of the world.

Here are some basic areas in California that I think are defintely worth seeing. Others can help you out with Oregon and Washington - both of which have great things to see too.

Big Sur Coast - this is a few hours north of LA, starting at about San Luis Obispo up to Monterey. Really beautiful coastline, small towns, state parks and beaches, etc.

Wine - there is wine all over the state basically. So if you like wine, you will have plenty of opportunities to visit wineries. The Santa Ynez valley near Paso Robles is good. The Napa and Sonoma Valleys are very well known. There are also wineries in the Sierra Foothills, the Carmel Valley, the Santa Cruz mountains and other places.

Monterey Bay - this area has good beaches, great towns, a world-renowned acquarium, the Santa Cruz beach boardwalk amusment park, and a bunch of great things. The Santa Cruz mountains are covered with redwood trees.

Further inland you've got Sequoia and Kings Canyon national parks as well as Yosemite. You've got the time to see all of them.

The Gold Country runs along Hwy 49 in the Sierra Foothills, which is scenic and very important to the history of the state. Lots of great towns along the way.

Of course you have SF, which you already mentioned.

The whole coast north of San Francisco is beautiful - more redwoods, gorgeous coastline, and fun small towns.

Inland you have Mount Shasta and Mount Lassen.

So those are the basics off the top of my head. Like I said, there is even more in Oregon and Washington.

vegasnative

My three places in the west are Las Vegas (of course), San Diego and Monterey/ San Francisco area. I'm also partial to Disneyland and think if you are coming all this way, then it deserves a day or 2. The other "parks" I would recommend is Sea World and the San Diego Zoo.

easytraveler

Hi, wilees!

Few questions are stupid! If so, 99% of the questions won't be asked. Thus, ask away!

Besides, your questions span the entire US, so not the same people on Fodors will be answering your questions.

As for your itinerary: 3-5 weeks is pretty elastic! But drive! definitely drive!

For starters: Tour Seattle one day, go to the top of a volcano (Mt Rainier) another day. Circle the Olympic Peninsula another day and see the rain forest. Drive down to the Columbia River and drive along the river (both north and south shores) and see the wonderful scenery, especially the waterfalls. There's another day gone.

Next do Oregon. Tour Portland one day. Then head for the coast. Don't drive too fast. You'll be on the correct side of the road (we drive on the right hand side of the road here) for the gorgeous views. The driver just has to not look at the scenery so much - lo! You could easily spend two to three days along the Oregon coast, depending on what you want to see and do. You could detour one day inland to see Crater Lake.

Then California: continue along the coast. However, since you will be in the northernmost part of state, don't miss Redwoods National Park. You will certainly want to walk around, stay overnight, this is not to be hurried. Possibly the BEST redwoods park, IMHO.

Then along the coast you will come to Fort Ross. All those Western movies that you see with the settlers fleeing for safety to a fort - most of those forts were based on the Fort Ross design, which is a Russian design.

Moving south, you will probably want to spend some time in the Sonoma and Napa Valleys wine tasting.

Then San Francisco. Lots and lots to do in San Francisco. I'll let others design this part of the trip for you, they are much better at it than I am.

Detour to Yosemite for a few days. Back to SF.

Then back down along the coast to Carmel and Big Sur. Even if you have seen a lot of coast by this time, the Big Sur coastline is among the most beautiful along the West Coast. Carmel is charming. There's a world famous Aquarium in Monterey.

Past Big Sur is Hearst Castle. You may want to take a tour/two there.

More wine country as you wander through San Luis Obispo and Santa Barbara Counties. Both San Luis Obispo and Santa Barbara are worthwhile places to stop.

Also, from Sonoma on downward, there are the California Missions, you may want to spend some time in a few of these.

Then Los Angeles. Lots to do there too!

Then San Diego. Lots to do in San Diego too.

Hmmmm, 8 weeks may not be enough!

Well, I've tried to hit some highlights. I'm certain others will chime in with their suggestions!

Have a great trip! (Love the "Kiwis"! Such a great people!)

Barbara

I'm just jealous. Like J_Correa, I think eight weeks to tour would be fabulous.

Others have touched on most of the main elements. I think a couple of days at Disneyland is fine.

If you can tolerate a short flight, I'd suggest flying from LA to Las Vegas. It's a boring drive on pretty busy, even congested freeways now.

NorthwestMale

Hi there... I'm merely throwing out vibes about things to prioritize along your path from what I will assume is Vancouver, Canada to L.A.

Firstly, spend 2 or 3 days IN Vancouver, Canada... even before renting your car, if that suits you. Downtown Vancouver is compact and fairly flat, while it is among the safer large cities on the continent at night.

(there is a reason why a list of "the 20 most livable cities in the world" included only one from North America - Vancouver, Canada)

Then take the 150-mile trip south to Seattle (if you absolutely had to detour off the main path there, for a day, the "North Cascades Highway" is scenic and about the best touristy path north of the Seattle metro area).

I would spend at least two days in Seattle, and you could fill more if need be. Time your trip out of town to either visit Mount Rainier OR the more current volcano Mount St. Helens for a day trip.

Spend a day or two in Portland, Oregon and then perhaps drive due west to the Oregon coast for much of your southward journey. Inland "Crater Lake" in Oregon is quite scenic, but just might be too awkward to get to from your coastal path.

Otherwise continue your path down the coast for as long as you continue to enjoy the scenery and moderate pace.

Redwood National Park, very near to the far Northern California coast is worth a visit, to see the ancient trees there.

Mount Shasta - (inland, Northern California) is appealing if you find yourself drawn to the inland, more hasty path.

Otherwise continue down on or near the coast toward the wine country not far from Santa Rosa, California and just south of there.

San Francisco is probably worth 3 or 4 days of your time, and I'll leave specifics of it to others.

Driving southward still you should probably go the coastal route via Monterey and Big Sur.

I would really consider a tour of "Hearst Castle", along the central California coast, NORTH of "Cambria" at "San Simeon".

Then I'll leave you on your own for actually being in L.A.

The timing I've considered as I pieced this together says that maybe you will be inclined to go at a slower pace, and see a few more things, given the time allowance you mentioned.

Somehow I think you should do your Vegas journey AFTER seeing L.A. and Disneyland, and if driving from L.A. to Vegas I suggest passing through Death Valley at some point. It really is hotter than H*ll there, and I would advise being more interested in being there in October than in August.

My feeling about trains vs. car... is that you have so much more FREEDOM by car... and with two people the costs are absorbed more easily. Gasoline could be any price by then, but while you're going to cover lots of ground, you aren't going at a pace where "gas/petrol" is the most central cost or concern.

(more clearly: IF you were going from Vancouver to L.A. in 48 hours or something, and had to consider 1300-1400 miles of driving at $3.25 per 25 miles, vs. flying... that would be one thing, but since you're going to SEEEEEEEEEEE the surroundings, at YOUR pace, then it doesn't make as much difference)

I hope this helps you gain better focus.

Bobmrg

Three months is enough time for a lot of rehabilitation to Mount Rainier National Park from the November/December storms, so things will be greatly improved by the time you get here. Still, you will find that some roads are closed more or less permanently. Check this site to monitor progress:

http://www.nps.gov/mora/

wilees

This is really helpful thank you!

I will be beginning from Vancouver Canada (once again I did not know there were 2 vancouvers!). I will have just completed maybe 5 weeks training across Canada.

I am not sure on Disneyland but when I was a child it was "the" place I wanted to see I thought I'd stay maybe 2 nights there and fulfill a somewhat faded dream. (After all it is a long way to go to find we did not have enough time there.)

I do have a fear of flying and we are already flying from London - NY then LA to AKL so I was hoping to avoid more flights BUT I will if it is not sensible to drive / train.

We are not going to take any long bus trip (except for the tour) as my husband hates them. I haven't decided which tour but I have a short list of Footloose or Trafalgar.

This is really great (I'm going to email this thread to myself at work so I can do some covert planning!)

OK. I am now leaning towards car for at least part of the trip. Perhaps train for some of it. Can anybody suggest a good website for US driving times?

suz12

AAA or California Automobile Association web site may have travel times. Their maps have basic travel times.

Sme basic drive times are
SF Bay Area to Seattle on Hy 5 - 15 hours. SF to Portland on hwy 5 - 12 hours. SF to Medford Oregon - 6 hours?. SF to Eureka/Arcata near Redwood Nat. Park on Hwy 101 - about 6 hours. SF to Monterey on Hwys 101 & 1- about 2.5 hours. SF to Yosemite - about 4 hours. SF to LA on Hwy 5- about 6 hours (I think).

I'v taken the train from Oakland to Seattle. It left 2 hours late. It got stuck in Portland for 3 hours. It got into Seattle at 2 am instead of 9 pm. You see some great scenery on Amtrak and meet very nice people. But it is notorious for being very late and the food isn't great. If you take it, try to spring for a room (and not the one that is just 2 bunks in a hall closet! Also, don't have any important connections or dates waiting for you at your destination. The route from Seattle to Oakland goes down through Portland and then over the mountains to Klammath Falls, then south to Sacramento, the west to Emeryville and Oakland. After that it goes south through San Jose and over to the coast somewhere between Santa Cruz and Monterey. Another Amtrak route goes from Sacramento south through the San Joaquin Valley to Bakersfield (and then I don't know where). The coastal route is FAR more scenic (IMHO).

If you want to be like us Californians in California, then drive. But pay attention to rush hours and weekend get away and return days (especially around holidays).

My top three picks ... hmmm.
1) Vancouver (most internationally diverse city on the coast, great seafood and great coastal indigenous art).
2) The coastal California counties north of SF for their redwoods and Wine. Redwood National Park is a fine pick. But if you don't want to take the leisurely route for that part of your trip, hit the Coast Redwoods closer to SF (Muir Woods early in the day on a weekday, or the Russian River or even Redwood Park in Oakland). 3) Monterey for the Aquarium and colonial history and good seafood. 4) (I know, but ...) Yosemite for the Giant Sequoias (the other redwood) and the geologic magnificence. May need to reserve early for lodging in the Park - although I noticed some great mid-week deals for this fall on their lodging site this week. Fall and spring are great seasons to be in Yosemite. You will be required to carry tire chains in your car from some time in the fall through April. They are easy to buy or sometimes rent in the fall. Most of the mountain passes in the Sierra Nevada Mountains close after the first good snow of the year. Hwys 80 and 50 usually are open over the pass except during a big storm.

Like others have said, when you narrow it down a bit, locals and others will be glad to give you more specific advice.

LoveItaly

Hello wilees, it is quite late here in Northern California but I just read your post. BTW, my father was born in your NZ..Wellington.

My favorite cities along our N America west coast is Vancouver, Seattle, Portland and San Francisco. They are all beautiful cities, surrounded by water of course with lovely and basically relaxed and friendly people.

I too would caution you about Amtrak and I am sorry to say that as I love trains. But Amtrak can be a nightmare, I won't bore you with the various trips I have had on them. But horrible food or no food, hours late (they must let the freight trains through plus there is always some reason or another why they are running late, sometimes very late) which means at least for me I will never again use Amtrak.

I have good friends in Australia (NeilofOz) who is a Fodorite who has rented cars and driven all over the US. He allows himself some time after arriving here to get over jetlag etc., before picking up the rental car which is a smart idea in my opinion. He recently took a 5 week car trip with his wife from SF up to Vancouver BC (also to Vancouver Island to the City of Victoria) and then east in Canada and down through Montana etc. and flew home from SF. They were quite proud of themselves as they did not hit one pedestrian or wild animal during their five week trip, lol! Bravo for them!

Anyway, Amtrak would not be my suggestion and absolutely you do not want to travel with Greyhound. So the choices that are left is a rental car or flying. And if you fly of course you will miss seeing our beautiful N America westcoast.

It is late and I must get to bed. You have received a lot of wonderful information here. You need information for SF but that you will receive.

Regarding Disneyland. I would suggest two nights there so that you have a full day including the evening to really enjoy it as you said you have always wanted to visit Disneyland.

I will sign off for now but just wanted to add a few of my thoughts along with welcome to our westcoast. You will have an absolutely wonderful trip, I envy you. And of course your questions are not stupid. They are good questions which one needs to ask to plan a proper holiday. Best regards.

J_Correa

I use Yahoo maps a lot and find it to be really good. With the new maps feature, you can put in interum locations to get the routing you like.

I have also had good luck with Microsoft Streets and Trips - more features than the free internet map programs, but you have to buy the software.

Barbara

And good old mapquest.com has improved too. I think it's a lot more accurate than it used to be, although I prefer Microsoft Streets & Trips. But, as mentioned, you have to buy the software and the US version may not be available in NZ.

NorthwestMale

Hi again wilees,

About websites for U.S. driving times...

Instead of maps.msn.com, which has too many bells and whistles to suit me, I prefer the older version of the same website that can be accessed here:

http://maps.msn.com/(2k4055b0ssahkm5...redirect=false

Just the basic "driving directions" and the "start" and "end" locales, and then it does it all for you.

(now let me post this and see if the link takes you where I hope it will)

NorthwestMale

OK, so I checked, and obviously that link didn't get recognized in its entirety.

Soooooooo paste that entire address in your browser and then you get the right spot I like most.

Toucan2

While researching a trip down the coast for a friend I came across this site: www.101milebymile.com. It covers cities, sights, hotels, drive times and lots more for Hwy 101 down the Oregen Coast. If you take some of the suggestions here to Portland OR, and head over to the coast you might find this web site helpful.