Road trip - Tucson to San Francisco and back again
 

My boyfriend and I will be leaving Tucson for San Francisco June 9th in the afternoon and returning to Tucson on the 19th (can return late, just have to be to work on Monday morning). We would like to do a *little* site-seeing on the way there and/or the way back, but we would like to spend at least 4 full days in San Francisco (it will be both of our first times in SF).
Here's the details so far:
-Leaving in the afternoon on June 9th- will probably not get much further than San Diego. We've both been there plenty of times and don't intend to spend any time there, maybe just spend the night.
-Will take the 10th, 11th, and possibly a half day on the 12th to drive up the coast. Any suggestions on places to stay along the way?
-We will be staying with his sister in Brisbane, hopefully arriving by the evening of the 12th at the latest
-Start the trek home early on the 17th and make our way back home (without backtracking TOO much)

OR would anyone suggest just driving straight there and then take 4 or 5 days to come back down?

Some details about us:
-24 and 27 years old (so in other words, we're vacationing on a medium sized budget)
-Don't mind long stretches of driving
-Both like photography and would really like to go places with good scenery
-Based on my limited research so far, would be interest in the Monterey Bay Aquarium, a wine country tour of some sort, renting bikes to ride around for a few hours, or hiking

I don't need much advice on San Francisco activities, just ideas on the best route to and from. Thanks so much!

The previous post is obviously in the wrong place.

Here's a route. Tucson to Phoenix to LA. (San Diego is out of the way). LA to SF on hwy 101. Return down coast on Hwy 1 and 101. Then back to Tucson from LA the way you came.

durand has given you the most efficient use of your time. You could cut over to Hwy 1 at San Luis Obispo on up to Carmel/Monterey/Santa Cruz.

On the way back, if you have the time and are not too tired, try I-80 to Lake Tahoe/Reno then 395 down the east side of the Sierra Nevadas.

Just a thought. Have a great trip.

MY

You don't have a great amount of time for this trip. I agree with the others, skip San Diego. I'd take I-10 to Santa Monica spending Thursday night somewhere along the route after driving as far as you can. Then, on Friday, work your way up the coast to San Simeon.

Spend Friday night there and tour Hearst Castle on Saturday morning after which drive up Hwy 1 through Big Sur to Monterey. Spend Saturday night there, tour the aquarium on Sunday morning and then head up Hwy 1 again through Santa Cruz to Brisbane.

On your way home, head out over the Sierra (Hwy 108 or 120) to US 395. At Big Pine, head east on CA 168 to US 95. Take 95 to Vegas and then US 93 to Phoenix. If you can spare the time, take a detour off of 168 up to the Bristlecone pines in the White Mountains. These trees are very photogenic and the area is quite remote and spectacular. There's even a campground up there where you could spend the night if you bring along some sleeping bags.

<i>If you can spare the time, take a detour off of 168 up to the Bristlecone pines in the White Mountains. These trees are very photogenic and the area is quite remote and spectacular. There's even a campground up there where you could spend the night if you bring along some sleeping bags.</i>

Won't there be snow in June? Bristlecone pines are found only at high elevations that are quite cold during the night even in mid-summer.

Thanks for the great route Otis! My family has a house in the white mountains, so I'll probably skip the Bristlecone pines on this trip.

For our night in San Simeon, is there any good places to camp there? We don't mind getting a hotel, but we enjoy camping as well.

Just wanted to be sure that you know that the weather in SF
in June is not "summer" weather and you will prob wear jeans and
sweat shirts more than the shorts you would wear in Tucson.
I'm a Tucson native, BTW, and always need to remind our summer
visitors that SF can be chilly in the summer.
:)

R5

Campsites along the coast are generally filled up and right around San Simeon there are relatively few--I can think of one near Morro Bay and a National Forest campground north of San Simeon. You would need to make reservations, and it may already be too late.

"My family has a house in the white mountains, so I'll probably skip the Bristlecone pines on this trip."

These White Mountains straddle the California/Nevada border. It's a different range from the White Mountains in Arizona. This range rises to over 14,000 feet and is quite remote.

The Bristlecone Visitor Center usually opens in mid-May. In some years, it doesn't open until early June but it's almost always open by the time Tioga Pass opens.

Not only are the pines very photogenic but the views of the Sierra Nevada from a number of viewpoints along the road up there are absolutely stupendous.

But, whether or not you go up to the trees, the route is still a good one if you want mountain scenery. It sure beats driving back along the interstate highways.

My advice would be to drive straight from LA to SF on your way up then do the coast drive on your way back. Personally I like the north to south route better since you're driving on the ocean side and it's easier to pull over for pictures or to visit sites.

I see! I was wondering if it was the "same" White Mountains since I had never heard of Bristlecone Pines! I will definitely look into using that route and hopefully making a stop there if the weather is nice, thanks for the suggestion!

After further discussion, determined that my boyfriend would really love to see Yosemite, so I would really like to fit it in since that is the only thing he has showed serious interest in with regards to this vacation! He says that just driving through with a few stops would be fine.

So, what about driving through Yosemite on the way there? We were thinking staying somewhere near the south entrance, get a very early start and see Mariposa Grove, then head to Yosemite valley, hang out for a couple of hours (probably see Yosemite falls) then head towards Brisbane from there? What route would you take from Tucson to do this?? Or would a better route be to come from the east and take Tioga road through the park??

I realize we would not have time for hikes or anything like that, so the most scenic driving route with some good places to pull off and snap some photos would be best. Is this even feasible??

We would like to drive through Yosemite on the way there, and then do the coastal drive + monterey on the way home.

"<i>Or would a better route be to come from the east and take Tioga road through the park??</i>"

Just one quick comment right now -- I wouldn't count on Tioga Pass being open in early/mid June. Early June is the average opening -- but this year we've been hit w/ huge snowfalls. Last week there was a series of massive storms.

Well if you were to assume it will be open, which would be a better route?? Because we could get a hotel outside of the west entrance and make the route decision later on when we know more about whether Tioga will be open...