Hi Everyone,

Need help with itinerary to California, Vegas and Grand Canyon, especially in terms of days needed in each area. Will be traveling in July with family of 5 (3 teenagers) and will spend about 25 days. Our flight lands in Vegas July 15th. From Vegas we wish to go to Tusayan (1 to 2 days) and than to Page to see Antelope Canyon and half day rafting trip. Than we will go to Bryce Canyon and onto Death Valley. From Death Valley will go to Yosemite and than onto San Francisco. We hope to drive along highway 1 and stop in Santa cruz (1night), Monteray (1night) Morro Bay (1night) and Santa Barbara (1night) than onto L.A. and at least 5 nights somewhere near Newport beach and than a couple of days in San Diego. Our return flight is from San Diego on Tuesday August 3rd. Hope to see Bodie and hot spring in travertine. Need help with the numbers of days needed in each place and whether the itinerary is adequate. All suggestions are welcome

Thanks Helen

The average high temp in Death Valley in July is 116 F (57 C). The average low temp in July is 88 F (31 C). I'd skip it on this trip.

Overall, this isn't my kind of trip. Too many one-night hotel stays, too much driving, 14 destinations (not counting Bodie and Travertine/Bridgeport) in 25 days (including the 5 days near Newport Beach). I would probably do either a California trip or a Southwest (Vegas, Arizona, Utah) trip but not all of this in one trip.

Thanks for the advice but traveling for us is no big deal. Just wondering what you would see as must "see sights and how many days to alot to each place.

Thanks

Helen

You've pretty much determined "how many days" by the number of destinations and the multiple stops along the coast. There isn't much flexibility left other than deciding how many nights in Yosemite, San Francisco and Los Angeles.

Do you have your Yosemite lodging reservations yet? Depending on what type of lodging you want and your budget, these may not be easy to get for July even now.

On your itinerary:

1. By Tusayan, I am assuming that you mean the Grand Canyon. Usually one night is sufficient. Are you planning on hiking down to the floor?

2. Antelope Canyon is best seen around noon when the sun shafts directly into the slot canyon. Plan accordingly.

3. If you are going to Bryce Canyon, I'd suggest stopping also in Zion National Park.

4. You'll probably have to return to stay in Las Vegas. Then start out early the next morning for Death Valley. It's hot but bearable in the morning.

5. Santa Cruz has the Boardwalk. I'm assuming that's why you are staying one night. Otherwise, you could just drive on down to Monterey and make that part of your stay only 1 night isntead of 2.

6. Why 5 nights in Newport Beach? If anything I'd reverse that and make it 2 nights Newport Beach and 5 in San Diego. There's a lot to do in San Diego for teenagers.

Hope this helps a bit.

You are taking kids to Death Valley in July? That is not sensible. Really it isn't. Can I assume you are from elsewhere -- there is something weird about DV in summer -- it seems to be a top destination for Aussies, Germans and folks from the UK, but no one else. 120°F is normal - and hotter is very common. You cannot be outside in the middle of the day. It is a FABULOUS place in the winter/Spring - but in summer you really can't safely do much hiking etc.

I agree - 5 days is a lot for Newport Beach. I'd use one or two of those days on the central coast instead.

As Easytraveler mentions, it would work well to combine your Santa Cruz and Monterey nights into two nights in Monterey... in fact, I'd make it three and breeze through Morro Bay on your trip to Santa Barbara! Or stay two nights in Carmel and two in Santa Barbara!

Both Santa Cruz and Morro Bay are nice enough towns but easily seen in a few hours, unless you are going there for specific reasons.

Monterey, Carmel and Pacific Grove have coastline unique to CA, the aquarium, lots of California history sights (Like the Carmel mission, the first theatre in CA, Colton Hall etc...) and the wonderful Point Lobos State Park.

Then take your time down the 1 seeing Big Sur and end up in Santa Barbara for two nights, or just one if you stay three in Monterey Area.

Echoing what the others have said, I would definitely stop in Santa Cruz, but would choose to spend 2 nights in the Monterey area rather than a night in SC and a night in Monterey. SC is great, but it is only 45 min or so from Monterey and I would opt for a 2 night stay over an additional move. Checking in and out of hotels with 5 people eats up time. 3 nights in Monterey would be even better. Another consideration, many hotels on the coast require 2 night minimums during the summer, esspecially if you are there on a weekend. Another reason for 2 nights in either Morro Bay (I'd personally choose Cambria, Pismo or Avila Beach in that area) or 2 nights in Santa Barbara rather than 1 in each.

I'd also cut some time from Newport Beach and add it to the central coast (that extra night in Monterey) and add more time to San Diego.

Death Valley? Well, others have covered that pretty well. I think the time would be much better spent in other areas.

Please DO NOT go to Death Valley in July. There will be enough of it in Vegas - will your teens enjoy over 100F heat?

>>

100°F would probably count as a "cool wave" in Death Valley in July.

Good advice given by all so far, here are my thoughts for you particularly on the Vegas/GC/Page part of your trip:

Not sure where you're coming to us from, but if it's from somewhere far away, especially overseas, hopefully you've "budgeted" a day or two in Las Vegas to relax and decompress after traveling.

It's approximately a 5-hour drive from Las Vegas to Grand Canyon South Rim. Be sure to stop at Hoover Dam on the way, or, if that's not of interest to you, get an early start to avoid construction delays on the bypass bridge.

The drive from Grand Canyon South Rim (Tusayan) to Page normally takes 2 hours, but that's if you "motor" straight through (no stops). In your case I would count on taking longer because this route takes you along a very scenic area of the Grand Canyon called the Desert View and/or East Rim Drive. There are many viewpoints you can stop at between Grand Canyon Village and the exit gate of the park, as well as the Navajo Indian Reservation which borders the park and Page.

You could spend 2 nights at the Grand Canyon and concentrate your sightseeing on the Village and the Hermit's Rest/West Rim Drive, maybe see the IMAX movie in Tusayan or take an airplane or helicopter flight. But you could get away with 1 night at the canyon in light of the fact that you're planning to go to Page anyway - a good chunk of your Grand Canyon sightseeing will be done on the way to Page.

For Page, I would strongly consider spending two nights just because there's so much to do there. The Antelope Canyon tour and the Float Trip are just the "tip of the iceberg." There's also Horseshoe Bend (which you can see on the way into town), tours of the Glen Canyon Dam, museums such as the John Wesley Powell Museum and the Navajo Village Heritage Center, boat tours on Lake Powell, airplane flights over Monument Valley, etc.

In July, I would advise taking the morning float trip (7.30 AM - 12:30 PM) because the river gets very hot in the afternoon. Then you could easily take an Antelope Canyon tour that same afternoon, and still catch some of the sunbeams that occur during the mid-day hours. Or rest up and take the Antelope Canyon tour mid-morning the next day.

Agree with everyone to take Death Valley off the agenda and substitute Zion National Park in Southern Utah for it. It's beautiful and very different from GC, Page, Bryce, etc., plus very easy to access on the trip you're making anyway.

That's it for now - whatever you decide to do, be sure that you get an America the Beautiful Federal Lands Access Pass. It's a card you can get for $80 that grants you access to all the National Parks, Monuments and other Federal Fee areas for 1 year's time. What with entrance fees to each of these parks being up to $25 each, it will pay for itself halfway through the trip you're proposing to take. If you're in the U.S., you can preorder it online at http://store.usgs.gov/pass, or just purchase it at the first National Park Service entrance fee station you encounter on your tour.

Good luck! Good job too on planning your vacation well advance.

Definitely visit Zion if you are going to Bryce. From there, unless you need to visit Vegas again, you can head west from Cedar City through Southern Nevada via Caliente (a neat old railroad town) and the Extraterrestrial Highway (NV 375 through Rachel). This route will then take you through Tonopah and end up at Mono Lake. It's a lot more scenic and cooler than taking the route through Vegas.

As others have said, skip Death Valley in July. The sun is deadly then.

Instead spend time in the Eastern Sierra near Mono Lake and Bridgeport. Bodie is in between them (but out in the boonies). Travertine is right outside Bridgeport and another hot spring nearby to visit is Buckeye. If you are camping, there is a great campground at Buckeye.

From there, head back south to Lee Vining and take CA 120 over Tioga Pass through Yosemite. In July, the high country is best. It's spring up there while the Valley can be quite hot.

Jeez. People who want to see Death Valley have to go when they can and it's often not at the most ideal time of year.

So, enjoy Death Valley, you can say you were there. Take a few pictures to prove it, drive through and on to other, slightly cooler places. It's an interesting place. It really will be too hot to hike or do much out of air conditioning.

I've been through much desert country at different times of the year.

You just have to be sensible.

Death Valley is doable if you start out from Las Vegas VERY EARLY in the morning (like 6 am)- it can get really cold in the desert at night, so it will take some time for it to heat up.

You want to plan to be out of Death Valley and into the California town of Lone Pine by about noon.

Take lots of water, bring hats and sunscreen, dark glasses, and - most important of all - make sure your car is in really good shape, especially the tires.

Make your pit stop before you get to Death Valley since the park outhouses along CA-190 are really the pits.

A couple of places to stop would be the sand dunes and also the mountains at the Western edge for a terrific view back towards Death Valley.

Driving through Death Valley in the morning is no worse than travelling through the deserts of California, Arizona, New Mexico or Texas.

You'll be fine. Just be sensible.

I seem to have raised a few concerns with my desire to visit death valley, rest assured I am a sensible mother who wouldn't put her 3 teens in danger!!. The idea of going to DV was to have the kids experience the desert as I have previously done with my husband in the sahara desert,but perhaps you have something else to propose?. I would have liked them to see endless sand dunes.
We're travelling from Québec Canada. Thanks for the advice on GC and will probably skip Santa Cruz to spend 2 nights in the Monterey area and 2 nights in Santa Barbara. We were hoping to rent a condo between LA and San Diego for 1 week and visit both cities but also enjoy the coast- is this realistic and where would you rent so the kids can experience the best beaches? I'd also like to know how many nights we should stay in San Fransisco and Yosemite? At this point in time our plans are extremely flexible except for our arrival in Vegas and departure from LA. In order to see Yosemite, Bodie and the Travertine hot springs, is Lee Vining a good place to see these sights?? Don't hesitate to add other distinations you feel shouldn't be missed. My husband would like to see some
wine region what do you suggest?

Thanks again

Your husband may want to take advantage of the wineries in Santa Barbara County since you may be staying two nights. Google on Foxen Wine Trail or Santa Maria Wine Trail. These wineries between Santa Maria and Santa Barbara take you through beautiful country and are a VERY pleasant way to spend an afternoon!

Depending on what kind of wines you prefer, many posts have been made here... if you do a search you'll find lots of information and once you let us know what you like, many posters will probably chime in with favorites! ( Mine are Byron Pinot 115 or 661, which you can taste in Los Olivos at The Bench and anything from Rancho Sisquoc! Also the Au Bon Climat Chardonnay... the list is long!

I did Death Valley in July coming out of Vegas don't do it! Rolling sand dunes are only in a small part of the park. Our car and other cars overheated. The soles of my sandals fell apart. It was 120 degrees, no kidding and just driving through it and not doing some of the walks, you miss so much! Zion and Bryce are nice (lots of what to see is seen in the car but you miss somethings by not getting out of the car and walking some trails and the same is true for Yosemite).The same for the Grand Canyon. I would not spend much time in Santa Cruz(a few hours. Skip Moro Bay and Cambria. They are pretty but you won't miss anything if you skip them to save time for Arizona,Vegas, San Francisco and San Diego.
I would see Vegas, the Grand Canyon and other areas in Arizona you mentioned. All are wonderful. I would skip Death Valley and head to San Francisco for 2-3 days. It is a wonderful area (can be cold and foggy)and lots to do. Drive through and stop in Santa Cruz and stay in Monterey 1 or 2 days. I would skip Moro Bay. Pretty but that is all. Santa Barbara is nice but not much for kids, spend the night. I live in Santa Barbara. Not much to do in Newport Beach either but the beach and some nice restaurants. San Diego is 2 hours away and there is much more to do there than in Newport unless you want to go to Disneyland etc. Beaches in California are not like they are in the east or in Fla. Some are small and narrow, others are just below cliffs and in some areas, there is only cliff and the water! The beaches just north of Sand Diego are rocky. A word of caution regarding the beach areas of Calfornia: They are often foggy and cold in July. You may get lucky and hit a day or so of nice sun and warm temperatures but I would not bet on it unless it is the end of July and then the sun may not come out until late in the afternoon. The hotter it is inland, the foggier and colder it is at the coast. It happens every year with some years being worse than others. It is called the May Gray and the June Gloom. The problem is that the June Gloom carries over into July more often that not. Just by driving inland a few miles you will find sun and warmth, though. The best time to visit the beaches in S. Calif is mid August and September to avoid the fog.Usually the fog is gone in August but not always. Driving non stop from LA to San Francisco is 6 to 12 hours depending on traffic. Driving to Vegas from LA is 6-12 hours depending on traffic.
Driving from San Francisco to Santa Barbara is about 6 hours or more with traffic gettting out of SF. Santa Barbara to LAX is about 1.5-2 hours without traffic. LAX to Newport Beach takes about an hour without traffic. Las Vegas to San Francisco is not a bad drive but it has been awhile and I don't remember the exact number of hours. Check out each area for things to do and then rethink the number of days for each area that you decide to visit. Your plans are ambitious and needs rethinking. Have fun!

If you spend 2 nights in Santa Barbara, a visit to Sant Ynez Valley will take you to the wine country. Solvang and the valley have nice restaurants and many wineries to visit.
As you drive south out of the Moro Bay area, take HWy 101. Don't continue on on HWY 1. You will exit Hwy 101 at Zacca Station near Buellton to go to Fess Parker Winery and go on from there. I can give you more information if you like. Once done in the Santa Ynez Valley, Google Santa Ynez Valley for all the info you will need,(where the wineries are) take Hwy 154 to Santa Barbara stopping in Solvang, off HYw 246(a Danish town) then on to Cold Springs Tavern to see the old stage coach stop. Hwy 154 and 246 intersect outside of Solvang and Santa Ynez. I can give you specifics if you have any questions and need more information on the Santa Barbara, Santa Ynez Valley wineries.

dcorey,

What an unpleasant experience in Death Valley. I also visited in July, many years ago. We visited Scotty's Castle, strolled a bit, and camped for two nights in a small camper with no ac. I really have no bad recollections at all, and my shoes most certainly didn't fall apart.

popup,

I think you have the wrong idea about Death Valley. While there are sand dunes, they by no means cover the entire Valley, or even most of it.

"Don't hesitate to add other destinations...."

Once we start listing "might as well, you're in the area" destinations, your head will be swimming. But here goes:

On your way to Bodie and Travertine, you'll pass Mono Lake. At a minimum, stop at the interpretive center just off highway 395.

http://www.monolake.org/visit/activities

Lee Vining is geographically convenient for Mono Lake, Bodie and Travertine, but I prefer the lodging and restaurant choices in June Lake which is about 15 miles south of Lee Vining on a loop road off 395.

Yosemite in July is going to be crowded and perhaps not the tranquil mountain paradise you envision; however, anything less than 2-3 full days there would IMO feel like a drive-by. But the question is moot if you can't find lodging in your budget for your dates, so I'd look into that ASAP.

Basing yourselves in Newport Beach to explore L.A. and San Diego will mean lots and lots of time on freeways. IMO, if you want to see L.A., stay in L.A. If you want to see San Diego, stay in San Diego. There are beach towns in both.