California Circular Road Trip
 

Hi
We're planning a circular road trip end of August for 3 weeks.
4 adults early sixties
The itinerary we thought is.
Fly into SF stay 4 nights.
Monterey 1 night
Cambria 2 nights
LA area 4 nights
Palm springs 2 nights
Kings Canyon 3 nights
Yosemite 4 nights
SF 1 night before flying back to UK

Any info or suggestions most welcome.
What's unmissable
More or less nights in any location?

Thanks

Skip Palm Springs. Add those days after Yosemite and head up to Lake Tahoe. I would also skip LA and add those days to Monterey and the Central Coast, Cambria etc.

Sounds doable to me. Of course, I am partial to San Diego - where it's less congested than in LA. :)

In my world, I'd add a day to Monterey, and subtract a day in Cambria.

Now I'm sure you're freezing your bums off right now, so any heat seems like a good thing, but especially after a cold English winter, coming to California at the end of August, you are going to feel like you're being fried in lard in one or more of these destinations.

And unless you've already made reservations in Yosemite -- do so immediately, but keep in mind that one of the two busiest weekends in Yosemite will be the 30th August - 2 September period, since that's Labor Day weekend.

No one in their right mind would visit Palm Springs in late August without being absolutely prepared that as dry as it is, 115 degrees (46 C) at that time is not uncommon, and any swimming/lounging out will cause, in 10 minutes, tender British skin to resemble a boiled lobster. In short, you really would have to spend most of your 2 days either in an air conditioned room or air conditioned car, and that, to me, isn't a whole lot of fun. Since most people go to PS to lie out or golf, you can't really do too much of either before encountering heat exhaustion. Not saying you won't enjoy it -- just giving you the downside, and in a group of 4 people, I can assure you there's going to be one who will be a big complainer.

Now, let's talk about Kings Canyon and Yosemite. Again, in late August it can get very, very hot, in the '90's (about 36 C), so be prepared. Both are places the English LOVE to go to, and for good reason. Since I know a lot of Brits and lived there for 4 years, I have taken many on road trips up and down California, and Yosemite in particular is always a highlight. The good news is, even if it's hotter than hell outside, you can cool down in the shady places, and get really cooled off by taking a swim in the Merced (think the English Channel at Brighton for temp!).

I wouldn't skip L.A. -- Brits seem to love it, and I'm sort of getting used to it, having lived off and on here for 50 years. We have a lot of British transplants here. It depends on your interests -- early '60's and you might be interested in some of the old music haunts that survived the days of the Doors and the Stones and the Beatles.

I would stay in Carmel rather than Monterey, and Cambria is good for one night unless you are planning on a whole day at the Hearst Castle. In fact, we prefer to stay in Pismo Beach rather than Cambria because PB has lots of rooms with great ocean views.

On the way to LA, the Paso Robles wine district and Santa Barbara are definitely worth a night or two.

South of LA, Highway 1 from Seal Beach to Dana Point offers some good ocean views and Newport Beach and Laguna Beach are among the interesting towns along the way. As others have noted, San Diego is a popular destination for good reason.

I would skip Palm Springs because it is hot there in August and there isn't much to do there. It's hot in Las Vegas too, but that city is fascinating in its eye-popping excesses.

If you go to Las Vegas, you could drive to Yosemite via Death Valley (which others will tell you to avoid), the East Sierra, Bodie (our best ghost town), Mono Lake, and Tioga Pass. (The trade-off would be that you would miss Kings Canyon.)

If you to to Sequoia NP and Kings Canyon NP, three nights there might be too many. Four nights in Yosemite might be a stretch too.

From Yosemite, return to San Francisco via Highway 49, which is the route of the great California Gold Rush. It's a beautiful drive with several nice little towns.

HTtY

Completely 100% drop Palm Springs. Horrible in August.

Add those extra 2 nights to the coast. Then you can do 2 or 3 nights in Monterey/Carmel, 1 night in Cambria, and 1 night in Santa Barbara.

I personally wouldn't visit Sequoia/Kings Canyon in August - but if you must, 2 nights maximum.

I also might cut one night from Yosemite (Cannot believe I'm actually saying that :) )

And use the Kings Canyon night(s)/one YNP night for the back side of the Sierra and Tahoe.

Completely agree with janisj. Cut one night from Cambria. Absolutely no need for 2. Decide between Yosemite OR Sequoia & Kings Canyon. You can see the Giant Sequoias at Yosemite and, though Kings Canyon is nice, it is nothing spectacular unless you are backpacking. The same can be said of Sequoia. That said, you would really miss something by not seeing Yosemite. So add time to Yosemite and drive through the high country which is spectacular to Tioga Pass and then drive north to Tahoe, which is vey beautiful. Spend two nights in Tahoe & drive back to Sf for return flight. Definitely leave out any desert location as it will be hotter than heck & it is miserable.

If you want to spend a couple nights on/at a beautiful beach - hard to beat Moonstone at Cambria. http://tinyurl.com/ajhxjcu

Monterey needs more than one night. The aquarium will take up half a day, Carmel will take up the other half with the mission and the town itself, and if there is any time left over, there are a couple of museums in Monterey that are worth a visit.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/mksfca/...th/4853752192/

From LA go directly to Yosemite. You can see giant sequoias there, and save time instead of passing through Kings Canyon/Sequoia NP.

From Yosemite go to Lake Tahoe, perhaps by going over Tioga Pass and making a side trip to Mono Lake and Bodie State Historic Park from the days saved by not going to Palm Springs and Kings Canyon/Sequoia NP.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/mksfca/...th/4854865855/

There's no real need to go to Kings Canyon since you want to go to Yosemite. Go to the Mariposa Grove in the south end of Yosemite. http://www.nps.gov/yose/planyourvisit/mg.htm
See when you can get a reservation in Yosemite and build your trip around those dates.
You might want to fly to Las Vegas and rent your car there. Cars tend to be cheaper from LV than from SFO.
If you want to see large Coast Redwoods, go over the Golden Gate bridge from SF to see Muir Woods.

I like surfergirl's vivid prose - if you go to Palm Springs in August you will feel like a lobster boiled in lard. So, to borrow from her colorful prose: if you cross Death Valley in August any time after 8 or 9 am in the morning you will feel like a lobster boiled AND fried in lard. In fact, if you try to drive from LA to Las Vegas, unless you can plan on travel very early in the morning, you might not feel like a lobster boiled in lard, but you'll feel more like a crayfish cooked in peanut oil - a lesser degree of pain, but still stifling hot.
.
I'd suggest that you definitely look into adding San Diego and Lake Tahoe and dropping Kings Canyon. Michael and tomfuller are correct, you don't need to do both Kings Canyon and Yosemite and of the two Yosemite is by far better for you. (If you haven't heard the name of the park pronounced before, it's "Yo-sem-mitty" not "youse-might" :) Just kidding.)

Other than that, it might help to know a bit more about you and your interests: Do you consider yourselves on the young side or the old side of 60s (in other words, how much physical activity in one day?) Do you like museums or surfing? Culture or dancing with 20-year-olds through the night? Seafood or animal meat? Do you like to drink wine or take mud baths or both? Without knowing your interests, it's a bit hard to say how many days you should spend where.

Well, an awful lot to digest there.
Time to sit down and re-plan I think.
Next time I post I'll probably have a different itinerary but stil the same start and finish point.
Maybe throw Napa Valley into the mix as well.
Thanks for all the advice.

From cold Manchester.

You might consider taking a day from SF and driving to beautiful/blue Lake Tahoe for couple of days/nights. It's 4 hours or so if you can hopefully avoid traffic - leaving after the morning commute in SF and getting through Sacramento before their afternoon rush starts.

From there - you could go down 395 - past Mono Lake (check out the history) - and up the dramatic Tioga Pass - taking the "back" way into Yosemite - through lovely Tuolumne Meadows (might be worth a night's stop - and take a pretty walk/hike http://www.yosemitepark.com/tuolumne-meadows-lodge.aspx ) - and also a beautiful drive over to the main area/valley floor.

From Yosemite - drive over to Carmel/Monterrey (again - going a "back" way to avoid SF Bay Area traffic - doable in 4 to 5 hours) -- for a night or two - and drive down through beautiful Big Sur - maybe staying at Cambria (just below San Simeon) - or even somewhere in Big Sur. Pfeiffer state park has waterfalls, etc. and we always stop at Nepenthene for coffee - the view. http://www.bigsurcalifornia.org/map.html and http://www.nepenthebigsur.com/

From there - you can do the LA loop (figure 3 hours from Cambria - again - without hitting traffic going through Santa Barbara or coming into LA) - or hang longer in the Carmel/Cambria areas - and then head back to SF airport (3 hours or so from Carmel/Monterrey - except of course on a weekend afternoon) - having done sort of a great circle route.

If you do visit LA - figure a six hour plus drive back to SF Airport - again, trying to time it during non-commute hours.

Also - check on the drop off fees for the rental (hired) car - and maybe turn the car in when finished visiting LA and fly back to SF - an hour long flight and they are frequent/fairly inexpensive.

Palm Springs is worth a visit sometime - but in August - it's not only very hot - and an added distance from the areas mentioned above. My in laws lived there and they liked to try and get away somewhere during July and August.

here is my two cents for your planning: Assuming 21 nights

Fly into SF stay 1 night (to shake off jetlag, leisurely breakfast and a walk – maybe Stu can recommend a morning walking tour; don’t worry I suggest you end the trip with several days in SF and Napa).

2 Monterey/Carmel (I agree with other posters that there is lots to do in Monterey – do go to the Aquarium, and Carmel is just so darn cute – great shopping, dining and lodging; do 17 mile drive; in peak season Carmel can also have a 2 night minimum though I recommend 2 nights anyway)

1 Cambria (Hearst Castle, probably the morning after you arrive from Carmel), you could also stay elsewhere just make sure you time getting a tour as they are at very specific times

2 Santa Barbara (visit the wine country, relax, walk, shop, go to a spa, visit galleries, relax some more)

4 Los Angeles (so much to do, really depends on your interests; perhaps plan a day on the westside including the Getty (either one) and Santa Monica’s third street promenade or main street, visit a local farmer’s market, hit the beach in Malibu/Zuma or another cute little beach town like Manhattan Beach, watch dolphins or people, or rent bikes; a day downtown to visit museums, Olivera Street, hear music at Disney Music Hall, visit the LA Live complex and Grammy Museum, take an architecture tour; plan a Beverly Hills/Hollywood day and see Rodeo Drive, go to the LA Farmer’s Market and do a little shopping at The Grove, go to LACMA and La Brea tar pits, visit the Peterson Automotive Museum, visit Hollywood/Highland to see the old theaters, catch a movie and see the stars on the sidewalk, do a studio tour; go to a concert at The Hollywood Bowl or The Greek; another day go to Pasadena to see Huntington Gardens and Library in the morning and lunch (it will be hot in the afternoon), visit the Norton Simon museum, tour Gamble House and see a play at Pasadena Playhouse, if it’s the second sunday of the month go to the Flea Market at the Rose Bowl (early morning, it gets hot and crowded but quite a scene), you can also shop and dine in Old Town.

3 Yosemite (from LA we like to stay on the south end near Mariposa Grove and drive into the Valley, but most prefer to base their stay in the village, really depends on what’s available, be sure to eat at least once at The Ahwahnee if you are not staying there; take Tioga Pass for your drive north)

2 Tahoe (love Tahoe, we usually stay South Lake Tahoe - take a hike, go out on the lake; golf; gamble)

2 nights Napa
 (leave Tahoe in the morning, plan in advance for hotels and dining options as it can fill up fast, often 2 nights minimum for lodging)

4 nights San Francisco (others on the forum can better recommend how to fill your days but you will easily fill your days. I like the idea of ending the trip with a few days in the city. No driving, just walking, eating, shopping, relaxing or exploring as the mood suits)

<i>Maybe throw Napa Valley into the mix as well.</i>

Rather than Napa, the Sonoma valley might be more interesting. The town of Sonoma itself has a nice 19th century square with historical buildings, there's the Jack London Historic State Park and the Benziger winery right next door.

But if the Napa valley is for the wines, there are good wineries just north of Santa Barbara--remember the movie "Sideways"?

I like POison,'s plan which is a tweak on your original plan. Only throw in Napa if you have time. There are many other wine growing areas throughout California. You will pass thru Monterey County, Carmel Valley, Paso Robles, Santa Ynez, Santa Barbara, and Foothills wine growing areas on this trip. Wine growing and wine tasting is everywhere.

If you are from the UK, try carhire3000, they rent from the majors and will include all the insurance plus often they can get the one way drop fee waived (this is a popular route with visitors). I also like POIson's plan and MichelleY beat me to it with suggestions of other wine growing regions in California, many of which are much less expensive than Napa.

Also if you do decide to visit Tahoe, there are also several good wine growing areas east of Sacramento, some of them do not charge for tasting or the fee is small.

And please remember after you have been doing all that wine imbibing that we drive on the right side of the road.

For something different in LA:

http://www.yelp.com/biz/the-museum-o...gy-culver-city