Hi all! I'm planning my honeymoon in late June, early July, flying into LAX, renting a car and driving north. We have 10-12 days, and i'm looking for ideas for the itinerary. Not sure whether to only go to the valleys above SF and turn back, or to drive all the way to Portland before flying home (B.C., Canada).
I'm currently thinking of visiting San Simeon, Big Sur, Monterey, San Fran. North of San Fran I'm not all that familiar with, but would likely venture into either Sonoma or Napa Valley. I'm starting to think Portland might add undue haste to our romantic getaway, but would love to hear other's thoughts.

ventanainn.com Big Sur TreebonesResort.com
Ahwanee Lodge at Yosemite.com my favs
Gets chiller in the north lots of rain
the farther north you go. Congrats!

Are you planning on spending any time at all in LA? You could easily use up 10-12 days between LA and SF if you're going to spend a few days in each of those, for example:

LA: 2 days
LA-Monterey: 2 days
Monterey-Carmel-Big Sur: 2 days
San Francisco: 3 days
Napa-Sonoma: 2-3 days

I would stick with just California. It would be a fairly long hike to The Redwoods, but I might include it or Yosemite.
sf307 plan is good, you could shorten it but not by much. Maybe cut a day on the coast drive or from Monterey. You could do Napa as a day trip from San Francisco.

I might be temtped to start out of San Francisco or even San Jose and return the car there(unless drop fees aren't that bad or something that $$ don't really matter to much)

How far are either The Redwoods or Yosemite? We're actually flying into LA and then off to the South Pacific for 5 days. We'll be seeing LA at the very beginning as that's where the flights all line up, so that will free up an additional 2 days from sf307's itinerary. For car rentals the drop off to SF is only $20, but I'm thinking we could go past SF to the valleys, and then back to SF and go without a car the last 3 days. Or do you think I'd need one at that point?

Don't overlook the wine country near Paso Robles and Santa Barbara.

HTTY

From San Francisco-
Probably 5 hours on HWY 101(longer if your drive some of HWY 1 on the coast) to the Redwoods. The Redwoods don't attract the crowds that Yosemite does. I would see Prairie Creek area and maybe stop on the coast at Patricks Point. At Prairie Creek I would hike James Irvine Trail through Fern Canyon all the way to the ocean. This is about 5 miles one way, but is fairly easy. Most of it is in the shade. An easier shorter area(1 mile) is Jedediah Smith/Stout Grove. Those are the two best hikes in the Redwoods, IMOP. Probably would need 3-4 days for this including driving.

Probably 3.5 hours to Yosemite. You would want to see The Valley area and Maripossa Grove. Perhaps also see Tuolumne Meadows too. You would probably want to spend 2 or 3 days there. It would be very busy at this time of year and could be warm.

Another interesting place(and the perfect time of the year for it) is Channel Islands on your way up HWY 1, just an hour north of LA or so. Hearst Castle should be a stop from LA to Monterey. Don't miss McWay Falls and Point Lobos State Park. McWay Falls is a quick stop, but the rest are 1/2 to a whole day to visit.

You probably have plenty enough to do along the coast. Yosemite is my very favorite spot, but you might want to save it for a later trip. Sequoia National Park has bigger trees than Yosemite, but they don't have the quality of waterfalls that Yosemite does. The Redwood Trees are taller and while they are really huge at the base, the Giant Sequoia's are far bigger in diameter. I think Sequoia trees at Sequoia are the most impressive. The drive thru the Redwoods is spectacular though. Can't really go wrong with either. And you really can't go wrong on the coast.

O, Do see The Monterey Bay Aquarium. Easily the best aquarium that I have been to. Maybe kayak at Elkhorn Slough just north of Monterey.

Fooey - lost my post.

Unless there are a number of things you want to see in LA - I would recommend you head out around of the congestion by 3 PM of the 2nd day (to beat the commute traffic) and perhaps spend the night in Danish founded/themed Solvang. There are any number of good wine shops in town - as well as wineries in the Santa Ynez Valley/area. Did you see the movie Sideways?

From there - it's an easy shot to San Simeon where I recommend you visit Hearst Castle http://www.hearstcastle.org/- and perhaps spend the night in lovely Cambria - or head over 45 minutes of so toward one of the Paso Robles wineries - such as Justin - where my nephew spent his honeymoon.

Here are some websites - for Solvang - Justin Winery - and also some info on driving from San Simeon up to and through Big Sur. Again, for moi - even though LA and here in SD offer a lot to see and do - I think it's more fun to hang out in the smaller towns/less congested area when you are on a Honeymoon/relaxing vacation.

And from the Monterrey area - you could drive up to Yosemite - which I heartily recommend - and then perhaps stop in Napa on your way into SF. If you don't see the actual Redwoods on this trip - you will see plenty of big trees in and around Yo.

http://www.solvangusa.com/

http://www.justinwine.com/

http://byways.org/explore/byways/2301

This is essentially what we did for our honeymoon 5 years ago. We flew into LA and out of the San Fran area (San Jose actually). We are both pretty into wine so that was more of a focus, but not exclusively (and many of the wine areas also have national parks and other things to do). Our goal was to cover a lot of the state but keep our drives pretty short (2 hours) so we didn't spend an entire day driving. Our itinerary (which might be on this site in an old post) was as follows:

Fly into LA drive to Solvang area.
-2 nights in Solvang (wine tasting, dining, etc)
1 night in Paso Robles (more wine tasing)
1 night in Carmel (visit to Hearst Castle on the way out of Paso, drive up PCH, walking the beach, enjoying the town)
3 nights in SF (generaly merriment)
1 night in Sonoma (wine/food)
2 nights in Healdsburg (wine/food)
2 nights in Calistoga (wine/food, spas)
1 night in San Jose (we spent the day working our way back but stayed in SJ for an early morning flight the next day).

We absolutely loved our honeymoon. If you aren't as into wine as us, a few additional thoughts.

1) The Solvang area still can be really fun even for a casual enjoyer of wine plus it has great restaurants. However Santa Barbara would be a good alternative in the general area which would give you more of a beach/cosmopolitan experience (or as others have suggested, you could start in LA but I wouldn't try to make it from LA up to somewhere around Paso in 1 (about a 4-5 hour drive).

2) Paso Robles is also a big (and relatively undiscovered) wine area (the most wineries of any AVA in California). An alternative would be to stay in San Luis Obispo or on the coast near Cambria or Pismo Beach (better if you like the beach experience). Any of the 3 put you really close to Hearst Castle which is, in my mind, an absolute must see if you are going this way. Just really an incredible place and a glimpse back into history (incredibly privileged rich person history, at least).

3) A good place to add a day or two if you aren't as into wine would be Carmel/Monterey. We honestly were not huge on Carmel (honestly it looks like the downtown of most upper class suburbs I've been to but, to be fair, it was probably the original in this that everyone else has tried to copy). Monterey also has a good acquarium (and, if you both like to golf, there is an awesome course at any of the locations I've mentioned thus far).

4) SF speaks for itself. I would even recommend another day if you are a big fan of cities. A ton to do and we tried to cover a lot of it but there are still a lot of parts of the City we missed.

5) Sonoma, Healdsburg, Calistoga-of these, as many people on here would agree, I'd pick Healdsburg if I had to pick just one but which works best for you really depends on what you like. We are different in that we like to stay in the region where we are going out an about (thus the 3 separate towns) but you could just pick one and travel from there.

Sonoma is a small older town and very cute (quaint even?). Healdsburg is more "tony" especially in the downtown but has great shops and restaurants (far better than Sonoma). Also, I would say the wineries are far better as well. Healdsburg also has several great B&Bs (we stayed at the Grape Leaf Inn and loved it).

Calistoga is known for its hot springs and spas (although many of these are not of the mani/pedi and luxurious robe variety as the soak in tubs of hot water and peat moss and get a massage variety). It also is at the northern edge of Napa Valley which generally has less traffic. Central Napa (Yountville, St. Helens) are your more typical "status level" areas. Regardless, there is often a ton of traffic (most of the valleys considerable traffic goes up one of two roads at the bottom of the valley).

Also, if you are into microbreweries, Sonoma County (mostly up by Healdsburg and Anderson Valley (including near Mendocino) have several very well regarded breweries.

6) In addition to the national parks which many of suggested (and which would be a good place to sub out some wine days from my itinerary) I would also recommend going up to Mendocino. A fantastically remote (but not nearly so much so as the several hundred miles to its north) coastal town. Good restaurants, good walking, good accomodations,etc.

So that's a run down. Obviously you have to find your own way depending on what you like. Stay out of the Central Valley (I-5) as there isn't much to see there. My general recommendation would be not to try to do too much (try to spend at least 2 nights in most places or places near each other). Most of all, enjoy each other, this is probably the most extensive trip you will get to take for a while, make the most of it.

Also, a minor correction, on the microbreweries point, neither Mendocino or Anderson Valley are in Sonoma County but just to the north (I didn't want to mislead or be corrected).

This is great stuff - truly appreciate all of it! Starting to get an idea of where to go. We're big into hiking and beaches, and met working at a winery here in the Okanagan, so love wine country. The cities aren't where I want to be spending our time. Quiet and laid back is mostly what we're about. Got lots of stuff here to look at! If anything more comes to mind, let me know, but again greatly appreciate the tips!

Oregon's out (easy enough to get back to), and will look at Yosemite or the the other parks, but definitely don't want to rush. If I can stretch it to 2 full weeks I'll look at putting one of them in.

If anyone has any accomodation they would recommend, or must go to restaurants or wineries, let me know!

Breakfast:
The Tuck Box in Carmel-scones and olallieberry jam
First Awakenings in Monterey-get a crepe/egg

Dinner:
Sardine Factory for dinner in Monterey
Cafe Dametra in Carmel

Maybe stop at Nepenthe near Big Sur. This was nice, but I don't think I enjoyed it as much as it gets hyped up on here. I would stop again though. I think most people go more for the view and vibe of the place. Food was good, but I thought super overpriced for what you got and portions were very small.

In San Jose(in route to San Francisco) stop at
Falafels Drive In for lunch.

We liked The Mona Lisa best in San Francisco, but there are so many restaurants there to pick from that are awesome.

If you do make it to Yosemite-Sunday Brunch at The Awahanee.

There is really nothing to eat in the Redwoods.

"There is really nothing to eat in the Redwoods."

What does that mean? Yes, there are no restaurants right in Redwood National Park but in Trinidad there are several. The Larrupin Cafe is probably the best:

http://www.yelp.com/biz/larrupin-cafe-trinidad

In Eureka, there's the Brick & Fire and Restaurant 301. There's also great brewpubs in the area if you're into those.

There are beaucoup places to dine in Solvang, Pismo, Cambria, Carmel, Sonoma/Napa/Calistoga, less so in Yo but still fun - and of course - anything you like in SF. Suggest you google away for the type of food you want, and also just walk around when you get to where you plan to stay.

And hey - why don't you post your tenative itinerary when you get further along.

There is really nothing to eat in the Redwoods.
It means your going to have to drive a bit to find something to eat and even then there wasn't that much in Trinidad or Eureka. Certainly not anything like San Francisco or Monterey. We took breakfast and lunch into the park.

If you are into hiking and the outdoors then the area SW of Healdsburg on the Russian river has a ton of places in the woods near the river. Hiking and canoeing are good options there.

Also the area up around Mendocino has some fantastic places to hike along the beach (although, really this is true of many place in CA).

If you need/want any food, winery or lodging recommendations, feel free to reach out (what works depends, of course, on your tastes and preferences but I can give some ideas).

California's Central Coast is a beautiful place to spend your honeymoon! Big Sur is perfect if you are up for a little adventure and hiking. The views are amazing! Check out Ventana Inn & Spa or Glen Oaks for accommodations and be sure to see McWay Falls at Julia Pfeiffer Burns State Park (a very easy hike).
http://www.seemonterey.com/big-sur-california

Carmel-by-the-Sea is a very romantic destination. The quaint town has several art galleries, shops, wine tasting rooms and restaurants. Casanova's is a great place to have a romantic dinner.
http://www.seemonterey.com/carmel-by-the-sea-california

Monterey will keep you busy with activities. You can visit the Monterey Bay Aquarium, go on a whale watch tour, bike, kayak or just stroll around Cannery Row and Fisherman's Wharf. Look into the Spindrift Inn on Cannery Row or the Portola Hotel & Spa in downtown Monterey.
http://www.seemonterey.com/monterey-california

You might also want to check out Pacific Grove. It is located just a few minutes from Monterey and has several cute ocean view B&B's like the Martine Inn and Seven Gables.
http://www.seemonterey.com/pacific-grove-california

I work for the Monterey County Convention & Visitors Bureau so my job is to make sure you have a great time!

Daryn, the Okanagan is one of our favorite places! It's a real hike from Florida, but we make it about annually. Congrats to the both of you.

I can't actually speak for how it will be, but I just booked rooms at Cambria Pines Lodge, in Cambria. You might find some other ideas on my current vacation planning thread: http://www.fodors.com/community/unit...gs-canyon-.cfm