california trip second attempt!!
 

Message: having taken note of your earlier comments have tried to rejig my plans and would love to hear what you think

hope now to arrive in lax from dublin
26th june and go straight to san deigo where we will stay until 1st july

1st july to 4th july in sedona and use this as a base for g canyon.

5th - 8th july las vegas - ideas for sidetrips welcome

9th july travel to yosemite - ideas for stopover welcome

10 - 11 july yosemite

12th july monterey big sur drive heading back to lax to catch homebound flight on 13th July

Does this sound any more feasible?

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Sounds wonderful. Got room for another?

You can go through Death Valley from Las Vegas to Yosemite. I'd drive up the "back way" and enter Yosemite from the East.

Maybe a day less in San Diego and a day less in Las Vegas to give you more time to get from Yosemite back to LAX. What time does your flight leave?

And I agree with Patrick's suggestion.

martinaa,

depending on the time of day your flight arrives at LAX, you might want to consider staying in the area.

The last time I arrived from Europe at around 4.30 p.m. it took me more than an hour to clear immigration. Picking up the luggage and the rental car was another half to 3/4 of an hour. By the time I got on the Freeway (headed in the other direction though), I got stuck in really dense traffic.

This might happen in the San Diego direction, too. The 405 tends to be critical IMO.
Staying somewhere near the airport might save you a potentially annoying trip in the dark. On the plus side you could head down to San Diego early next morning and idle down PCH, which won't take you more than 2 hours.
It is a lovely drive through Southern California's nicest beach communities such as Laguna Beach, affording splendid views of the ocean, which you would likely miss driving down there jet- laggedly and in the dark.
This route always sets me in a true vacation mood and you won't miss much of precious time you might want to spend in San Diego.

Apart from that the itinerary sounds great! Enjoy your trip!

hsv

I agree that coming in the back way to Yosemite is the way to go. Lone Pine, Bishop and Lee Vining would be places to stop before entering Yosemite.

Not sure which way you will be driving from Yosemite to Monterey, but if you are driving in on 580 then you might get a kick at stopping in "Dublin", California. Nothing special about the town except they have a St. Patty parade every year. Just thought you might get a kick out of it since you are coming from Dublin.

Utahtea

sorry for my delay in getting back to thank you all for your suggestions - for the first time in my life i had the flu and felt floored. will definitely take on board what you have said especially the suggestion about staying overnight near lax. just one other thing will sedona be ok for grand canyon met someone at the weekend and they thought it would be a bit far to travel and that i might be best to stay weekend in sedona and then do overnighter (4th July) closer to grand canyon. tks again

martina

I agree with hsv, without traffic LA to SD is about 2.5 -3 hours. In traffic it could take 5 hours.
I did a daytrip from Sedona to GC. It was fine.

Before I changed my overnight plans for July 4th, I'd make sure I could get lodging at the alternate location. July 4th is a US national holiday and, especially in tourist areas such as the Grand Canyon, hotels and motels are usually booked solidly and will be hard to get into without a confirmed reservation.

I also echo the suggestion to go up and across Death Valley on the way to the east entrance of Yosemite. The entire trip is a magnificent study in contrasts.

I always advice people to carry at least a gallon of water per person and a large sun hat. In June, it will be very hot. Road service in the event of a breakdown may be an hour or more away in some places and you need the shade a hat provides and the water. It is unlikely you'll have a problem but, like may other things in life, it's better to have it and not need it than it is to need it and not have it.

You asked for suggestions for day trips from LV also. Valley of Fire State Park is about one hour north and is unlike anything you will have seen in Ireland. Red Rocks Park and Mt. Charleston are about 30-45 minutes west of LV. Hoover Dam and Lake Mead are about 30-45 minutes to the southeast. All are interesting side trips.

Have a wonderful trip.

I must admit that I have never been that impressed with Sedona. If not camping, which I gather you are not doing, I would stay in Flagstaff and take the day trips from there, including a day trip to Sedona. That would mean shorter travel to the Grand Canyon. Don't miss the Northern Arizona Museum on the outskirts of Flagstaff on the way to GC.