We are a couple in our late 40's/early 50's. In September we arrive in Los Angeles (only our second time to the U.S.) for a holiday. We are hiring a car and driving to San Diego, Phoenix, Grand Canyon, Hoover Dam, Death Valley, Los Vegas, Yosemite, San Francisco and back to L.A. (Hope I have the correct order!) We had hoped to go cross over the border into Mexico briefly, but need some suggestions on that. Also would welcome any other suggestions on improving our planned route, or perhaps on places of particular interest on or near our route.

"plant" of course should have been "PLAN" - so no smart comments, please!!

Kathy: Do NOT cross over into Mexico with your own rental car. Do NOT!

From Gr. Canyon you go to Hoover Dam, Las Vegas and then Death Valley. Car rental companies don't usually allow you to take a rental into Mexico. Check with the rental agency. If you decide to visit Mexico it can be done easily from San Diego. Tijuana is the border town and, frankly, not a very pleasant place to visit. To go to Mexico from Phoenix requires a drive of more than 150 miles south to Nogales - not worth the effort.
Unless there is a major reason for including Phoenix you could substitute visits to Zion and Bryce National Parks.

Aside from the advice to not take a car across the border - - Can't give you much input without knowing how long your holiday is. This is a MAJOR itinerary and while all the places are worhtwhile, but it is no a 10-day or even 2 week trip.

Kathy, you didn't say how long you will have for this trip. You will be covering an huge area. There isn't much to stop for in Phoenix, but between Phoenix and the Grand Canyon is Sedona, a must see! rqf is right, most rental car companies will not let you take their vehicles into Mexico. I hope you're going to Las Vegas before Death Valley, because you can leave Death Valley on the west side and get to Yosemite more directly. It will still be very hot during the day in the desert areas, so I suggest you buy an inexpensive little cooler so that you can carry water and snacks with you.

kathy, have you actually checked the mileages between your stops, in addition to just looking at a map. The US West is BIG! You can go to www.mapquest.com and plug in your various cities for a good rough estimate of the highway drive-times. You'll want your rental car to have cruise control.

Kathy,

I think that you are trying to cover too much in one trip. I would focus on Southern California (Los Angeles and San Diego), Las Vegas, Hoover Dam, and Grand Canyon. Maybe, if time permits, you can fit in Yosemite. But going to San Francisco is way out of the way of all the other places you have listed (about 460 miles north of Los Angeles or a 7-8 hour drive. I would leave Northern California(San Jose, Monterey/Carmel, SF/Napa) for another trip. You could easily spend 3-4 weeks seeing Southern California, Las Vegas, Grand CAyon, and San Diego. As far as Mexico goes, I agree with not driving there. Instead you can take a trolley from San Diego right to the border town of Tiujuana.

Depending on when in September and how long your holiday is, I'd be inclined to suggest you reverse the order. The later in September you hit LV and Death Valley the better - it can still be well into the 100s(F) early in the month.

Whether you are trying to do too much depends on how much time you will have for traveling in the states. Agree with other posters who suggest you skip Mexico. The trip as you outlined it covers close to 2000 miles. One post suggests you visit Zion And Bryce and leave out Phoenix if possible. To include these two places adds about 200 miles to the total trip - well worth the extra mileage if you haven't been to Zion and Brycre. The route would be as follows:
LA, San Diego, Las VEgas, South Rim GR. Canyon, Bryce, Zion, back through Las VEgas to Death Valley, Yosemite, San Francisco, LA.

ttt

"s" gave you a good itinerary....and if you ARE going to Phoenix for a reason, then do go thru Sedona on your way north. Also Zion Canyon is wonderful, and St. George is a nice stop-off on the way to Vegas. You are talking about a LOT of driving....so if you're comfortable w/that, go for it! Another tip, in Vegas take a cab or drive to areas of the strip...the walk is more than it appears to be... the Mirage/Treasure Island is a good central location. I'd stay away from the border of Mexico too, unless you just want to be able to say you were in Mexico...then just park and walk. You can get a few trinkets but it really is an ugly place....not the beautiful Mexico you see in the magazines. If you have plenty of time, don't forget Monterey, south of San Fran, on your way back to L.A. And check out the "Queen Mary" in Long Beach, if you're a history buff....a sister to the Titanic! San Diego zoo, Sea World and the beach are great. Hope you already have reservations to stay at the Grand Canyon, and Yosemite! I'm jealous...I want to go to all of these places again!

Thanks for all the helpful replies. We have two weeks to do the trip. Phoenix is a must as we are visiting a friend there. San Francisco is also a must, for the very same reason. Our first vacation to the States was last year, when we did about 2,500 miles (from Philadelphia down to both east and west coast of Florida). We shared the driving and saw lots. We've waited years to be able to do this and want to see as much as possible in the two weeks we have!

You could probably add Zion and Bryce if you skip Hoover Dam and San Diego. It all depends on how much time you will spend in Phoenix and San Francisco. If it is a choice between SAn Diego/Hoover Dam or Zion/Bryce I think most people would choose Zion/Bryce. Assuming two days in each in SAn Francisco and Phoenix that leaves 8 days ( not counting arrival and departure day) to visit Gr. Canyon, Zion, Bryce, LAs VEgas, Death Valley and Yosemite. You could do Gr. Canyon, Bryce, Zion in 1 1/2 days each. Death Valley is a half day drive through. Yosemite would require the better part of two days.

way too much driving even if you had one month. September is still very hot in the southwest you will get temps above 37C frequently unless you stay coastal california. Phoenix isn't worth visiting unless you play golf or need a one night layover before you go somewhere else. Death Valley although nice to see once will not dominate your long term memory as it relates to this vacation. The Grand Canyon is a must and so is Yosemite- both will be very crowded though. Rental car agencies will not allow you to drive their cars into Mexico. Border towns aren't worth it anyways- you're from another country already so'll you'll just be more of a target for pickpockets/thieves/crooks.

Consider flying from LA to Vegas when you land in LA (or the next day), rent a car in Vegas (stay 2-3 nights). Vegas is the perfect place to stay when you are jetlagged because nothing closes. Drive back and forth to Hoover Dam and Grand Canyon(stay 2-3 nights at Grand Canyon). Then take a flight back to LA (the drive is boring). Airfare should be cheap on Southwest Airlines. Drive to Yosemite (stay 2-3 nights) then to San Francisco (3-5 nights). Then drive along the coast from SF to LA (2nights) stopping in Carmel, Big Sur and Santa Barbara (2-3 nights) then San Diego (3-4 nights). Drive back to LAX from SD the day of your flight. That's right don't stay in LA unless you feel you must do the hollywood thing.

Hi Kathy:

You are really biting off a big chunk to chew if you plan to see all the spots you listed in two weeks. I am a native of Southern Calif., and have been to each of them. As noted by several posters, distances are great, driving times are long, and early Sep. can be very hot in the deserts. Nevertheless, may I suggest using an "open-jaw" ticket; flying into San Francisco and returning from Los Angeles. Your friends in SF can pick you up and you can rent a car after your visit. My suggested sequence after SF would be Yosemite; drive to Las Vegas via Tioga Pass & through Death Valley; visit Hoover Dam on your drive to the south rim of the Grand Canyon; From Grand Canyon drive to Phoenix via Oak Creek Canyon and Sedona (south of Flagstaff). From Phoenix you can drive to San Diego, then on to LA. In my opinion, although San Diego is a nice city, there is not really much to see on a short visit. If you had the time, the zoo, Balboa Park and Sea World are great attractions. I agree with other posters: Bypass Mexico. If you run out of time in Phoenix, you might consider bypassing San Diego and flying to LAX to connect with your flight home. In any event, be prepared for long hours in your vehicle. Good luck to you. You have picked some great places to see and I hope you can squeeze them all in. Happy travelling, Chet

Hi, Two years ago I made more or less the same trip and this was our general itenary
San Francisco, 2 night stay
drive Highway 1 to Cambria, stay
next stop Barstow ( not nice, only factory outlet if interested)
Las Vegas, 2 night stay
Zion, 1 night
Bryce Canyon, 1 night
Grand Canyon, 1 night
Phoenix, 1 night
Phoenix-San Diego ( long and hot drive)
San Diego, 2 nights
Los Angeles, 2 night

This was manageable but to be honest, we needed another vacation after this trip......Better to fly from certain places instead of drive ( Phoenix-San Diego for ex.)

flights to vegas are usually very cheap, I would do California then fly to Vegas get another rental car and go from there. It might have been better to fly to SF then drive to Yosemite, LA, San Diego, fly to Vegas, drive to Grand Canyon (Bryce& Zion), Sedona, Phoenix

DO NOT take your rental car into Mexico for any reason! Besides, the car rental companies in California forbid you to do so. Park at the border crossing where Interstate 5 meets the Mexico border at Tijuana. Secure your car then WALK across the border, or I understand there are also buses available for crossing the border. Parking lots for the border will begin appearing as you approach Mexico....remember the closer you are to the border the more the cost of parking will be. IMHO, I think everyone should visit Tijuana once in their lives to appreciate how good some of us are off in life. It will be a real eye opener. If you are the least bit unsure of going into Mexico, southern California has a major Mexican influence. I'd suggest Old Town in San Diego or Olvera Street in Los Angeles for expeiencing Mexican culture in the USA. It's the next best thing to being in Mexico and you can drink the water!