Have a month to travel. Going West. Any suggestions on itineraries?

I suspect you're going to get more help if you give us more info. Do you have some ideas about where you want to go? What sort of things are you looking for, cities, hiking, mountains, desert, etc., etc.

Saps three step program:

Step 1. Admit you posted a vague question

Step 2. Reply to this message with some more details. Interests? Budget? Car? Time of Year? Must sees?

Step 3. Get useful answers.

"Going West."

How are you going there, whereabouts in the west (PNW, SW, CA?), who's going, what do you like to do, and when are you going?

We (mom, dad, + 11 & 13 Yr olds) are road-tripping starting in San Francisco. We would like to focus on Nat'l Parks or other meaningful sites. We want fun + learning. Any "authentic" places to stay and/or do. We will be travelling in a van.

We will be in San Francisco the first weekend in October so we'd like to leave from there. We are wide open as far as what states/sites to visit. We don't want to spend a fortune, so budget ideas are helpful. However, this is a sabbatical from work/school so we want to have a meaningful trip. We like adventure, but not dangerous ones!

Time of year matters ALOT! Summer, Winter, Spring or Fall???

Okay...now we have something to work with!

Highway 1 south
Yosemite
Death Valley
Las Vegas
Zion NP
Bryce NP
Grand Canyon NP
etc.

Do you have to fly out of SFO?

30 days to work with

Spend 2 more days in SF.
Northern CA - Point Reyes National Seashore (1 day)
Northern CA - Fort Bragg (1 day)
Lake Tahoe (2 days)
Yosemite (2 days)
Death Valley (1 day)
Las Vegas (2 days)
Grand Canyon (2 days)
Zion (2 days)
Bryce Canyon (2 days)
Joshua Tree (2 days)
San Diego (3 days)
Disneyland/CA Adventure (2 days)
Los Angeles/Hollywood (1 days)
Santa Barbara (1 day)
Cambria/Hearst Castle (1 day)
Monterey/Carmel (2 days)
Return to SF (1 day)

How about this:
-S.Francisco-Monterrey/Carmel-Big Sur-S.Barbara-L.A.-San Diego-Phoenix-Flagstaff-Grand Can.-Monumentvalley-Lake Powell-Bryce canyon-Zion N.Park-L.Vegas-Stovepipe well(death valley)-Mammoth lakes-Yosemite-S.Francisco.
We did this trip in 1998.great!!!!