USA West coast...
 

We are planning a trip with our four kids ages (10. 9, 7 and 2) for next summer July and August. We have around 40-42 days. Based on some recommendations on another thread I have resume our trip as follows. Are the times spend on each place good or we should add or reduce them? Should we consider another place or road? Any advice is welcome.
We are flying to Vancouver because we have always wanted to see it and is cheaper for us to start our trip there. We are planning on going to Seattle by train and there rent a car and finish in San Diego where we want to see family and have some relaxing days before heading back home. Thank you!

Vancouver (3)
Seattle (2)
Olympic national park (4)
Astoria or Canon beach (2)
Portland (3) (we have family)
Sunriver (7)
Redwoods/Crescent city (2)
San Francisco (3) (we have family)
Yosemite (3)
Lone Pine ? (1)
Las Vegas (2)
San Diego (8)

Moved to US board

In general it looks ok to me. It will be a lot of driving but I assume you already know that. You may find it helpful to map out each of ~40 days and include driving times so you get a feel for what each day looks like. Times you find on google maps will be pretty accurate but assume no stopping. Not for gas, not for rest break, not for food, not for seeing sights.

Just a few thoughts.
- Book accommodations at Yosemite NOW - look for rooms in the Valley - eg at Yosemite Valley Lodge - this is the one and only official reservation website. https://www.travelyosemite.com
- Las Vegas looks like an outlier to me. In July & Aug it will be too hot. The high today 8/14 is expected to be 40C. It's also not really a place for children. It looks like you've mapped Lone Pine as simply as stop over from Yosemite to LV., on a route that will take you through Death Valley (high today 46C) - truly deathly hot. Add in the time you'll be in the car just to take that side trip to LV and think more about it. If visiting LV is on your "must do list" then ok - it's your decision, but please seriously consider spending that time elsewhere along your route. There are many family friendly places to visit in - I'm sure others can come up with some recommendations.

Mine would include, just as possibilities to consider:
Monterey
Big Sur
Gold country
Sequoia national park

Sundolph: Just time for some quick comments right now. July/August will be very VERY HOT in Las Vegas. Too hot to even lay by the pool after about 9 AM and there would be nothing much for kids to do because outdoor activities would be impossible. I'd skip it entirely and therefore skip the Lone Pine leg (the back side of the Sierra is gorgeous but it would only lead you down into the desert/Deah Valley/Vegas and that isn't a good idea at that time of year)

So instead of Vegas - from Yosemite head west as J62 suggests to the Monterey/Big Sur area and down the coast from there.

(J62 -- the law suit is over so the old names are back. No more Yosemite Valley Lodge or The Majestic. Thank heavens! They are Yosemite Lodge at the Fall and and Curry Village and the Ahwahnee and as they should be)

Yes, the silly lawsuit about the names of hotels/camping was resolved. Ahwahnee, Wawona and Curry get their names back but Yosemite Valley Lodge is keeping the new name.
https://www.cnn.com/travel/article/y...ges/index.html
https://www.nps.gov/yose/planyourvisit/lodging.htm

Oh crap -- I thought it was going back too. I saw a photo with a 'Yosemite Lodge' canvas sign hanging over the reception office entrance right after the settlement but that must have just been a temporary 'guerrilla' effort :)

It is strictly personal preferance but I would also choose to drive Highway 1 from Monterey through Big Sur and south to San Diego but others prefer to drive in the mountains.
Your 2 year old will need a car seat and the 7 year old may need a booster seat depending on height.

Avoid LV...you will be all be miserable. It will be so much more comfortable along the coast and you can spend lovely days outside. The Monterey Aquarium is world class and the kids will love it. Santa Cruz is a fun stop. Drive down the coast to San Diego...take your time. The redwoods along the coast are great. No need to go east of the sierras in August.

I wold drop Lone Pine/Death Valley and Las Vegas. I would only spend 5 days in Sunriver/Bend area. There are several places south of San Francisco to see large Coast Redwood trees without going to Crescent City.
Consider returning the Seattle rental car after visiting Olympic NP and taking another train from Seattle to Portland. Rent another car in Portland for all that you want to see in Oregon. The north entrance of Crater lake NP is only 90 miles from Bend (less from Sunriver).
If you decide you like train travel, you could return the rental car in Portland and take the Coast Starlight south from Portland to Sacramento arriving early in the morning.
Sacramento is a good jumping off point to go to Yosemite.
Would the kids rather spend a day or two at Disneyland, Knotts Berry Farm or Six Flags instead of all that time in San Diego?
Try to avoid driving across the Mojave Desert in August.

Agree with the other posters - skip Las Vegas. It's NOT a place for kids. But, go back when it's just you & your spouse. It has great shows, shopping, hotels, restaurants, and casinos (if you like to gamble).

>>But maybe we can drive to San Diego along the coast and from there take an airplane for one night?<<

That would work -- fly to Vegas in the morning and fly back to SanDiego sometime the next day. You won't be able to check in to a hotel until mid to late afternoon but they will hold your bags until check in time. Minimize your time in LV and still get a peek at it. Be prepared for VERY hot

If Las Vegas is a "must see" place then I wonder if you might consider starting and ending there. I know you said you're starting in Vancouver because airfare is cheaper, but in July hotels in Vancouver are going to be very expensive, due to ordinary tourism plus the huge impact of Alaska cruise passengers coming and going. A 3-star hotel room in late June (too early to price July) is going to cost something like US$200 - $250, and assuming you'd need two rooms, a three-night stay in Vancouver could easily come to $1200 or more. However, for the same nights (according to Expedia which I just checked) the same nights at the Luxor Hotel (the one shaped like a pyramid) on the Las Vegas Strip would cost $49 per night per room, or $300 for the same number of nights.

Even if you got cheap flights to Vancouver (I think you mentioned Air Transat on another thread, which makes me think you're coming from Europe - right?) you could probably fly on separate tickets to Las Vegas and still be money ahead.

The other benefits of starting in Vegas are that rental cars might be cheaper (worth checking) and you wouldn't have to navigate major city traffic once you hit the road. And if you are indeed coming from overseas, there's no better place to overcome jetlag and a 8- or 9-hour time change than Vegas. If the bedside clock says 3 AM but your body says noon, it's not a problem. Things will be hopping downstairs, or you can go out into the desert and watch the sunrise before the heat of the day (and it will be HOT.) Everything's air conditioned, there are lots of activities besides gambling (visit Hoover Dam or some red rocks, for example.)

If you did this, you could do a great "loop" of the west, something like this - https://goo.gl/maps/pX9u1yQ9ECpshf4A6 .

Worth crunching some numbers, anyway.

Some thoughts on the northwest leg of your trip. What are you planning to do in Sunriver for seven days? Not that there isn't plenty to do around there for seven days, especially if you love the outdoors, just curious. I would highly suggest seeing Crater Lake National Park if you're staying for a few days in that area (on a weekday - not a Saturday or Sunday to avoid huge crowds). Bend and Sisters are also fun towns to spend time in. I'd suggest a drive on Highway 242 over McKenzie Pass, stopping at Dee Wright Observatory, and admiring the stunning volcanic landscape and mountains. Plenty of hiking options around there, and you'll want to have your camera on the ready. Then stop in Sisters for a leisurely afternoon, which is a rustic western themed town.

For Seattle, if you time your visit there on a weekend, I'd suggest the Ballard Farmer's Market on Sunday. One of the best farmers markets and charming neighborhoods you'll find anywhere. I think you could easily add a third day there and not run out of activities. A day trip via ferry to Bainbridge Island or the San Juan Islands (Friday Harbor) is a great day trip. The Pike Street Market is always a must, but if you can avoid it on a weekend and time your visit earlier in the day, especially with kids, I'd recommend that. It is just smashed with hoards of people and it's just excruciating pushing through the crowds and waiting in long lines to get into any of the popular spots.

You mentioned four days at Olympic National Park, which seems like a lot to me if you're not doing some substantial hiking into the back country. I think two days, maybe three, is sufficient to see the area. Be sure you stop for oysters at Hama Hama Oyster Saloon on Hwy 101 in Liliwaup along Hood Canal. And if you want an unbeatable view of Puget Sound, on a clear day, drive or hike up to the Mt. Walker viewpoint near Quilcene, where you get an incredible aerial vantage of Puget Sound and be able to see downtown Seattle, Mt. Rainier and the surrounding area from across the sound.

The kids will love Cannon Beach. Gorgeous beach, and Ecola State Park is nearby for hiking. One of the great thing about Oregon beaches is they are public and you can walk for miles. The town itself is fun - lots of candy and ice cream shops - and I would highly recommend the Cannon Beach Smokehouse for lunch. Astoria is my favorite coastal town in Oregon, and there's plenty to do, such as the Astoria Column, the Oregon Film Museum, Astoria Riverwalk, and the Maritime Museum (very interesting). You'll have to visit Frite and Scoop along the Riverwalk, and visit the Fort George Brewery. Astoria is my favorite "walking town" with its charming old victorian houses and the Flavel Mansion, beautiful river views along the river walk, and historic downtown area. If you're headed south down 101 any further than Cannon Beach, I'd recommend a stop at the Tillamook Cheese Factory (kids love this) and even further down is the town of Newport (another one of my favorite towns on the coast) where you could spend a day. After that, you could head east on US Highway 20 towards the Cascades and on to the Sunriver area. I'd also recommend Silver Falls State Park, which is a 7 mile loop trial that will take you to about 10 waterfalls.

Down towards the Redwoods, be sure to take the Howland Hill Road detour, which is a dirt cutoff road that bisects the Jedediah Smith State Redwoods and takes you into Crescent City from Highway 199. In my opinion, this is the best of the best of the redwoods. The road winds through massive trees that will blow your mind. The Boy Scout Tree Trail is about halfway down the road and is a must if you enjoy hiking. The Prairie Creek Redwoods are also lovely (often times you can see wild elk there), as well as the Lady Bird Johnson Grove. For a longer day hike, you can hike from the Prairie Creek Redwoods visitor center over the ridge into Fern Canyon, which is amazing with it's fern covered canyon walls. It's about an eight mile hike round trip through primordial redwood forest, and worth every step.

A few more ideas down in redwood country. Patrick's Point State Park is gorgeous just north of Trinidad. And Trinidad itself is a fascinating little town and a hippy enclave. They have their Trinidad Art Nights on Fridays during the summer, and has a sort of "time warp back to the '60s" feel. There's some lovely beaches right around there as well. Arcata is fun on a Saturday. They have a really great farmer's market. For breakfast, I would recommend the Samoa Cookhouse, which is an old logger cookhouse that's now a logging museum and serves old style all-you-can-eat logger breakfast. Just across the bay on Hwy 255 from Eureka.

A little further down Hwy 101 south of Eureka about 20 miles in Fortuna is the Chapman's Gem & Mineral Shop, which is worthwhile and fascinating. There's some really fantastic mineral and fossil specimens there. And, if you're not redwooded out by this point, the Humboldt Redwoods State Park is a little further down. These are the more 'touristy' redwoods where you'll find the drive-thru tree (that you have to pay money to drive through), and are the ones you see in the postcards. There's more traffic, RV parks, and tourist traps around here, but I'd still highly recommend driving down the Avenue of the Giants, which is absolutely amazing.

Hope some of this gives you some ideas. Cheers!

Thank you for pointing out that the price of the hotels was so high in Vancouver during July. We’ll start looking now...

>>Flying to las Vegas is cheaper than to Vancouver actually! <<

It often is.

>>Even flying from there to Vancouver is an option....<<

Consider flying into Las Vegas (as mentioned it is about the best place in the World to recover from jetlag/re-set your body clocks ;) ) Then do a long linear drive from Vegas to San Diego, up the coast, squeeze in Yosemite, the Redwoods, Oregon coast and turn the car in at Seattle. Even if you can work out a one-way car hire from the US to Canada -- it would be very expensive, so drop it while still in the USA. Then you can take a train or bus from Seattle to Vancouver and then either fly home from Vancouver, or get a cheap flight down to Vegas and fly home from there.

Olympic Lodge in Port Angeles. Avoid the Red Lion.

Yes, do not even consider the Red Lion. We made that mistake ONCE and never again. Back to the OL for all of our visits. Lake Quinault Lodge is wonderful! Be sure to check out the rain gauge on the back patio.

jeverett has excellent suggestions. The Ballard Market is amazing and always surprises people as they think it will be just like any other farmers market, but has has so much more! Pike Place Market is great, but as mentioned try to avoid the weekend at least as with a little one it won't be as enjoyable with the crowds. The Bend/Sunriver area has so much to offer. I think of any of us that have spent time there could write a book on suggestions, lol. A full week at Sunriver is great, IME. We have done that numerous times and never run out of things to do. There are several routes from Portland to Bend, and each has its own great scenery, so the hard part is choosing a route. You can't go wrong with any of them. The McKenzie highway is beautiful. Silver Falls is great, even if you can only visit the falls that are easy walks to get to (not sure if you want to do the full hike, which is great, but does take time). Sahalie Falls is beautiful. So a few ideas for the various routes.

Sorry about the Air Transat thing; I must have indeed been thinking about another thread/poster.

While Janis' idea of a long one-way trip is fine, I do think that with up to six weeks you could do a round-trip without rushing things. One of the reasons I mentioned Yosemite early in the itinerary is that the longer one waits during the summer, the hotter and dryer it gets in the area, and the greater risk of forest fires and/or some of the famous waterfalls in Yosemite having greatly reduced flows, or even drying up. So while you won't get the spectacular conditions in Yosemite that one experiences in May and June (when melting mountain snows fill the waterfalls) it's still better than the likes of August or September.

By heading to Sunriver closer to the beginning of the trip, you'd also be able to visit Crater Lake en route, as well as some of the remarkable destinations that can be reached fairly easily from the Bend area, such as the John Day fossil beds and painted hills and remarkable Smith Rock State Park.

(Not my pictures) John Day -

https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...699c7fbd23.jpg

Smith Rock

https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...4f6d855fcf.jpg

Google the places on this map - https://goo.gl/maps/qsq87M53oqHvsCi88

Actually even though it will be hot, since you are coming to Las Vegas from Europe and your husband really wants to see LV, I think maybe just 1-2 nights there to get over jet lag before you start your drive to the coast makes a a nice compromise. One thing to consider is that it is much easier to stay in a hotel just off the strip-easier to check in and check out without fighting crowds, slow elevators stopping at every floor etc. And since all the big strip hotels/casinos have free unlimited parking garage it is very easy to just hop over there when you want to stroll to see the sites. We used to stay on the strip but now we generally stay here when we go-much larger rooms too! It is called the Tuscany Suites and Casino-close to the airport and strip. The casino is in a separate building and then the rooms are in various "out building more like a 3-4 story buildings with elevators. Very easy to get in and out off

https://www.tuscanylv.com/

I would probably skip death valley though-even though most our European friends want to go there in the summer. My husband is French and when my nieces and nephews were your kids ages, we went there with them and those poor kids felt they were on a punishment march! I think a better route would be to go to San Diego via Palm Springs, which is a super cute small city and you can see part of the Mojave or Joshua Tree Park on the way down to San Diego.

I don't think you mentioned if you have lodging yet in San Diego but with kids we loved both of these hotels-they are "sister properties" owned by same people and in the summer they have an old fashioned paddle wheel boat that makes trips between them across the Bay and the Catamaran Hotel has nature areas set up with birds etc. If you don't need a hotel in SD-if you are staying with friends for instance I think you can still take the boat trip which I think you would enjoy. And be sure to look at going to the Zoo-one of the best in the country

www.catamaranresort.com

https://www.bahiahotel.com/

https://www.bahiahotel.com/boarding-times

https://zoo.sandiegozoo.org/

We live in Seattle as well and all the above suggestions are good ones for our city. Another thing you might consider would be to drop the car off in the city center of Seattle (all the rental agencies will have offices there) or if you don't want to drive into the city, then you could drop at the airport and take the light rail into the city-about a 30 minute trip. Driving into Seattle can be sort of difficult and traffic can be very tough, so the airport drop off might be less stressful. Then you could take the ferry or train to Vancouver when you are ready to leave. You can even take a hovercraft called the Clipper to Victoria Island BC and then continue on to Vancouver, which would be a fun trip. Here is a description about that. Be aware that it can be pretty pricey though and may take too much time out of your whole trip, so you will have to look at your options with that in mind.

From Seattle to Victoria by Clipper:

The Victoria Clipper ferry operates year-round service, roundtrip 1 time per day, with the exception of trips in mid-May through mid-September, when 2 daily roundtrip services are available. The ferry features three classes of service including Economy (lower deck), Vista (upper deck) and Comfort Class (upper deck). The Comfort Class upgrade includes priority boarding, leather seating in a private spacious class cabin, panoramic views along with complimentary snacks, coffee and tea.

The Seattle to Victoria Clipper ferry ride connects the United States with Vancouver Island. The Victoria Clipper ferry ride to Victoria takes 2 hours and 45 minutes, traveling direct between Pier 69 in downtown Seattle and the Belleville Terminal in downtown Victoria, BC’s Inner Harbor.
https://www.clippervacations.com/sea...ictoria-ferry/

From Victoria to Vancouver By sea: BC Ferries has frequent sailings — it’s about a 1 ½-hour ferry ride — every day from Tsawwassen on the mainland (south of Vancouver and about a half-hour drive from the U.S.-Canada border) to Swartz Bay (about a half-hour from Victoria). Home | BC Ferries - British Columbia Ferry Services Inc..

Car-less travelers can walk aboard, take bikes or the Pacific Coach Line buses that go aboard the ferries and then carry passengers into downtown Vancouver and Victoria (www.pacificcoach.com).

Parking on the Strip in Las Vegas isn't as free as it used to be.

https://gamboool.com/las-vegas-hotel...k-on-the-strip

IMO, Death Valley is worth driving through. Yes, it's HOT, but there are interesting things there.

>>Parking on the Strip in Las Vegas isn't as free as it used to be.<<

barbara beat me to it. More and more places on the Strip are adding parking charges

Oh thanks for the correction about the LV parking-good to know! That looks like it is recent-oh well I guess maybe lyft or uber wouldn't be too much or you can just pony up for the self park.

I was looking in the map for the roads that you mentioned. We would be driving from Sunriver and after the Redwoods to San Francisco. Do you have any recommendations for places to stay along the way? You seem to know this are very well, this is why I asked. Thank you in advanced.

After carefully reading all of your comments we decided to skipped Vancouver and fly directly to Seattle, and then fly back from las Vegas. stay a bit longer in Seattle and see more of Oregon (make several day trips to from Sunriver to some of the places that you have suggested such as painted Hills, smith rock, MT. Hood, Crater lake, etc.), as well as to spend more time in Cannon beach and also visit other towns from there. We will go to San Diego via the coast and one night before we head back home, we'll drive early to las Vegas and be there for one night. When our kids are older hopefully we can go back there and do a tour around the national parks in that area.
This thread has been so helpful in planning our trip that we couldn't be more thankful!

You've made some tough but IMO necessary decisions/cuts. It will be a wonderful trip and yes -- go back to Las Vegas and the southwest National parks when the kids are older. When they are adults would be best but that will be a looooooong time for the 2 year old ;)

I think that sounds like a great trip-1 night in Las Vegas will at least satisfy your husband's curiosity about it and then you can come back to explore the parks near there another time.

What did you find for flights from Netherlands to Seattle-it looks like you are based there? I am asking because we fly every summer from Seattle to Europe (my husband is French) so if you have any good deals I would love to hear about them :) And if you need any help thinking about neighborhoods in Seattle I would be happy to chime in. Using airbnb or similar site is usually a good idea here in Seattle-there are many nice kids-friendly neighborhoods close to downtown.

It looks like a very nice trip!

Sorry for my late reaction. Indeed, we are in the Netherlands and we fly to Seattle via Paris (from Las Vegas we have a direct flight) with KLM and we used miles. Unfortunately there were no good deals flying to Seattle. To Vancouver would have been cheaper (around 150 euros per ticket). And it was definitely cheaper to fly back from another city than for Seattle. I don't know why to fly there is more expensive...a pity!

Sure please if you have recommendations of areas to stay will be great. Thank you!

Yes, I hope so!!! Thank you

This is all great information and my husband and I have been busy finding the roads that you mentioned and see the time that it takes, etc. However, and taking advantage of your clear knowledge of the area, it will be very helpful to know in how many days you would recommend to do this trip and if you know of places to stay along the way?.

Just very quick since I'm dashing out -- re the dirt road jeverett mentions -- it is perfectly fine road . . . However rental agencies almost never allow taking their cars on unpaved roads. And if anything should happen -- minor or major, the insurance would be voided. So while is it a nice detour -- I definitely would not take that road in your situation.

As a Nevada resident, honestly,. with kids, give Las Vegas a miss. Also, Las Vegas in July or August? Lord now. How about several days of 113. There ARE things to do besides the strip but I would suggest going to the Chamber Of Commerce or other city website and see what's there. In the end, if you must, you must. A bazillion people from all over the world visit there each year. I think the suggestion of Carmel, Monterey, Big Sur, OR, depending on what highways you choose, you could spend a couple days at Lake Tahoe and Truckee. Both are a couple of hours from Sacramento.

"And if you need any help thinking about neighborhoods in Seattle I would be happy to chime in. Using airbnb or similar site is usually a good idea here in Seattle-there are many nice kids-friendly neighborhoods close to downtown."

Seattle has many nice neighborhoods that are still within the city but not right downtown in the "the business" and tourist core. Here is a map of the core Seattle neighborhoods by name. The core business and tourist area is outlined in yellow. Some neighborhoods that I would target for airbnb type rentals with kids you age would be these-they aren't in any real particular order-but they all should have fairly good access to the areas you probably want to visit:

• Phinney Ridge-near the zoo which is nice and it is a family neighborhood with nice parks, etc.
• Greenlake and Wallingford also are nice with nice restaurants and good walking.
• Ballard and Fremont are also good neighborhoods although these days are very popular with young professionals in their 20's so could be noisier with more bars and adult bars than you want-but it would totally depend on the property itself and where it is located within the neighborhoods.
• Queen Anne (here we talk about Upper Queen Anne on top of the hill and lower Queen Anne as the neighborhood on the lower slope just adjacent to the Seattle Center) are also good neighborhoods
• The North admiral area of West Seattle might also be worth a look because there are lots of home rentals there. It is on a pennisula facing downtown and has a water taxi that is fun to take across to the downtown area. Not quite as easy of access as some areas but a nice family oriented neighborhood as well

In general I would target staying in neighborhoods just north of the downtown area. But of course their are other areas that could work. As you get closer and want to get feedback on a specific property's location-just ask-there are at least of few of on this thread that know Seattle well. But hopefully this will give you a start


https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...869f1cf611.png

I agree with jpie's suggestion for neighborhoods. I personally love Ballard, and yes the core of it can be noisy on the weekend nights, once you get even a block away it is very quiet. One of our kids has lived there for quite a while, and the other just moved from Ballard over to Greenwood. The one in Ballard has lived in 3 locations within the area, and even now is in the heart of it, right by the hospital and it isn't very noisy at all. You can hear some music on the weekend nights, but that's it, FWIW.

Yes-I totally agree. As you get closer-just post a link to properties you are considering-or even nearby crossroads and I am sure that there are a few of us here in Seattle than can give you a pretty clear idea of what to expect around the neighborhood. And I do think your would like Ballard being from Europe-has good density for walking and if you get a place with double pane windows or more like for a home, just a block off the main street I think it will be fine. There are also other nice neighborhoods in other sections of town but these seem to be good choice with kids your ages.

I live on Capitol Hill, so can help with rentals there or in Central District (Seattle). As you can see on the map those are a bit more convenient for doing downtown things than being further north.

But my personal favorite residential neighborhood, is what looks like Roosevelt (Maple Leaf) and Ravenna on the map above.

Yes-I would normally have listed Capital Hill area-we love that neighborhood and lived there for 20 years. But finding a property for a family of six could be tougher there-but who knows-it will depend on what's available when they actually want to think about booking.

Just a note sundolph-when I took a quick look at airbnb rentals for next summer for larger groups there are lots of places listed in West Seattle. We love the neighborhood and actually lived there a few years too-but one caution I would give is that because it is on a peninsula looking across at downtown Seattle, the traffic can be really terrible trying to get in and out of that particular neighborhood during rush hours. That may or not matter to you since as tourists you may be able to avoid traffic rush hours-but just thought I would mention it since there are so many houses for rent there for families.