Road trip in California

[Wanttobesittinginahotbath]

Hi just looking for some advice and top tips. I’m planning on doing a road trip around California in 2023 with DH and DS who will be 10. Are there any definite highlights or no nos that I need to do/avoid? Need to keep our DS occupied otherwise he will just sit in the car all day with his iPad and not take in any surroundings so looking for lots of stops etc. Also what’s the best time of year etc. Don’t want deathly hot but then again don’t want it to be just mild. We usually go on an all inclusive holiday in the Caribbean so this will be a bit of a change for us but excited for the adventures that could lie ahead

Thanks in advance for your tips x

San Diego is fun -
Museums galore and v walkable downtown.

Many moons ago we drove from Las Vegas (hubby works trip) to Mammoth for skiing. Went via Death Valley. The drive wasn't a great success from the kids' perspective to be honest (about 10 and 12), the distances are just mind boggling and the roads often look straight but are a bit wavy up and down. So I'd say watch out for the distances and don't be too ambitious. We all enjoyed the casino stops and the breakfasts though.

Make very sure you remember exactly where your car is in the car parks at those places; use What3Words or something. Lowlight of USA trips was losing our white rental in the car park at Sea World in temperatures well over 100.

The return trip without kids was much more successful, we drove MILES and had a blast!

Don't drive too much. Drive way less than you think you want to.

Ha I wouldn’t even think about losing the car but can see it’s a very real thing!

A lot of people take a similar route and see very similar things. It’s the small things that you didn’t plan are sometimes the best parts of the holiday I find. Unexpected

We were planning this trip for next year as the DC will have just finished A-levels and GCSEs and DH is also 50.

Does anyone think that COVID will have buggered off fully by then? I don't want to start booking stuff only to find there'll be restrictions on this or that.

I think you'll be ok by 2023, though, OP.

We flew into LA, stayed in Anaheim, drove to San Diego. Our hotel in SD had been taken over by a Baptist Gospel Choir convention.

San Diego is very close to the Mexican border, so we drove across it to Tijuana for a passport stamp (back in the day). We then drove northwards through Joshua Tree National Park and then through Death Valley (hot) to Phoenix (really hot - so hot we couldn't get out of the car). At some point we picked up Route 66. We stayed in Flagstaff and Fresno and visited (briefly) Yosemite. We then headed to Las Vegas, staying in a hotel that was a mock up of King Arthur's Castle, and watched the OJ Simpson trial on telly as it was too hot to go out in the day. At some point prior to this we went to Grand Canyon.

We then drove back to the coast to San Francisco (cold and disappointing) for the best bit of the trip which was the drive from San Fran to LA. It's breathtaking. We stayed at San Luis Obispo, taking in Carmel, Monterey and the Big Sur then on to Santa Barbara for the final leg which is Malibu then Santa Monica. I'm not bothered by touristy bits but I would reconmend Griffith Park Observatory where you can get a good photo of the Hollywood sign.

I love LA. It's a strange place, massive and sprawling. One of the highlights for me was going to Downtown and hanging around the court where OJ was being tried. We saw Johnny Cochrane, OJ's defence attorney, who came out lunchtime and chatted to the crowds.In the middle of the trial. .

On the whole CA is more temperate the closer you are to the sea. Inland it can be very hot .Palm Springs was about 120f (on another trip).

Prepare yourself for a lot of driving. I didn't do any city driving, but drove quite a bit otherwise. It's safe, easy and quite slow.

Jesus' husband here...

We've been working on a California road trip for a couple of years. Was originally going to happen in summer 2020, then 2021...

Anyway, you may find it helpful to look at a thread I started on Tripadvisor - an epic itinerary expanded and refined a few times after comments from Californians and others with lots of experience. Fingers crossed we will finally get to do it in a Covid-free(ish) California in 2022.

I couldn't paste the link directly for some reason, but if you Google "Tripadvisor California 27 day itinerary", you should find it.

We did this trip a few years back, when the kids were 14 and 16. It was fabulous.
Costs-wise, we were fortunate in that I used to live out there, so we had friends who offered accommodation (staying in their 2nd homes in Mammoth and LA), which helped massively. Another thing that helped keep costs down, was that hotel/motel rooms are large, and often have two King-sized beds in them, so you can get away with booking just the one. They also have many more that have kitchenette areas in, meaning you can save on eating out - if you want/need to, although there is a huge range of reasonable eateries wherever you go.
Roads are wide and roomy, but remember the speed limits are much lower than here.
Whilst Disney in LA is the original park, it is nowhere near as large or varied as those in Florida. It's a bit hemmed in, as it's slap bang in the middle of LA.
The national parks provide camping with everything provided for you (as you're unlikely to be taking your own tent) but they are VERY strict on things like food and scented products being locked away in metal containers as they've had so many problems with bears looking for food.
If you want beaches, then the whole coast is fab - but bear in mind there is a real difference in temperatures between LA and SF. Up near SF (and quite a way south from there) it is foggy very often - it's no coincidence that so many people have fleeces with San Francisco written on the front, as they've mis-judged the packing! One afternoon in August, we travelled from Yosemite (115 degrees) to Monterey (58 in dense fog) and there were roaring fires blazing in our hotel. LA (or rather, Malibu etc) is the place for Baywatch-type beach stuff.

Pre-book Alcatraz if you're travelling high-season. In end-July for us, they kept back a small number of tickets for booking on the day (which went early) but we had to book about three weeks in advance.

Yes to keeping your car filled with fuel whenever you see the opportunity, if driving out of the main cities. Bear in mind that California is much bigger than the entire UK I think (google says 66% larger). We flew into SF and out of LA (hopping back up to SF using airmiles to avoid another 350 miles of driving). Yosemite is the size of Derbyshire, so there is a lot of driving, even once you get inside the park.

This thread has made me want to go back!

That ^ was my DH posting with my permission, btw. I'm not personally the husband of Jesus.

I can't recommend highly enough the travel agent Bon Voyage which is a USA specialist. They put our road trip together for us and it came out fractionally more expensive than DIY (I think £300) but with full ABTA protection and all the hassle taken away. Also any issues when you're out there, you can email or phone them for help.

We did LA to SF about 8 years ago - was fab but lots of people told us we were going the wrong way! I suppose as you’re driving on the right, then the other carriageway is between you and the sea, but it wasn’t a massive issue.
The one thing that was AMAZING which I don’t think has been mentioned is the whale watching from Santa Barbara. Never in my entire life did I think that I would see blue whales, but there they were! There are different species depending on the time of year (there are migration routes down the west coast): condorexpress.com/whale-watching/california-whale-migration-season/

As other posters have said, don't underestimate the distances involved.

If you are planning on doing the Pacific Coast Highway (101) be prepared for the fact that there can be road closures due to land slips. Any diversions could add several hours to your journey. We ended up driving through a military base!

Nepenthe is one of the loveliest places to have brunch. They have a fabulous terrace overlooking the sea and you can sometime spot the whales passing.

Sighs nostalgically.

Universal Studios in LA is an absolute must - DD (14 at the time) absolutely adored it and as a family can say we had some of the happiest memories from our trip there. Miles better than Disneyland and as an added bonus there is a full studio tour included

I would recommend flying to Vegas and then driving from there to Death Valley, from Death Valley to Mammoth the road is phenomenal!!!

Then Tioga Pass into Yosemite for more insane scenery. I would break this journey up over 2/3 days though or it is a long time in the car.

Approx 4 hours from Vegas to Death Valley, then plenty to do there for the rest of the day. There is accommodation in Death Valley but we drove out over the mountains at sunset and it was unbelievably beautiful. There are a few small towns before you head up into the mountains you could stay in or another 2/3 hours gets you to Mammoth Mountain where there are some lovely hotels with pools etc.

Then I would spend another full day driving from Mammoth to Yosemite (book your accom here as early as possible it gets full!). Mono Lake is a fascinating stop and the Tioga Road is insane. Plenty of scenic stops along the way down to Yosemite Valley- we stopped for a picnic and a paddle by a lake and some amazing viewpoints.

Spend several days in Yosemite, it’s phenomenal- drive up Glacier Point, see the Giant Sequoias, Yosemite Valley, if you think son will be up for a hike, you can do the start of the hike up Half Dome as far as Emerald Lake for stunning waterfalls.

The drive from here to Monterey is fairly boring, approx 4 hours, but it’s worth it. Monterey has an incredible aquarium, whale watching trips, gorgeous white sandy beaches, Carmel worth a wander, 17 Mile Drive, probably another few days there.

We only had 2 weeks so went from here on to San Fran for 4 days then flew back to Vegas for another 3 to fly home from there, but if you have 3 weeks, I would drive to San Fran for a few days and then head down the Pacific Coast Highway to San Diego. Loads of amazing stops so you could spend a few days here.

In San Diego there is the Zoo and then theme parks definitely worth a stop in LA- I preferred DisneyLand to DisneyWorld and Universal has the genuine studio tour- beware though, LA is huge and it’s literally hours drive between the 2. Either stay central and take day trips out to each or a night at Universal and then on to Disney!

Re: Tioga Pass, entering Yosemite from the East, bear in mind that it is closed for the whole of winter and has a variable reopening date, depending on the season's snow pack. I'm not sure you said when you were travelling, but it sometimes doesn't open until late June, and there's on hell of a detour otherwise.

Oh, and someone mentioned white water rafting in Yosemite. Again, this is season-dependent. The water levels are too low once you get much beyond June, which is vital, as the rivers are so boulder-strewn. In fact, check if they even still do them, because there was a fatality just before we went, and they shut all rafting down.

I think there's one river where they release water from a reservoir each morning, but again, needs checking.

The temperature difference between the valley and the top of Tioga Pass took us by surprise. We left Bishop very early, wearing shorts and T-shirts. By the time we reached the top we were changing into trousers and sweatshirts.

We did this on our honeymoon, I loved it so much. We started in San Francisco and spent 4 days there. It was during the government shutdown so we had to re route, we planned Yosemite but it was shut so went to Lake Tahoe instead. It was so beautiful. Think water sports, beaches, horse riding etc, I'm so glad we ended up there! We then drove to Las Vegas (acquired taste but something for everyone), Grand Canyon, Los Angeles (going against the grain, we loved it and wished we had longer, we stuck to the coastal areas rather than downtown and it was lovely with lots to do). We drove back up to SF stopping in Big Sur, Carmel, Santa Barbara and Monterey. We wanted to do San Diego too but couldn't fit it in.

We did a trip two years ago, flew to Vegas and stayed there 3 nights, the drove to Flagstaff in Arizona for one night and GC the next day. The ALL the way down through LA to stay in Santa Barbara for one night followed by Carmel. Then to Yosemite, followed by 3 nights in Mammoth Lakes (summer time, amazing hikes!) and 3 nights in SF to finish.

Would not do GC next time. We could have done another day in Yosemite or Big Sur for the time it cost us, but was worth seeing.

The roads were pretty safe, some windy scary bits but OH drove those!

We did the mountain bikes thing in Mammoth, where you hire a bike and hook it onto the back of the chairlift and go up to the top and freewheel down - although it's not actually as easy as you'd think. You need to concentrate not to skid on the loose shale.

@CallmeHendricks ahhhh I remember Tiago pass well....we ended up doing the massive detour north 🤣😂🙈🙈🙈

We did a californian road trip in July 2019 with our 16 year old. 3 nights in San Fransiscio. Loads to do. Alcatraz totally amazing. We also did cable car, touris bus and a baseball game. We then picked up a hire car and drove to Yosemite for 2 nights. Spectacular scenery. Then 2 nights in Monteray. Whale watching and a trip round 17 mile drive. Then down Big Sur. We stopped in Pismo beach. Probably least favourite stop on trip. Finished off in San Diegio and flew home from there. San Diego was again amazing. So so much to do. Would go back there in a heart beat. Weather not as hot as I thought it would be but was unseasonably cold that year. Definitely cooler and foggy in mornings and a lot warmer in afternoon. San Diego was a lot warmer although a bit cool in the evenings. Would thourog6hy recommend this trip to anyone.

Take jumpers for San Francisco even in the summer it can suddenly get very chilly they really can have four seasons in one day

Book Alcatraz in advance often booked for months ahead

Los Angles I would stay in Santa Monica Hollywood can be done in a day the Griffith Observatory is a nice afternoon out. Another day can go to the markets/Chinatown and Little Tokyo great food in this area (not just Chinese or Japanese). I wouldn’t spend too much time in LA as much of that time you will be travelling about it’s so big

Some nice little costal towns south of LA before you get to San Diego where everything is so slow and laid back

Yosemite is amazing

It’s a fantastic place to travel around so much to see

I had this all booked for last summer but then - Covid !
Luckily got it all refunded so hoping to go in 2022 . It is just me and DS who would have 13 when we planned to go but will be 15 when we (hopefully) get there
Our plan was
3 nights San Francisco
2 nights Monterey Bay
I night Big Sur
5 nights Venice beach LA ( to allow time for trips to Universal studios and a water park as well as explore city )
1 night ( somewhere near sequoia nat up balm park )
2 nights Yosemite park
Then back to SF for flight home