California Itinerary - what do you think?

[Lovewhereilive]

Ok, next August we are hopefully going to make it out there. Here's what I was thinking:

Fly to Vancouver (Yes I know this isn't California but DH and I really really want to go there and its close (relative to the UK!)

3 nights Vancouver
Fly to San Francisco (2.5 hours)
3 nights San Francisco
1 night Monterey
1 night Pismo Beach
2 nights Santa Barbara
1 night Santa Monica (drive to Universal from here for the day)
1 night Huntington Beach (go to Knotts Soak City for the day)
2 nights Carlsbad
2 nights San Diego

Fly home from San Diego or Los Angeles (preferably SD)

Think this is ok? There are 5 of us (3 active boys who will be 13,12 and 8)

All advice/tips gratefully received!

Yes, I had 'kids' but they were 21 & 13, so older than yours. They loved it. The boat trip was about 3 hours, do take a hoody though. Though it was really hot on land, it was windy & cold out at sea. We went with 'Monterey Bay Whale Watching' montereywhalewatching.com. Brill.

We ate at Hula's Island Grill. Great fun, mega kitsch decor and good food (& cocktails!) Also Schooners, much more formal but wonderful food, great wine list & overhanging the bay with binoculars in the window booths for you to watch nature whilst you dine. Loved it.

Can I recommend lunch at the Stone Brewery at Escondido, about 40 minutes north of San Diego?

There is also a Six Flags outside Chicago to the north in Gurnee, great rollercoasters, etc. You could get an uber there and back and spend the whole day. Your children are the right age to really enjoy Six Flags.

Much nicer than spending the day at O'Hare. If you stayed at a hotel near the airport you would be even closer.

Instead of doing all the driving in the desert, how about flying and doing trips by coach to see Bryce Canyon or the GCanyon. This is what relatives of mine opted to do and they liked it a lot even though the other passengers tended to be pensioners from Iowa.

Love all these recommendations! Keep them coming please ----

So what can we do in Yosemite? Will there be any decent waterfalls at that time?

Yosemite is pretty in August but the waterfalls will be pretty much dry (also CA has been in drought for the last 4 plus years).

Have you actually booked any accommodation within Yosemite National Park?. If not, I would spend three days there.

I would also look at paper maps of CA and properly determine all the distances. These roads are not all freeways and CA as a state is bigger than the UK. You really do not want to spend more than necessary time driving from place to place (I think there are still too many 1 night stops).

We were in Yosemite this summer, very little flow in the big waterfalls, and it was absolutely heaving with visitors. Stayed the night before at Mammoth Lakes (but wrong side of the mountains for you) and had one long day in Yosemite, enough to do a walk up Lembert Dome and some sight seeing. Kings Canyon was much quieter and no less dramatic. If you're thinking of staying in the park then you'd need to book now.

You could stay at Santa Monica and drive across to Universal for the day, it's a straightforward drive and means that you could have 3 nights there. It would be a good base for seeing Hollywood, Venice Beach etc as well.

Would also recommend buying or hiring a sat nav - makes life sooo much easier! Book your hire car through one of the UK brokers and you'll get all the insurances included and no excess.

We spent a day at Universal. We bought priority passes. They were pricey but worth it as we managed to see many more attractions in a day rather than stand in interminal queues.

We were in Yosemite in August, just before we arrived they had a rainstorm, replenishing some of the waterfalls, this is Vernal Falls

There has been a huge drought in California for the last few years, due in part to low snow-pack in the mountains, so the waterfalls/rivers in Yosemite have been less spectacular than usual. Whitewater rafting has barely happened, apart from on one river where they use reservoir release water.
However, this winter there's a major 'El Nino' event forecast, which is predicting huge snowfall, so things might be better next summer.

All of which is irrelevant, though, if you're not planning to do Yosemite!

Love the picture of the waterfall. Going to book flights soon. Then I can book accommodation finally!

Rather than Yosemite, I would recommend Sequoia National Park...not as busy and unlike anywhere else.

I think that's a great idea.

Sequoia and Kings Canyon are both fantastic.

I'd also strongly recommend Lassen, to the north of SF, but it is a big detour if you've only got limited time (it is my favourite of the California parks though - and quiet, even in the summer).

I need more time don't I. Think Sequoia may be further than Yosemite drive wise.

We did

3 nights SF
3 nights Yosemite
2 Monterey
2 Pismo
3 Santa Monica
2 San Diego

By the end that felt like a lot of driving. If we did it again, I would have had longer in San Diego, and flown back from there, it's a long slow drive in and out to LA.

Was 2 nights in Monterey about right, Dingit? And would you recommend Santa Monica?

The first night in Monterrey was after a long drive from Yosemite. The next day we did 17 mile drive and visited Carmel. We didn't go to the Aquarium. It's lovely down at cannery row in the evening.
Santa Monica was great. We walked down to muscle beach an the pier in the evening, plenty going on.
We drove to Universal, not a bad drive, but be prepared for traffic jams. We drove to Hollywood, not overly impressed, but it was a must see.
Sat in more traffic jams to San Diego and back. Much preferred it to LA, so you are right spending longer there.

Lovely to see this thread revived - we're off next June, and very excited!

Meant to say, Santa Monica, think a flashier Brighton with sand

Can I just ask those that stayed in Santa Monica, how long would it take on average in traffic to get to Universal? And then roughly how long in traffic from La to San Diego? Sorry for hijack OP.

About 45 mins to Universal ( we left early to be there at opening)
3 - 3.5 hours to San Diego, really heavy traffic both ways

Hijacking fine by me! Looks like there'll be a few of us there next summer

The more info the better.

What i can't decide on is 6.30am flight from San Diego to Chicago or 8.50 LA flight (just move the Annaheim day to the end so we are close to airport.

Don't want to get to Chicago and be ready for bed as we will have to be at the airport at 4.30 then there's dropping the car off etc - decisions decisions.

Never been to Brighton,Dingit, bit far from us , although prob not by California standards.

Would you do Yosrmite again or miss it if you repeated the trip?