US Roadtrip Itinerary Advice

[Bluebird23]

Hi,

Hoping for some advice suggestion on West Coast US Roadtrip. This will be a special family trip to celebrate our daughter finishing her GCSE's. Travelling will be 2 adults and 2 teens (age 16 & 14).

Current Itinerary is:
San Francisco 3 Nights
Yosemite 3 Nights
Sequoia 1 Night
Las Vegas 3 Nights
Grand Canyon 2 Nights
California Coast 9 Nights

I wondered if anyone could offer any advice on the above itinery and also recommend things to do. We're quite an active family and enjoy hiking, body boarding etc. We're also hoping to book white water rafting.

Most of our holidays have been European road trips from the North of England so the we're used to covering many miles in the car but also want to ensure we don't lose too many days in the car.

Many thanks in advance.

Few nights in San Diego!!

Wouldn’t bother with Santa Barb

and avoid Carmel at all costs! So bloody odd

I would do more than one day in sequoia especially if you’re all outdoorsy
where on the coast are you going as 9 days is a long time

san fran is glorious - make sure you book a trip to Alcatraz

Definitely another night at sequoia

Yes! San Diego is amazing
Fabulous food

San fran…. I wasn’t impressed 🤷‍♀️

LA for a night or two

I would drop a night or two in SF and definitely add those nights onto Yosemite, especially as you'll be enjoying all the outdoor activities there!

I would book a might at furnace creek Death Valley, a night in Phoenix, then onto San Diego, I stopped at Yuma in between

I like San Francisco, but with 2 teens I would not do 3 nights in Vegas. It's such a weird place and your kids won't be allowed in the casinos. Go to Hoover Dam and the Grand Canyon instead.

Consider visiting part of the Oregon coast too.

I'd not bother with Las Vegas. The place is not great for families. Not unless your kids are into watching drunks stagger past and vomit while being handed leaflets for strip clubs and casinos.

Los Angeles has more to see and do (Universal Studios, Disney, Hollywood etc) and is on the coast.

Santa Barbara was okay, but a bit pricey (I spent a few days there once). THeres a good trail in the hills above it and nice seafood.

Further north the dutch communities and the vineyards were pretty.

Personally I'd go across to Arizona and see the stunning scenery and the Wild West rather than Vegas.

Pretty much what I came along to say. Death Valley is otherworldly, hotter than hell in the summer but just follow the advice about volumes of water to carry and not overusing AC so car doesn't overheat. Did almost the same loop also over 3 weeks and it's my top memory. San Diego was also fantastic. Wish we had had longer there. Carmel and Santa Barbara agree a bit meh and nothing much to see. The PCH is amazing to drive but you don't need too many overnights on it.

@Jojobalone

Thank goodness! Someone else who didn't like Carmel.

It always seems to get raved about on here.

It's dull. Full of "art" shops but very little else. Like some strange, deserted film set.

The Madonna Inn at San Luis Obispo is absolutely worth a stop.
Crazy rooms, great restaurant (as long as you like pink!) and a lovely pool.

Also Hearst Castle.

If you are doing the California coast then you need to factor in possible road closures and landslides. The detours can be very, very long.

Seconding San Diego if you have time. It's great.

My view on Carmel may be extra tainted as we had to go inland from Santa Barbara and double back to get to it to drive down Big Sur as the summer we went the forest fires were so bad the PCH was closed between them. And our hotel had no water most of the time as it was all being diverted to the fire, understandably. We did enjoy 17 mile drive, didn't do the Monterey bay aquarium but def would if we went back now with kids.

Oh it is so pompous and utterly unjustified
a twee little toy town that is full of uninspiring gift shops

I wouldn't bother with more than a night in Vegas, if at all given you're not all adults. If you do go, check out the schedule for the street gigs by the golden nugget (in the old bit of town, not the main strip) as your teens may be allowed to that.

American here. I personally don't care for Vegas. If you just want the experience of seeing it, then maybe one night and plan an excursion to nearby Red Rock Canyon.

San Francisco can be tricky. It has changed a lot in the last decade or two and not for the better. I would still go, lots to see and enjoy. Be sure to cross the bridge over to Tiburon; quick trip and enjoyable.

Muir woods is a must-see for an active family! Incredible. Spend more time in Sequoia, it's beautiful.

If you can allocate more time to Arizona you could do Tombstone, Bisbee, Jerome...old West history but fun and quirky/artsy.

Have fun!

You definitely don't need 3 nights in Vegas (awful place!) & 2 in the Grand Canyon. Personally I would ditch LV completely but still go to the Grand Canyon. I liked Monterey & San Diego.

Thank you for all the suggestions so far.

I already had reservations about Las Vegas so that may need a re-think. Our kids are not sheltered but I think seeing excessive drinking etc would intimidate them. This would also allow us to add another night to Sequoia.

I'll look at the Death Valley and also the other helpful suggestions about Arizona. This isn't something we had considered.

The coast part is the bit I'm struggling with. We could perhaps reduce this to 7 nights. I'll definitely look at San Diego. For this part of the trip we'd like nice beaches, lovely food and a bit more of a relaxing time. Also the kids love water parks.

All advice & suggestions are greatly appreciated. It's proving a little overwhelming planning this one!

Could I ask for those that have done similar trips about availability of laundry facilities. We're hoping to take around 8 days worth of clothing and use laundry facilities as this usually works best for us as we tend to travel with large hiking bags rather than cases.

OP, just about every hotel/motel will have laundry facilities; that's pretty standard.

Vegas is pretty strict about under 21s in the casinos etc and there are people handing out strip club flyers even to little kids, although there are good things to do there in the vicinity. If you can fit it into the itinerary I’d recommend Zion National Park in between Yosemite/Sequoia and the Grand Canyon, there are some fantastic hikes and loads to see, we stayed in Springdale which had lots of nice places to eat and a shuttle to the park

We did Airbnbs so there was always a washing machine.

In Arizona there's also the painted desert and the petrified forest. In Tucson there's a steak bar that, if a man walks in wearing a tie, it's cut off and pinned to the wall. It's been there since the 60s.

Your trip sounds great OP! Not much to add from me, other than to book a couple of air bnbs so you know you can do some washing along the way. We are doing a Seattle - LA road trip over 3 weeks this summer, with a mix of hotels and air bnbs. We'd have loved to add in Yosemite but we wanted to focus more on the cities and beaches, so found trying to add in Yosemite a bit tricky with the rest of our itinerary. Watching this thread with interest!

Purely personal perspective: I like the area north of San Francisco, Muirwoods, Sonoma, and to the east Lake Tahoe. So for me a dream itinerary would be to go north up the coast from SF, then east and inland to Tahoe, then down the Sierra Nevada to Yosemite, Death Valley and Sequioa, then west to the coast (ie San Luis Obispo) and back to SF. But that’s very National Parky.
I’ve got no interest in Vegas but have lived in San Diego and it’s great place for families, with lots to do. But it would be such a diversion from any loop around SF that I don’t see how you’d do it efficiently.