Critique my California Road Trip itinerary please.

[SanFranAndCali]

We are looking to book a three week trip to California in May or June.
Having made a list of ALL the potential places we'd like to go, it's a lot. Chat GPT tells me it's doable and some travel websites do show all of these places in this order as a 21 day itinerary, but I am wary of coming home exhausted, feeling like we've just rushed through everwhere and ticked it off a list, rather than really enjoyed it.

That said, it's a road trip and the scenery en-route is the main purpose of the holiday so perhaps there's little point in spending too many days in one place if the journey is more exciting than the stop off places, if that makes sense?

At the moment the itinerary is looking like this:

Day 1: San Francisco. Arrive in the middle of the day, spend that afternoon and evening, plus the whole of the following day, then collect a car and leave around lunchtime on day 3, for Carmel.

Carmel by the Sea and Monterey, do whale watching. Would probably stay in Carmel rather than Monterey.

Drive to Big Sur - is this a place to hang around or is it just the drive through that's lovely?

Drive to Santa Barbara with an overnight stop in either San Luis Obispo or Cambria

Santa Barbara - how many nights?

Malibu

Santa Monica (just outside LA)

Palm Springs and Joshua Tree NP - how many nights?

Grand Canyon (into Arizona)

Bryce Canyon (into Utah)

Las Vegas (into Nevada) as a convenient overnight stop only, I'm not that fussed about spending time in Vegas, but DH thinks if we are passing though it we may as well stay for a day or two and see it properly. I'm not so sure.

Death Valley

Drive up the Eastern Sierra via Mammoth Lakes to arrive at the eastern side of Yosemite National Park.

Yosemite (2 nights or 3? We aren't intrepid hikers so would probably just do a guided tour of the main highlights and some light walks, rather than going it alone like proper serious types. If we are in a nice lodge or hotel with a spa it might be a good place to get some down time and be out of the car for a bit.)

Napa Valley / Sonoma.

We think this will be civilised and beautifully scenic, with lots of nice place to eat and a relaxing end to a hectic holiday. But we aren't wine buffs and can't take crates of wine home on the plane anyway, so is it an unnecessary stop?

Back to San Francisco to fly home.

This is a lot. It doesn't include Lake Tahoe, or San Diego. I'm getting FOMO about those but don't want to overload us. Should I be omitting somewhere on the list in order to do Lake Tahoe or San Diego instead?
How long would you recommend staying in each place? Which are the places to just drive to, see for a day, or even just grab dinner, sleep then move on?

I really don't care about any of the tourist attractions in LA and the whole place sounds like a dump. Is it even worth stopping in Santa Monica if we aren't going into LA at all? What's Santa Monica like?

We are middle aged and have no children with us. We like beautiful gardens and desertscapes, iconic architecture, stunning scenery, artsy communities, charming towns full of character, great food. More food. Casual and laid back rather than flashy.

We like to see the coast but we don't care about having beach time per se. We hate anywhere brash and loud and full of party animals.

Any advice appreciated.

I'd second what others have said about this being 2 separate trips. San Francisco, PCH, LA and Yosemite in one trip and Utah/Grand Canyon/death valley in another.

Yosemite is stunning, give it at least 3 nights but ideally 4. San Fran at least 3 nights. Big Sur is mostly for the drive but there are lots of stop offs and a lovely restaurant and bakery. Santa Barbara is worth a night.

The arizona, utah loop needs more time - grand canyon, monument valley, arches np, bryce canyon, zion np as well as several other national and state parks. Theres little towns like Moab that are worth your time too. Las Vegas is a lot of fun.

I think your trip as is ticks the boxes that you've been but you won't really have properly seen much of what they have to offer.

The Getty Centre is LA. Just not in the tacky tourist areas. I’ll start you off - Post Ranch Inn - Big Sur. Wonderful. Aubergine at Carmel. Lunch at Pebble Beach golf club etc. You will be racing by to your next stop.

@OhDear111- $350 a head at the Aubergine in Carmel ? Seriously ?

@NorthernStar96 It’s 2 Michelin stars. It’s seriously good. The op wanted recommendations: she didn’t say the budget was limited. I gave recommendations. If you don’t eat at this type of restaurant, you don’t. Others do. Yes, seriously. Cheaper places are available.

We did a trip pre kids that took in a lot of what you mention. Three weeks I think. We did SF, Carmel, Monterey, Big Sur etc and then Yosemite, Tahoe then flew from Sacramento to Vegas. (Hilarious safety demo on SW Airlines on a Friday night flight - wouldn’t be allowed now!). Couple of nights in Vegas then did Bryce Canyon/Grand Canyon, a few days R&R in Palm Springs then on to LA (be warned it was very windy in Palm Springs and we moved hotels as a consequence). I wouldn’t bother with LA. Flew home from there.
i think it is quite doable but maybe consider an internal flight to take out a chunk of the driving.

Possible itinerary:

Nights 1-3 San Francisco. This gives you two full days to explore, Alcatraz, Golden Gate Park, Golden Gate bridge, maybe over to Sausalito.

Up early (you will be - 8 hour difference) and drive down coast for 3 nights (can’t advise - not done this myself yet) and back to San Francisco. Drop off car and fly to Las Vegas.

One night in Las Vegas (or two, depending on what time your flight got in) just to see it. Stay on the strip, walk up and down, marvel at the madness. Pick up car as you leave.

Grand Canyon South rim for 2 nights. Walk/bus along the rim to your heart’s content
Page for 1 or 2 nights. Visit Waterhole Canyon (like Antelope but less busy) and Horseshoe Bend.
Bryce Canyon for 2 nights (stay in a cabin near the rim)
Springdale for 2 nights (book now!) to visit Zion. I think you’ll like the town - quirky, lots of restaurants.

Long drive to Death Valley and stay at Furnace Creek for one night.
Long drive to Yosemite valley via Tioga pass (but you’ll need Plan B to drive around if the passes are still closed - Sonora opens earlier) and spend 3 nights in the valley.
Back to San Francisco and home…

This is about 3 weeks and is a bit National Park heavy, but if you’re buying an annual pass for $250 (it’s gone up) you might as well make the most of it. It may be a bit light on civilisation for you too - we very rarely eat out at night but we often eat out at “breakfast” at about 11 am, which feels like a late lunch because of the time difference for most of the holiday.

You could also do in to SF and out of LV (or vice versa) with two circular loops to avoid the Sierra Nevada if you want to go in May. One way car hire between SF and LV doesn’t usually add very much to the price, and internal flights are relatively cheap.

@insightnumber9. Have you been to LA or Santa Monica or Malibu? Have you any idea about what’s there? Much nicer than LV! I’d take Santa Monica over LV every time.

Lots of good advice on this thread.

I’ve played about on Google maps to see what is genuinely doable & honestly it does seem like you are trying to cover too much ground in 3 weeks.

I’m saying that as someone who enjoys road trips, being in the car for long periods watching the views go by, and travelling at a fairly decent pace, and has done a very similar trip back in 2022.

I think the best you could do from your wish list is something like this (I got ChatGPT to tidy up my scribbles!):

San Francisco – 2 nights
Golden Gate Bridge, Alcatraz, Fisherman’s Wharf, cable cars, Chinatown, Lombard Street

Santa Cruz – drive-through stop

Carmel-by-the-Sea / Monterey – 2 nights
Whale watching tour, 17-Mile Drive, Aquarium, Cannery Row

Big Sur – scenic drive
Bixby Creek Bridge, McWay Falls, viewpoints

Hearst Castle – visit

San Luis Obispo – 1 night
Madonna Inn, downtown

Solvang – half day visit

Santa Barbara – 2 nights
Stearns Wharf, Santa Barbara Mission, State Street, beaches, promenade

Palm Springs – 3 nights
Palm Springs Aerial Tramway, pool and resort time
Day trip: Joshua Tree NP

Las Vegas – 3 nights
The Strip, Bellagio fountains, shows, Fremont Street
Day trip: Flight to the Grand Canyon

Death Valley – 1 night
Badwater Basin, Zabriskie Point, Mesquite Flat Sand Dunes

Yosemite National Park – 2 nights
Yosemite Valley, El Capitan, Half Dome viewpoints, Bridalveil Fall

Lake Tahoe – 2 nights
Emerald Bay, lakeside walks, scenic drives

Napa Valley / Sonoma – 2 nights
Wineries and vineyards, wine tasting

We’ve done a couple of road trips in CA as well as in other states, and as others have said, don’t underestimate the journey times or how stressful driving on busy interstate roads can be. We drove from San Diego to Barstow just south of Death Valley and the roads were soooo busy, with some exits peeling off from the centre, other junctions having a very transition onto the main freeway and the interstate between LA and Las Vegas is reknowned for being busy.

Highlights for us were San Francisco -
we did a walking tour
taking the cable car around the city
the cable car museum which actually shows the current cables in action (more fascinating than it sounds)
Alcatraz
hiring bikes and cycling out and over the GG Bridge
Monterey - we did a boat trip in the Bay and saw loads of whales, dolphins etc etc
we stayed couple of nights in Santa Barbara and loved it.
didn’t stay in Santa Monica. Visited Venice Beach and had a lovely meal at Shutters on the Beach.
LOVED Death Valley and stayed a night in the middle. Plenty of stargazing as no light pollution.
took AGES to drive out of DV - I think that day was 7 hours of driving to get to tenaya lodge where we were staying in Yosemite. We underestimated how long it would take to actually drive into the park as you can only go 20-30mph.
Lake Tahoe we stayed at the Hyatt regency resort in incline village which was lovely and they do a boat trip on the lake where you can see some stunning lakeside properties.
sequoia national park was probably our favourite as we saw a bear with her cubs and they have plenty of infamous very old redwood trees.
we decided against napa valley but have visited some winerys in the Santa Lucia highlands, just inland from Monterey and Carmel.
Big Sur is worth stopping for BEFORE you get to it (going south) but there’s not much to do there. We stayed in Cambria but it was very misty so we couldn’t see the sea at all.
we had no interest in LA but we did drive up fairly close to the Hollywood sign to get photos which was sufficient for us.

after our first trip we felt that staying for one night only in each place was too tiring so we’ve tried to do two or three nights in each place since then.
I would do Las Vegas Grand Canyon and Bryce Canyon etc etc as a whole other trip.

There's way too much driving to be able to do these longer stays. Even with no traffic it's really tight.

I would really consider some internal flights if you want to visit a lot of places.

Okay thanks for all your suggestions so far. We now have flights into SF and out of LAX and I've just realised we are actually away for 24 nights, with a full day to use up before flying home late at night on day 25, which alters things somewhat.

Nevertheless, I've taken on board the comments about the canyons best being treated as a separate holiday (so no need for Vegas now either) and I am now looking at pruning out Napa in favour of adding San Diego.

So it now looks like this:

Day 1: Arrive San Francisco mid afternoon, Stay 2 nights. Have an evening plus a full day and another evening. Leave next morning.

Day 3: Collect car, drive to Yosemite, stay 3 nights

Day 6: Drive back towards SF and pick up Highway 1 for the coastal drive all the way down to San Diego. First overnight stop being Carmel. Stay 3 nights

Day 9: Drive to Cambria (or somewhere similar en route to Santa Barbara) and see the Hearst Castle. Stay 2 nights.

Day 11: Drive to Santa Barbara, stay 3 nights

Day 14: Drive to Santa Monica, see the Getty Center, stay 1 or 2 nights

Day 16: Drive to San Diego stay 3 nights (or 4?)

Day 19: Drive to Palm Springs stay 1 night (or 2? I want enough time to see all the mid century architecture.)

Day 20 Drive to Joshua Tree NP stay 2 nights

Day 22 Drive to Death Valley stay either 2 or 3 nights

day 25 Drive back to LAX

Thoughts? I'm now starting to even wonder whether I should drop EITHER Yosemite OR Death Valley.

We flew to San Francisco, did a couple of days then drove up to Napa for another couple of days. On to Yosemite which was incredible but we opted to stay outside of the park and drive in each day. Then down to Monterey and then back to SF. We visited Carmel and drove through Big Sur. It was an incredible trip.

Sounds great, but also too much. I’d cut it down by 50%. And for a road trip, I’d use Trailfinders who will give you a tailor made itinerary that’s doable.

@ImPamDoovewhy would you use Trailfinders nowadays for a self drive. Everything is bookable online.

TF are good when it comes to multi flight itineraries through different countries or when you need guided excursions etc.

Also, for 3.5 weeks its really not too much driving at all

I think it might be a bit much, but if you plan in a bit of down time, even to do your washing! It’s probably do-able. I’ve been to all those places (on a few different trips! Sometimes more than once), I’d skip Joshua tree if you are short of time. Palm springs is nice for a night if you go up the mountain. Yosemite has some lovely short hikes that are quite accessible. It gets very busy though so book your accommodation. We’ve stayed in and out of the park, and staying outside and driving in is fine.

I loved San Diego, lots to do and see.

We did a 3.5 week road trip in 2019 as a family of 4 with 2 teenagers. I used a company called the American Road Trip Co to plan and book it and would highly recommend them as they are excellent at coming up with a plan that fits your preferences and budget. Agree that LA was disappointing but we loved Vegas which surprised me, we didn't do any gambling. They also did a fully personalised trip folder which gave suggestions for stops as you travelled between stopovers.

Purely to avoid the effort of booking everything separately. We’ve done a road trip, but south to north (north to south is much better) and we had a month. We arranged the entire thing ourselves. But now I’m older, richer and lazier, I’d like it arranged for me.

I used to live in California and we did lots of traveling. It’s an amazing area and the contract between the natural area and the populated is just fantastic.

I’d do less time in Santa Monica and Santa Barbara unless you are keen to relax. (BTW check out Ojai, it might be worth a quick visit)
id also do less time overall in Palm Springs and Joshua NP. (Again, unless you want to chill)
Are you missing out the Grand Canyon?

Id check what they have on at The Sphere in Las Vagas. I don’t like Las Vagas but watching U2 at The Sphere has to be one of the most amazing things I’ve ever seen. I am not even a U2 fan.
Check out Red Rock Canyon National Park and, potentially, The Valley of Fire State Park which are both near’ish Las Vegas.
We stayed in Death Valley a year ago and even though I’ve been a few times before it still amazes me. I wouldn’t stay in Death Valley as the Hotels are crazy expensive and rubbish!

Hotels accommodation can get booked up and very expensive at time in some places so sometimes it’s worth staying in nearby areas rather than the actual destination town. Ie stay in Valencia rather than Santa Barbara. Depends on your budget and when you are going.

The driving is generally easy but it can be extremely busy at times. I’m sure that’s no surprise but I’d plan your days to make sure you are trying to do things like Santa Monica to Palm Springs on a Friday afternoon.

I am also a fan of Sequoia National Park ( or state park… can’t remember its proper name)

Where are you planning on staying in Yosemite?. I ask as accommodation both inside and outside the park gets booked up in late spring and early summer often completely. You can go to Yosemite, Carmel, Monterey, Pebble Beach 17 mile drive and Muir Woods as day trips from SF.

It's still too much driving about and I would miss out Death Valley completely. It's way too hot to go there at that time of year (May and June) and accommodation is limited outside the park. I've been in early May as part of a guided tour from LV and it was bloody hot then. Same with Palm Springs; a lovely city but late May and June is stifling with temps in the low 100s.

For this amount of time I would cut most of the driving out and instead fly between SF (and LA if you want to see Santa Monica; that is worth an afternoon but really not much more time than that) and SD. Hire a car in each city and use each city as a base in which to explore. You do not want to spend an inordinate amount of time behind the wheel driving from here to there because you will come to hate the car. Also driving distances can be long (more than 100 miles between some places you cite in your itinerary) and gas stations in parts of this state can be few and far between. Unlike the UK as well you prepay before filling up the car.

Three years ago, we did San Francisco, drive to Carmel, then down the PCH 1 to big sur. PCH 1 was shut half way at the time so we drove in land then back out to the coast to Cambria. Then on to Santa Barbara. After SB, we headed inland to Yosemite but stayed outside the park. We drove into the park to hike. We drove to Sonoma to finish our trip before flying home out of San Francisco.

That was nearly three weeks and still a lot of driving and moving, although we did at least 2 nights on each stop.

as you travel south of SFO on the PCH, there are lots of National parks to stop at. It really takes time if you stop at a few, and walk / hike to see the wildlife or scenery. So don’t skimp on time on this part of the trip. Similarly Yosemite needs a few days, because it takes a while to get there and lots to cover when you’re there (but very much dictated by the weather).

I don’t think there’s a right or wrong itinerary wise but the driving distances can really take chunks out of your days so don’t underestimate this. Also, you’ll get such mixed advice on threads like these with people recommending trains or far flung places because they went there. Just really weed out your itinerary down and accept you can’t do it all, try and get a mixture of coast and national parks. The national parks are stunning in my opinion. And definitely schedule a day to do your laundry- we did ours in Santa Barbara and it was so busy!

I wasn't keen on Santa Monica. It was cool seeing the pier, but the place overall felt grubby/run down. And there were a lot of homeless people. I regretted staying 3 nights there.

I loved Santa Barbara - it's a very beautiful town. I wish I'd spent more time there.

The Big Sur is an incredible drive - allow plenty of time for lots of stops.

Monterey is a lovely place too - great for whale trips.

Definitely don't drop Yosemite. It really is jaw dropping - you can't appreciate it until you see it in real life. That was the highlight of my own road trip to that area. Someone mentioned Tenaya Lodge and I'd second this. It's a beautiful hotel.

It's the right decision to avoid Hollywood. It's very tacky.

I’d do 3 or 4 nights in Palm Springs. You can do Joshua Tree NP in one day quite easily from there. Drive in at the south entrance and all the way through to the Joshua Tree entrance, stopping at all the sights and trails as you go. Then you have one or two more days to explore and go up Mt St Jacinto in the aerial tramway.

I would say 2 nights in Death Valley is enough.

Santa Monica is a great base for Malibu and other areas within LA. We didn’t find it grubby at all but we stayed somewhere lovely.

Yosemite is an experience of a lifetime, I would not drop it. I think you are spending too much around Cambria and Santa Barbara at the expense of having an extra night each in San Francisco and Yosemite. It depends on your interests of course but I don't think Hearst Castle is particularly interesting and would spend more time seeing the truly wonderful cities/national parks instead

May/June 2026 or 2027?
Have you actually checked if accommodation is available in Yosemite on dates you wanted?
My guess is accommodation inside the park with solid walls is all long gone. Even the camping huts are booked by now. You don't sound like regular campers (some campsites will be available, still).

I venture that you will hate the heat in Joshua/Death V/Palm Springs. It will be 40 deg C+.

Consider the big redwood parks (eg., Big Basin State Park) rather than Yosemite or DV.