Of the multiple possibilities of routes that you can plan for your trip along the west coast of the United States, on this occasion I am going to propose a 14 day route covering the three icon cities, San Francisco, Las Vegas y Los Angeles,
In this route by car The visit of the three most important has priority National Parks inland.
It is an alternative to the route along the coast, since it develops inside this area of United States.
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All the information in detail
- 1 Driving route through West Coast National Parks
- 1.1 Day 1 – Arrival in San Francisco
- 1.2 Days 2 and 3 – Visits in San Francisco
- 1.3 Day 4 – From San Francisco to Yosemite
- 1.4 Day 5 -From Yosemite to Death Valley
- 1.5 Day 6 – From Death Valley to Las Vegas
- 1.6 Day 7 – Visit of Las Vegas
- 1.7 Day 8- From Las Vegas to Page
- 1.8 Day 9 – From Antelope Canyon to Monument Valley
- 1.9 Day 10 – From Monument Valley to the Grand Canyon of the Colorado
- 1.10 Day 11 – From the Grand Canyon to Los Angeles via Route 66
- 1.11 Day 12 – Arrival in Los Angeles
- 1.12 Days 13 and 14 – Visit Los Angeles
- 1.13 Getaway to Santa Barbara from Los Angeles
Driving route through West Coast National Parks
Day 1 – Arrival in San Francisco
Get to the Pacific Coast It will take time, even if you make a stopover in New York, as I did during my trip.
Therefore you have to anticipate that you will suffer some Jet lag after the long flight from the east, and it is advisable to schedule some time to rest in your travel plan.
Days 2 and 3 – Visits in San Francisco
In these two days you will have time to do the essential visits in San Francisco, and you can also tour the San Francisco Bay with a cruise that includes visit to Alcatraz island.
You must not stop visit the town of Sausalito. which are located on the other side of the bay, where you can go by car or also by boat.
Of course, it would be advisable to have one more day to complete your tourist tour of the city and its surroundings.
Day 4 – From San Francisco to Yosemite
It's a three and a half hour drive, and when you get to the Yosemite National Park you should go to visit the Mariposa Grove redwood forest and go up to Glacier Point Overlook where you will have the best views of this national park.
Possibly it will also give you time to explore the Yosemite valley and contemplate its great icon, the large rocky mountain El Capitan.
Day 5 -From Yosemite to Death Valley
When you get on your way towards Las Vegas along the interior of the west coast, you have the opportunity to travel the mountain road of Tioga Road, in Yosemite National Park.
It will take you a little less than two hours to reach Lee Vining.
From here, if you have time and are very curious, you can head northeast to visit the bodie ghost town.
This excursion, round trip, and the Bodie's visit, it can take up to three hours.
From Lee Vining, the next stage is to reach the desert death valley national park. To do this you will take highway 395 and after passing Lone Pine, you turn left onto 190.
In total, it will be a five-hour trip, so you may want to look for accommodation along the route, before entering the national park.
Day 6 – From Death Valley to Las Vegas
You will dedicate this day to visiting the most interesting corners of Death Valley, like the place of bath water and the Rhyolite ghost town, and travel to Las Vegas, a city that is located just over three hours from the national park.
In the evening you can take a first walk around Las Vegas Strip and start visiting the spectacular hotels.
Day 7 – Visit of Las Vegas
During this day you complete your Las Vegas visit in which hotels should not be missing Venice y Paris.
You can also go to one of the big Las Vegas outlets to go shopping.
Day 8- From Las Vegas to Page
On this day from Las Vegas you are going to go to Page, in a stage that can take you about five hours of travel.
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In this town located next to the Lake Powell you can visit the spectacular panoramic view of the Colorado River en Horseshoe Bend.
If you go with time, even between Kanab y Page you can visit the amazing The Wave Natural Site in Coyote Buttes.
Day 9 – From Antelope Canyon to Monument Valley
The next morning you can visit the Antolope Canyon Natural Site (it is advisable to do it around 12 noon) and then start the route towards the Monument Valley, the famous location from western movies.
It's a two and a half hour trip.
You will have time to visit the Monument Valley and, above all, enjoy the colors of the spectacular sunset.
In this area it is not so easy to find hotels, so to stay you will have to go to Mexican Hat and Kayenta.
Day 10 – From Monument Valley to the Grand Canyon of the Colorado
The time has come to head to the impressive Grand Canyon of the Colorado.
From Monument Valley to South rim of the Grand Canyon It's almost four hours of travel.
You will enter the Grand Canyon from Cameron, through the east access, and you will have the first panoramic views at Desert View.
Then you will visit the different views of this southern edge, until you reach the area of Bright Angel, where there are hotels to stay in, or a little further south, to the area of Tusayan.
Don't miss the incredible beauty of sunset at the Grand Canyon.
Day 11 – From the Grand Canyon to Los Angeles on Route 66
The next morning you can complete your visit to the Grand Canyon (you can't stop being impressed by the panoramic views from its viewpoints), and then take the route towards The Angeles.
In total they would be eight hours of travel, so it is advisable to move forward to sleep halfway.
On this route you have the opportunity to travel a section of the historic Route 66.
Specifically, do not stop visit williams, and Seligman; later you can visit the Calico ghost town.
Day 12 – Arrival in Los Angeles
The next day you will arrive at Los Angeles, where you can start the tourist visits, with Hollywood as the main attraction.
Days 13 and 14 – Visit Los Angeles
These days you can complete your visit to Los Angeles, even dedicating a day to enjoy the Universal Studios.
In addition to those indicated, places to visit in Los Angeles are Beverly Hills and santa monica beach.
Getaway to Santa Barbara from Los Angeles
If you want to see coastal landscapes, you can prolong your stay in Los Angeles one more day and visit Santa Barbara and its surroundings.
It is two hours away, and in Santa Barbara you can enjoy its great beach and see the buildings of the old colonial city, such as the Mission Santa Barbara.
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You can even get closer to one of the famous California wine cellars, Santa Ynez Valley.
In this way you will have completed an excellent trip along the west coast that I promise you will never forget.
Thank you!
Hello! I need help. (another overwhelmed)
We are going from April 12 to May 3 to the west coast and I am a little busy with the snow issue in some areas. We arrive in LA and we want to visit Mojave, the Grand Canyon, Monument Valley, Las Vegas, Death Valley, maybe Secuoia, Yosemite, San Francisco and return to LA on the 1st.
What do you think? Will it be too cute? What would you delete in that case?
I would appreciate your help
Thanks in advance
Tasting,
First, sorry for the delay in replying.
As for your question, don't worry, with the days you indicate you have enough time to make the trip you propose. The only thing you won't be able to see is the Yosemite highlands, which will still be closed to vehicles. Keep this in mind when planning your route, as you will not be able to cross the park on Tioga Road (it usually opens at the end of May) to go from the north of Death Valley to San Francisco, but you must go south.
Regarding Sequoia Park, the main route is open all year round, although it often snows and chains are needed. Furthermore, until the end of May it is usually closed to high areas, so it is also conditioned by the weather.
Taking this into account, I insist, you have plenty of time to take a trip along the west coast. Let's enjoy it.
I would like some advice, we are leaving in March for the west coast, arriving in San Francisco, with 3 children from there we wanted to go to Yosemite, return to Monterrey and get to Los Angeles and San Diego, with 16 days in total, I was wondering if it was worth it But it is worth abolishing Yosemite and reserving a few days for Las Vegas and the Grand Canyon since I don't think we have time left. In short, it is better to visit the Grand Canyon or Yosemite at the end of March.
Raúl, without a doubt.
The Grand Canyon is a must on a trip along the West Coast and is much more interesting than Yosemite. Furthermore, on those dates, you will not be able to go up to the upper parts of this park, which limits its interest.
Therefore, do not hesitate, opt for the Grand Canyon and Las Vegas
URGENTEEEE…..hehehe….good night, I need urgent help….I have a huge burden on me. It turns out that my girlfriend and I have decided to go to the West Coast and we have gotten a very good and cheap flight. We arrived in Los Angeles this Saturday at 16 pm coming directly from Madrid and at the airport we planned to take a car and we will return early in the morning on the 13th from Las Vegas. We have 14 nights, we are really looking forward to it and we have no idea about anything hehehe. We would like to see Hollywood in Los Angeles, one day for Universal Studios, and everything there is to see in Los Angeles, our route would be:
– 3 nights Los Angeles
– 1 night somewhere between LA and San Francisco, we want to see Santa Barbara and Santa Monica and Hearts Castle and the sea lions and that…where do we stop???
– 3 nights in San Francisco, visiting Alcatraz and is it essential in San Francisco?? Will we get tickets for Alcatraz easily?
-1 night or two on the road without knowing what to see between SF and Las Vegas, Yosemite?? and what more??
– We will spend 4 nights in Las Vegas, from the 9th onwards until the 13th and from there we will have a full day excursion to the Grand Canyon.
I have one or two nights left on which route would you put it???
Now my biggest problem is to find a Hotel for 3 nights in the area of LA??? and find a cool hotel in Las Vegas for the last 4 nights. In SF I wasn't planning to book from here to have more freedom, but the first 3 and the last 4 without a car, yes. Pleaseeeee help me, tomorrow is Tuesday and without a hotel in LA I can't even do THIS hehehe, I'm overwhelmed!!!!
Thank you very much
Let's see, don't get overwhelmed, the United States is the easiest country in the world to travel on your own. I'm going to answer the most important thing:
1.- On the route from LA to SFCO, stay wherever you can. You visit and around 19 p.m. look for a motel in any of the service areas of the highways and towns. You will find it without problem. It will be useful for you to read this topic:
http://guias-viajar.com/estados-unidos/dormir-en-moteles-en-estados-unidos/
2.- Regarding the fundamentals of San Francisco, read this topic
http://guias-viajar.com/estados-unidos/california/san-francisco-recomendaciones-consejos-visita-turistica/
3.- From SFCO to LV you can do it in one day in one go, but if you have one day, without a doubt go straight to Yosemite, visit the main things and then sleep, for example, in Fresno. No problem finding a motel, I slept there in an M6
3.- To do the Grand Canyon excursion well, unless you hire a plane+helicopter, it is best to go by car and have two days. This way you can also stop to see Route 66. And with one more day, you could return through Page and see some of the places.
4.- Regarding hotels, my advice is to book from here in San Francisco and, of course, in Las Vegas. Of the latter, you have excellent hotels with very attractive prices.
And regarding Los Angeles, I understand that you do not plan to have a car: it is a huge city and to see everything you need to visit, I cannot imagine doing it without a car, since all the visits are very far from each other.
And regarding the hotel, it is better to do even on the go already with the car. You can even find it in a service area of the many highways that cross the city. In motel chains you have a standard of quality and prices advertised with large signs.
I hope what I mentioned is useful to you
Hello Jose Luis: I tell you that we are from Chile and from December 10 to January 5 we traveled to Los Angeles with my family with 8 year old children and my 5 month old baby. The idea is also to get to Portland to see family, but take advantage of visiting LA and San Francisco. Where do you recommend I go to take advantage of the days and I would also like to see the studios. Can I advance tickets or tours online?
Thank you very much!!!!!
Wow, Pia, it's been a long time and your question is very general.
I propose that with all the information you have on the blog you design a route, days in each place, and then I review it in case I can make some considerations.
Regarding the Studios tickets, honestly, I don't think it's worth getting them in advance.
Hello Jose Luis!
My girlfriend and I are getting married in October and we are going on our honeymoon to the West Coast. Your blog is giving us many ideas.
We like your 15-day trip proposal of essential visits, but we don't want to go all the way to Phoenix and the last few days we want to rest from the car.
I'll copy the idea we have, please tell us what you think or if you would modify anything.
Day 1. Arrival in San Francisco (We have to see the flights, to see if we do it directly or fly to New York and from there we take internal flights, since the trip is linear)
Day 2,3 and 4. SF
Day 5. SF – Yosemite
Day 6. Yosemite – Monterey
Day 7. Monterey – S. Luis Obispo
Day 8. S. Luis Obispo – Los Angeles
Day 9. LA
Day 10. LA – Williams (stopping in Cálico and Kingman) on 40
Day 11.Willians – Las Vegas (stopping in Seligman. Route 66) Via 93
Day 12, 13 and 14. Las Vegas. (One day, travel to the Grand Canyon from Las Vegas. If you tell us which is the best option, we would appreciate it, but of course, we want to do something by helicopter)
Day 14/15 Las Vegas – Madrid (depending on flights)
As you can see, we have taken the route you recommend, changing the ending, if you think it is better to do it another way or that we left something interesting to see, tell us!!!
We would like to see many more things, but at first we only have 15 days!!
Thank you very much and congratulations for the blog!
Hello Jose, how are you, I tell you, we live in Cancun Mx and we are planning to travel from Los Angeles to San Francisco and back, we arrived in Los Angeles on the 18th, we plan to spend the day in said city and we want to leave on August 19, returning on August 21 at 13 p.m., any suggestions on where to visit, thank you for your time.
If one day you visit these directions, let us know and we will gladly guide you.
Jjonny, in just two and a half days to go to San Francisco, visit it and return, it is only possible to do it by plane there and back. So, you can do a quick visit to San Francisco. The following topic will be useful to you.
http://guias-viajar.com/estados-unidos/california/san-francisco-ocho-visitas-imprescindibles-viaje-un-dia/
Thank you very much José, really our interest is in the car trip along the coast towards San Francisco and the places we could visit during the trip
sorry and back to Los Angeles
In two and a half days, if you make the trip by car, you will barely have time to see anything, and, above all, to visit San Francisco.
In any case, on the coastal route from Los Angeles you can see Santa Barbara and then go inland to go faster and near San Francisco you could see Carmel by the Sea and the natural sites of Monterey.
Hello Jose Luis. First of all, congratulations for the blog and thank you very much for the help and information about the area, without which, it would be impossible to organize a trip well.
In my case, we have three weeks to enjoy the entire west coast (PN included). The route would be the following:
1º- Arrival in LA and pick up the rental car
2nd, 3rd, 4th - Stay in LA and visits to Downtown, Walk of Fame, Malibu, Venice, Universal Studio...
5º- Trip from LA to Las Vegas, passing through Cálico (sleep in Las Vegas)
6th, 7th- Las Vegas (with wedding included)
8º- Trip from Las Vegas to the Grand Canyon, passing through the Hoover Dam, Route 66, Selligman, William,... (sleeping in the Grand Canyon)
9º-Grand Canyon
10º- Grand Canyon trip to Monument Valley (sleep in Monument Valley)
11th- Trip from Monument Valley to Antelope Canyon, passing through Lake Powell and Page (sleep Page)
12º- Trip from Antelope Canyon to Las Vegas (passing through Zion) (sleep in Las Vegas)
13º- Trip Las Vegas-Death Valley-Yosemite (sleeping as close as possible to Yosemite)
14th- Yosemite
15º- Yosemite to San Francisco (sleep in San Francisco)
16th-17th- San Francisco
18º- San Francisco to Monterey (sleeping in Monterey)
19º- Monterey to San Luis Obispo, seeing Big Sur and Hearst Castle (sleep in San Luis)
20º-San Luis-Santa Barbara-LA and return trip to Madrid with a stopover in NY.
What do you think? Would you change anything? Is it a lot of driving time for one person? The part that I am not clear about is whether it is worth going to Monument Valley, investing 4 days and returning to Las Vegas to sleep and be able to go up to Yosemite. Do you see any different settings for those days? Well, any advice from people who have been in the area or done a similar route would be welcome. Thank you so much…
isra,
I am glad that the blog helps you, because that is the purpose.
Regarding your trip, it is ideal. The only thing that surprises me is that from LA you go to Las Vegas first. Are you going to a wedding, or are you going to take the opportunity to “re-marry”?
I say this above all because perhaps it would be more appropriate to do the following order:
LA-Calico-Route 66-Grand Canyon-Monument Valley-Antelope-Las Vegas
The only thing you might miss on this route is the Hoover Dam.
And, really, Monument Valley is worth visiting, at least everyone who went on my trip loved it.
I hope this consideration is useful to you.
regards
But isn't the trip from LA to the Grand Canyon a long one?
I'm not saying you should do it in one go. On the contrary, you could sleep at one of the points on Route 66, depending on what suits you; even in Williams. And the next day you arrive at the Grand Canyon.
I think you do fewer kilometers and gain some time. Although it doesn't matter if you go to Las Vegas first...
Good evening José Luis,
After thinking about it a lot and consulting all kinds of information, finally the route is as follows:
1º- Arrival in LA and pick up the rental car
2nd, 3rd, 4th - Stay in LA and visits to Downtown, Walk of Fame, Malibu, Venice, Universal Studio...
5º- Trip from LA to Las Vegas, passing through Cálico (sleep in Las Vegas)
6th,7th- Las Vegas
8º- Trip from Las Vegas to the Grand Canyon, passing through the Hoover Dam, Route 66, Selligman, William,... (sleeping in the Grand Canyon)
9º-Grand Canyon, sleeping in Page
10º- Visit Antelope Canyon, Lake Powell (sleep in Las Vegas)
11th- Las Vegas-Death Valley-Yosemite trip (sleeping in Mammoth lakes)
12º- Visit Yosemite (sleeping in Merced)
13º- Visit MAriposa Grave and trip to SF (sleep in SF)
14th, 15th, 16th, 17th- San Francisco
18º- San Francisco to Monterey (sleeping in Monterey)
19º- Monterey to San Luis Obispo, seeing Big Sur and Hearst Castle (sleep in San Luis)
20º-San Luis-Santa Barbara-LA and return trip to Madrid with a stopover in NY.
As you will see, we have finally had to eliminate the visit to Monument Valley (although it is still possible to do it by plane from Page).
By the way, do you know of any hotels in SF and LA that are good, nice and cheap? I am a little worried about the issue of parking in those cities. Any help from you will be welcome.
U knew hay hoy World leave tve forest someday…
Well, you have had a very round and enviable route. You haven't left anything to visit (the Monument, for another occasion...)
Regarding the hotel in San Francisco, I resolved it by going to a motel on the outskirts, but it was because on my trip there I met more friends who were staying there.
In other circumstances I would have had a solution similar to the one in Los Angeles: I took a motel in a service area of one of the many highways that cross the city; very close to everything via the highway, cheap and without parking problems.
This is the advantage of having a rented car, which gives you a lot of autonomy and it is not necessary to look for a car in the city center.
I did this route on the contrary in 3 weeks so as not to overwhelm us. Los Angeles (3 days), Don't miss the Universal Studios and if you buy a VIP pass online, even better since it is very exclusive and they show you everything. Also book a tour of the houses of famous people because you may not find anything on your own. Then to Scottsdale (Phoenix), spend the night to arrive early at the Colorado Canyon. Here 2 days to see everything and take a helicopter tour. Then to Kayenta where you can sleep. From here you will visit the Navajo Tribal Park, which is a Navajo museum where you can see the history of these Indians and how they collaborated with the government in the fight against the Japanese in World War II. Very close by is Goulding's Lodge, a famous hotel where John Wayne slept while making the movies that were made here. I recommend renting a 4×4 because this way you can visit all the “tables” (mountains) up close along a dirt route that everyone usually does. The next day we went to Bryce Canyon which is nearby and slept in a cabin in the same national park; It's amazing and I recommend it. From here to Zion Park, highly recommended, beautiful park, beautiful road, etc. Then, Las Vegas (3 days). Here you can see everything, walk a lot and not miss anything. From here passing through Death Valley (54 degrees in July) where you can take a photo in Badwater but nothing more, just cut the road (go with a full tank) to Mammoth Lakes. The next day along the Tioga Pass rd (highly recommended) to Yosemite. You can stay in Wawona, Fish Camps, etc. There are many good hotels in the area. From here directly to San Francisco (4 days and missing). I recommend the Argonauta Hotel, which is on the same commercial promenade. I recommend booking the excursion to Alcatraz from Spain because once there, as they allow few visits, there are no places left until 2 or 3 days later. You can buy the resale ticket but at about 6 or 7 times its price. Visit everything, because it is very worth it. Go to Sausalito and Napa Valley and visit a winery (it's Tuscany Valley in the Falcon Crest series). From here to Los Angeles, spending the night in San Luis Obispo so that there is time to stop in Sta. Barbara and especially in Malibu. Here eat at Bubba Gump (restaurant in honor of Forrest Gump) where you can eat spectacular shrimp. From here to Los Angeles and then to Madrid. It drives very well. You have to respect the posted speeds and the rules because the police are very strict. The radar can catch you coming from behind or in front (in the opposite direction). The only thing I recommend is that you bring a GPS that you can rent at the Rent A Car itself (We brought our own TomTom with the US cartography). The trip is recommended, spectacular and unforgettable. We want to do it again but coming to Seattle to see the entire area where the Twin Peaks series was made. I hope it helps you. If you want directions to hotels or anything else, just let me know and I'll gladly help you.
Hello Jose Luis! I'm starting to plan a trip for this summer along the West Coast with my wife and the truth is that the 14-day route you propose through SF, LV and LA seems very interesting to me. I wanted to ask you if it isn't too hard to do it in 14 days considering that I will have to drive almost all the time. Can you suggest making a small cut in the route to be more comfortable? It gives me a little respect to drive so many days around the US. Is it easy to find your way with a map to take the routes you propose? Can you recommend an airline that is well priced to make the flight? Are there direct flights to San Francisco from Madrid or Barcelona?
Well. Maybe there are too many questions and I don't know if this is the place on your website to ask these questions. I await your response and I sincerely congratulate you for the website.
Thank you so much!
Carlos.
Carlos, if you want to make a “cut” in the route so as not to drive so many kilometers, and ask my opinion, I would fly from San Francisco to Las Vegas.
You have flights for less than 90 euros and you save many kilometers and three days, which you can dedicate to extending more time to the visit wherever you want along the route.
What do you think?
Hello Jose Luis! First of all, I thank you for your advice. I am considering making the cut that you propose, but reading your blog I see that it is very interesting to make the PN that you would allow me and I think I will prefer to drive a little more. Is it easy to drive and find your way around this area? Sometimes I have chosen to pick up and drop off the rental car at airports to avoid driving through big cities. In the case of leaving SF and returning the car in LA, do you see it necessary or is it not that complicated to enter/exit and drive through these cities?
Thank you so much!
Carlos.
Carlos, I think it's a good choice, driving around the United States is soooo easy, and it's also easy to drive through the cities. especially in San Francisco. I advise you to get around by car, both in SFC and in LA.
This way, you will reach visits much faster. In the case of LA, it is huge, so with a car you will move faster.
We traveled in October 2014 and we did it from Los Angeles passing through San Diego then Palm Spring to Las Vegas from there to the Hoover Dam and the Colorado Canyon passing in part along Route 66 from there to the droughts and Yosemite to then visit Monterrey and Carmel to finally reach San Francisco and Sausalito. You have to keep in mind that the car in big cities is a problem. I recommend staying in motels a little far from the center to avoid paying for parking. It is a magnificent trip that we ended in Hawaii