14-day ROUTE through National Parks of the West Coast (United States)

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.

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 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.

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 until 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 Showing.

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.

You can even get closer to one of the famous California wine cellars, riding a Santa Ynez Valley.

In this way you will have completed an excellent trip along the west coast that I promise you will never forget.