1st stages of west coast planning

[jimboy2]

hi everyone.

me and GF have just returned from 2 weeks in orlando. we also went in 2013.
we now feel we should give this a break for a while and spread our wings and go somewhere else.

this obviously led us to the west coast.

we have a very very basic plan at the moment. it will be sometime in 2016

we are not tied with any dates so looking really for the best time of year to go for weather and crowds for the disney days.

it will be for 2 adults
flying into san francisco from london for 3 weeks and then flying out from los angeles.
have quickly put that through expedia for may next year (we wont be going until 2016 but getting a idea on price) and its coming out at around 700pp direct with VA.
the GF would much prefer to fly direct rather than indirect. whats peoples thoughts on these prices for a start? is it really high? we would obviously be looking 11 months out from a chosen date much nearer to the time and hoping for a nice deal.

our basic plan will be a few days in san francisco
then making our way south on the PCH to LA
have read a few trip reports and trying to work the best places to stop along the way for a night. it seems most people do this journey in 2 days. is that rushed? would 3 days be better?

also a few other things we would like to include are
Yosemite for a few days (camp curry looks cool)
disney land
universal studios
and if we can squeeze it in, a few days in vegas.

so really what im asking is some ideas on a itinerary, how long and where you recommend we stay.
any MUST do's for a trip like this.

we will hopefully be getting a convertible to do the trip too. its one of those dreams we all have and really want to make the most of it.

i know im asking a lot and some of it is ver vague but i know how much knowledge this website has from the florida section.

if your still reading THANKYOU lol

[tinkerbelll]

Hi,

3 weeks to make your way down PCH seems a lot. If you want to include the PCH you might be better and cheaper flying into and out of LAX and plan a circular route. eg LA, (+/- San Diego), Las Vegas (+/- Grand Canyon) , Death Valley, Mammoth Lakes, Yosemite, San Fran, Monterey, Piso Beach, Anaheim (if you fancy Disney).

We did a similar route on our first trip (though we included Lake Tahoe which wasn't worth it). We had actually planned to fly into LAX and out of San Francisco but whilst there we fancied driving the PCH and so changed the flight whilst there.

This time we are planing a more southern route as we are going at Easter but would have loved to have seen Yosemite again.

[jimboy2]

Originally Posted by tinkerbelll

Hi,

3 weeks to make your way down PCH seems a lot. If you want to include the PCH you might be better and cheaper flying into and out of LAX and plan a circular route. eg LA, (+/- San Diego), Las Vegas (+/- Grand Canyon) , Death Valley, Mammoth Lakes, Yosemite, San Fran, Monterey, Piso Beach, Anaheim (if you fancy Disney).

We did a similar route on our first trip (though we included Lake Tahoe which wasn't worth it). We had actually planned to fly into LAX and out of San Francisco but whilst there we fancied driving the PCH and so changed the flight whilst there.

This time we are planing a more southern route as we are going at Easter but would have loved to have seen Yosemite again.

See more...

Just put all that into google maps, that route looks great thanks a lot.

What time of year is best to go. I hear of fog on the coast and a lot of rain further north?
Also we don't want it to be too hot. I know the temps can reach silly levels in some places.
Obviously want the best weather when driving down the coast.
What is end of March April like normally? I see a lot of people go on September.

[The Hulk]

Sounds like a great trip. May I suggest you read some west coast trippies as they will give u a great insite and lots of ideas on places to stay, things to do etc. We went last wk May first June last year and weather was perfect. Not too hot, but lovely and sunny every day. U don't tend to get humidity unlike Florida which is great too. We were in Yosemite and San Francisco first wk June and it was even lovely there too, we only had one day where it was a little foggy, which was good to get some different shots on the gg bridge. Also bare in mind Yosemite falls only flow at certain times of the year, so take that into account if you want to see them.
Those flight prices not bad neither, u may get slightly cheaper too.
Happy planning and don't b afraid to ask lots of questions

[jimboy2]

I have read a couple of trip reports and currently watching phil Emma and Ben videos on YouTube.
Really looking forward for this trip.

The only issue I can see is working out how long it can take to get to places and how long to stay there.

In a ideal wprld I would like to drive until I find somewhere and walk into a hotel and get a room. In the really world I'm not sure that will quite work and may end up being a bit stressful.
From what I can see for now is we would probably stay 4 days in Vegas, San Francisco and Anaheim for a disney fix.
The rest of the trip will be a few days here or there. Oh and Yosemite would be a couple of days too.

[CrispyA]

If you want to go to Yosemite, bear in mind that there will be snow until May in some parts. I'd love to see it after the snow melts as the waterfalls would be spectacular.

Personally, I'd miss out LA altogether but that's just us!

My trip report might give you some ideas, although we did go a little further afield into Arizona & Utah,

[jimboy2]

I have heard it isn't very nice in LA so will investigate a bit more and maybe not stay there for long. May go further south to San Diego. Be nice to be able to say we have been to some of these areas.

Lots of planning involved in this!

[DIBBadmin]

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