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Old 3 Sep 20, 10:37 AM  
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#1
Megara84
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West Coast itinerary - thoughts please!

Hello West Coast experts!

In the absence of being able to plan a holiday for this year, we're looking to next year and planning a West Coast trip. This has been a bit of a dream of ours for a while so we're really excited to (hopefully) make this a reality in 2021.

We've put together a rough itinerary and hoped those who have been before might be able give some thoughts on our plan...

When: October 2021
How long: 16 nights
Where: Fly into LAS and out of LAX

Day 1: Fly into Vegas drive to Death Valley
Day 2: Death Valley to Sequoia NP
Day 3: Sequoia am, driving to Yosemite pm
Day 4: Yosemite all day
Day 5: Yosemite am, drive to San Francisco pm
Day 6: San Francisco all day
Day 7: San Francisco all day
Day 8: Drive to Monterey
Day 9: Drive along Big Sur to LA
Day 10: LA sight seeing day
Day 11: Universal all day
Day 12: Drive to Anaheim and Disney
Day 13: Disney all day
Day 15: Disney all day
Day 16: Back to LA for one last night
Day 17: Fly home

We want to have a holiday that's a mixture of hiking, city exploring and of course the parks!

If anyone has any tips to share re the above, feel free to let me know.

Thanks!
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Edited at 10:43 AM. Reason: spelling
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Old 3 Sep 20, 11:38 AM  
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miked1e
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Hey... all sounds great.

1st thing I notice though is day 9 will be a long day. Personally I would break that drive up... but depends what you want to see / do.

We stopped in SLO at Madonna Inn.

Also, depending on timing of flight home I would also go straight from Anaheim to the airport and not bother with one more night in LA!

We did a similar itinerary in 2014, but started and finished at LAX. However we did not get to Seqoia!

Edited at 11:41 AM.
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Old 3 Sep 20, 11:41 AM  
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landandword17
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I think Sequoia is going to be rushed. It is beautiful but not quite in the same league as Yosemite. It's 5/6 hours from any of the Death Valley hotels to Sequoia and the drive through DV is an experience in itself so you won't want to be rushing. Sequoia to Yosemite is another 4ish hours into Yosemite Valley. Sequoia is huge and you have to chose an area to focus on - Sequoia or Kings Canyon. By the time you get there from Death Valley and get checked in and have something to eat you won't have much time to explore in October as sunset will be around 6. Then the next morning if you try to do a hike and maybe a scenic drive before riving to Yosemite Valley you'll also be rushing imo.

So I would go straight to Yosemite and enjoy some if the sights along Highway 395 which is stunning. Look for the 'hidden' U2 Joshua Tree tribute if you are music fans, stop in little towns like Randsburg and Lone Pine. Have lunch in Schatt's Bakery in Bishop and then enter Yosemite over Tioga Pass (not possible when going Sequoia-Yosemite) which is one of the most picturesque drives in the world.

Also agree wuth Mike skip the one last day in LA and add one day to your drive down Big Sur. Have lunch at Nepenthe, maybe visit Hearst Castle or just take your leisure stopping at the various hidden beaches and trails. Madonna Inn is a great place to stop half way - get a cave room and eat the pink cake! Next day stop in Santa Barbara on the way down if you want to explore the 'American Riviera' or if want a lazy lunch overlooking the sea stop in Malibu.

Not sure who is travelling. If you have kids/teens Monterey is fine, if you are a couple I would consider staying in Carmel a few minutes drive away. It's a very cute, romantic little town that looks like it's out of a fairytale with lovely restaurants and independent shops and inns (no chains allowed) and a lovely white sand beach for walking. You could look at hotels like Hofsas House, The Normandy Inn to get a feel for the place and prices.

Don't rush this. It's tempting to pack it all in but take your time.

Edited at 12:09 PM. Reason: I typed that Yosemite is 5/6 YEARS from Sequoia lol
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Old 3 Sep 20, 04:02 PM  
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jdouds
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Hi to be honest it all sounds a bit , sorry not a bit , all to rushed and you will spend to much time driving.
So what would we suggest, if your not interested in Vegas then we would suggest you fly into San Fran .
2/3 n San Fran then pick car up 3.5 drive to Yosemite
2 n Yosemite 3.5 hour drive
2 n Monterey/Carmel great place and if you can go whale watching
Lots to see on coast so a stop somewhere, San Louis obispo, solvange or Santa Barbara
It’s a 4.5 hour drive without stopping to Santa Barbara so much to see on route it’s a full day in reality and trying to drive into LA area at the end of a day not recommended
You could drive from cambria to sequoia 3 hours and then back to the LA part of trip.
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Old 3 Sep 20, 04:08 PM  
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jdouds
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Hi again if you do want to fly to Vegas then we would suggest drive straight to Yosemite via 395 and into park via tioga pass , of course in October you need to weather watch for snow especially if end of October, if early you should be ok.
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Old 3 Sep 20, 04:32 PM  
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Megara84
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Originally Posted by miked1e View Post
Hey... all sounds great.

1st thing I notice though is day 9 will be a long day. Personally I would break that drive up... but depends what you want to see / do.

We stopped in SLO at Madonna Inn.

Also, depending on timing of flight home I would also go straight from Anaheim to the airport and not bother with one more night in LA!

We did a similar itinerary in 2014, but started and finished at LAX. However we did not get to Seqoia!
This is all very helpful, thanks!

We're going to consider adding another night to to Day 9. Google maps says it's around a 5 hr 30 min drive from Monterey to LA, which we'd be okay with to be honest as it's just us to worry about and our only plan for when we arrive in Burbank is to potter out and get some dinner. It might be nice to see another town along the way though!
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Old 3 Sep 20, 04:35 PM  
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Megara84
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Originally Posted by landandword17 View Post
I think Sequoia is going to be rushed. It is beautiful but not quite in the same league as Yosemite. It's 5/6 hours from any of the Death Valley hotels to Sequoia and the drive through DV is an experience in itself so you won't want to be rushing. Sequoia to Yosemite is another 4ish hours into Yosemite Valley. Sequoia is huge and you have to chose an area to focus on - Sequoia or Kings Canyon. By the time you get there from Death Valley and get checked in and have something to eat you won't have much time to explore in October as sunset will be around 6. Then the next morning if you try to do a hike and maybe a scenic drive before riving to Yosemite Valley you'll also be rushing imo.

So I would go straight to Yosemite and enjoy some if the sights along Highway 395 which is stunning. Look for the 'hidden' U2 Joshua Tree tribute if you are music fans, stop in little towns like Randsburg and Lone Pine. Have lunch in Schatt's Bakery in Bishop and then enter Yosemite over Tioga Pass (not possible when going Sequoia-Yosemite) which is one of the most picturesque drives in the world.

Also agree wuth Mike skip the one last day in LA and add one day to your drive down Big Sur. Have lunch at Nepenthe, maybe visit Hearst Castle or just take your leisure stopping at the various hidden beaches and trails. Madonna Inn is a great place to stop half way - get a cave room and eat the pink cake! Next day stop in Santa Barbara on the way down if you want to explore the 'American Riviera' or if want a lazy lunch overlooking the sea stop in Malibu.

Not sure who is travelling. If you have kids/teens Monterey is fine, if you are a couple I would consider staying in Carmel a few minutes drive away. It's a very cute, romantic little town that looks like it's out of a fairytale with lovely restaurants and independent shops and inns (no chains allowed) and a lovely white sand beach for walking. You could look at hotels like Hofsas House, The Normandy Inn to get a feel for the place and prices.

Don't rush this. It's tempting to pack it all in but take your time.
Thanks so much for the tip about Carmel - I've googled it and it looks so pretty! It's just the two of us so definitely keen to go there now. Tbh Monterey was just because of Big Little Lies!

We're going to consider cutting out Sequoia as well. I do take your point about arrival times and how dark it will be. I think I'd just feel bad driving through and not going there...
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Old 3 Sep 20, 04:36 PM  
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Megara84
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Originally Posted by jdouds View Post
Hi to be honest it all sounds a bit , sorry not a bit , all to rushed and you will spend to much time driving.
So what would we suggest, if your not interested in Vegas then we would suggest you fly into San Fran .
2/3 n San Fran then pick car up 3.5 drive to Yosemite
2 n Yosemite 3.5 hour drive
2 n Monterey/Carmel great place and if you can go whale watching
Lots to see on coast so a stop somewhere, San Louis obispo, solvange or Santa Barbara
It’s a 4.5 hour drive without stopping to Santa Barbara so much to see on route it’s a full day in reality and trying to drive into LA area at the end of a day not recommended
You could drive from cambria to sequoia 3 hours and then back to the LA part of trip.
That does sound like a great trip but the reason we're flying into LAS is so we can drive through Death Valley! We're really excited about that so it's a must for us.
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Old 3 Sep 20, 04:38 PM  
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400ixl
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Agree with others that there are lots of compromises here as you are doing a minimum of a 21 day tour in 16 days.

Day 2 - Death Valley takes a full day to cross if you want to stop and see all of the sights. Highly recommend spending some time in Darwin which most people miss out.

Day 3 is similar, half a day in Sequola is not a lot

Day 6-7 is ok, you could do most of the main sights in SF in a couple of full on days. 3 days would be better so you could see more at a relaxed pace.

Day 8 if you get up early and crack on to be in Monterey by mid to late morning you could do some of the things to do around there in the afternoon / evening, but you won't cover it all.

Day 9 is going to be a very long day, think 14 hours at least. I would really break that up if you want to see the sights.

Day 12 is a bit of a waste unless the intention is to use this as a down day. You could drive from Universal to a hotel in Anaheim after you leave the park (and eat).

Day 16 is also a bit of a waste. You may as well spend it in Disney or perhaps have a beach stay for a couple of nights at somewhere like Redondo Beach.

Please don't take it as people trying to rip apart your agenda. The distances in California between locations are massive and there are so many things to see on the way.

For 16 days I would be looking at what are your priorities and do you plan to go back in the future.

For example, as much as I would hate to miss Death Valley, if you plan a future trip to Las Vegas, Grand Canyon, Joshua Tree etc then you could save it for then.

It is really hard as there is so much to do and even after multiple trips of 21+ days we have not done all we want to see.
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Old 3 Sep 20, 04:40 PM  
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Pumpkin Pie
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Originally Posted by Megara84 View Post
Thanks so much for the tip about Carmel - I've googled it and it looks so pretty! It's just the two of us so definitely keen to go there now. Tbh Monterey was just because of Big Little Lies!

We're going to consider cutting out Sequoia as well. I do take your point about arrival times and how dark it will be. I think I'd just feel bad driving through and not going there...
I’ll second Carmel. We like it a lot better than Monterey (stayed in both). I also agree not trying to fit in too much but I understand the temptation (we did that on our first visit).

Don’t underestimate the size of places like Yosemite.

Edited at 04:41 PM.
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