West Coast where to stop?

[Bazinga 39]

Originally Posted by jdouds

Just to note the drive from Palm Springs to Canyon area is most of a day.
The other long dr would be Vegas to Yosemite which we did, 6.5 with a couple of pit stops , this could be broken up at somewhere like lee vinning.
Yosemite to San Fran 3.5
San Fran to Monterey 1.45
Monterey coast to Santa Barbara 5/6 but you may want to shorten this nd stop cambria or ?

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Brilliant thanks so much😀

[jdouds]

Any questions just ask.
When booking your accommodation Yosemite will be priority, Almost year in advance people start to book up,especially if you want to stay in valley floor. We stayed at el portal at the blue butterfly bb, there is also a hotel there Yosemite view lodge. This is one of the closest places to stay if not in park, 15 mins drive in.
Sorry should have asked what time of year do you plan to go.

[Bazinga 39]

Originally Posted by jdouds

Any questions just ask.
When booking your accommodation Yosemite will be priority, Almost year in advance people start to book up,especially if you want to stay in valley floor. We stayed at el portal at the blue butterfly bb, there is also a hotel there Yosemite view lodge. This is one of the closest places to stay if not in park, 15 mins drive in.
Sorry should have asked what time of year do you plan to go.

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Great thanks for that, I am starting to have a look at accommodation already just to get an idea, we will be going July/August due to 2 of our children being at school

[NewtoOrlando]

We are looking at California in 2022 if our Feb 2021 Florida trip doesn't go ahead. Will be mid July ish as our eldest would have finished her GCSEs and we will need to be back for the end of august for results & 6th form. It's also our 15th wedding anniversary & out 40th's.

We're looking at

3 nights San Francisco
2 nights Monterray/Cambria
2 nights LA/Hollywood
4 nights Anaheim
5-7 nights San Diego and the surrounding areas

We are fine driving longer distances, and while we would love to do Vegas/Yosemite we will save that for another trip, we really want to do the Pacific Coast highway and 17 mile drive, with a few stops along the way. This is just the rough plan at the moment for us, we know there is loads to do, but we don't want to burn out by doing everything in one trip, and my dh loves San Diego due to his military connections, plus we want a few lovely beach days before flying home. Obviously can be tweaked, but this is where we're at with the plans!

[smithlane]

We did a similar road trip last year but didn't do Vegas or the GC. We were very fortunate we had visited them for a week in the February.
If I was you, to make the most of your time, I would drop either San Diego or Vegas/GC. I feel it's too many places to fit into a 3 week holiday. Don't underestimate the distances, I really did and it wasn't until we were there that I realised the advice I had sought from here was absolutely correct.
You could do San Fran, Yosemite, Monterey, somewhere along the PCH like Cambria, LA, Anaheim, San Diego
Or San Fran, Monterey, Cambria, LA, Anaheim, Palm Springs, GC, Las Vegas, Death Valley, Yosemite
Whatever you decide, you'll have an amazing time. Our favourite holiday by miles, California is simply a wonderful State

[jdouds]

Hi newtoorland for your trip down the coast we would suggest at least 2 nights in Monterey. We would strongly suggest for you to go whale watching , one of the best things we have ever done, you also have a fantastic aquarium, Carmel .17 mile dr ,pebble beech. Very easy to spend A couple of full days there.

[jdouds]

Tioga pass your entrance into Yosemite from lee vinning is absolutely stunning, 10.000 ft one of the things we are looking forward to doing again

[Pumpkin Pie]

Originally Posted by jdouds

Hi newtoorland for your trip down the coast we would suggest at least 2 nights in Monterey. We would strongly suggest for you to go whale watching , one of the best things we have ever done, you also have a fantastic aquarium, Carmel .17 mile dr ,pebble beech. Very easy to spend A couple of full days there.

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Totally agree. For us that area is one of our favourite. Love the beach at Carmel. Another good stop is Hearst Castle for a walk around - I remember after our visit stopping at a beach nearby and stood watching a whale put on a real display breaching the water for ages. All the Americans clapped when it finished like they were at Seaworld!

[NewtoOrlando]

Originally Posted by jdouds

Hi newtoorland for your trip down the coast we would suggest at least 2 nights in Monterey. We would strongly suggest for you to go whale watching , one of the best things we have ever done, you also have a fantastic aquarium, Carmel .17 mile dr ,pebble beech. Very easy to spend A couple of full days there.

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Originally Posted by Pumpkin Pie

Totally agree. For us that area is one of our favourite. Love the beach at Carmel. Another good stop is Hearst Castle for a walk around - I remember after our visit stopping at a beach nearby and stood watching a whale put on a real display breaching the water for ages. All the Americans clapped when it finished like they were at Seaworld!

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Yes, 2 nights in that area is on the itinerary, just for a bit of r&r inbetween driving and to see more local sights. Whale watching is on top of the list!

[jdouds]

For whale watching we went with sanctuary cruises from moss landing which is about 15/20. Mins dr to the north. They have a marine biologist on board for some helpful knowledge and help with spotting. For anyone who might suffer from motion sickness they also hire out anti sick wristbands. If any of you have scene a photo of a humpback with a sea lion in its jaws it was taken by the marine biologist who took our trip. It happened when the whale was coming up to feed on a shoal of small fish and the sea lion happened to be in the way.
Ps no harm came to the sea lion as humpbacks can only eat small sardine type fish.