USA (California) Road Trip Advice

[Conanius]

Aware a lot of people have done this now, so keen to get some advice.

4 of us fancy doing a bit of an exploration of California next year, Almost certainly in July/August

We like the idea of renting an RV and doing a chunk of the trip in that ... and this is where we get stuck ! What route do we take? Do we do a one way rental? is it better to do a big loop?

Broadly speaking, we want to do something like

San Fran - Yosemite - Death Valley - Las Vegas - Grand Canyon - LA - San Diego

Obviously we could change this to be something like

San Fran - Yosemite - Death Valley - Las Vegas - Grand Canyon - San Diego - Los Angeles - Pacific Coast Highway - San Fran

We would really appreciate advice off people who have done this, places that we just must see, the best way to 'cope' with the Grand Canyon Detour (where to go? South Rim?), How many miles you ended up doing, and how you planned out your time.... and if you are willing to share, how much it cost... Also an idea on the best starting location for all this for flight prices, and, if there is a good way to decide what day to fly on for prices.

We'd like to do it in about 2 weeks, so we can be flexible up to a point, but an absolute maximum of 3 weeks, ideally just the 2 weeks or just over.

 

[inogen]

We did Vegas to LA via Death Valley, Yosemite, San Fran and backdown the coast to LA. That took 10 or so days and felt quite rushed. Felt like most of the time was in the van. Which it wasn't, but half the time your out, you're in a motel or bar.

I could have spent 2 weeks anywhere of our major stops (except Death Valley) without getting bored. I'd definitely try to push for 3 weeks. I went in 2005 and still feel like I've got to go back and do it all again. San Fran, Yosemite and the Coast Highway especially.

If you want to go to Alcatraz, make sure you book before you get there. Trips are booked weeks in advance.

 

[Amp34]

We did a 10 day field trip that started in LA

LA - 3 Days - OC, Southern beaches
Lone Pine - 2 Days- Across the Mohave desert to a small town next to the Sierra Nevada (Stunning mountains)
Mammoth - 1 Day - Hot springs mostly
Death Valley - 3 Days - On to Death Valley over the mountains - Salt Pans, Devils racetrack, sand dunes, Artists pallet, badlands, and a lookout point over the Valley
LV - 1 day (2 nights) - Spent the evenings wondering round the Casinos etc (stratosphere) and the day meandering up the strip. Another day would have been good to go and do some shooting however.

This pic has been discussed a couple of times and it really depends if you're a city folk or like the countryside... I say at least 2-3 days in Death Valley and probably the same (minimum) for Yosemite NP, with just a day or two in LA (max), but others disagree...

LA is probably the cheapest place to get to from the UK but it's sort of in the middle of where you want to go.

 

[Dr.EM]

Just came back from a road trip like this, we did:

Las Vegas - Grand Canyon - Primm Valley - Los Angeles - Pismo Beach - San Francisco

Primm and Pismo being just overnight stops.

Favourite place was Grand Canyon really, which surprised me. Make sure you do it! We did south rim naturally, the big horseshoe shaped glass walkway is about 250 miles away and not owned by the national park so it's a long drive and extra expense. What I do wish we did is take the drive around that area where you can see those crazy rock formations like in the Wile E Coyote cartoons!

Vegas is worth seeing but you shouldn't need too long, depending on what you want to do. See a few shows and you might benefit from stopping longer than the 2 full days we did. Kind of a strange place though really, as lavish as it appears from up high, at street level it really can seem very seedy and poor. Eat at the Bellagio for their breakfast buffet, it's absolutely epic!

Main interest in Los Angeles was Six Flags Magic Mountain. Visited twice, but Venice Beach is also well worth a visit. Hollywood is interesting too, take a tour bus while there. Long Beach didn't have so much going on, nice beach but nothing to it. Knott's Berry is a nice enough park too, but only the one big coaster.

San Francisco was very hyped up, everyone said how lovely it was. Well, it was ok, the steep hills are novel and the bridge is worth seeing. Some good dining too, particularly if you like seafood. It's another place you shouldn't need long at, which works out well because it's a VERY expensive place! It was by far our most expensive hotel out of the six and honestly, it was the worst. You could probably do better but we were keen to have parking included on the premises. Expect to pay $50 for a days parking in the city otherwise.


The route worked out pretty well. We were using a hire car and staying in hotel accomodation. Flew in to LV and out from SF. Racked up 1800 miles roughly on the hire car, 18 night holiday. Good call on the Pacific Coast highway (California 1), very scenic, but a smaller car is better because it's a very twisty mountainous route. Flights are such a big part of the cost so you want to fit lots into the holiday. It is expensive, but it's a very "once in a lifetime" thing, I certainly won't forget it! Have a great time if you go, feel free to ask about anything else and I'll try to answer

 

[timebomb26]

I'll do a longer post when I'm on my computer. I drove from Vancouver to San Diego and then back via Las Vegas/Grand Canyon. Highlights were the redwood national park, Alcatraz and also Antelope Canyon (it's fairly near the Grand Canyon and well worth seeing).

 

[[TW]Fox]

I'm sure you've seen my big thread on my trip so I wont bore you with it again.

But an RV? Really? Hotels are so cheap I wouldn't bother, an RV would become a nuisance on some of the roads anyway.

 

[Posty]

Make sure you plan to do activities, I really regret the amount of time we just spent driving & just looking at things and not actually DOING anything.

 

[inogen]

Yeah, sod an RV, there are plenty of cheap motels.

 

[Amp34]

I'll do a longer post when I'm on my computer. I drove from Vancouver to San Diego and then back via Las Vegas/Grand Canyon. Highlights were the redwood national park, Alcatraz and also Antelope Canyon (it's fairly near the Grand Canyon and well worth seeing).

I'd love to do the NP's in OR and WA. They look stunning, maybe a little far away if you want to do it all in 3 weeks mac though?

Yeah, sod an RV, there are plenty of cheap motels.

Gives you far more options in locations to stay. You don't have to end up in towns every night too. For example Death Valley has far more RV and campsite places than hotel/motel places I bet.

 

[[TW]Fox]

Gives you far more options in locations to stay. You don't have to end up in towns every night too. For example Death Valley has far more RV and campsite places than hotel/motel places I bet.

But there are loads of towns either side stuffed full of motels. And taking an RV into a city is a massive truck of fail and annoyance. What do you do with an RV in San Francisco? Heck a car is a big enough bugbear in SF let alone an RV.

Imagine driving one of the worlds greatest Ocean highways not in a convertible with the roof down but in a van. Epic fail. I drove a fantastic ocean highway once in a damn RV (Great Ocean Road, Australia) and it totally sucked and spoiled the road

 

[KatanaDV20]

I'm sure you've seen my big thread on my trip so I wont bore you with it again.

But an RV? Really? Hotels are so cheap I wouldn't bother, an RV would become a nuisance on some of the roads anyway.

+1 on this. Motels are dirt dirt cheap and you can do without the hassle of an RV!

 

[inogen]

Gives you far more options in locations to stay. You don't have to end up in towns every night too. For example Death Valley has far more RV and campsite places than hotel/motel places I bet.

Rather you than me sleeping in a tin can in Death Valley. Or a tent. Bloody hell, a tent!

The place is crawling with deadly spiders and poisonous sidewinding snakes than can move at roughly the same speed as a human can sprint...

I don't remember any campsites to be honest. There is a gas station, which had no gas when we were there (there's a tip, make sure you've got gas when driving into Death Valley - we spoke to some Brits at Zabriskie Point who were decidedly and probably quite dangerously low on fuel), and a shop. The shop had a toilet around the back, which when you asked the shopkeeper for use, he gave you a large stick to lift and check under the seat for spiders and for beating off any snakes looking for shade by coming in under the door whilst you're in flagrante All part of the "show" I'm sure. Though I wouldn't have thought about it, the stick did make me feel a lot better whilst laying one of the most hurried cables I've ever laid.

There are loads of places scattered around the valley itself that are a lot more appealing for an overnight stay... it ain't called "Death Valley" cos it's pleasant...

There are campsites in Yosemite, but it's full of bears so food storage is a bit awkward. Better off in some kind of solid structure to be honest!

We had a large modern VW 10 or so seater and that was big enough to be comfortable, whilst not be too bad to get around in.

 

[Freeman]

Slight hijack (hope you don't mind OP) but my brother and I were hoping to travel from New York to Miami either in an RV or just a car.

Has anyone ever done this before and if so how much did the vehicle/fuel cost you?

I'd love to do it but it's a very long way in terms of petrol with only about £1500 or so to spend...

Reckon we could do it with that sort of budget?

 

[[TW]Fox]

Slight hijack (hope you don't mind OP) but my brother and I were hoping to travel from New York to Miami either in an RV or just a car.

Has anyone ever done this before and if so how much did the vehicle/fuel cost you?

I'd love to do it but it's a very long way in terms of petrol with only about £1500 or so to spend...

Reckon we could do it with that sort of budget?

I did this last year.

I picked up an SUV in New York, drove it to Washington DC, dropped it off, caught a train to Jackonsville Florida, picked up an Infiniti G37S and drove it right down to Key West then back up to Miami.

My usual budget for these trips is £3k for two of us so £1500 each.

The reason I went with the route I picked in the end was the one-way fee on hiring a car from New York to Florida was bonkers - just seemed like a massive waste of money.

Plus Key West is probably the only super awesome bit of Florida anyway so it would be a shame not to go there.

 

[Amp34]

But there are loads of towns either side stuffed full of motels. And taking an RV into a city is a massive truck of fail and annoyance. What do you do with an RV in San Francisco? Heck a car is a big enough bugbear in SF let alone an RV.

Imagine driving one of the worlds greatest Ocean highways not in a convertible with the roof down but in a van. Epic fail. I drove a fantastic ocean highway once in a damn RV (Great Ocean Road, Australia) and it totally sucked and spoiled the road

Either side, I'm guessing it's going to take a couple of hours to get over the hills from what I remember of the Valley... And as for driving through the city, you park at the hotel (if you're staying in one) and use public transport...

I assume you'd pick up the RV as you were leaving the first city anyway.

Guess it really depends how much you love driving. If the drive is the reason you're going then obviously an RV will not be good enough, if it's the scenery and the walking then the transport doesn't really matter.

A group of you sharing an RV and prating around outside in the evening would be epic!

Rather you than me sleeping in a tin can in Death Valley. Or a tent. Bloody hell, a tent!

The place is crawling with deadly spiders and poisonous sidewinding snakes than can move at roughly the same speed as a human can sprint...

I don't remember any campsites to be honest. There is a gas station, which had no gas when we were there (there's a tip, make sure you've got gas when driving into Death Valley - we spoke to some Brits at Zabriskie Point who were decidedly and probably quite dangerously low on fuel), and a shop. The shop had a toilet around the back, which when you asked the shopkeeper for use, he gave you a large stick to lift and check under the seat for spiders and for beating off any snakes looking for shade by coming in under the door whilst you're in flagrante All part of the "show" I'm sure. Though I wouldn't have thought about it, the stick did make me feel a lot better whilst laying one of the most hurried cables I've ever laid.

There are loads of places scattered around the valley itself that are a lot more appealing for an overnight stay... it ain't called "Death Valley" cos it's pleasant...

There are campsites in Yosemite, but it's full of bears so food storage is a bit awkward. Better off in some kind of solid structure to be honest!

We had a large modern VW 10 or so seater and that was big enough to be comfortable, whilst not be too bad to get around in.

You were done well and truly It's called Death Valley because "nothing can live there". Which is incorrect as we had Coyotes outside our tents most nights. Didn't see any spiders or snakes when I was there and I was trundling through the middle of nowhere basically for several days all over DV. Toilets in the campsite were fine, although I showered in the swimming pool changing rooms after having a swim each night. There were also hundreds of RV's when I went there (a group of 49'ers). All at Furnace Creek.

Yosemite provide Food Lockersfor those camping or in RV's

As I said in my first post, all depends if you're a city boy or like the wilderness!

 

[inogen]

Aye, some of the Key's are lovely.

Back on topic - with 4 of you, a decent sized SUV should be enough for yous and your kit.

Don't really agree with San Fran being "hyped". you've got to dig a bit, but there are decent places to stay and the people are friendly. We all ended up (about 7 or 8 of us) going back to someones house for drinks and board games after only meeting them hours before. Lovely veranda thing with great views.

Cycle hire is good over there. Me a couple of mates cycled over the Golden Gate. Amazing. As is the boat trip that goes under it, even better (grrr!) if it goes to Alcatraz! There's some nice vineyards to take trips out to and some great restaurants and bars. It's a very cool place. Bars are far more relaxed than they are in most of the rest of CA. I loved it. I'd go back sooner if I wasn't 6'4" and so turned off at the idea of long-haul. I will go back though.

 

[inogen]

You were done well and truly It's called Death Valley because "nothing can live there". Which is incorrect as we had Coyotes outside our tents most nights. Didn't see any spiders or snakes when I was there and I was trundling through the middle of nowhere basically for several days all over DV. Toilets in the campsite were fine, although I showered in the swimming pool changing rooms after having a swim each night. There were also hundreds of RV's when I went there (a group of 49'ers). All at Furnace Creek.

Hmmm...

http://www.nps.gov/deva/faqs.htm

Are there dangerous animals here?

Yes, but if you are reasonably careful they should not be a problem. Potentially dangerous animals include rattlesnakes, scorpions, black widow spiders, bees, wasps, coyotes, and mountain lions. To avoid getting hurt, avoid all contact with wild animals. Do not feed coyotes. Always look first before placing your hands or feet anywhere.


That said, the buggers are everywhere. We went to a friend of a friends house in Santa Barbara (we were all over there for a wedding) and were laughed at for leaving our towels on the dry stone wall whilst we went in the outside hot tub. Seemed logical for us. Apparently full of spiders. He's found and "got rid" of black widows.

We didn't see one, but he's seen mountain lions from his garden too.

Being bitten by a black widow in Death Valley wouldn't be top of my list of things to do before I die. I'd probably stick it at the bottom .

I'm not really saying it's particularly dangerous... but, if you're used to wilderness being innocuous like it is in Britain. Death Valley really isn't the place to start getting back to nature...

 

[Amp34]

And? Much like much of the rest of the US. I meant you were well and truly done with the overreaction of it all.

I wasn't suggesting there was nothing there at all, hence the "", the incorrect statement and the smiley face...

The point is the likelihood of you actually seeing something is basically slim to none and the suggestion that you shouldn't go somewhere because of that is silly.

 

[opstrat]

I did this last year.

I picked up an SUV in New York, drove it to Washington DC, dropped it off, caught a train to Jackonsville Florida, picked up an Infiniti G37S and drove it right down to Key West then back up to Miami.

My usual budget for these trips is £3k for two of us so £1500 each.

The reason I went with the route I picked in the end was the one-way fee on hiring a car from New York to Florida was bonkers - just seemed like a massive waste of money.

Plus Key West is probably the only super awesome bit of Florida anyway so it would be a shame not to go there.

fox, can i ask what company you used to hire the car?

 

[inogen]

yes, yes, I know

Never said anyone shouldn't go there. I was just making the point that it's not like taking a day trip to the Lake District. People who are used to countryside being completely safe, like Brits, are the most vulnerable as we just don't think of possible consequences.

One thing you shouldn't do in DV (something I did almost straight away) is put your fingers down cracks in the mud That be were the spiders and the scorpions live. I know that cos I read the leaflet about staying safe in DV as we were leaving...