European on a US roadtrip - fill in my itinerary

[Cap_Scarlet]

We have booked a West coast US roadtrip in September this year and we have about three weeks. We've booked the major stops (hotels) and I now want to make sure we don't miss anything!

The outline itinerary looks like the following:

Fly into Las Vegas (2 nights)
Drive south to Grand Canyon (2 nights)
North to Bryce Canyon (3 nights)
Death Valley (1 night)
Yosemite (3 nights)
San Francisco (4 nights)
Coast between SF and LA (3 nights)
Los Angeles (3 nights)

We're two active mid 50's and will be travelling with our adult son. So....what's "not to miss"?

 

[Nemo2]

Add an extra day and I'd throw in Key West, Seattle, Boston & Denver.

 

[Bamaman]

You might consider flying down to Grand Canyon on a tour. It's not a big hotel place. Bryce Canyon's 300 mi. (467 km) north of the Grand Canyon and then you'd have to drive back into Las Vegas--too far for me out of the way.
Death Valley's a desert with no cities, but you can drive through it on the way toward Yosemite. We stayed in Frisco, CA before going into Yosemite.
San Francisco a great place, but 4 days may be a little long. (I usually stay over in Oakland because it's cheaper.)
We love the Monterrey/Carmel area as there are many things to do there. Then we'll head south early on our departure down U.S. Hwy 1--The Coast Highway. It's one of the premier drives in the world, and we try to take in the Hearst Castle along the way. The rest of the drive into LA is very scenic.
I'd try to cut some of the nights from a couple of the above places, and run down to San Diego with the extra time.

 

[DrRoy]

Visit the Valley of Fire near Las Vegas.

 

[ivinsfan]

Are you saying you have already booked all the hotels?

IMO Bryce is a one night park.
Skipping Zion is a mistake in IMO.. consider Bryce, North Rim of the Grand Canyon and Zion.. That's much more doable and better scenery..

I'll second Valley of Fire it's on the way to the Utah stops.

 

[meierlde]

We have booked a West coast US roadtrip in September this year and we have about three weeks. We've booked the major stops (hotels) and I now want to make sure we don't miss anything!

The outline itinerary looks like the following:

Fly into Las Vegas (2 nights)
Drive south to Grand Canyon (2 nights)
North to Bryce Canyon (3 nights)
Death Valley (1 night)
Yosemite (3 nights)
San Francisco (4 nights)
Coast between SF and LA (3 nights)
Los Angeles (3 nights)

We're two active mid 50's and will be travelling with our adult son. So....what's "not to miss"?

First question the south or North Rim of the Grand Canyon, they are 200 miles or so apart. The north rim would make sense if you are going to Bryce. The north rim is 1000 feet higher and far less overrun with folks. (IMHO the north rim has better views also than the south rim which will still be overrun with people in sept.)
Second September is not a great time to go to death valley as it can still be 130 f there in Sept. If you cut out death valley you could do, Las Vegas, Zion, North Rim, Bryce, up to Richfield and US 50 across NV (The loneliest road in the US to the east entrance to Yosemite, over the sierra to the valley and thence to San Francisco. Note that Ca 1 will be closed for about a year just south of Big Sur (due to a bridge support post being pushed out of line by recent storms) so the southern coast drive is out.
You could then do Kings Canyon/Sequioa, possible driving to the coast at San Louis Obispo, and then down 101 into LA

 

[Souschef]

FYI Highway 1 is closed around Big Sur because of landslides at this time. It may be open by September.

 

[timo2]

Also check the road trip forum on trip advisor https://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowForum-g1-i12567-Road_Trips.html

 

[meierlde]

FYI Highway 1 is closed around Big Sur because of landslides at this time. It may be open by September.

Actually it was a bridge that was out and the state now says 6 months to replace meaning mid to late sept. Caltrans: Highway 1 replacement bridge in Big Sur ready in six months
it is the pieffer canyon bridge in particular (which is not one of the iconic arch bridges on Ca 1)

 

[NW-Bound]

Hey meierlde, how does a Texan know so much about travel conditions in CA?

 

[Fedup]

I've just been to both Canyons this week. One day for Bryce Canyon and maybe Escalante Canyon. But do not miss Zion canyon, I think you need a few nights there. Food is much better than Bryce Canyon.

 

[meierlde]

Hey meierlde, how does a Texan know so much about travel conditions in CA?

I saw the issue on the web and every so often look at the Mercury news. (the link provided pictures of the damage). or I check the Ca highway conditions web site during the winter to see what storms are doing to highways)

Evidently further south there are some landslides that have closed the roads also, but the bridge is the big thing.

 

[COcheesehead]

I've just been to both Canyons this week. One day for Bryce Canyon and maybe Escalante Canyon. But do not miss Zion canyon, I think you need a few nights there. Food is much better than Bryce Canyon.

Bryce is in the middle of no where so I agree on the food options, or lack there of. Personally, I would suggest Arches and Canyonlands near Moab. Both are superior IMHO to Zion or Bryce, but that is a bit out of your range. Moab is a fun area too.

 

[Fedup]

Bryce is in the middle of no where so I agree on the food options, or lack there of. Personally, I would suggest Arches and Canyonlands near Moab. Both are superior IMHO to Zion or Bryce, but that is a bit out of your range. Moab is a fun area too.

They are not as famous as Bryce and Zion. I didn't hear about them until this trip.

 

[tfudtuckerpucker]

I suggest you skip Bryce and hike "Angel's Landing" in Zion. It a strenuous half day, but is considerably more impressive, keeping in mind that occasionally someone takes the shortcut down.

 

[JoeWras]

Bryce is in the middle of no where so I agree on the food options, or lack there of. Personally, I would suggest Arches and Canyonlands near Moab. Both are superior IMHO to Zion or Bryce, but that is a bit out of your range. Moab is a fun area too.

Bryce is unique but you can see a lot with a quick look. But is a drive. I agree about Arches and Moab, I love that place. That's a good place to tack onto a Rocky Mountain trip (next trip for OP!). There are some fun hikes in Arches on the spines. The hike to Delicate Arch is spectacular. Zion has Angel's, but it was waaay too crowded for me. I didn't like all the flip-flop hikers trying to elbow their way around.

For the Grand Canyon, I prefer the North Rim because it is calmer, but the South Rim has better visuals due to the sun at the back. The North Rim is also way out of the way by driving.

My message to the OP: you will be driving a lot. That's OK, just be prepared. Sometimes visitors see the map and don't realize the scale until they come visit.

We've been in those parks a few times in August and September when, as Americans, we were actually in the minority* compared to foreign visitors! You will have plenty of European company. You will see a lot and wish you had more time. It is all good. You'll wish you didn't miss certain things that you will have to miss. That's OK, come back! Start in the Rockies next time.

* - One August trip, on approaching the less frequently used desert view gate of the south rim Grand Canyon at noon, the ranger said to us: "So good to hear a native English speaker, you are our first of the day!" I didn't doubt her as I heard a United Nations of languages in the visitor center.

 

[COcheesehead]

They are not as famous as Bryce and Zion. I didn't hear about them until this trip.

The arch on the Utah license plate is Delicate Arch in Arches. One of the classic hikes of the West. Awesome surroundings.

 

[Fedup]

We met a tour bus with lots of French people in Bryce Canyon. It's a good time for me to brush up on my French, listening skill only. I can barely speak the French language now.

 

[urn2bfree]

Heading South fro SF to LA include San Simeon near San Luis Obispo on your stops. Also I second the idea of maybe swinging over to Sequoia National before heading to Fresno, CA and on to Yosemite. Once you've done Sequoia you can skip the big trees at Yosemite and concentrate on the other highlights of Yosemite. Also I found the drive from Yosemite to SF to be a bit hair-raising, going from 5000 ft down to sea level.

 

[Fedup]

You need to limit how may places you want to see in this trip. I didn't see every place in Europe when I spent 4 months there either. I think you might be overwhelmed with too many places to go.

 

[cathy63]

I'd make these changes:

Fly into Las Vegas (2 nights)

-- drive to Zion National Park spending 1 or 2 nights in Springfield UT or in the park

North to Bryce Canyon (3 nights)
-- don't need 3 nights here. 1 is enough.

Drive south to Grand Canyon (2 nights)
-- I'm assuming you want the South rim, not North rim. North would be a shorter drive, but all the developed facilities are on the South side. I'd do this after Utah rather than before.

Death Valley (1 night)
-- D.V. is extremely hot in September. Not sure when the entire park reopens for the fall/winter season, so check on the hotels. A ranger once told us that the only people she ever sees there in the summer are German tourists (or maybe Austrians? )

Yosemite (3 nights)
-- from D.V. go out hwy 190 and then take US 395 north. You can stop at Manzanar National historic site for a couple of hours if you are interested. Then go north to Mono Lake and see the tufa before heading over Tioga pass (hwy 120) to Yosemite. Tioga is one of the most beautiful drives in the entire Sierra range and to my mind, much preferred over going around the southern way, though it's a bit more impressive going the other direction from how you're traveling.

San Francisco (4 nights)
-- lots to do here. Walk the GG bridge, Alcatraz tour, Fort Point, do the 39-mile drive, see a baseball game, visit the Marin Headlands and/or Muir Woods, Point Reyes light house, drive to wine country.

Coast between SF and LA (3 nights)
-- you've already heard about the Pfeiffer bridge outage. If it's not repaired by the time of your trip, use US 101 as an alternative. It's more scenic than I-5 and you can stop in Santa Barbara on the way to L.A. If you are able to drive on Hwy 1, then Monterey/Carmel and Hearst Castle are great stops. Also the elephant seals at Ano Nuevo.

Los Angeles (3 nights)
-- also lots to do here. You could focus on movie making and see the Chinese Theater, Hollywood sign, Warner Bros Studio Tour (Universal is more of a theme park so you may prefer that), drive Mulholland. Or maybe you'd prefer wandering around the OC coastal towns -- Laguna Beach, Huntington Beach, etc. Or Disneyland Resort.

It might be a little easier to reverse the stops after Death Valley and go to L.A. next, ending in S.F, but I assume you already have flights out of LAX.

The National Parks, especially Zion, Grand Canyon and Yosemite are going to be 100% full in September, so you need to make reservations for those areas ASAP. These three also operate shuttle buses and at least Yosemite and Zion prevent you from driving in some areas of the park. I don't know if GC also limits auto traffic, but I do remember they had buses last time we were there.

 

[meierlde]

Bryce is in the middle of no where so I agree on the food options, or lack there of. Personally, I would suggest Arches and Canyonlands near Moab. Both are superior IMHO to Zion or Bryce, but that is a bit out of your range. Moab is a fun area too.

Perhaps a bit less driving to get to a similar site Cedar Breaks national monument which is just outside Cedar City, rather than the somewhat longish (for a european not somebody from the western us) drive from the two big cities of Cedar City or Richfield. Again Cedar Breaks is an erosional amphitheater similar to Bryce but somewhat smaller and about 1000 feet higher. Another park in Utah is Capitol Reef. There are restaurants in in both Bryce park and outside it at least a diner (No fancy restaurants however)

Just for reference you might also look at Esclante Grand Staircase Monument as well (in that area essentially the low land visible from the rim of Bryce Canyon)

 

[meierlde]

I'd make these changes:

Fly into Las Vegas (2 nights)

-- drive to Zion National Park spending 1 or 2 nights in Springfield UT or in the park

North to Bryce Canyon (3 nights)
-- don't need 3 nights here. 1 is enough.

Drive south to Grand Canyon (2 nights)
-- I'm assuming you want the South rim, not North rim. North would be a shorter drive, but all the developed facilities are on the South side. I'd do this after Utah rather than before.

Death Valley (1 night)
-- D.V. is extremely hot in September. Not sure when the entire park reopens for the fall/winter season, so check on the hotels. A ranger once told us that the only people she ever sees there in the summer are German tourists (or maybe Austrians? )

Yosemite (3 nights)
-- from D.V. go out hwy 190 and then take US 395 north. You can stop at Manzanar National historic site for a couple of hours if you are interested. Then go north to Mono Lake and see the tufa before heading over Tioga pass (hwy 120) to Yosemite. Tioga is one of the most beautiful drives in the entire Sierra range and to my mind, much preferred over going around the southern way, though it's a bit more impressive going the other direction from how you're traveling.

San Francisco (4 nights)
-- lots to do here. Walk the GG bridge, Alcatraz tour, Fort Point, do the 39-mile drive, see a baseball game, visit the Marin Headlands and/or Muir Woods, Point Reyes light house, drive to wine country.

Coast between SF and LA (3 nights)
-- you've already heard about the Pfeiffer bridge outage. If it's not repaired by the time of your trip, use US 101 as an alternative. It's more scenic than I-5 and you can stop in Santa Barbara on the way to L.A. If you are able to drive on Hwy 1, then Monterey/Carmel and Hearst Castle are great stops. Also the elephant seals at Ano Nuevo.

Los Angeles (3 nights)
-- also lots to do here. You could focus on movie making and see the Chinese Theater, Hollywood sign, Warner Bros Studio Tour (Universal is more of a theme park so you may prefer that), drive Mulholland. Or maybe you'd prefer wandering around the OC coastal towns -- Laguna Beach, Huntington Beach, etc. Or Disneyland Resort.

It might be a little easier to reverse the stops after Death Valley and go to L.A. next, ending in S.F, but I assume you already have flights out of LAX.

The National Parks, especially Zion, Grand Canyon and Yosemite are going to be 100% full in September, so you need to make reservations for those areas ASAP. These three also operate shuttle buses and at least Yosemite and Zion prevent you from driving in some areas of the park. I don't know if GC also limits auto traffic, but I do remember they had buses last time we were there.

Note no shuttle at the north rim, but IMHO better views than the south rim. Also a couple of viewpoints just outside the park on the north side. Beyond the lodge in the park there is the Jacob Lake resort about 40 mi north of Bright Angel. or it is possible to stay in Kanab, as well.

 

[Fedup]

Ruby's Inn near Bryce Canyon entrance has decent food. Buffet type, not too expensive.

 

[kimcdougc]

We have booked a West coast US roadtrip in September this year and we have about three weeks. We've booked the major stops (hotels) and I now want to make sure we don't miss anything!



The outline itinerary looks like the following:



Fly into Las Vegas (2 nights)

Drive south to Grand Canyon (2 nights)

North to Bryce Canyon (3 nights)

Death Valley (1 night)

Yosemite (3 nights)

San Francisco (4 nights)

Coast between SF and LA (3 nights)

Los Angeles (3 nights)



We're two active mid 50's and will be travelling with our adult son. So....what's "not to miss"?

Hoover Dam is worthwhile.