Advice for 2 week CA road trip, incl DL and Universal

[Arden01]

What do you really want to see on your trip to CA? What would you want to do in SF? It sounds like a trip to LA/Hollywood is a definite, as well as Disneyland and SD, but the other areas are not set. If I could add an opinion, drop SF from your trip. I live in the bay area so I'm coming from a place of experience, SF is typical of big cities (that includes grim, dirt, homelessness, the constant smell of urine and other unfortunate ills)...to be honest, SF is good for a day and that day would be best spent at the Walt Disney Museum and then lunch at the Presidio Social Club (personal favorite). Of course this is my opinion but I feel like SF is not the best that CA has to offer, to me that would be Yosemite or Sequoia, or really any outdoor/park-like setting (including the beach).

Maybe after arriving at SFO you spend one night in SF and then drive out to Yosemite. Or if the thought of driving out to Yosemite is not what you want to do, you can jam down to Santa Cruz/Capitola and get a beach day in. Then the next day go to the Santa Cruz Mountains (Henry Cowell). Alternatively, you can stay in a cabin (at Cotillion Garden RV Park) and then walk right into Henry Cowell park. In the summer the RV park puts up a walking bridge that you can take to Roaring Railroads. Big Basin is an easy drive up highway 9 to Big Basin Way(from Cotillion it's about a 30 minute drive) both Big Basin and Henry Cowell have really easy "hikes" that are situated around old-growth redwoods. And, from the RV park it's only a 15 minute drive to the beach or the Santa Cruz Boardwalk.

From there it's less than an hour to Monterey/Carmel. This is a lovely area to visit and I think a much better representation of CA (especially because Monterey has so much CA history). Big Sur is close by as well, so you could get your visit in and then head down to the central coast. I will say this, if highway 1 is back open, the ride is crazy long and to be honest, pretty to view for adults, kind of boring for teens (and adults with the patience of teens). It would probably make more sense to drive back to 101 and then head to SLO, a visit to the Madonna Inn is easy (right off the freeway) and the food is decent. If you can stay there (it can get kind of pricey), the rooms are fun and the pool area is nice. If you want another beach day, any of the hotels in Pismo usually have good access to the beach and typically in August the weather is nice. Solvang is a good stop over and it's only about a 15 minute drive in from 101, so close enough to the freeway but not right off the freeway. If you want to skip Solvang but need a bathroom break, stop at Anderson Split Pea Soup (right off 101), the bathroom is clean and afterwards you can grab free crackers and cheese (a tradition for us).

Santa Barbara is also really nice and really expensive (hotel)....but Carpinteria is definitely less expensive and has nice beaches. And if you like a delicious fried chicken meal and homemade pie, try Clementine's....yummers!

I was recently in Pasadena (stayed at the Courtyard) and had to drive to Kaiser Sunset (hospital on Sunset in Hollywood)....it was relatively easy and took me right past Griffith Park. Plus, Pasadena is a nice place and if you like architecture, it's top-notch.

Wow, thanks for the great ideas!! You're right. I have to figure out exactly what I want to see in CA! I've been getting overwhelmed with all the amazing ideas and choices. This is trip started out just wanting to visit my cousins in San Diego and has grown from there. I would really like to see San Francisco*, the Pacific (Monterey, Big Sur), Disneyland, San Diego and, yes, (despite my daughters' negative vote) Yosemite and Sequoia NP. My daughter is dying to go to Hollywood/LA. I could skip it, but I'll do it for her. This is my first trip to CA and I would like to experience the highlights. I'm sure we'll go back. I really like @melk's plan and may try to do something similar. My only concern is that I am the solo driver. DH doesn't drive bc of bad eyesight and I don't want to get too worn out. I'm fine with about 5 hours at a stretch but after that get pretty tired. My cousins have expressed an interest in going with me to Sequoia NP and possibly Yosemite. If they do, one of them could help me with the driving.

I'm going to take your suggestions and everyone on this thread into consideration. So helpful!

*I hear you about SF. I live outside of NYC and work every day in the city. I know exactly what you are talking about, but I'm ok with all the big city issues. I love cities.

 

[Arden01]

I would consider a day or two in San Diego. It's a very nice area, and it offers the world class San Diego Zoo, Sea World, Balboa Park (which has a lot of museums) and the beach. We made San Diego part of our last few California trips, and were very glad we did.

Also, I would seriously consider adding more days at Disneyland Resort. One day is far too little to really enjoy both parks. We usually do five days plus a Halloween Party, and still miss some attractions.

Definitely going to San Diego! My cousins live 30 min north and work there. I'll be spending at least 3 nights with them.

 

[Arden01]

We stayed at The Beach House which was a little more than we would normally spend but it was a beautiful spot right on the water. It included a continental breakfast and every morning we could watch whales in the bay while we ate. The hotel itself was very nice, rooms even had a small kitchenette. We never found the traffic to be too bad. We're used to Boston traffic and nothing will ever compare to the traffic in LA. That was the worst.

How was it staying in Burbank? Another poster recommended that for the Warner Brothers tour. Does LA traffic compare to NYC? I hate driving in the city with a passion!!

 

[S. Lopez]

The biggest problem with LA traffic is it's spread out amongst multiple freeways and it's all the time. Though rush hour does exist, traffic is gnarly all the time...and people in SoCal tailgate.

Burbank has a few nice hotels and "downtown" Burbank has Pinocchio's (old-timey Italian Deli, or at least old for SoCal).

 

[bcla]

The biggest problem with LA traffic is it's spread out amongst multiple freeways and it's all the time. Though rush hour does exist, traffic is gnarly all the time...and people in SoCal tailgate.

Outside of peak commute I think the operating word is "unpredictable". I've been stuck in interminable traffic on weekends or at night, especially if there was a collision somewhere. But I've actually been in clear LA traffic where I sort of enjoyed it while it lasted.

 

[melk]

How was it staying in Burbank? Another poster recommended that for the Warner Brothers tour. Does LA traffic compare to NYC? I hate driving in the city with a passion!!

For one night it was fine. We stayed at Springhill Suites because the rooms can sleep five. It was clean, had free breakfast, and was convenient for doing the tour first thing in the morning. I was afraid of traffic so decided to stay in Burbank. If you have a daughter she will love the WB tour. We have three and they loved seeing the Friends set and all the buildings from the Gilmore Girls.

LA traffic seemed different from NYC in that the LA highways are huge, really wide. And yet you're still at a standstill. In NYC it's a little more stress inducing as all the cars seem packed in a small space with people jockeying for position, honking, etc, . But the bottom line is traffic is traffic. It just seemed anytime we drove through, no matter what time it was, it was jammed.

 

[Arden01]

Based on your great ideas, I've revised a rough itinerary to something like this. Still starting in SF so I end in SD with my family. I think I'll need to go this direction so I can rest after all the driving.

Day 1-3 Arrive SF (usual touristy stuff, also visit friend here)
Day 4-6: Monterey/Carmel -use as base to explore Big Sur, include whale watching, explore Carmel, aquarium
Day 7-8: Yosemite NP (stay in Valley)
Day 9-10: Sequoia NP
Day 11: LA (stay in Hollywood?) See Hollywood stuff, Warner Bros tour, Griffith Observatory
Day 12-13: DL/Anaheim - leave DL on 2nd day at 8pm
Days 14-17: San Diego with family

Not sure if my budget allows for 17 days or both National Parks, but I'm aiming for it right now.

 

[VandVsmama]

Make sure that at the end of Day 11, you're staying at a hotel really close to Disneyland. So that means at the end of Day 10, you're in LA staying at a hotel in/near Hollywood.

 

[Arden01]

Still planning my Summer 2019 CA trip, but I may need a Plan B for a shorter, less expensive trip. Considering just focusing on S. CA since my family lives there and saving a N. CA trip for another summer. Mostly nervous about the drive to and from Sequoia NP since I'm a solo driver with twin 14 year old girls. Is this doable? Any advice? Thanks!

Day 1-Fly into LA
Day 2 - LA
Day 3 - Drive to Sequoia NP (Stay in park?)
Day 4: Sequoia NP
Day 5: Drive to Anaheim
Day 6: DL
Day 7: DL (maybe drive to cousin's in San Diego that night around 8:30 or maybe stay one more night and drive next day)
Day 8: Stay with family in SD
Day 9: SD
Day 10: SD
Day 11: Fly home

 

[bcla]

Still planning my Summer 2019 CA trip, but I may need a Plan B for a shorter, less expensive trip. Considering just focusing on S. CA since my family lives there and saving a N. CA trip for another summer. Mostly nervous about the drive to and from Sequoia NP since I'm a solo driver with twin 14 year old girls. Is this doable? Any advice? Thanks!

It's doable. I'd also say that it's technically Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks, although they're really operated as if it were a single national park. Depending on your budget and your tolerance for basic accommodations, you have everything from budget cabins to moderate lodges. The last place I stayed there (outside of real camping) was at Grant Grove in their rustic cabins. I looked up the current price, which is $109/night. They don't have their own bathrooms, but they have bathroom buildings with showers.

https://www.visitsequoia.com/lodging/grant-grove-cabins

The driving there includes a lot of twisting mountain roads regardless of how you get there. It's not ideal for anyone who gets carsick, although it's possible to take a break at certain points.

 

[Arden01]

It's doable. I'd also say that it's technically Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks, although they're really operated as if it were a single national park. Depending on your budget and your tolerance for basic accommodations, you have everything from budget cabins to moderate lodges. The last place I stayed there (outside of real camping) was at Grant Grove in their rustic cabins. I looked up the current price, which is $109/night. They don't have their own bathrooms, but they have bathroom buildings with showers.

https://www.visitsequoia.com/lodging/grant-grove-cabins

The driving there includes a lot of twisting mountain roads regardless of how you get there. It's not ideal for anyone who gets carsick, although it's possible to take a break at certain points.

Thanks, BCIA. This is helpful. I need to have some options and this is great! Thanks for the Grant Grove pic and recommendation. That may work for us.