[Mezla PigDog]

Travel advice badly needed please!

I've been to the US plenty so don't need to know basics but the country is so darned huge and there is so much cool stuff to see that we can't decide which places we can't miss so I need help! Also never done a US road trip and come from a tiny country so I can't quite visualise the reality of the distances we will be driving.

I think we are more or less decided that we will fly into Las Vegas - I'm not that into the idea of Vegas but Mr PigDog wants to go and it works for driving to the Grand Canyon. After that we will head towards San Francisco and I'm thinking of taking in Death Valley National Park and Sequoia National Forest en route. I'm not that interested in going in the direction of LA or San Diego but want to drive a bit up the Pacific Highway and fit in Napa Valley and Redwood National Park and then fly home out of Portland or San Francisco or maybe not go as far as Redwood and fly back out of Vegas. Or maybe we will fly in and out of SF and fit it all in in some kind of giant misshapen loop. See!! I can't make a decision!!


There will be 2 of us driving and we will be there for 14 days. I don't mind if 3 or 4 days of the trip are spent on 8hr+ drives and then if we have lots of 2-3hr drives in between. We want to see plenty of cool stuff but we also just want to stop at random places and have a laugh.I'm not that bothered about the extra cost of dropping the rental car back in a different state but if there is a good way to do a round trip then fair enough.


So please add general advice, hints, tips, interesting places you know in those areas to see, anything!

A couple of specific questions though:
1. Is Grand Canyon to San Francisco to Portland an ok drive over 2 weeks? Will we be sick of the car or could we go even further?
2. Is motel6.com the best place for finding motels en route or is there something else I don't know about?

Thanks!

[Path-Shaper]

First off the Redwoods are right at the Oregon - Cali border which is way past SF. Your going to find that you will be dog tired after driving for 8 -14 hours straight especially if some of that is through California traffic.

Now SF is only 10 hours driving from Las Vegas and there are a couple of routes. You can totally go the death valley route.

You are going to want to spend a couple of days in most places. So you should really decide what do you want to see. Do you want to do Napa? 2 days. Do you want to do San fran? At least 2 days. Because you don't want to just drive through you want to experience the wine and the ambiance of napa. San fran has a ton of stuff that you will want to see. Death Valley you can drive through. The redwoods are awesome but you can drive through them. I have done 101 for all of oregon and most of northern Cali and it is just an incredible drive. But not one that you can hurry. If you have the opportunity to drive it then you should. At least up through the redwoods. That isn't too bad of a drive from SF. I love Portland and would happily recommend it. But that is either a power drive up I-5 (missing out on 101) or a several day drive on 101. Then if your going to go back to Vegas that is a bitch of a drive through high plane's and deserts. Ask your self what do you want to see. Do you want to enjoy a couple of places or do you want to power through California and Oregon and see a bunch of stuff with your eyes and camera, but not really experience anything.

Personally I would choose to spend time in a couple of places. Do vegas and the Canyon (it is a day trip from vegas) Then go to san fran. Enjoy that. Find a place in Napa spend a couple of wine soaked days in Napa. Go up to the red woods. Perhaps go to Shasta. If you are feeling especially adventuresome go see Crater Lake. But each of those places are best explored by spending a day hiking and seeing. Then make the 10 hour drive back to Vegas by the northern route instead of the southern route. That is a pretty good trip. I love Portland and especially Oregon. But there is just SOOOOO much to see that you can spend your entire trip driving and not enjoying anything.

14 days seems like a lot of time. But it isn't. Don't spend half of that time driving.

That is my advice.


- Sorry I forgot I was logged into PS. This is Vengeance

This post has been edited by Path-Shaper: 09 July 2014 - 02:07 PM

[Vengeance]

The west coast is HUGE!! The valley's are great, the ocean is great the mountains are great. The deserts are interesting the first time you see them. The second time they suck.

[Vengeance]

Think of driving from San fran to Vegas as driving from Paris to Venice. Just mostly through desert. Not something that you want to do more then once. So perhaps fly into Vegas and out of Sanfran

[Mezla PigDog]

Good point on the deserts. I can imagine once you have seen one then you have seen them all! This is just the kind of advice I need, thanks - happy to do quite a lot of driving but not so much that it sucks.

Just to qualify my opening post, I've been to San Fran a few times for work and had odd days to explore. I've done all the tourist stuff and had colleagues take me out to nice local eateries so although Mr PigDog hasn't been we have done a trade off that he gets to do Vegas if he agrees to a speed version of SF - Alcatraz, a trolley ride, a night out in Castro and driving across Golden Gate bridge. Napa will definitely be a stop long enough to soak up as much wine as we can. We are going last week Sept/first week Oct so should be good wine time.

I know the traffic into and out of San Fran totally sucks and LA is a nightmare but is it bad everywhere else in the state too?

[Abyss]

Comments...

- Vegas is great fun - you can do it on the short or the long. Do your research... esp re shows. Not everything runs every night (altho the Half-Price ticket booth does have something available every night). I recommend Cirque du Soleil's O, but the half-price booth never has them so book in advance if you want. Hit tripadvisor and yelp for where to eat... if there is anything you have ever wanted, Vegas probably has three of it at various price points.

- Grand Canyon is in fact a day trip from Vegas. But unless you're doing the small plane/heli tour, it is a long gruelling unhappy day you will spend mostly in the car with just long enough to see the GC, have lunch, and hit the road again back the way you came. Find a place to stay, give yourself a full day there. It took a few million years to make, you can take 24hrs to enjoy.

- San Fran is a glorious city and deserves more than 2 days of your time.

- Napa/Sonoma etc... depending on how much of a foodie/wino you are, you can do this area in two days or a week. Note: while they aren't quite as massive as the real giants further north, you can see HUGE redwoods near Russian River.

- The PCH is an awesome drive and totally worth doing. You can do it in a day, or break it up into small chunks as much as you want. There are places to stay at pretty much every price point so do the legwork.

- motel6.... no no no no no and no. Tripadvisor is your friend. Use it.

With 18 days to work with you have a tonne of time to do an awesome trip. Here's my $0.02 for a relatively linear way to do this...

Start in San Fran. Spend a few days. Love it.
Head to Napa/Sonoma (it's barely 2hrs from SF), spend at least 2 days.
Then back thru SF and on down the PCH. Stop in Monterey/Carmel/Pacific Grove. Give yourself an extra day here, see the aquarium, the seals in Pacific Grove, the 17 mile drive, the millionaire hobbit homes in Carmel.
Then down the PCH to Big Sur. This is probably the best stretch. Give a day for a slow drive. Try to stay somewhere in Big Sur with a view, they're pretty awesome.
Somewhere after Paso Robles but before St Luis Obispo (which sucks... if you need a break around here i suggest stay in nearby Cayucos.. cute beach town) cut East and slightly north (thus avoiding Santa Barbara, LA, etc). Hit the Sequoias, Death Valley, the Grand Canyon and loop back to Vegas where you fly out. There are a tonne of campsites and small hotels around these places. Again, the internet is your friend.

ETA - just saw your last post so sure, short SF and spend more time in wine country. Calistoga is also really nice and a bit off the beaten path. I spent five days doing Napa/Sonoma/Calistoga and had a blast. ...at least the parts i remember... fuck that wine is good...

Traffic... haven't been there often enough to comment but we did the PCH in late sept early oct and it wasn't bad at all.

[Vengeance]

Mezla PigDog, on 09 July 2014 - 02:54 PM, said:

Good point on the deserts. I can imagine once you have seen one then you have seen them all! This is just the kind of advice I need, thanks - happy to do quite a lot of driving but not so much that it sucks.

Just to qualify my opening post, I've been to San Fran a few times for work and had odd days to explore. I've done all the tourist stuff and had colleagues take me out to nice local eateries so although Mr PigDog hasn't been we have done a trade off that he gets to do Vegas if he agrees to a speed version of SF - Alcatraz, a trolley ride, a night out in Castro and driving across Golden Gate bridge. Napa will definitely be a stop long enough to soak up as much wine as we can. We are going last week Sept/first week Oct so should be good wine time.

I know the traffic into and out of San Fran totally sucks and LA is a nightmare but is it bad everywhere else in the state too?

When you are driving on 101 the traffic is usually pretty tame. But nobody drives 101 to get anywhere (except locals). When you are going between major cities (sf,LA,Sacremento,Pass...ext) the traffic can be, jaw locking/horn honking/reaching for the gun that you in a bit of forward sight put in the truck rather then it's usual place under your seat, kind of enjoyable. The country roads will be fine.

Let me reiterate what Abyss said DO NOT STAY AT A MOTEL 6 UNLESS YOU LOVE BEDBUGS AND OTHER THINGS OF THAT NATURE CRAWLING AND EATING YOU!!!!

Do go to trip advisor and find nice places with good ratings. If you go up 101 to gold beach and want to stay at some place awesome and right on the Rogue river and you feel like staying somewhere totally awesome. Stay at

Tu Tu Tun lodge

It is one of the nicest places me and my wife have ever stayed.

While it is fun to travel by the seat of your pants. Do your self a favor and take a couple of days to look at hotels in areas that you want to go and then find some nice places. Decide if you want to stay in a really nice place for a few days and explore the area around there. Then make reservations.

[Vengeance]

If you want decent hotels that you can drop in on. I have had good luck with Holiday Inn Expresses.

[Mezla PigDog]

You guys are super and quicker than trawling the internet/travel guides, thanks. We are booking flights tonight and think we've settled on flying into Vegas and out of SF (reverse route Abyss suggests) - then we can decide which bits of CA to do properly over the next couple of weeks.

[Tiste Simeon]

Yosemite! You need to go there. And depending on when you are in that region I too may be in that region. See you there (it's small, right so we won't miss each other?)

[amphibian]

I have been to Cali many times and the route Abyss and Vengy suggest (fly into SF, then go down to Vegas) is indeed the best.

I also agree that the sequoyahs have to be seen and Yosemite is a nice hike as well, but for a couple of tourists without hiking gear and experience, the Napa Valley and Big Sur experiences are better.

Avoid LA, unless you really want to go somewhere there. San Diego is quite nice actually, with a giant zoo, many attractive parks and a sweet set of beaches. Joshua Tree National Park is a very nice drive through/short hike place.

Do not go to the Salton Sea. Skip entirely.

For the Grand Canyon, do not go to the Walk on the Indian area. It is bitterly disappointing and expensive. As Abyss said, doing a helicopter ride through or a stay nearby so you can explore both rims is much, much better.

[worry]

The deserts/inlands are way better than the coast, don't let anyone tell you different. If you get sick of Vegas quick, just drive down to Laughlin and hang out on the river. It's not any farther from the Grand Canyon than Vegas. Also, if you can, seek out Joshua Tree National Park before heading north. If not, Death Valley is awesome enough, and if you want you can go north from there through Mammoth and then swing west towards SF through the forest. Either way, maybe surprisingly, going west from Death Valley to the coast is gonna take just as long as the going north to SF portion. It's not Texas or anything, but California is fatter than people realize.

Anyway, that's just an alternate idea. If you're set on the coast then everyone else's advice is pretty good.

[Defiance]

Check out Bryce Canyon and Zion National Park. Both are in southern Utah, shouldn't be too bad of a drive from Vegas. I thought both were vastly superior to the Grand Canyon, especially Zion. It's one of the coolest places I've ever been.

[Lady Bliss]

IMO The Grand Canyon isn't worth more than a helicopter flyby. In California however, go to L.A. for disneyland, the La Brea tarpits, and Hollywood, then head to San Diego for the Zoo. Go to Napa and then San Francisco. Portland and Seattle are great cities to visit, and Las Vegas is a blast! Book a couple shows ahead of time and go to either Beatles Love or "O" for Cirque Du Soleil, and Blue Man Group or Jersey Boys. This could all EASILY take 2 weeks, if you have extra time in your itinerary, do a visit to Arizona. Bisbee and Tubac are great towns to visit in the south. I can recommend some good sites to visit in Tucson as well. Feel free to pm me for restaurant recommendations.

[amphibian]

I didn't like universal studios or Disneyland. Venice beach and rolling at Cobrinhas/eating near Koreantown was more fun.

If this vacation is sometime in September, that's much more manageable heat wise than now. I really don't recommend going all these places in July or August. Too hot and you'll get lots of sunburn.

[worry]

Disneyland is pretty sweet but is always crowded and the rides are hit and miss (plus they just skyrocketed ticket prices -- regular admission is $96 per person, and $150 if you want a park hopper ticket). Never been to Universal Studios because the prices are likewise insane. Six Flags Magic Mountain and Knott's Berry Farm are both much better choices, especially mid-week. Also Long Beach has an awesome aquarium that trumps the gimmickry and other ills of SeaWorld. All that said, it sounds like you are, for whatever reason, hustling away from So-Cal for the Portlandia-lite hellscape that is NorCal, so mostly I just wish you good fortune and a fun time.

[Mezla PigDog]

Thanks for more advice. Look forward to bumping into you Tiste

We aren't really show, theme park or zoo kind of people but thanks for the heads up. Those facts possibly beg the question of why go to Vegas and California but.....We mostly want to marvel at the scenery, pick up the best tourist spots and generally soak it up. My job takes me to California a reasonable amount so I'm expecting to see San Diego professionally eventually. Is there anything else to do in SD as well as the zoo? It's all everyone ever recommends there and a zoo doesn't feel worth it to when you have travelled all that way and there are decent zoos in the UK - I know SD zoo is extra special but I went to Singapore zoo when I was a kid and it was cool but still just a zoo. Do they have pandas? I've never seen a panda.

In Vegas we plan to stay somewhere silly - Venetian or Bellagio or something and then eat, drink, be merry, waste a bit of cash gambling and just let our minds boggle at the ridiculous spectacle. I reckon we will fly in, try and sync to the time zone on the first night by staying up and getting tipsy then get up and drive to the Grand Canyon the next day, stay there one night and then go back for one more night in Vegas before heading California-wards.

Booked flights last night into Vegas and out of SF. I don't think we will go as far as Portland now which is a shame as I only hear good stuff. Maybe we will get as far north as the redwoods but the advice here is making me think of going at least as far south as Big Sur now so they would be a step too far. So much to see, so little time!

[Abyss]

Vegas - Venetian and relateds are much nicer, but the Bellagio has a certain retro-classic Vegas charm. And more smokers.
Check Planet Hollywood... right across from the Bellagio so central, modern Vegas, and tends to have good offers.
The casino at Bally's still has 'fun' low dollar tables, mostly during the day but also weeknights at least. Also, free drinks.

Redwoods - as mentioned you can see some pretty damn bigguns at Russian River near Sonoma.

San Diego - is very nice but i have trouble saying it's worth that big a route change when you're going to San Fran, tho you've already been to SF so ymmv.

[Starling]

Oooh, we were at the Grand Canyon a few days ago. We stayed at the North Rim Lodge, it was gorgeous, and the Grand Canyon is right in the doorstep. Definitely recommend it, if you have a bit of time to spend there.

[Lady Bliss]

Abyss, on 10 July 2014 - 01:26 PM, said:

Vegas - Venetian and relateds are much nicer, but the Bellagio has a certain retro-classic Vegas charm. And more smokers.
Check Planet Hollywood... right across from the Bellagio so central, modern Vegas, and tends to have good offers.
The casino at Bally's still has 'fun' low dollar tables, mostly during the day but also weeknights at least. Also, free drinks.

Redwoods - as mentioned you can see some pretty damn bigguns at Russian River near Sonoma.

San Diego - is very nice but i have trouble saying it's worth that big a route change when you're going to San Fran, tho you've already been to SF so ymmv.

No No NO. Stay at the Venetian. Bellagio and Caesars are awesome, but I think Venetian is more of an "experience". You can always stroll the other casinos, and I would encourage that. There are some fun shops at the mall at Planet Hollywood. I HIGHLY recommend the lobster place in the mall. Their lobster rolls and lobster mac n'cheese are DIVINE!