Trip to California in August
Jan 23rd, 2004, 06:40 PM
#1
Original Poster
Join Date: Jan 2004
Posts: 41
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Trip to California in August
Just beginning to plan this trip. Never have been to Calif. and will need lots of help. We have 12 days and I have just booked nights at Yosemite Lodge and this will have to be at the end of the trip. We're a family of 4 incl. two boys 13 and 16. Hollywood/Universal is a must see for the kids, some relaxing beach time would be nice and a trip up the coast...before arriving at Yosemite. Where should I start? Fly into LAX? Also could you give me an idea of temperatures as I travel north. Thanks for you patience and help
Jan 23rd, 2004, 07:07 PM
#2
Join Date: Oct 2003
Posts: 17,106
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
You didn't mention what time of year you will be arriving in California. There is a bit of range in temperatures, depending on when you arrive.
Also your point of origin will dictate which flights you take into/out of which airport. E.g., you could choose to arrive in LAX or at any one of several other airports in the Greater LA area. Or, at the other end, the best airport, if you are going home directly from Yosemite, is Sacramento.
So, more info please! That we can better answer your questions! Thanks!
Also your point of origin will dictate which flights you take into/out of which airport. E.g., you could choose to arrive in LAX or at any one of several other airports in the Greater LA area. Or, at the other end, the best airport, if you are going home directly from Yosemite, is Sacramento.
So, more info please! That we can better answer your questions! Thanks!
Jan 23rd, 2004, 07:45 PM
#4
Original Poster
Join Date: Jan 2004
Posts: 41
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
I'll try and narrow this down some more. Can I make this work? Where could we go to the beach and is the weather warm enough to swim in the ocean in August? Is is less driving to fly home from Sacramento or San Francisco after leaving Yosemite? Thanks!!!
1. LA - 2 nights? Just enough to do the typical Hollywood/Universal jaunts.
2. Santa Barbara
3. Big Sur
4. Monterey
5. Hearst Castle
6. San Fran - 2 nights
6. Yosemite - 2 nights
1. LA - 2 nights? Just enough to do the typical Hollywood/Universal jaunts.
2. Santa Barbara
3. Big Sur
4. Monterey
5. Hearst Castle
6. San Fran - 2 nights
6. Yosemite - 2 nights
Jan 23rd, 2004, 08:30 PM
#5
Join Date: Feb 2003
Posts: 747
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Water temps definitely drop as you go north (and are cooler than the east coast in any case). Air temps are more a matter of how far you are from the coast - as you go inland it gets a lot hotter, then cools off a bit up in the mountains.
Santa Barbara is good for relaxing at the beach. Pismo Beach is also a good option, though it is a bit more prone to summer fog, and the water is a bit colder. Farther north, Santa Cruz is a fun beach for kids with the boardwalk.
Santa Barbara is good for relaxing at the beach. Pismo Beach is also a good option, though it is a bit more prone to summer fog, and the water is a bit colder. Farther north, Santa Cruz is a fun beach for kids with the boardwalk.
Jan 23rd, 2004, 11:15 PM
#6
Join Date: Oct 2003
Posts: 125
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Well, 12 days to se California is not much time since it is a huge state. For one thing I would probably narrow down your itinerary a bit. SF is actually out of the way and would require backtracking to/from Yosemite. As far as the beaches are concerned, the best beach weather will be in LA. North of LA te beaches can be fogged in most of the day. To see everything on your list you would need more time.
I'd suggest the following:
(Days 1, 2, and 3): Fly into LAX, Stay 2 nights in LA. Drive up the coast to Santa Barbara on Day 3. Spend 1 night in Santa Barbara. LA to Santa Barbara is about 2 hours.
(Day 4): Drive from Santa Barbara to San Simeon on the afternoon of Day 4 (3 hour drive) and spend the night in nearby Cambria.
(Day 5): Take a morning tour of Hearst Castle. Be sure to make reservations for Hearst Castle in advance. (www.hearst-castle.org) There are alot of nice inns, B&B's, and motels in Cambria. (www.cambriachamber.org) Take a leisurely drive up the coast on Highway 1 through Big Sur and on to Monterey. This drive will take about 2.5-3 hours depending on how many stops you make along the way. The vistas along Highway 1 from San Simeon to Monterey are spectacular. The following website lists some of the more popular places to stop along Highway 1.
http://www.pelicannetwork.net/big.sur.coast.htm
(Days 6, 7, and 8): 3 nights in Monterey. In the Monterey area Pacific Grove has quite a number of nice places to stay, which most likely will be more reasonable than places in Monterey or Carmel. (www.pacificgrove.org) Some of the things to see in the Monterey Bay Area are the Monterey Bay Aquarium, Point Lobos Reserve, Carmel, Fisherman's Wharf, and the Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk. The Boardwalk will be lots of fun for the kids. It's basically an amusement park right on the beach. Drive to Yosemite on Day 8. This will be about a 5.5 - 6 hour drive along Highways 1/156/152/140. You'll be entering Yosemitew from the south. The view as you exit the tunnel on 140 is amazing as you can see the entire valley. I would recommend staying 3 nights in Yosemite if at all possible. By the time you arrive the first day you will not be able to see much assuming you'll be arriving in the early evening.
(Days 9, 10, and 11): Yosemite Lodge is a great place to stay as it is in the Valley. Two tours that i would recommend are the Valley Fllor and Glacier Point Tours. A hike to the base of Yosemite Falls is an awesome experience. Drive to San Jose on Day 11 for the flght home the next day.
(Day 12): From Yosemite the closest major airport would be Mineta San Jose International (SJC), about a 4.5 hour drive. There are hotels in the downtown area which are about 3 miles from the airport, as well as places closer to the airport itself. The downtown would be more convenient for walking to restaurants or sightseeing. (www.sanjose.org).
I'd suggest the following:
(Days 1, 2, and 3): Fly into LAX, Stay 2 nights in LA. Drive up the coast to Santa Barbara on Day 3. Spend 1 night in Santa Barbara. LA to Santa Barbara is about 2 hours.
(Day 4): Drive from Santa Barbara to San Simeon on the afternoon of Day 4 (3 hour drive) and spend the night in nearby Cambria.
(Day 5): Take a morning tour of Hearst Castle. Be sure to make reservations for Hearst Castle in advance. (www.hearst-castle.org) There are alot of nice inns, B&B's, and motels in Cambria. (www.cambriachamber.org) Take a leisurely drive up the coast on Highway 1 through Big Sur and on to Monterey. This drive will take about 2.5-3 hours depending on how many stops you make along the way. The vistas along Highway 1 from San Simeon to Monterey are spectacular. The following website lists some of the more popular places to stop along Highway 1.
http://www.pelicannetwork.net/big.sur.coast.htm
(Days 6, 7, and 8): 3 nights in Monterey. In the Monterey area Pacific Grove has quite a number of nice places to stay, which most likely will be more reasonable than places in Monterey or Carmel. (www.pacificgrove.org) Some of the things to see in the Monterey Bay Area are the Monterey Bay Aquarium, Point Lobos Reserve, Carmel, Fisherman's Wharf, and the Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk. The Boardwalk will be lots of fun for the kids. It's basically an amusement park right on the beach. Drive to Yosemite on Day 8. This will be about a 5.5 - 6 hour drive along Highways 1/156/152/140. You'll be entering Yosemitew from the south. The view as you exit the tunnel on 140 is amazing as you can see the entire valley. I would recommend staying 3 nights in Yosemite if at all possible. By the time you arrive the first day you will not be able to see much assuming you'll be arriving in the early evening.
(Days 9, 10, and 11): Yosemite Lodge is a great place to stay as it is in the Valley. Two tours that i would recommend are the Valley Fllor and Glacier Point Tours. A hike to the base of Yosemite Falls is an awesome experience. Drive to San Jose on Day 11 for the flght home the next day.
(Day 12): From Yosemite the closest major airport would be Mineta San Jose International (SJC), about a 4.5 hour drive. There are hotels in the downtown area which are about 3 miles from the airport, as well as places closer to the airport itself. The downtown would be more convenient for walking to restaurants or sightseeing. (www.sanjose.org).
Jan 24th, 2004, 06:55 AM
#7
Join Date: Jan 2004
Posts: 69
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Personally, I would start in San Diego rather than Los Angeles. San Diego is very nice and has many excellent attractions including the zoo, Sea World and the Wild Animal Park in Escondido. I would cut my stay in Monterrey to just 1 night. You can pretty well see everything in one full day there. You can also cut a day out elsewhere. I would do the following:
San Diego - 3 nights.
Los Angeles - 2 nights.
Monterrey - 1 night
San Francisco - 2 nights
Yosemite - 2 nights.
This allows 2 days for travel which may be a little tight. You may need to make some adjustments though it is doable.
I have done this same trip several times.
You don't need to backtrack from Yosemite to San Francisco. You can fly out of Fresno, CA which is much closer to Yosemite.
San Diego - 3 nights.
Los Angeles - 2 nights.
Monterrey - 1 night
San Francisco - 2 nights
Yosemite - 2 nights.
This allows 2 days for travel which may be a little tight. You may need to make some adjustments though it is doable.
I have done this same trip several times.
You don't need to backtrack from Yosemite to San Francisco. You can fly out of Fresno, CA which is much closer to Yosemite.
Trending Topics
Jan 24th, 2004, 09:53 AM
#8
Join Date: Oct 2003
Posts: 17,106
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
jwc's itinerary sounds pretty good! I would cut out one night from San Diego and put in one night at Cambria/Hearst Castle area. San Diego would also be good area for beaches.
You could fly into San Diego or even into John Wayne Orange County Airport.
Or you could do jwc's trip in reverse and start out in northern California and go South.
If going from south to north, it's hard to say which would be the better airport to depart from: Sacramento or Fresno, without knowing your departure city. Sacramento has more flights to more parts of the US. For example, I believe Jetblue flies into Sacramento but not into Fresno.
On rental cars, at the moment, there are at least a couple of car rental companies that offer a one-way, no-drop-off-fee option. One is Budget. Be careful with Budget. They have GPS systems installed in their cars, so they will know if you drive their cars out of California. There is a hefty fee for driving their cars out of California.
Believe that Avis was offering the same no-drop-off-fee option. Check the websites for the car rental companies for their most current offerings.
You could fly into San Diego or even into John Wayne Orange County Airport.
Or you could do jwc's trip in reverse and start out in northern California and go South.
If going from south to north, it's hard to say which would be the better airport to depart from: Sacramento or Fresno, without knowing your departure city. Sacramento has more flights to more parts of the US. For example, I believe Jetblue flies into Sacramento but not into Fresno.
On rental cars, at the moment, there are at least a couple of car rental companies that offer a one-way, no-drop-off-fee option. One is Budget. Be careful with Budget. They have GPS systems installed in their cars, so they will know if you drive their cars out of California. There is a hefty fee for driving their cars out of California.
Believe that Avis was offering the same no-drop-off-fee option. Check the websites for the car rental companies for their most current offerings.
