SanFran to LA

In My Humble Opinion
21

YOSEMITE!!! way better than the Grand Canyon. Though the GC is nothing to turn up your nose at.

Napa Valley is just an hour or so northeast of SF and certainly worth a visit.

Go to Vegas (the place is gaudy beyond belief and there is the off chance you could leave town a millionair) drive through Death Valley to 395 north to Lee Vining. Make a left there to Yosemite. Drive up route 49 through “Gold Country.” Just a lot of fairly cool little towns that sprang up during the '49 gold rush. Turn left on I-80 at Sacramento and tool on down to Napa and Sonoma Valleys. Spend 3 days in SF (great town. Do Alcatraz, the Golden Gate Bridge, Haight-Ashbury, Chinatown). Drive down the coast highway. With a little planning you can stop and see several of the missions built in the late 1700’s early 1800’s. Spend some time in Monterrey and do the 17 mile drive. It’s sort of depressing though, looking at all those homes sitting on lots that after saving for 20 years you couldn’t afford a down payment on. Stop at the Hearst castle too.

If you’ve never driven on the “wrong” side of the road before take your time and pay attention. It’s harder than it sounds. During our trip to Oz every time I didn’t think about it (and some that I did) we were on the wrong side of the road.

In the event you get pulled over by the state patrol rely very heavily on your accent. We find it cuter than hell. Sprinkle your speach with all sorts of Australian slangy kind of things and you’ll probably get off with a warning.

Enjoy.

22

I have seen this stated many times. My wife and I vacationed in San Francisco 2 years ago around the 4th of July. We were able to walk up and buy tickets for the boat ride and tour without any kind of reservations. In fact, the boat wasn’t even full. It was on a Monday if that makes any difference. Or have things changed in the past 2 years?

23

You may see the ass-ends of all the towns when you take the Amtrak Coast Starlight, but you also see some of the most beautiful countrysides in California. There are long stretches where the tracks are just yards from the shore, and long stretches of rolling green hills, and a bit of the air force base (you can see the old Titan rocket launchpads from the train), etc. The train also has ample leg room, a nice observation car, and you and your bags don’t get scrutinized like they would at the airport.

I’ve taken the Coast Starlight between LA and SF, and I loved it but I know it’s not for everyone. It does make it a lot easier for you to stretch your legs mid-trip – you don’t have to pull over or anything.

24

Lots of interesting travel advice in this thread to say the least.
Allow a native Californian to clear up a few incorrect statements that have been uttered here.

United Airlines lists 1:15 gate to gate. Actual flying time is about 55 minutes.

Ho boy where to start. San Francisco is North and West of LA. Yosemite is North and East of LA and South and East of SF. Saying that you can drive out the east side of Yosemite and head straight for SF ignores the fact that you will be headed in the wrong direction, and on the wrong side of a very large mountain range. :eek:
Also getting out the east side of the park can be a problem (Tioga Pass) If there is a heavy winter it can be closed almost to August, so getting out the east side of the park may not be possible during the wrong months.

I second the motion of taking hiway 49. You can catch it just outside of Yosemite and drive it a fair distance. You can drop down 120 if you are in a hurry and go through Oakdale the best smelling town in California, or continue up through Sonora and Angels Camp. Stunning country. The little town of Murphys is just off 49 I fell in love with this little town during a bike tour a few years back.

About driving, taking SandyHook’s advice about what to do if stopped is excellent. However, be aware, the cops have no sense of humor about drunk driving. Your accent is not charming enough to get you out of a DUI ticket.

25

Actually DUI is a little more than a ticket. It’s a trip to jail.

26

Another voice to say if you have the time, drive from LA to SF, and avoid Interstate 5, if the difference between 6 hours and 8 hours is insignificant to you. If you want fast, go on 5, bring some CDs to keep you awake, and remember that even though the speed limit is 70mph, if you go 75 in the slow lane everyone will still be passing you.

As folks have noted, the coastal route, going up State Highway 1 is gorgeous, but may require 2 days to reap the full effect. I prefer a little Highway 1 and a little US 101 for most of our trips. We live near the SF airport, and have offspring and grandoffspring in Long Beach (next to LA). When we come home from LA, we usually get on Pacific Coast Highway (CA1) in Santa Monica and head up the coast through Malibu, et al, until it joins 101 in Oxnard. US101 stays on the coast for the next 50 miles, going through Ventura and Santa Barbara, and then heads inland past the aforementioned Solvang. I usually stay on 101 at this point, just because I want to get home at a reasonable time. US101 gets back to the coast around Pismo Beach and then goes inland through San Luis Obispo.

If you are travelling in late March-early April, I would suggest a wildflower side trip that only adds an hour by leaving US101 just past Camp Roberts and getting on Jolon Road. This goes through the Hunter Liggett Military Reservation and is absolutely grand in the spring (my grandparents, in their mid-nineties, would get into their '69 Cadillac and drive there for a picnic among the flowers each spring). You eventually return to US101 at King City, where you continue north. You’re now in the Salinas Valley of John Steinbeck fame (and can take a left at Salinas to visit Cannery Row in Monterey, and the already mentioned Monterey Bay Aquarium).

If you choose to go to Monterey, you can continue up CA1 from there to SF, going through Santa Cruz (home of O’Neill’s Surf Shop) and sticking to the coast all the way up to The Great Highway in SF. If you stay on US101 through Salinas you go through Castroville (“Artichoke Capital of the World,” Marilyn Monroe was Miss California Artichoke Queen of 1947), Gilroy (“Garlic Capital of the World,” home of garlic ice cream), and then San Jose. In the southern part of San Jose, I’d suggest getting off at CA85 to Mountain View and skip trying to get through SJ. Once you’ve gotten to Cupertino, take I280 North all the way to SF. Up past Redwood City you’ll be driving in the San Andreas Rift Zone: the hills to the west of the freeway in this narrow valley are moving north at the rate of a few inches per year.

I’m running out of steam on this post, but I will echo those folks who recommend the Napa Valley and Yosemite. Each awesome in its own way.

27

Oh my God, you guys are the coolest. This has been some of the best advice I’ve been given. No, really I’m so impressed at the response. Thankyou very much.
Now if I could just manage to figure out how to print this off, i’ll be set.

Is it too late to ask another 2 questions???

Can we just turn up at the airport and buy a ticket (which I must say are about a third of what we pay here for the same thing!!)
Or do we have to plan down to the last detail before we leave OZ, like buying the ticket before we go and deciding on the days now?

One more… this may seem unusual… but… what’s the drinking while driving rule over there. Here a woman can have approx. 1 standard drink per hour or have a blood alcohol reading of .05% or less. What’s the deal there? Do your cops have breath testers that test you on the spot like here?

28

You can buy tickets fairly close to your actual flight date unless you want to travel on a major flight date but you can’t just walk into the airport and buy them AFAIK. I’d buy them at least a week before you plan to go. Use www.southwest.com or www.jetblue.com.

I don’t remember what the legal blood limit is, but yes, the cops do have breathalizers.

If you go to Yosemite, get a local to show you around. Monument Valley is wonderful, but I’ve always found it too crowded to appreciate fully. Much of the rest of the park is much quieter, and just as beautiful. I also can’t recommend Zion National Monument enough if you happen to go that way, it’s simply the most beautiful place I’ve ever seen.

29

cormac262 is right about travel distances from Vegas to the north rim and the south rim. I stand corrected.

It looks like the mileage is actually the same, but the roads to the North Rim are not as good (and indeed are closed for part of the year.

Check out the official National Park Service site for info on getting to the North, South and West rim from Vegas (and other starting points).

30

You can order a free packet of info. from the California tourism people at:
http://www.compulog.com/gocal/gocalorder.cfm

You can also use Mapquest to get an idea of driving times and distances:

31

Forgot to add the tourism front page:

http://www.visitcalifornia.com/state/tourism/tour_inc_navigation.jsp?BV_SessionID=@@@@0338665679.1067590221@@@@&BV_EngineID=fadcijhejjegbemgcfkmchchi.0&PrimaryCat=Maps+%26+Getting+Around

32

California native for 36 of 40 years here…

DUI in California is .08 and higher…and yes they can test you on the spot…

1. Fly to L.A. and do not get on any other planes during your trip here. Rent a four wheel SUV and buy an ice chest along with a case of water and snacks.

2. After your done with L.A., follow this loop…

101 to Santa Barbara
154 to Solvang and Santa Yenz Valley
101 to Pismo Beach and San Luis Obispo
1 to Morro Bay, Hearst’s Castle, Big Sur, Pebble Beach and Monterey (Monterey Bay Aquarium), Santa Cruz and then San Francisco

From here you got lots of options…

3a. - If it’s not winter…
Take I80 to Sacramento, Auburn…
49 to Marshall Gold Site, Placerville, Angels Camp, Sonora and Chinese Camp
120 to Yosemite Village and backtrack to get to Tuolumne Meadows, Tioga Pass (closed in winter) and Mono Lake/Lee Vining

3b. Passable in winter…
Or take I-80 to Donner Pass (Visit the Historic Marker there!)
89 or 267 to Lake Tahoe, Stateline
50 to Carson City (easier in winter unless a blizzard is raging in the Sierras)
395 south to Walker Canyon, Bridgeport, Bodie Ghost Town, Mono Lake/Lee Vining

4. Merging back together at Lee Vining…time to enjoy the most beautiful mountain range in the West…
158 loop June Lake
395 to Mammoth Lakes, {Devil’s Postpile, Rainbow Falls if not winter}
Convict Lake (a short but BEAUTIFUL detour!)
395 to Bishop, Big Pine (side trip to Bristlecone Forest from here), Independence (Helter Skelter!), Lone Pine (Mt. Whitney Portal)
136 to Keeler (If summer make sure you have water!)
190 to Death Valley National Park (Did I mention water?)
178 to Shoshone and then over to Pahrump (via 372) in Nevada
160 to Las Vegas

Hmmmm…North Rim or South Rim of Grand Canyon?
North is less crowded but harder to get to…
South is the opposite of North…more crowded but easier
Choose south so you’re gonna be lined up for return to trip to LA with Bonus scenery in Arizona…

5. 93 to Kingman, Arizona
I40 to Williams (side trip on 66 through Peach Springs)
64 to 180 to Grand Canyon - South Rim
64 to Cameron
89 to Wupatki National Monument, Sunset Crater Volcano Nat’l Mon.
89 to Flagstaff (elev. 6910 ft)
89A to Oack Creek Canyon, Sedona (pretty neat area!), Cottonwood, Jerome (freaky silver mining town on a steep mountain), Prescott
89 to 71 to 60 to I-10 (Back into the desert)
I-10 to Blythe (back in California), Joshua Tree Nat’l Mon., Indio, Palm Springs, and back to L.A.

You can do this pretty easily in 2 weeks counting 3 days in LA and 2 in SF unless the winter weather is at it’s worst which has not been the case the last few years.

Thank me after the trip, because I know you will…

33

No way in hell can you make that statement! I-5 sucks out loud when it comes to scenery! And no, cow butts don’t count as scenery! At least you have Joshua trees and mountains to look at in the desert instead of counting dung piles on the way to SF…

That’s why I push for the ocean scenic route to SF from LA (Hwys 101 and 1)…

34

This is what you’ll see from 395 when you drive along the Sierras…Enjoy…

http://www.inyocounty.org/

35

I don’t know how others here feel, (this is all a matter of opinion) but I thought that I-40 (which corresponds with the old route 66) is at least as beautiful a drive as the Pacific Coast Highway. Perhaps I was expecting the desert to be boring, and was blown away by how beautiful it truly is.

I’d say, take I40 to Flagstaff, visit the south rim, then go back on I40 to highway ___ that crosses the Hoover Dam. Cross the dam, see Vegas, and then take the most direct route to San Francisco from there.

There’s a national forest between Flagstaff and GC national park that is quite beautiful, and a very pleasant drive.

36

FTR, you can be busted and charged with a BAC of below 0.08 if you are driving is impared. 0.08 is when you are presumed to under the influence no matter how your driving is.

Trying to get used to driving on the wrong side of the road, it might be a wonderful idea to leave the drinking until you finish the days drive. $0.02

37

Native Californian here.

Yosemite is beautiful, but if you’re there during the summer the crowds can drive you crazy. Sequoia/Kings Canyon National Park is, in my opinion, just as beautiful and much less crowded. It’s not too far south of Yosemite, east of Visalia.

If you drive on Interstate 5 between LA and SF, try to avoid travelling on Sunday or Friday; those are the busiest days, trafficwise. Also, traffic within 50 miles of San Francisco and Los Angeles gets really bad between 7 and 9am and between 4 and 7pm.

I honestly don’t recommend flying between Los Angeles and San Francisco. The flight itself takes an hour, plus give yourself two hours to get to the airport and check in, plus give yourself an hour after landing to get your ground transportation and get to the city. That’s four hours, and if you’re in that much of a time crunch, I’ve made the drive between LA and SF in five hours before on Interstate 5. To repeat what someone above said, the posted speed limit on Interstate 5 is 70 mph; the average (not including trucks) is closer to 80. Just keep your eye open for cops and you’ll do fine.

If you choose to visit Santa Barbara, avoid the weekends in the summer; it gets crowded there and difficult to find a hotel room if you haven’t made a reservation.

I believe reservations are recommended (although not usually required) if you want to take a tour of Hearst Castle, but I haven’t been there since I was in college in nearby San Luis Obispo, 15 years ago.

If you had more time, I’d recommend seeing Redwood National Park in the far northern part of California; it’s jsut gorgeous up there. In fact, as beautiful as Highway 1 is up the central coast, it’s twice as beautiful north of San Francisco.

38

Shoot; of course I meant ‘west’. Although now I notice the OP did too. Perhaps you were thinking ‘Pacific Coast’ and thought of Australia’s East Coast.

Here’s another map depicting all the national parks in California; you can click to get more information.

Something else very important to consider if you’re driving – you cannot have an open container of alcohol in your vehicle (even if you’re not drinking it). “In the vehicle” means the passenger compartment; you can have it in the trunk (boot) – if the car doesn’t have a trunk per se, it has to be inaccessible to the triver (a locked chest), or possibly in the very back of an SUV; the back seat won’t do. It’s not very smart to have even closed alcohol in a visible location if you’re stopped; officers may spend time searching your vehicle in that case.

Actually, this looks like it may be useful :Road Travel for Aussies

39

I’ve dared to go to Yosemite in the Summer, and it’s not too bad (at least it wasn’t a few years ago) if you go during the weekdays. But still, it is crowded, no doubt. But if that’s the only time you can go, I advise going–Yosemite is something not to be missed.

And yes, Sequoia is beautiful too. Climb up Moro Rock (it’s easy–I did it when I was a kid) and see the view! Fabulous!

40

I just took my cousin from Denmark on a tour that went like this:
Started in San Jose.
Left for Yosemite on Friday night (there’s no point in driving through the central valley during the day).
Stayed in Yosemite for 2 days (actually stayed in El Portal, just outside the park)
Spent the morning in Toulome Meadow and drove out through Tiago Pass to 395 Monday morning (this closes in the winter, so plan accordingly).
Took 136 to 190 to go through Death Valley.
Just drove through Death Valley to 95 down to Vegas.
Stayed in Vegas 2 nights and 1 day.
Drove to the Grand Canyon, stopping at Hoover Dam.
Stayed in Tusayan (~10 miles from the park entrance).
Drove along the rim (I think it’s 180) to 89 to 40 to 89a to get to Sedona and its plethora of Red Rocks.
Spent a couple of hours driving around there then drove back to Vegas to get on a plane to go to NY to visit my brother.

It was a great trip and the West Coast part took us 8 days. Each stop was a little rushed but was long enough for me to show my cousin the highlights. With more time, we would have stopped in more places, not added time to our stops (except maybe Sedona).

Approximate drive times were:
SJ -> Yosemite = 3.5 hours (at night)
Yosemite Valley -> Toulome Meadows = 1.5 hours (day)
Toulome Meadows -> Vegas via Death Valley = 7 hours (day/night)
Vegas -> GC with stop at Hoover Dam = 6 hours (day)
GC -> Sedona = 2-3 hours (day)
Sedona -> Vegas = 4+ hours. (night)

-chookie