Help please (Epic Road Trip Ideas)

[gulewamkulu]

Hey guys, my Parents are visiting from Malawi, Africa and I would like to take them on a road trip out West. My plan so far is to fly to LAX from Indiana, Rent a Car and drive down the Coast through Santa Barbara, San Fransisco to see the Golden Gate Bridge, and the redwoods. From there we plan to drive to the Yosemite National park, then the Grand Canyons, through Colorado, and back home.

Please advise on some good spots to stop by on the trip. Thanks!

[R3dliner]

I would do the whole cali coast line hwy. If you can make it up to seattle and Vancouver, the sea to sky hwy is a absolute beauty.

Go around the Lake Tahoe area its gorgeous. Not too far from san francisco.

You missed las vegas which you should stop by. Hoover dam along the way is nice. Some of the moutains in Colorado is nice. Aspen is a nice little village to stop by.

Yellowstone is really nice too. Stop by Jackson hole summit area while you're there.

[spiderspider]

you mean UP the coast! Keep driving the 101 from Santa Barbara. Solvang may be worth the little side trip. Interesting town. Stop in San Luis Obispo and see the mission, have lunch. I would normally say to then head onto Hwy 1 and see San Simeon and Hurst Castle and head all the way up through Big Sur, but the 1 is covered from a landslide, so you'd have to double back and get back onto 101 to continue on to San Francisco. On you approach to San Francisco, I would say either take 280 until it intersects hwy 1, then cut over to skyline blvd to the Great Hwy, stop at Lands End for some terrific scenery, then onto the Golden Gate bridge. Muir Woods is just north of there. I believe you have to buy tickets in advance now due to overcrowding. I would then circle back through San Francisco (maybe stop by the Marin headlands for outstanding views of the bridge and city), head over the east bay bridge on your way to Yosemite. If staying overnight, I usually stay in the town of El Portal right outside the park.

[delirium330]

Some random notes, but totally depends on what type of style you and your parents will enjoy.

--If doing Yosemite, understand the summer/fall is primetime tourist season so try and go earlier in the morning on weekdays earlier in the week.
--HWY 1 can be physically taxing on older parents, in amount of turning, hills, speed, motion sickness, etc. so temper expectations in ability to cover the same amount of distance as a standard interstate.
--Point Reyes National Seashore, just north of SF is amazing and worth checking out if in your driving range.
--Tons of redwood forests to choose from, but for a quick hit itinerary I would do San Francisco, Point Reyes National Seashore, Armstrong Redwood Reserve, Sonoma/Russian River Valley, then head through Sacramento up to Tahoe.
--In Tahoe, okay to spend time in South Lake to see the lake from the Heavenly Gondola and check out Emerald Bay, but I much prefer the low key more mountain town style of Truckee and North Lake vs. the more touristy and casino style of South Lake, but totally depends on what you're looking for.
--Okay to drive through Reno, but avoid spending time there at all costs. It is a dump.
--From Tahoe, through Reno you could head to Salt Lake and either head south into Southern Utah (tons of awesome national park stuff so I won't even start and then into Grand Canyon area) or from Salt Lake shoot East into CO and make your way south.

Also, depending on how much time you have, may be worth starting in Reno or Sacramento, starting in Tahoe then working your way West to wine country, Point Reyes, then south into SF, the coast, Yosemite, LA then over through Vegas to the Grand Canyon area, etc.

[Zulu Saffa]

Think the lads covered it above. Where in Malawi are you from? Used to live with a bunch of animals from Lilongwe and Blantyre.

[gulewamkulu]

Wow! Thanks a bunch everyone for providing input. I will look into all the recommended spots and see if I can fit them in my itinerary.

[gulewamkulu]

Originally Posted by Zulu Saffa

Think the lads covered it above. Where in Malawi are you from? Used to live with a bunch of animals from Lilongwe and Blantyre.

Lilongwe, but originally from Blantyre. Animals?

[malicem3]

This thread should be in off-topic.

[Rajmun340]

Good thread, keep the ideas coming. Thread can be moved later.

[roastbeef]

Originally Posted by delirium330

--HWY 1 can be physically taxing on older parents, in amount of turning, hills, speed, motion sickness, etc. so temper expectations in ability to cover the same amount of distance as a standard interstate.

i agree with this. on my first trip to laguna seca raceway, we took highway 1 north from the 46. it is quite a drive. very scenic, but very long. kinda cool to see, but takes a long time, and after several hours, you don't want to stop to take in the scenery, you just want to keep driving to get to where you're going so you can finally relax.
i'm glad i did it, but i probably won't do it again.

[roastbeef]

And if you happen to visit Carmel by the sea, head to the mission ranch for cocktail hour and appetizers at 4. Get there a few minutes early.

[delirium330]

Originally Posted by roastbeef

And if you happen to visit Carmel by the sea, head to the mission ranch for cocktail hour and appetizers at 4. Get there a few minutes early.

This is a good call. If you do decide to hit Monterey Bay / Carmel know what you want for an experience.

Monterey = Very touristy, a bit hokey in the downtown strip that it is famous for, a very busy aquarium. Not my cup of tea personally, for some reason the natural beauty of a place isn't increased by adding loads of people... and if you do hit the aquarium try and do it on a weekday and show up right when it opens. Not fun to look at a cool exhibit with 25 other people in front of you blocking the view.

Carmel = roastbeef picture says it all, very low key, small locals style town. Worth spending a few hours to relax there if you have the time.

[roastbeef]

yea, i did the monterey and aquarium thing. lots of people and kids. crowds aren't my thing.
carmel is more my style. very relaxing. there are just about no other things i'd rather be doing than sipping a cocktail on that mission ranch deck while i know the crab cakes are on their way out and i have a track day the next day.

[R3dliner]

Some shots when I was in Tahoe. Pictures don't really do justice. Just picture this with no snow.