Help me plan out June 2012 Cali trip

[haley's mom]

So we are East Coast family that traveled to California in October 2010. We spent 6 days in DL/DCA, 2 day trips to San Diego - for Sea World and the SD Zoo, 1 day trip to Hollywood, and 1 day trip to Huntington Beach (had to step foor in the Pacific).

So we are looking at planning our 2012 vacation. I would like to see and do different sites this year. I would LOVE to spend 2 days at DL to see the new additions, but also would like to experience new sites.

My family is me, DH, DS13 and DD9 (ages at time of travel). We will have 10 days to sight see. I would like to fly into LA area - spend 2 days at DL and then have the next 7-8 to druve north to San Fransico and back down to LA to fly home. THis would be ideal and a one-way rental car is very, very expensive.

SF, Yosemite, Sequoia National Park, Hollywood, Carmel, Monterey, etc.

Please help! Open to any and all suggestions as I would like to propse a plan to the family in the next few weeks.

Our other option is to go to Florida (Avoid Disney), and drive through the Florida Keys. Not a bad option, but Cali is so much more intriguing to me.

We are planning the 2013 trip out west with my mom and dad and this will include the Grand Canyon, Vegas and the Hoover Dam. So it's possible if we do Florida this year, we could do part of Cali in 2013.

 

[disneyfaninaz]

I would highly recommend that you fit Yosemite into your schedule. You will need to spend at least 3 days to really fully enjoy the park. Monterey is a few hours from Yosemite, so you could plan to stop there for a day or so on your way to or from Yosemite.

 

[jstbcuz]

Im wanting to do the same thing.........go to DL for 3 days or so and then experience San Francisco, and the redwoods.....

We thought about flying into SFO and renting a car, then flying to Anaheim for the the DL portion of our trip, then fly home from there. So we would have one way tickets for each leg of our flight. The only reason we thought about this is the drive is atleast 6 hours and we thought that might eat up too much time.

Cant wait to hear what others have to say.

 

[haley's mom]

I too thought about 2 one-way flights, but if you rent a car and pick up and drop off locations are different they charge a fee. Seveal hundred dollar fee. Let me know if you found a way around that.

 

[hsmamato2]

 

[mamacatnv]

Depart LA and head to Yosemite 3 days

From Yosemite head to San Francisco. 3 - 4 days
Return to LA via Hwy 101 and Hwy 1 which will take you through Half Moon Bay, Santa Cruz, Monterey, San Simeon, Santa Barbara and then LA - 2- 3 days

 

[KCmike]

Yosemite is a MUST do! It is heaven on earth. I would spend at least 2-3 days there. It is a easy drive up and there are giant Sequoias just east of the valley floor. The drive up HWY 1 from LA to Monterey is also very breathtaking. It is long and winding but just has gorgeous scenery. I tell you the more you do the more you will be hooked on California. Take a look at my signature.

 

[Esteri]

Depart LA and head to Yosemite 3 days

From Yosemite head to San Francisco. 3 - 4 days
Return to LA via Hwy 101 and Hwy 1 which will take you through Half Moon Bay, Santa Cruz, Monterey, San Simeon, Santa Barbara and then LA - 2- 3 days

This is a really good "loop" to get a flavor for the southern part of the state. That's right you'll only be seeing about 1/2 of the state. It's true that the drive will eat up some time, but to really "get" CA you need to see it first hand. People forget that CA is primarily an agricultural state. Where you are is defined by what's growing - really. And everything grows here somewhere - even cold loving crops like apples (in the foothills).

As you leave LA for Yosemite, you'll travel up Hwy99 through the Central Valley. You'll start off with citrus groves, as you go north, you get peaches, nectarines, plums, apricots, pluots (if you've never had one, and they're in season - get them!). These give way to the first of the nut groves, and dairy. It's fun to keep an eye on the orchards, farms, and ranches to see if you can figure out what it is. About the time dairy gets big, you'll cut off to Yosemite. As you get closer to Yosemite, and up into the Sierras, farming and orchards give way to ranching, and perhaps some vineyards, as you enter into the heart of the Sierra Nevada.

Leaving Yosemite for SF, you travel across the Central Valley - if you leave from the northern end, you'll pass through Stockton, and many nut groves - primarily walnuts. As you get into the Coastal Range on the other side of the valley - this is where your lettuce, spinach, garlic, and artichokes come from. As you leave the Central Valley, you leave CA's primary agricultural area.

If you'd continued north you'd have run into tomatoes, milo, rice, sunflowers, more nuts (almonds & walnut), and more dairy. Until you leave the Central Valley right around Redding, and start entering into the Siskiyou Range that divides CA from OR. Where's the wine? in the Mountains - the Coastal Range for Napa, Sonoma, and Russian River; and the Sierra Nevada foothills for Almador, Calaveras, and El Dorado - lesser known, but just as good!

The drive from SF south along the coast is breathtaking. It's twisty, windy (turns), windy (air), fun - and since you're going south, you'll be on the ocean side of the road. It will, however, take you longer to travel than traveling up the nice flat Central Valley - and is worth taking several days to do. Get a kite.

Hope this helps.
.

 

[owensamo]

We're considering a similar trip in June/July 2012, but plan to fly into San Francisco and make our way south along Rte 1, taking our time, and flying home from San Diego. All of the car rental agencies I've looked at were giving very reasonable rates for a 20+ day one-way rental! I didn't see anywhere on the sites I was looking at (Alamo seemed the least expensive) that it mentioned a fee for dropping off at a different location.

The car I priced out for 22 days came out to $36/day - or right around $800. For 3 weeks, that seemed like a pretty good deal - and that was without trying to use any discount codes! Using Costco to price, it came in $100 cheaper!

Budget was over $2000 for the same time period on Costco's site, so I'll assume Alamo doesn't charge a remote drop-off fee. It's definately a price I can live with!

 

[usnuzuloose]

I have a few photos from Yosemite, I was there a few weeks ago.

 

[usnuzuloose]

The pics have glare from the sun. It was unusual to have falls at this time of year. It was only due to the heavy rains.

 

[GrumpyGoat]

If you go to Monterey/Carmel, the must are the Monterey Bay Aquarium/Cannery Row, Carmel proper, Pt. Lobos State Reserve (South of Carmel), Big Sur (further south...) and 17 mile drive (which I haven't done since I started riding motorcycles because they aren't allowed in there—it's private property.)

 

[KCmike]

Be careful because there almost always is a "fee" for returning a car to a different location and its very very expensive. Check the fine print as they say.

 

[hockeybabe]

We are doing a much shorter trip this June, one way from San Diego to SF. Me, DH, DS-16, DD-15. This is what it looks like so far:

Arrive Sat am, San Diego. Pick up rental car (about $800 for the week, includes a $300 drop fee since it is a one way rental.)

Sat, San diego sights, stay at Hilton Bayfront.

Sun, rent powerboat for an hour, then head to San Diego Zoo. Sun night stay at West Inn and Suites in Carlsbad.

Mon, head to Santa Monica, Ventura then through Hollywood. Stay night at Fairfield across from DL.

Tues, one day(sigh, yes one day) parkhopper at DL and DCA park opening to park close. Just too much more to do in CA, and not enough $ and time Tues night, same Fairfield.

Wed, head up coast to Santa Barbara, then up to Pinson Beach, then to Los Osos for horseback riding on the beach, back to Pinson to stay the night at Sandcastle or Pinson Beach Lighthouse suites.

Thurs, up to Monteray, Kyaking and the Aquarium. Thurs night in Merced, heading to Yosemite.

Fri, Yosemite, head to SF that evening. Fri night SF at Hampton airport?

Sat, SF all day, last flight out Sat night.

Should cost around $5000 for car, flight, hotels, activities.

Yes, it is a tight schedule, more like a taste of California. Everything is subject to change, tho, we are still in the planning stages

 

[KCmike]

Not alot of "down time" built into that schedule. Sounds like you want to see everything and I don't blame you for that but you might want to fly into LAX and give yourself another day for Disneyland or at least an extra day to rest. Yosemite could stand to use an extra day as well. Good luck as you continue to plan.

One thought, if you want or could skip San Diego is to drive the big loop of LAX to monterey to SF to Yosemite to Disneyland and then you could avoid the big drop off fee on the car rental.

Have you thought about a day for the ocean to just hang out?

 

[hockeybabe]

Not alot of "down time" built into that schedule. Sounds like you want to see everything and I don't blame you for that but you might want to fly into LAX and give yourself another day for Disneyland or at least an extra day to rest. Yosemite could stand to use an extra day as well. Good luck as you continue to plan.

One thought, if you want or could skip San Diego is to drive the big loop of LAX to monterey to SF to Yosemite to Disneyland and then you could avoid the big drop off fee on the car rental.

Have you thought about a day for the ocean to just hang out?

Actually, I have thought of skipping SF as opposed to SD, and flying in and out of LAX is certainly a thought. I'm going to hit the planning book and try that scenario. Thanks!

 

[nono]

I didn't see anywhere on the sites I was looking at (Alamo seemed the least expensive) that it mentioned a fee for dropping off at a different location.

I have found the same thing consistently in CA as well, though I haven't done it in over 2 years. "Local" return seems to cover a wide area, and I wonder if it is because so many folks due drive all over the state for a vacation.

 

[mamacatnv]

Actually, I have thought of skipping SF as opposed to SD, and flying in and out of LAX is certainly a thought. I'm going to hit the planning book and try that scenario. Thanks!

Nooooo San Francisco is so amazing and the coastal drive is beautiful.

I'd cut out San Diego and Yosemite all together.

What/Where is Pinson Beach? I tried Googling to get an idea on the distance and I'm wondering if you mean Pismo Beach?

This is just my personal opinion but I think there is way to much stuff in here and that you will be running from attraction to attraction without actually having much time to take in the attraction. I also think this itinerary has you spending a lot of time in the car.

 

[CAFarmerGirl]

I am sorry if you mentioned it....but what month are you coming? That would make a *huge* difference in my own personal recommendations.

What are you interested in: science, history, nature, amusement parks, animals (zoos), adventure trips, things unique only to CA?

Also, for me, time is money (well, to an extent...) and I would rather pay a bit more to allow more time. Then, your desire to see CA will at least be a bit satiated and you might not feel the need to come back so quickly (not that we don't enjoy visitors ).

 

[CAFarmerGirl]

I am sorry if you mentioned it....but what month are you coming? That would make a *huge* difference in my own personal recommendations.

What are you interested in: science, history, nature, amusement parks, animals (zoos), adventure trips, things unique only to CA?

Also, for me, time is money (well, to an extent...) and I would rather pay a bit more to allow more time. Then, your desire to see CA will at least be a bit satiated and you might not feel the need to come back so quickly (not that we don't enjoy visitors ).

HA! You are coming in June...missed that in the title. :

Ok...answer the other interest questions and I'll go from there...