California - CA Road Trip

Hi -

I'm off on a road trip from San Francisco to Vancouver next month and it's just occurred to me we might do better to start in LA or elsewhere further south to do more of the Pacific Coast Highway.

Will be renting a car, leaving in SEA - unless there's a viable way to take one across the border - then train to YVR and a few side trips from there.

Have 2-3 weeks for the journey, starting c. 24th August. Looking for advice on whether to leave start point as SF, or flying in further south, and any tips/advice/must-sees along the way.

All help much appreciated. :)

Sounds like a wonderful trip. Some of the most beautiful scenery on the California coast is south of San Francisco (just south of Monterry actually) While it's not as far south as Los Angeles I don't think you could go wrong by starting here. Once you get out of the city you can hit Santa Barbara, Santa Maria (not much to see but good for stop to buy some fresh picked strawberries), San Simeon/Cambria (Hearst Castle), Pismo Beach, Big Sur, Monterrey.

It depends on what your interests are but there is plenty in the way of scenery, museums, camping, missions, golfing, horseback riding, small towns and big cities. The stretch between Santa Barbara and San Francisco is some of the most beautiful coastline on earth IMHO and has some wonderful weather. Given the amount of time you have to spend I would definitely start in Los Angeles.

I don't think you need to leave your rental car in SEA (unless of course you want to). I have driven rentals across the border on several occassions. Maybe it's different if you aren't a U.S. citizen, but in my case it has never been an issue whether I was driving a rental or not.

I concur completely with the previous poster. The stretch from Morro Bay to Monterey is one of the world's great drives. Website here. (http://www.centralcoasttourist.com/Monterey_County/monterey_county.html)

At that time of the year, if you spring for a convertible, you will not regret it. :cool:

Just a further note. The trip between LA and SF is really only 2 days (3 max) if you are stopping and seeing all the sights. Most Californians would just drive it in a day (probably going up the 5 through the San Joaquin Valley to save time, not the coast). So you don't have to worry about taking too big a bite out of your vacation if you decide to start in LA.

Couple quick notes. First, like others have said, I wouldn't worry about the car thing. Look into it, but I don't think it would be a big deal to take the care all the way to Vancouver. As far as where to start and what things to do, it would greatly help if you gave some guidelines as to what kinds of things you want to do. There are a lot of people here who can give some great advice, but we need a starting point. So here are some questions.

-Do you like hiking?
-Want to camp?
-Do touristy things?
-Off the beaten path? Spend time in SF?
-Stick to the coast or go inland?
-Anything you particulary want to do?

FT rocks it again...

1) The car thing. We're doing a one-way rental because we're flying home from YVR. As I understand it, US rentals must be returned to US stations, hence return to SEA. If you know different, i.e. that we can drop off @ YVR airport, that would be very useful. Prefer Avis, but also have Hertz #1 Club Gold if makes any difference.

2) LAX -v- SFO. Currently booked into latter, but can change to LAX for nominal fee. Is the drive from LA to Monterey of any particular interest? If not, we may well leave entry point as SFO, because seems Monterey is equidistant from both. Opinions?

3) Interests. We both work in music and clubs and are total hedonist, party types, very gregarious, but also both have a keen interest in seeing as many sights as possible, particularly natural beauty. Hiking & camping: yes, within strict moderation - my idea of camping is a Sheraton! ;) Touristy stuff: yes, but not much and probably mostly for the kitsch value. Big sights like the SF bridges, Redwood Forest, etc. Wine country - both wine fans and bon viveurs.

We are nominally on a business trip to SF for maybe 2 days work max, so will need to base there for a while for that and local sights. Another couple of days work across Vancouver and Edmonton, so will spend a couple/few days in Vancouver, then fly to Edmonto or Calgary, and drive around there.

In summary, I think it's about good clubs, bars, parties, pop culture in the towns and cities, punctuated by natural beauty along the way. Don't mind whether all along the coast or going inland - totally guided by where the best scenery (and scenes) are. So, for the whole route up to Vancouver and beyond, I'd really appreciate tips on:

- If starting in LA, anything particularly recommended around there. I've been maybe 12 times and I've still yet to find the magic...

- Best parts of the coast all the way up California, through Oregon , through Washington and on to BC;

- Ditto inland, but reasonably accessible from a predominantly coastal route, i.e. not 1,000 miles in;

- Low-impact hiking/camping, i.e. a day or so max and accessible to civilisation if we're not up to it!

- Town & city recommendations for fun, lively arts, cultural scenes, good partying, clubs, bars, festivals, etc.;

- SF for around a week: best tips for what to see and do in & around. Think we'll be in SF Hilton unless better advice;

- Accomm & car rental tips throughout: Avis Preferred; Hertz Gold; Hilton Gold; Starwood Gold; Marriott Silver.

Thanks so much for all the great advice. Keep it coming! ^

Is the drive from LA to Monterey of any particular interest?

A previous post touched on this. From LAX head to Santa Monica and north on 101 through Malibu to Oxnard. Stay on 101, stopping for barbecue in Santa Maria. Turn onto Hwy 1 at San Luis Obispo and pass through Morro Bay, Cambria, Big Sur, Monterey and Santa Cruz.

DO NOT MISS THIS DRIVE! It is, as mentioned already, ONE OF THE WORLD'S GREAT AUTOMOBILE JOURNEYS!

Jaw-dropping scenery, wonderful parks, redwood groves growing down to the sea, rivers and waterfalls, and several very good restaurants perched on cliffs with $million views.

I hope I was not too subtle in my vote for flying into LAX and driving up the coast to the Bay Area. From there I would actually go inland on I-5 from San Francisco north, Mount Shasta, Mount Rainier, etc.
:)