The_Bouncer

The National Parks are the thing I am most looking for information on here. All of the ones named by people here look spectacular. I am now investigating a circle route, starting and finishing in Phoenix. Something like Phoenix- Joshua Tree - Highway 1 - Monterey - San Francisco - Yosemite - Vegas - Zion/Bryce Canyon - Grand Canyon - Death Valley - Phoenix (or the reverse). I have more or less decided to skip San Diego, etc.

The_Bouncer

Sounds great. I hope you pick up some tips.

Gardyloo

I would suggest two loops rather than one in order to speed things up a little.

The first would be a "red rocks" loop originating and ending in Las Vegas, not Phoenix. https://goo.gl/maps/qjHGShDmUvQ2 This starts with Zion and Bryce Canyon, then heads east past Marble Canyon to remarkable Canyon de Chelly (a National Monument, not National Park, but the differences are technical.)

Then it heads back to Las Vegas via the Grand Canyon, but just passes through the city en route to Death Valley, then back to Vegas and fly to LAX.

Then I'd do a second loop - https://goo.gl/maps/ksZpCVvDPAL2 - that starts and ends at LAX. Go first to Yosemite, and note it will be all-important to have booked a place to stay in the valley in the winter months.

Then head out to the coast, but do so first by driving Calif. Hwy 49 north from Yosemite toward Sacramento. This takes you through the marvelous "gold rush" country along the western slopes of the Sierras, and through a string of very picturesque and historic towns, like Columbia, Murphys, Sutter Creek and others. The towns are great and the countryside is very scenic.

Then out to the coast at San Francisco, then south. First visit either the Henry Cowell or Big Basin redwoods near Santa Cruz. These are California state, not national parks, but you MUST see some redwoods along this route.

Visit Monterey and Carmel, and if you're lucky the migrating Monarch butterflies may be resident in Pacific Grove (next to Monterey) in which case you're in for a real photo treat. Continue south and stop at Point Lobos just south of Carmel - marvelous coastline and lots of wildlife - then past Big Sur to San Simeon.

Just north of the turnoff to the Hearst Castle (another don't-miss destination) is the Piedras Blancas elephant seal rookery - fascinating and fragrant . Then it's down US 101 to Santa Barbara, and inland, skirting LA to the north, to Palm Springs and Joshua Tree, then back to LA and you're done.

With four weeks you have plenty of days; with three you might have to speed things up a little. But as stated before, you're going to need to keep an eye open for poor driving conditions in the Arizona and Utah national parks, and be prepared either to wait things out or amend your route in "real time."

beckoa

As outlined above we do have a forum for this, so off it goes

~beckoa, co-moderator Information Desk

IceTrojan

I like this itinerary, but if I had limited time, I would cut out the trip out to Joshua Tree to spend more time at the other places. I honestly feel like Joshua Tree would pale in comparison to all the other suggested sites and thus would be rendered extraneous.

Also, I feel like Palm Springs is lacking with not much in between there and LA; I'd sooner make the trip down to San Diego, passing through all the coastal towns (e.g., Long Beach, Laguna Beach, San Juan Capistrano, Oceanside, Carlsbad, La Jolla)

On your way from Santa Barbara to LA, I'd be sure to take the route that goes through Malibu.

The_Bouncer

Thank you for this, guys. Especially Gardyloo. I really appreciate the time and effort you have put into this. I have several options here to consider. There is just so much to see and do.

DenverBrian

It looks like most think Meteor Crater is too far east for you. I think in a four week trip you could include it, but if you do, include the Petrified Forest as well.

The_Bouncer

I'm starting to think it's too far east too. I have to be careful not to overstretch myself and try to do too many things, at the expense of my chill-out time.

aztimm

When leaving the Grand Canyon, simply leave via the East gate (AZ 64), then take US 89 south. There shouldn't be much, if any, traffic along this route.
Sure it isn't directly on the path, but it wouldn't be a stretch to add it in, and gives another opportunity for viewing the Grand Canyon along that drive.
Heck, if into it, since you'd be out that way I'd have lunch in Winslow while listening to, "Take it Easy," a few times

aztimm

hmm, after looking at the Google map, another option popped into my head.

After leaving Canyon de Chelley, head South, hop on the I-40, you can hit Meteor Crater, Petrified Forest, stop in Flagstaff for supplies, then head up to the Grand Canyon. I always recommend going in via the East Gate, even though it is a little longer, driving across to the village, and when you exit leave via the South/main gate.

DenverBrian

That would let you see/go into the Watchtower, as well, which is lesser known.

djp98374

My thoughts with itinerary.....

Try to move this to October...November is transition season with weather. You could get high elevation snow in November at 4,000 feet or above.

For a 3 werk trip look at a one way rental from San Francisco yo either Vegas or Phoenix

Day 1-3 SF
Day 4-6 Yosemite
Day. 7 sequoia/kings canyon
Day 8 Monterey/big sur to cambria
Day 9 to Santa Barbara
Day 10-13 LA/SD
Day 14 Joshua tree
Day 15-16 Death Valley
Day 17-18 Vegas
Day 19-20 Zion
Day 21 Bryce
Day 22 page
Day 23 south rim of Grand Canyon
Day 24 Sedona
Day 25 return to Vegas or head to Phoenix
Day 26 fly home


If you can't find a one way rental then do a loop of SF-Yosemite-SEKI-Death Valley-Vegas-SW Utah-page-Grand Canyon-Sedona-Joshua tree-KA/SD-coadt up to SF- fky home.

If you can't find a one way compare flight + car rental costs between SFO, OAK, SMF, LAS, PHX, LAX, SAN, and other airports.

The_Bouncer

Lots of suggestions here. The latest suggested itinerary makes a lot of sense, but I am unfortunately not able to move it to October due to work constraints (I work April to October in Europe and have November to March free).
I will be moving on ftom IAH to JNB on Dec. 4 for a South African road trip.
Anyway, back to the US. I have reviewed several possibilities and I keep coming back to the same conclusion. I am simply trying to pack too much in and something has to give. Otherwise I'm just going to be racing around trying to tick boxes, at the expense of my chill-out time.
Therefore I have decided to cut the SW corner of my route and look at a one-way rental from SFO to PHX. I know Highway 1 was one of my original priorities, but so much fabulous looking stuff has been suggested and most of it fits into this route.
Who knows, I might even buzz back over next March and do the coastal route all the way down.
For this trip I'm now looking at something like:

Days 1-4: San Francisco
Day 5: Drive to Yosemite
Days 6-7: Yosemite
Days 8-9: Drive to Vegas, via Death Valley
Day 10: Shake off Vegas hangover, before pm drive to Zion
Days 11-13: Zion & Bryce Canyon
Day 14: Drive south to Grand Canyon
Days 15-16: Grand Canyon
Days 17-18: Drive to Phoenix, via meteor crater
Days 19-20: Phoenix
Day 21: Fly PHX-IAH

I will also plan on giving myself a few extra days grace, over and above the 21 days. This is in case I really like a particular place, or just get tired of driving and decide to hang around for an extra day or two. I can always chill out in Phoenix for a few days or head over to Joshua Tree if I finish early.
One concern I have is the Thanksgiving holiday, which will be about two weeks into my trip. Are there any particular places I should actively avoid at this time, due to hotel availability, attractions being closed, etc.?

The_Bouncer

This is exactly the kind of thing I would like to do, but would not have thought of without the advice from FTers. Would this fit into the above route?

Jono

I just drove this part of your route last week. From the main Grand Canyon South Rim visitor area, drive east along Desert View Drive (hwy 64) towards the east gate of the park. There are several viewing areas along the way just off the road. The Desert View Watchtower is the best of all these. Make sure to climb up to the top of the tower.

Once you exit the park at East Gate, follow Hwy 64 east for some awesome views towards Hwy 89, then follow that road south to I-40 in Flagstaff. Meteor Crater is about 45 mins east of Flagstaff. Be aware that the meteor crater viewing area closes at 5pm during the fall/winter months, so you will have to leave the east gate of Grand Canyon no later than 2pm if you want to make it to Meteor Crater with enough time before closing. Also, we were surprised to find that the Meteor Crater had an $18 admission fee. But it is worth it if you are interested.

While there, drive east on I-40 for another 20 mins into Winslow, AZ and take your picture at Standin' On The Corner Park - made famous by the Eagles song "Take It Easy" (http://standinonthecorner.com/). It's about 3 hour drive back to Phoenix from Winslow along I-40/I-17, but you can also take a more scenic route on Hwy 87.