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Agreed, though remember that the OP is coming from England. It's a long trip there and back and I suspect that he wants to get a broad flavor of the American Southwest in the time he has available, rather than focus on one particular location, even one so large as coastal California.
Will be a great trip, but please keep in mind that distances between your planned stops are much larger than what you are used to in the UK and longer than what you were mostly exposed to on your previous US road trip. Much of your proposed route reads to me like a lot of driving with little time at destination to experience and sightsee. The time you will spend getting from stop to stop is greater than you imagine.
With this in mind, I would recommend, as has been suggested, deemphasizing Salt Lake City. It is, as has also been mentioned, a pleasant place (Of course it is; I was born there), but for this drive, it takes you out of your way, and the drive from SLC to Tahoe would likely be on I-80, which arguably is the least interesting road for crossing Nevada. Unless you have a compelling reason to go to SLC (like to visit family or friends), I'd skip it. You wouldn't have much time there anyway.
Since your proposal is aggressive for 18 days, I agree with the suggestion to skip Phoenix also. Retool your itinerary a bit to use the time you would have spent getting to Phoenix and SLC and doing what little you would have time to do in both. Instead, give yourself a little more time at the national parks.
After leaving Bryce, since your plan is to get to Lake Tahoe, one thing you might want to consider is angling up to US Highway 50 and crossing Nevada on 50 to Tahoe. IMO, it's a more interesting drive than 80 and, coming as you will be, from your beautiful, green, and (by Western US standards) crowded island, the distances and emptiness of Central Nevada will blow your mind--in a good way. On the day you would have been heading to SLC, instead drive from Bryce up through Beaver and Milford and pick up 50 in Ely. (See how it compares to the one in England.) Then spend the night in some tiny town in Nevada (Eureka or Austin perhaps) before making it to Tahoe the next day with enough time and energy to enjoy the lake.
PS: Agree with you about West Virginia. It's a gem.
Give youself a goal, abd deviate from the high-speed highways, or else the same old traffic is all you'll see.
April is amazimg for nature. Buy a field guide to the birds of the area, and a pair of basic $30 binoculars. Practice a little before the trip, birding is really easy for a beginner. Just drive slow a few minutes on a back a back road and try to ID every bird you see on a wire. Birding is the same in England and Nevada. An hour a day, you'll see a new country you never imagined existed.
Earlier this year I asked for advice for a road trip I was planning from NY-Dallas over 3 weeks. Had an amazing time and really appreciated the suggestions people offered. My favourite state was West Virginia and favourite city was Nashville.
I'm coming back over from England in April but to do the West Coast, flying in and out of San Fran (to get the hire car cheaper) and the
plan is to do a sort of loop, few nights in each place but LA, San Diego, Phoenix, Las Vegas, Salt Lake City and then back across Nevada to Lake Tahoe and San Fran.
I've done the obvious and been on trip advisor and searched best attractions in each state/city so just seeing if anyone has any suggestions that might not be too well known or great driving roads? We are over for 18 days.
Thanks in advance.
I would advise the following:
San Francisco to LA area (3 nights)
LA to Las Vegas NV (2 nights)
Las Vegas NV to Santa Fe/Taos NM (2 nights)
Santa Fe/Taos NM to Denver CO (2 nights)
Denver CO to Moab UT (Arches National Park) (2 nights)
Moab UT to Salt Lake City/Park City UT (1 night)
Salt Lake City UT to Incline Village (Lake Tahoe) NV (1 night)
Incline Village NV to Napa-Sonoma CA (2 nights)
Napa-Sonoma CA to San Francisco (2 nights)
Just so you get the full spectrum of travel ideas, I'm going to offer something slightly different:
Day 1: Arrive in San Fransisco. Personally, I'd spend the first night next to the airport to give room for error if the plane is late and to give you time to rest off the jet lag.
Day 2-4: Pick up the rental car and immediately drive to Lake Tahoe (3.5 hours). Spend a couple days.
Day 5: Drive to Las Vegas. Depending on what stops you make, this will probably take the entire day.
Day 6-7: Las Vegas
Day 8-10: Drive to San Diego and spend a couple days. The city is beautiful.
Day 11-13: Drive to LA and spend a few days.
Day 14: Drop the car off at LA. Take the Amtrak Coast Starlight train from LA to Emeryville, CA (which serves San Francisco). Part of the route will pass by the coast. It's a unique experience and should be a nice break after all the driving. It will take all day. As an alternative, if desired, you can get off the train and spend one night in Santa Barbara on the way up, then pick up the train again the next day (be aware that there is only one northbound Coast Starlight train per day. Also make sure you choose the Coast Starlight route and not one of the interior routes that connect some of the same places). Honestly, driving the California coast really should be its own dedicated trip. This train will give you a little taste of it.
Day 15-18: Spend your last few days enjoying San Francisco.
You'll notice that I've skipped Salt Lake City and Phoenix because I think that's too ambitious. They're nice places for another trip.
Location: Was Midvalley Oregon; Now Eastside Seattle area
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Note: Starlight runs just 1/day and subject to delays because it originates in Seattle going south. Delays will be lessen if your originate in LA going north.
Alternatively use the Amtrak-California Pacific Surliner (4 -6 trains per day) from San Luis Osbispo to LA-SanDiego. You can buy the Surfliner multistop fare or just buy a particular leg. Buying each leg as needed is more convenient and you are not locked to a particular schedule. https://www.pacificsurfliner.com/ https://www.amtrak.com/coast-starlight-train
Take particular note of the Old Spanish Missions that predate England's colonization of America's east coast.
Avoid the 17 mile loop ($$$) at Carmel.
Last edited by leastprime; 12-17-2022 at 05:59 PM..
Doing the "west coast" and not doing Oregon (or Washington) is a pretty big and somewhat surprising choice.
April isn’t the most ideal time to go to the PNW.
The OP is seriously underestimating the time it’s gonna take between destinations driving. I have family up the coast (all the way to WA) and it doesn’t take much to add hours to an already long day of driving.
Personally I’d skip Phoenix. There’s nothing to see there you wont in the California and Nevada deserts. If you really want to see the Grand Canyon (overrated IMO) you can easily go from Vegas. Helicopter tour is the way to go.
And while SLC is one of my favorite cities, I’d skip that too.
Between SF, Tahoe, Vegas, LA, SD, and points in between, you’ll still be needing more time than 18 days.
April rain at Newport OR on average is less than half the November to January peak. Not the best month but not that bad. Some like the coast with rain as long it isn't heavy and constant. On average in April only half the days get rain and only 1/3rd get more than 0.1 inches.
Personally I’d skip Phoenix. There’s nothing to see there you wont in the California and Nevada deserts. If you really want to see the Grand Canyon (overrated IMO) you can easily go from Vegas. Helicopter tour is the way to go.
The iconic Saguaro cactus?
The Arizona Sonoran desert is a lot more spectacular than the desert scenery you’ll find in California or Nevada, in my opinion.
The Arizona Sonoran desert is a lot more spectacular than the desert scenery you’ll find in California or Nevada, in my opinion.
Meh? Not sure it’s worthy of a trip to another desert just to see them? I’d say the same about the Joshua Trees. Honestly if I was going to a desert in April I’d want to go to one that has the best super bloom (assuming it’s a rainy winter). The best one for that is the Anza Borrego in San Diego County.
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