Los Angeles, Las Vegas, Yosemite, San Francisco: 13-day West Coast itinerary

On the West Coast route, cities are the stops, the real experience is the road in between. There are two separate routes between Los Angeles and San Francisco: the fast highway that goes inland and the slow road that follows the coast. This is the first decision to make when planning the route; The difference in time is five hours, and the difference in scenery is incomparable.

This route is 13 days and one-way: you land in Los Angeles, head out into the desert to Las Vegas, head north via Yosemite, and return from San Francisco. The vehicle is picked up in Los Angeles and dropped off in San Francisco; One-way drop-off fare is generally reasonable on this line.

Day distribution: how many nights where?

Four days in Los Angeles

Los Angeles is not a single city, but dozens of centers connected to each other by highways. The distance between two points of interest can easily take an hour in traffic; It is mandatory to establish the days according to geography.

• Griffith Observatory: the hilltop observatory offers free telescope observation and the best panorama of the city; The Hollywood sign is clearly visible from here. Going an hour before sunset allows you to see the city with its lights both day and night. The parking lot is full on weekends, the walking route from below is 30 minutes.
• Santa Monica Pier: Pier from 1909; The amusement park, the historic carousel, and the sign marking the west end of Route 66 are here. The pier itself is an hour's stop, but the bike path extends to Venice Beach, and that walk is the real highlight of the city's beach culture.
• Hollywood Walk of Fame: more than 2,700 stars embedded in the pavement and handprints in front of the Chinese Theater. Set the expectation right: the area is crowded, the shops are touristy, and the street itself is poorly maintained. One hour is enough; It's much more satisfying to go on one of the studio tours for the actual movie experience.
• Disneyland Anaheim: In Anaheim, 45 minutes from downtown; There are two separate parks together and one day is not enough for both. Tickets are priced by date and weekdays are noticeably cheaper. If it is not a trip with children, it makes sense to skip this item and allocate another day to the beach.
• Balboa Park, San Diego: 2 hours from Los Angeles if you can add a day to the route; 17 museums, botanical gardens and the zoo are in one park. The buildings built with Spanish colonial architecture are worth visiting on their own.

Las Vegas and surrounding desert

Two nights in Las Vegas is enough for most travelers; If you leave the city and head to the desert on the third day, the route becomes much more balanced. Driving downtown is unnecessary; it's faster to walk along the Strip or take the monorail.

• Las Vegas Strip: the main line lined with thematic hotels along the six-kilometer boulevard; Each hotel is a show area in itself and entrance is free. It can take 20 minutes to walk between two hotels that appear close on the map, because the buildings are huge. Evening hours are cool and the lights are on.
• Bellagio Fountains: water show on the lake synchronized with music; It is repeated every 15 minutes in the evening and is free. The best angle is from the sidewalk across the lake. When you look from the front of the hotel, you cannot see all the fountains.
• The Sphere: spherical showroom fully LED-covered inside and out; It is used for concerts and special production films, and its image resolution is currently unmatched in the world. The ticket is expensive, but the performance technique is an experience in itself; Compare the program schedule with your travel date.
• Red Rock Canyon: red sandstone canyon 30 minutes from the city; There are hiking trails along the 21-kilometer one-way vehicle route. In the summer months, the heat becomes unbearable after eight in the morning, so leave early. A time slot reservation may be required for entry by car.
• Hoover Dam: 221-meter-tall dam built in the 1930s; Descending into the turbine hall, the tour shows the engineering scale from the inside. 45 minutes from the city, on the way to the Grand Canyon. The entire dam is visible from the bridge passing over it.

Yosemite: reservations and schedule

Yosemite is the part of this route that requires the most planning. In the summer months, advance reservations are required to enter the park by car, and the quota is sold out weeks in advance. In-park accommodation opens and fills up a year in advance; Staying in Mariposa or Groveland is the realistic alternative.

• Yosemite National Park: glacier-carved granite valley; The 900-meter-high El Capitan wall and Yosemite Falls are the main symbols. The valley floor is flat and can be explored by free shuttle bus. The most efficient method is to leave your car and take the bus. The waterfalls are at their strongest flow between April and June, and most of them dry up by the end of August.
• Glacier Point: viewpoint showing the valley from 900 meters above; The entire Half Dome stands before you. The road is closed between November and May due to snow. When it is open, it takes 1 hour from the valley.
• Mariposa Grove: grove of thousand-year-old giant sequoias; The trunk diameter of the trees reaches 8 meters. A shuttle bus leaves from the parking lot to the grove, the walking route is 2 hours.
• Lake Tahoe: 4 hours north from Yosemite; A giant alpine lake within the Sierra Nevada, whose shores are divided between California and Nevada. It is a swimming resort in summer and a ski resort in winter. It's the right place if you're going to add two days to the route.

San Francisco and the coast

• Golden Gate Bridge: 2.7 kilometer long suspension bridge completed in 1937; It takes 40 minutes to walk along the pedestrian path. The fog is usually thick before noon, clearing in the afternoon; If you want to see the bridge clearly, move the program to the afternoon. The wind is cold in all seasons, bring a jacket.
• Alcatraz Island: former maximum security prison in the middle of the bay; The audio guide tour is narrated by the former guards and prisoners themselves, and this makes the visit very different from an ordinary museum. Tickets are sold only through the official operator and sell out weeks in advance during the summer months. Allow three hours including the ferry.
• Big Sur: The section south of San Francisco where the coastal road runs along cliffs above the ocean; Bixby Bridge is the symbol of this line. The one-way drive is 3 hours, but it's a full day with stops. The road is closed from time to time due to landslides, check the situation before leaving.
• Sierra alternative: 3.5 hours from San Francisco if you prefer mountains instead of the coast; Boating and walking on the lake in summer, skiing in winter.

Vehicle, distance and practical notes

• One-way rental car drop-off fees are generally low on the LA-San Francisco line, but can go up for drop-offs that change states; check at reservation.
• An annual pass for national park entrances is cheaper than buying individual tickets if you are going to more than three parks.
• Some bridges and fast lanes on highways are electronically tolled; If you do not receive the rental company's transponder package, the penalty arrives by mail and with an additional processing fee.
• In the desert section, the distance between two gas stations can be up to 150 kilometers; Fill the tank before it drops halfway and keep water with you.
• Apply for ESTA at least 72 hours before your flight; Approval is usually fast, but there is a possibility of delay.

When to go?

May-June and September-October are the most stable periods: Yosemite roads are clear, heat is bearable in the desert, fog is less in San Francisco. July-August is the peak of crowds and prices in the parks, plus daytime temperatures in Las Vegas and the desert region exceed 42 degrees. Glacier Point and some Yosemite trails are closed from November to April; On the other hand, the cities are cheap and quiet, and the coastal road is open in all seasons.