Here is an outline of how Anthony and I spent 3 weeks road tripping from Disneyland to Las Vegas and through four national parks to San Francisco. Please feel free to use this as a guideline when planning your own trip and refer to my specific blog posts for more details. We visited the end of March and unfortunately ran into a very late spring, so I encourage you to research the best time of year to visit considering your interests. Also, stay tuned for a new “US National Park Postcards” section for more details. Questions? Please feel free to contact me here. I’m happy to share more tips from our experience.
Day #1
Arrive at LAX and take the bus to Disneyland
Dinner reservations at Steakhouse 55 at Disneyland Hotel
Accommodation: Disneyland Grand Californian Resort
Day #2
Battle of the Disneys
Disneyland and California Adventure Parks with Park Hopper Pass
Accommodation: Disneyland Grand Californian Resort
Day #3
Disneyland and California Adventure Parks with Park Hopper Pass
Lunch reservations at Blue Bayou in Disneyland Park
Accommodation: Disneyland Grand Californian Resort
Day #4
Pick up rental car and drive 2 hours for day trip to Joshua Tree National Park
Noah Purifoy Outdoor Desert Art Museum
Accommodation: Disneyland Grand Californian Resort
Day #5
“Three Best Friends that Anyone Could Have”
Leave Disneyland and drive 4 hours to Las Vegas
Elmer’s Bottle Tree Ranch
Pioneer Saloon
Seven Magic Mountains
Drop off rental car in Las Vegas
Accommodation: Las Vegas strip
Day #6
Brunch at Wicked Spoon at The Cosmopolitan
Happy half hour on The LINQ observation wheel during the day
Cirque du Soleil “O” at The Bellagio
Accommodation: Las Vegas strip
Day #7
Downtown Vegas
Dinner reservations at Top of Binion’s Steakhouse
Accommodation: Las Vegas strip
Day #8
Pool day
Accommodation: Las Vegas strip
Day #9
Hottest, Driest, Lowest: Death Valley Part 1
Pick up rental car
Leave Las Vegas and drive 2.5 hours to Death Valley
Zabriskie Point
Badwater Basin
Artist’s Palette
Accommodation: Panamint Springs Resort
Day #10
Hottest, Driest, Lowest: Death Valley Part 2
Farabee Jeeps 4WD tour of the Racetrack la Playa
Accommodation: Panamint Springs Resort
Day #11
Leave Death Valley and drive 5 hours to Sequoia National Park
Accommodation: Three Rivers, CA
*Please note that it is California law to carry tire chains year-round*
Day #12
Sequoia National Park *check seasonal road closures*
Tunnel Rock
Hospital Rock Trailhead
Moro Rock
Tunnel Log
General Sherman Tree
The Watchtower
Dinner reservations at Ol Buckaroo
Accommodation: Three Rivers, CA
Day #13
Kings Canyon National Park *check seasonal road closures*
General Grant Tree
Grizzly Falls Picnic Area
Roaring River Falls
Zumwalt Meadows
Rae Lakes
Accommodation: Three Rivers, CA
Day #14
Leave Sequoia/Kings Canyon and drive 2.5 hours to Yosemite National Park
Yosemite Valley
Accommodation: Mariposa, CA
Day #15
Yosemite National Park
Tunnel View
Bridalveil Fall
Yosemite Falls
Half Dome
Accommodation: Mariposa, CA
Day #16
Yosemite National Park
Hetch Hetchy Valley *Tioga Road closed winters*
Accommodation: Mariposa, CA
Day #17
Vineyard Views
Leave Yosemite and drive 3.5 hours to Napa Valley
Jamieson Ranch in Napa Valley
Accommodation: Healdsburg
Day #18
Winery hopping in Sonoma Valley
Kendall Jackson
Banshee tasting room in Healdsburg
Accommodation: Healdsburg
Day #19
Whatever happened to predictability?
Leave Sonoma Valley and drive 1.5 hours to San Francisco across Golden Gate Bridge
Return rental car
Dinner reservations at Capo’s
Accommodation: San Francisco
Day #20
Sea lions at Pier 39
Alcatraz night tour
Accommodation: San Francisco
Day #21
Brunch in Haight Ashbury
Bar hopping in the neighborhood
Painted Ladies
Lombart Street
Accommodation: San Francisco
Day #22
Fly home
Steph Dobson 