No trip to the United States of America is complete without a classical road trip. At least once in a lifetime, you must experience how it feels like being on the road, especially on the endless highways of the US; you must get to know the motel life; you must observe your reaction upon hearing your navigation system saying “drive 66 miles straight ahead”, and you don’t even get to see another car, or gas station along the way. We were doing exactly the same in May 2010 for two weeks in California followed by a fantastic ending in New York.
Here is my top 15 must-do list, you should not miss on a road trip in California (sorry, I could not narrow it down – every day had its own highlight), in the order we visited.
1. Explore San Francisco on foot
San Francisco is unique, different from the most American big cities. The skyscrapers and ugly buildings do not dominate the picture, and it is a pedestrian friendly city. You can walk almost everywhere here on the streets
built upon the steep hills. In around 5 days we spent here, we stepped almost on every corner between Union Square and Golden Gate Bridge, but we couldn’t develop any logic to follow the shortest path without changing the elevation. At times, it was exhausting to walk up and down, but it was so much fun (and workout). If you are good on foot, maybe you can accomplish the quest, which we couldn’t? Tell me when you have succeeded in finding out the shortcuts without elevation difference!
2. Take an evening tour to Alcatraz, aka The Rock
You will certainly do all the touristic activities in San Francisco, like riding a cable car, but make sure not to miss out on the Alcatraz tour. To guarantee your spot on board, book your ticket online, ideally for the evening tour to see the San Francisco skyline at night. I am not going to spend any words on the famous Alcatraz’s history. If you haven’t heard of it yet, or don’t have much knowledge, go to the corner and stay on one foot until you’ve done your homework! 🙂
3. Feel the power of wind at Point Reyes National Seashore
Have I already mentioned that bad weather is a must for my travels? Yep, this was no exception that we spent couple of hours at the Point Reyes under a heavy rain, fog and wind. We were able to afford a glimpse of the ocean from the lighthouse without flying away. Chances are that it is mostly windy here, but if not, lucky you! Don’t forget to hike on the several trails in this spectacular region.
4. Stroll through the California’s Capital, Sacramento
Sacramento was a nice surprise that I enjoyed strolling through its streets a lot. Old Sacramento State Historic Park is a very well preserved western gold mine town, resembling the ones seen on the movies. Spare a few hours in “Old Sac” for an insight into the America of 19th century. The modern Sacramento was also super nice, green and pedestrian friendly. In this part of the city, you must visit especially the State Capitol, it is amazing to step inside an American governmental building, and see them on work. Tip: if the legislature is in session, you are allowed to join watch.
4. Laze around at Lake Tahoe
5. Step into the Indian history at Indian Grinding Rock SHP
If you are driving around, and have an hour to spare, don’t miss this lovely spot.
6. Get lost in Yosemite National Park
Don’t skip the Mariposa Groove at the southern entrance/exit of the park. I found the sequoia collections here even better than the ones in Sequoia National Park. In the forest of the giants, aka Sequoia NP, my brain was not able to process the difference between “a giant” and “the giant”. I am not saying that you should not visit Sequoia NP, but the size of the giants were more remarkable and impressive in Mariposa Groove, at least for me.
Can you spot me on the picture above? Tip: my arms are stretched out.
7. Enjoy the American Riviera, aka Santa Barbara
8. Sip a cup of coffee in the Danish town Solvang
9. Take the Studio Tour of Universal Studios, LA
10. Sleep tight in Cambria
11. Watch the noisy elephant seals at Piedras Blancas
12. Admire the Mother Nature’s Beauty at Point Lobos
13. Let Carmel-by-the-Sea astonish you
14. Monterey Bay Aquarium
How about watching the sardine run here in one of the open sea galleries? The real one happens in South Africa each year in June/July -a bucket list item with ifs and buts…
15. Do pause at the vista points along the way
How about this one somewhere on the way to LA?
Practical Info
I did not book any hotels ahead of time, except the ones in San Francisco and New York. But it was a big mistake not to book an accommodation in Yosemite National Park in advance. Here accommodation options are more than scarce compared to the number of visitors. It was not a public holiday, nor weekend, but all lodges were fully booked that we had to drive all the way back to Mariposa. We were lucky to get the last available room in Mariposa around 10 pm: the couple showed up just a few seconds later had to sleep in the car. Backpacker mind didn’t work out in this case, obviously not only for us. I would imagine this is applicable to all the national parks, or the small cities around them. So, the first tip: do book your stay in or around national parks ahead of time, or not even consider driving to the parks without calling ahead to confirm a free spot.
Arrived in San Francisco, we visited as the first thing the Visitor Information Center to get a booklet with discount coupons for accommodation and other stuff. Doing so, we saved some percents on the list rates of hotels/motels along the way -not only for the no-name ones, but also for the well known chains. The second tip: do get the booklet from information center if you want to save some money.
I booked the rental car (4-door Dodge) online at Alamo for around 400 EUR/14 days. As the navigation rental rate was high, I noted down two “Best Buy” addresses in San Francisco, where we drove there navigating as in the old days, and bought for the same amount of money our own navigation system. I would highly recommend doing the same to everyone. The third tip: do invest in your own navigation system.
I had put a rough itinerary together, to allow some flexibility and guide through the attractions of each day. Of course, the real deal was different than the plan, but that was the good part of it, to be spontaneous and being able to make amendments on-the-fly. The fourth tip: do have a rough itinerary, but don’t be too strict.
Finally, enjoy the ride in this grand, amazing and diverse country!
PS: If you have read this long post until here, a huge thank you! And please excuse the shitty photos taken with my old point-and-shoot Canon Ixus 75 camera.