California Coast Trip

laurenfvallee,
How many days do you have to devote to California between your two stays in New Jersey? You will gain 3 hours coming out west, and lose 3 going back to New Jersey. If possible, maybe you could do all your New Jersey visiting at one end of the trip and arrive at or fly home from California? If not, that's okay. Flights between coasts can be 5-6 hours long (just air time). Just be aware that you will lose most of 2 whole days to moving between coasts.
Whatever you decide, if you have 7 days for a trip you can experience a lot. California has deserts, mountains, the ocean, lakes and gorgeous forests (especially the redwoods). Wineries are all over the state. Youy don't have to go to Napa for some great wine tasting. My personal favorite tasting areas are Sonoma County and Mendocino County, right next to Napa County....less snooty and less expensive. The Paso Robles and San Luis Obispo areas (San Luis Obispo County) has some excellent wineries also. There are wine regions from San Diego County into Oregon and Washington. A few are so-so and many are excellent. There are quite a few olive oil tasting rooms too at olive orchards.
If you drove from LA up past San Francisco, the best route would be Hwy 101 (and parts of Hwy 1)...through Ventura, Santa Barbara, San Luis Obispo, Paso Robles, Carmel, Monterey, Santa Cruz. You could stop at San Francisco for a day or two and then go north visiting Muir Woods Natl. Park, over to Sonoma County, then back along Hwy. 128 to the coast again. The coastline along this stretch is beautiful, as is the drive on Hwy 128. Mendocino is a great seaside town to stop in.

This route, with a few short side drives, will take you past several missions: San Buenaventura, Santa Barbara, Santa Inez, La Purissima, San Luis Obispo, San Miguel Arcangel, San Antonio, Soledad, San Carlos (Carmel), San Juan Bautista, Santa Cruz, Santa Clara, San Jose, San Francisco de Assisi, San Rafael, and San Francisco Solano. (I have left out the southernmost five.) Of course, you can't see them all. Some are barely footprints of the original mission, but a stop at Santa Barbara, San Miguel, San Juan Bautista and Carmel would give you a variety of experiences. You need spend only an hour at each to get the gist of mission life and culture. Some are active churches, some more like museums, some bare bones, but they are a big part of California history.

Along the coast are several small and medium size towns with nice coastal walks. Moonstone Beach just north of Cambria, Montana de Oro State Park near Avila Beach, Muir Woods, the Mendocino coast (chock full of great coastal walks). (Just north of Moonstone Beach is Seal Beach, where elephant seals come to give birth. There is an elevated walkway near the road to check them out without disturbing them.

Hubby and I have made numerous road trips all over California (we have been in every county at least twice, and some over a dozen times). I actually get antsy for a road trip if we haven't been for almost a year. I haven't even mentioned central or eastern California because you have so little time. But if you want to see what else is on offer, there is Palm Springs and surroundings (desert), the Mojave Desert, and the Sonoran Desert (wherein lies Death Valley, the lowest point in North America, over 280 ft below sea level). These are all in Southern California.
And there is the central valley (some wineries here also, not as notable but not too bad either), a huge farming and ranching area. There are a couple of interesting stops, but less than a long the coast. If interested PM me. The valley climbs up to the Sierra Nevada mountain range...forests and lakes and Mt. Whitney (highest point in the contiguous states).The mountains are home to Yosemite Natl. Park, Sequoia Natl. Park and Kings Canyon Natl. Park. I am among many who feel Yosemite is the most beautiful of all our national parks (But I haven't seen them all!)

To continue.....You can take Hwy 395 north to Lake Tahoe, a beautiful lake (the largest Alpine lake in North America) surrounded by forests. It divides California and Nevada. Also a long 395 (before Tahoe) is Mono Lake with its tufa towers (easier to look them up than explain).

The inland part of California North of San Francisco, and east of Naps/Sonoma, west of the Sierra Nevada, up to Oregon is the Shasta/Cascades area....mountains, lakes, forests and Lassen National Park It is more rural, less visited and developed.
Oops, I forget gold country...mostly in the Sierra foothills on the west side. Hwy 49 follows a trail through the gold rush towns. There is a lot of 19th century history there and we enjoyed a week following that route on our 6 week delayed honeymoon, camping and sleeping in a tube tent with WWII sleeping bags, a double sterno for cooking, and traveling ina VW beetle. That was 54 years ago. It is still special, even without the nostalgia!
In just about all of California you can find good hikes and walks, but they are sparser in the central valley. It will be tough to choose. I think your first instinct to go the coastal route is a good c hoice for your first visit to California. It has the variety, the scenery, the activities and the ambience to make this trip special.
Have a great visit. Welcome to the US and California!

Judy has done an excellent job of answering your question and giving you some great ideas! Do you have specific things you actually wanted to see in LA? I'm an LA girl originally, frankly IMO I would skip it and just fly to SFO, you can then do the more beautiful (sorry, my opinion) parts of this trip from SFO, saving yourself driving in LA & the ugly bits! Was there a specific reason to visit Palm Springs? It's a few hours east of LA, so that would take at least a day out of your trip, wouldn't be as high on my list as SF, Monterey Peninsula & redwoods.

Just a side note, Highway 1 along the coast is closed mid way between Paso Robles & Monterey, due to a large landslide several years ago. No idea when it might open again. You could easily pick up a car at LAX and drive to Santa Barbara to spend the night, a lovely seaside town. MIND THE RUSH HOUR!

Leaving LAX pick your timing. If you want to drive up the coast, you will have to go inland at San Luis Obispo, drive up Hwy 101, and IMO I would cross over to Monterey & Carmel because it's a lovely area with plenty of walking areas along cliffs & beaches. SO much to see and do there! I really like Los Lobos National Park, just south of Carmel. AND Carmel State Beach might be my favorite place to take a walk along the cliffs, against what little traffic there is, and then walk back through the beautiful neighborhood back to car. Just did this a few weeks ago. DON'T leave any valuables visible in car when visiting the Ba Area, so many tourists make for easy pickings!

My favorite view in SF is to either drive to Crissy Fields and walk out under the GG Bridge, and or go to the Legion of Honor museum and take a stroll, beautiful views through the treees.

There are plenty of redwood parks along the route - near Santa Cruz and of course Muir Woods within driving distance of SF, (prior tickets easy to book on-line, even same day unless high season). I would consider staying in Sausalito, a very charming small town just over Golden Gate Bridge, yes there's a toll but it's so much nicer than staying in 'the city'. (Take the first exit immediately after the GG bridge, it will take you on a small, windy road into Sausalito.)

Let me know if you'd like restaurant recommendations in Monterey, and hotels there and in Sausalito. Have a great trip!

Thank you so much to you both for such detailed replies - it's a great help! We would have around 10 nights to spend in California in total. Let me have a look in more detail on these suggestions.

Here is a suggested itinerary that covers best of SoCal and NorCal, based on your interests.

Days 1 and 2: Arrive in LAX on a weekend morning to avoid the worst of the traffic. So if you take an early morning flight from east coast, you will be landing in LAX around 10am.
Things to do /see in LA area - pick and choose depending on your specific interests:
- Getty museum - fascinating art collection and amazing city views
- La Brea Tar Pits and Museum - natural history, including well preserved skeletons of pre-historic animals
- Venice Beach and Santa Monica beach walk - beach side walk, some great people watching. Venice Beach had a major problem with homeless and junkies, but has been cleaned up quite a bit recently, so it's a pleasant walk these days
- Universal Studios tour (skip the roller coaster theme park) OR Warner Brothers Studio Tour (cheaper than Universal).
Some notes of caution:
- Avoid downtown area - terrible homeless problem in LA
- Skip Hollywood area - it's a disappointing tourist trap and not very safe
- Skip Disneyland as well - it's a nightmare
For dining, avoid expensive restaurants to save time and (a lot of) money, and stick with inexpensive local options, (like mexican food), and In-n-Out Burger. These will be your best value for the money.

Day 3: Take a side trip to Joshua Tree National Park (3 hours east of LA). The great thing about Joshua Tree is that it's a "drive-through" park. You can enjoy the scenery from the car and stop along the way for short to medium hikes.

Day 4: Drive north on 101 until you reach Santa Barbara. (2 hours from LA)
Spend a full day in Santa Barbara. It has (arguably) the most beautiful Mission in California; walk-able downtown and a wonderful beach side promenade, with some amazing views.
Accommodation in Santa Barbara can be ridiculously expensive, so you may choose to drive some more north to Solvang. It's a touristy (but enjoyable) town, with good hotel and dining options, less expensive than SB.

Days 5 and 6: Continue north on 101. Skip Paso Robles -it's a great town for wine tasting, but there are more convenient options up north. Keep going until you reach Salinas, then take Hwy 68 and set directions for Carmel Valley. This is where you stop for wine tasting. There are two Carmels: Carmel-by-the-Sea (beach town) and Carmel Valley (wine tasting). They are about 30 minutes away from each other. Carmel Valley remains a well-kept secret - it offers some of the best wine California has to offer, and it's almost always not crowded. Plus because it's small, you may get a chance to actually meet the winemakers.
Spend the two full days between both Carmels; Monterey (walk along the shore and Cannery Row) and Point Lobos State Park. Point Lobos has been described as "the greatest meeting of land and water in the world." It used be a well kept secret, but became a lot more crowded in recent years. Come later in the afternoon on weekdays to avoid the crowds.

Day 7: continue north on Hwy 1 and visit Santa Cruz - picturesque beach town with good seafood and surfer-watching. Then continue north for one hour until Half Moon Bay. Rent bikes there and enjoy a shoreline bike ride with fantastic scenery. There are good hotel options in HMB if you choose to spend the night there. Another option in the same area is Butano State Park - relatively easy hike through a beautiful forest, with hardly anyone around. Watch under your feet for the famous Banana Slugs!

Day 8: drive north for 1 hour to San Francisco. Personally I would not spend more than 1 full day in SF. It looks a lot better on a screen than in person. There is an ongoing homeless problem that is more concentrated than in LA because it's a much smaller city. Skirt the core of the city by visiting Golden Gate Bridge; Alcatraz; Legion of Honor. Take the ferry across the bay for great views. Hotel accommodations will be either very expensive or an absolute dump.

continues below...

I live in LA and agree with above poster that you should focus on Northern California. LA, Paso Robles, and Palm Springs would be disappointing and take extra time. It's a shame that Hwy 1 is closed. Fly into SF and spend a few days, depending on interests. Go further north to hike in the redwoods and visit the coast. Sonoma is a cute area. Yosemite Valley is gorgeous if you can get there.

...continued

Days 9-10: side trips to see the big trees. Drive over to Calaveras Big Trees State Park. This is a great place to see the giant sequoias without the crowds, about 3 hour drive east from SF. Along the way stop at Columbia State Historic Park - it's a well preserved gold mining town where you can learn the history of California Gold Rush.
More great day trips from Bay Area:
- Pinnacles National Park (2 hours south). Great if you like geology and interesting rock formations. Pinnacles is a one-half of an ancient volcano that's been torn apart by San Andreas fault. The other half is hundreds of miles away in southern California.
- Muir Woods National Monument (45 min north). Giant Redwoods (not sequoias). A bit more crowded than Big Trees.
- Alexander Valley for wine tasting. Great wine tasting that's less crowded and less expensive than Napa / Sonoma. Quality of wine you would actually get is just as good.

FYI...The Alexander Valley is a wine area within Sonoma County, as is the Russian River valley and the Dry Creek area, all good wine tasting locations. I would Google wine tasting Sonoma County and wine tasting Mendocino County to see the dozens and dozens of vineyards for tasting. There are also many charming towns to stay in in the area. Even Napa County has some less pretentious but excellent tasting rooms. They are just harder to find than in the other two counties. You can probably find an online chart or map online from the local Chamber of Commerce or Tourist Authority.
I concur with the Carmel Valley recommendations. It is a lovely drive from Hwy 101 to the coast through the low hills to Carmel. The wine tastings there have been, in my experience, a bit pricy, but the drive is lovely.
Happy sipping!

Another thought. California is about the size of France, but more elongated. With distances you will have to pick and choose which areas to see. For instance, Joshua Tree National Park is unique but out of the way, and going to and coming back from there will use up 2 days, if you want to spend any time there. I would see it on another visit. Yosemite is often very crowded and needs early planning. To go there from LA plan on a half day's drive and 2 nights there to take in its beauty. Then another good half day back to the coastal areas (which, IMO, are the best choice for your trip). Of course, you could drive from Joshua Tree to Yosemite (or Kings Canyon or Sequoia and make a 4 day trip of that, then back to the coast. Your options are many, but I think your original plan to go north from LA gives you the best use of and enjoyment of you time. Fly back to New Jersey from San Francisco. It would be no problem dropping off your rental car from LA in SF.
Happy travels!

Since I live in the San Francisco Bay Area, I would recommend you visit Northern California first.

Fly into SFO. Stay in a hotel near Fisherman's wharf or Union Square.

Visit Chinatown, Visit Alcatraz Island, bicycle the Marina to the Golden Gate Bridge, and bike or walk it over to the view point in Marin County.
take a ferry ride from SF to Sausalito and Back. do the HoHo bus if you want.
Lots to visit in SF.

Spend a day and drive to Muir Woods NP. to see giant Coastal redwoods. (so you don't have to drive further north to the state or national parks with redwood trees, unless you want to) Muir Woods- Reservations required. You won't get in or get parking without reservations.

Visit the Napa Valley wine country. Either take a tour (someone else drives, so you can drink) or drive yourself.

When you're finished visiting the SF Bay Area, drive East to

Visit Yosemite National Park. It's a long drive, so you may want to spend 2-3 days here. Stay in the park. Advanced reservations may be required just to enter.

Visit Monterey and. Carmel and stay there for 2 nights. Visit Point Lobos State Park. You could visit Big Sur, but you would have to backtrack as Hwy 1 further south is closed.

Then either fly or drive to Los Angeles. I-5 is boring, but will only take 6 hours. If you have time, drive south on Hwy 101. after you visit Carmel and Monterey. Since Hwy 1 is closed, you would go back to Hwy 101 and drive south. Skip Paso Robles. Stay on the beach in Cambria, and visit Hearst Castle and see Morro bay.

Drive south to Santa Barbara., maybe lunch in Solvang, Stay in SB or in Carpinteria or Montecito near the ocean.
Then drive south on the Ventura Freeway. (sing Ventura Highway as loud as you can while driving this) then exit 101, and take Hwy 1 along the coast to Santa Monica. I think the roads are open since the fire.

You're in LA now.
Visit whatever your interests are in LA. Getty Museum? Universal Studios? Griffin Observatory?
(there are the tourist things to do in LA, Hollywood sign, Hollywood Blvd, but I'm not recommending them, just mentioning only.)

From here, you decide whether to go East through the desert to Palm Springs, If you are headed east, then consider Joshua Tree NP, further east is Death Valley NP (but I wouldn't do it past June. I visited in June and temperatures were in the 100's F.)

If you go east, you might as well drive to Las Vegas, NV and fly home from there.

Or drive South to San Diego. Lots of things to visit in that section. Mission San Juan Capistrano ( see a California Mission) Lots of beach towns. Orange County has Disneyland.

Visit San Diego. Then either fly home from San Diego or drive back North to Los Angeles and fly out from LAX.

California is a large state, so to avoid 100's of miles of driving, I suggest you concentrate on an area. It's taken me 40 years to see and visit the entire state- and I still haven't been to Kings Canyon.

Just want to add that the Legion of Honor Museum mentioned by Sandancisco is a small but excellent art museum in Lincoln Park (an outpost of the Legion museum in Paris near the Musee d'Orsay). And the views from its grounds are terrific, especially of the Golden Gate bridge. If you spend a full day in SF, take a cable car, wander along the Embarcadero, get some lunch at the ferry building stalls and sit on a bench waterside to watch the ferries dock. GG Park is a nice daylong adventure, with lots of gardens, museums, sometimes concerts, walks, and other features, but can be crowded most summer days.
Sausalito is lovely with lots of waterside restaurants (on the pricy side...the views!) San Anselmo and Mill Valley are also nice...it's just a pretty nice little county. I do know San Anselmo has a walkable section with several nice restaurants but am less familiar with Sausalito and other towns. As mentioned before, Muir Woods is very nice and very popular. Google redwood forests in California for a list of the locations where you can see the trees. There are many! They are inspiring.
Okay, I talk too much. I am done. Bon Voyage!

I really, really recommend that you visit Yosemite National Park. It is beautiful and seems a shame to come all this way and not see it.

The LA Airport is the worst one I've ever been to. I would fly in and out of San Francisco, which might mean skipping LA completely.

Yes, LAX is horrible if you have to change planes there, and in general the traffic around there sucks, but believe it or not, it used to be worse when there wasn't a designated lot for shared ride and bus pickup. Almost as bad as Heathrow and Frankfurt.

Instead of doubling back to SFO, there are flights from Santa Barbara to New York or Newark (don't know which airports) but no nonstop ones.
Likewise, NYC area to Santa Barbara. LA also has Burbank Airport which is closer to getting out of LA and off to the coast and Santa Barbara. You might check for one way flights to or from Burbank or Santa Barbara.
I live in the greater LA area and enjoy my life here, and there is lots to see and do, but for your trip I would definitely skip LA.
Head north.

I agree about LAX being crowded, but you could fly there and get a shuttle bus to Santa Barbara, then rent a car from there. Santa Barbara is beautiful and would be a nice place to relax and get over jet lag. https://www.sbairbus.com/lax-shuttle-schedule-fares/

If you want some lovely places that aren't as crowded as Carmel or Monterey or Napa, head to the Central Coast and visit Paso Robles (both the town and the surrounding vineyards and wineries). It has fewer crowds than Napa and is less expensive. Farther south, Solvang is a fun town to visit. Have you seen the movie "Sideways"? A lot of that was filmed in this area.

San Luis Obispo is nearby and a nice place to visit (plan a stop at the Madonna Inn for a look at this really quirky motel), and you could head a bit south to Cambria, with its charming beaches and quaintness. I love Cambria and it is definitely worth visiting. You could also head to Hearst Castle, and stop to see the sea lions at San Simeon, which are really fascinating.

Another vote for Yosemite

I've been up and down the coast a few times. Our family trip a few years ago was fly into SF > drive to Pismo Beach/SLO > drive to LA > drive to SD > fly out of San Diego in 10 nights. I think knowing your priorities would help more. Muir Woods is good for a day trip but Yosemite would require at least two days. You mention nature activities but are you also urban explorers? Because I could ex[plore the streets of San Francisco all day. As someone mentioned above, don't sleep on the central coast for wines. SLO/Cambria/Solvang is great and convenient for breaking up a long N/S drive. Some folks might be down on LA but there are decent hiking options, not to mention Hollywood stuff. And San Diego offers a very different vibe. And I like the idea of Palm Springs in late April. You really can't go wrong.

We enjoy going to National Parks and are planning a trip in June to go to the Joshua Tree National Park in Joshua Tree CA. It is not too far from Palm Springs; one place you mentioned. We are staying at a brand new hotel called RESET. It is very unique as the rooms are out of shipping containers. We figured we could explore the park and then relax at the hotel.

San Diego has many nice hiking trails and an up and coming wine area in the Ramona area. Hope this helps!

IMO, Southern California is by far the better place to live, but Northern California is by far the better place to visit. Going to Napa and Sonoma doesn't obligate you to drink their wines! Honestly, if you're into cabernet sauvignon, the best values come from Washington state: Horse Heaven Hills and Walla Walla areas. But you can find those at the Total Wine store in Santa Rosa.

Lauren,

You have picked a perfect time to visit California as Spring is so lovely. I am a native Californian, living now in the San Francisco Bay Area, and have visited most of the state. You have already received so many good ideas. If you want a taste of California, this would be my recommendation.

Taste of California (LA to San Francisco)

• Fly into LA, take Shuttle to Santa Barbara (stay 2 nights in Santa Barbara) and get your rental here. It is known as the American Riviera. Beautiful beaches, fabulous food, great wine tasting in the FUNK ZONE, and relaxation. This is one of my favorite places to visit. You can visit the Channel Islands National Park encompasses five remarkable islands (day long boat excursion). Isolation over thousands of years has created unique animals, plants, and archeological resources found nowhere else on Earth and helped preserve a place where visitors can experience coastal southern California as it once was.

• Drive to Cambria, stay 2 nights (ideally on Moonstone beach): Cambria is a 2 hour drive from Santa Barbara, along the way stop for lunch in Los Olivos (the Los Olivos Wine Merchant and Cafe has amazing food, ate there the other day, huge portions, so you can share), visit Fess Parker Winery (tastings start at $40/person), and then drive to Cambria for a lovely Central Coast Beach stay. We visit Cambria a few times of year, very rocky beaches, lovely hiking trails, great food, and you can visit Hearst Castle and then wine taste at Hearst Winery right across the street for spectacular ocean views. If you arrive on the weekends, their food trucks have well priced and delicious meals. Otherwise, they have picnic supplies.

• Drive up Highway 1 to Carmel and either stay 3 nights or if you like, stay 1 night in Big Sur. Highway 1 may or may not be open when you visit as we have experienced closures over the past several years due to storm erosion. However, this is one of the most beautiful drives in the world and it is well worth it to traverse. When you leave Cambria, stop at the Elephant Seal Rookery. In the spring, there are hundreds of adult females and juveniles on the beach that are molting. Go up to Big Sur and stay in one of the yurts at Treebones resort for a night. After you leave Big Sur, continue on Highway 1 up the coast to Carmel or Monterey (Monterey is more affordable, Carmel more charming. Take the 17-mile drive, walk the path from Pacific Grove to Monterey, visit the Aquarium, and if you like whale watching, I prefer to watch whale here rather than Santa Barbara.

• Drive up Highway 1 to San Francisco and stay the remaining 3 nights. One the way, stop at Duarte Tavern in Pescadero it has been an operating tavern since 1894. You can then stop in Half Moon bay to explore the small town for shopping or if you prefer a more lively and better beach scene, then in Santa Cruz. If you are also so inclined, you can stop and taste wine in Santa Cruz as they have some great wineries, not too far off the Highway.

• Stay your final days in San Francisco. I would recommend that you stay either on the Embarcadero near the Ferry Building (close to public transport, ferries, and walking to great restaurants) or Fisherman's wharf. I have been up to San Francisco 6 times over the past month and the Union Square area is a bit safer than it use to be, but you are surrounded by the Tenderloin which has a lot issues, I doubt they will be resolved by next year. In San Francisco, you have so many options, my favorites are taking a food tour of the Mission or Chinatown, visiting Tunnel Tops at the Presidio National Park, Walking across the Bay Bridge, taking a ferry to Sausalito. You can also plan to do day trips. Sonoma is an hour from Napa with great wineries and cute town square. Muir Woods is very close (just book in advance or take a tour).

If you need specific recommendations on places to eat, stay, just PM me.

On the way out of San Francisco to Los Angeles we stopped in San Jose at the WInchester Mystery house and loved it so much I have been there three times a!ready. Some.people say if is too "touristy!! It is fascinating. Also enjoyed Hearst Castle. Another tourist attraction. We have done three out of their tours. If you can be down by Fisherman's Wharf at sunset on a clear day the view of the bridge bathed in the setting sun is great. Enjoy your trip!

Yet another vote for Yosemite.
Stay at the historic Ahwahnee Hotel:
https://www.travelyosemite.com/lodging/the-ahwahnee
We loved this place.
We were visiting a friend in Sacramento who drove us out to Yosemite for several days of hiking.
Gorgeous views every place you look; spectacular waterfalls, mountains, rivers, trails.

I love Yosemite and have been there often, but it is an outlier for their trip in the time they have. The coast route seems to cover more of what they want to see and do in their two weeks. However, as indicated before, California has an abundance of riches for visitors (and I am not including the Disney-like things) so the OP has lots to examine before deciding on what they will do. Best of luck to them and all our visitors to come. Bienvenue a Californie!

Not sure if anyone mentioned this already—I may have missed it. If you’re considering staying in a national park lodge, hotel, or cabin, reservations open up a year in advance. It’s highly recommended to book early. Enjoy your travel planning!

I would suggest concentrating on the state's central coast, lovely, serene, picturesque areas. LA is a lot of things, positive and negative including being gritty and just plain "urban blight." I like LA but one needs to get use to it, also a real task.

Lauren,
Just curious...have you made any decisions about your trip to California? We all have put our two cents in and hope whatever you decide you will have a wonderful time. Thanks!

Lauren,
Judy did give you a lot of information. It’s all pretty hard to digest in words alone, though. Get a nice California Guide Book, like Lonely Planet.

California is 800 miles from top to bottom, long enough to have over 1000 miles of ocean shoreline, and wide enough to have a coastal mountain range, one of the most productive and largest agricultural valleys in the world, the Sierra Nevada mountain range that includes the tallest peak in the 48 contiguous states, inland deserts and nine national parks, major cities (San Francisco, LA and San Diego) and charming towns and regions including all that you and others mentioned. Traffic congestion can be an issue.

What you can see in a week or 10 days has to be limited. Your outline actually isn’t too bad for 10 days, but if you want to include a national park - particularly Yosemite - you should probably extend your trip by a couple of days - or make it three weeks.

What do you want to see in LA? Museums, Hollywood, Disneyland, beaches? You only have time for two full days (3 nights)

If you want Palm Springs and want to spend 3 nights there, you could do a day trip to Joshua Tree NP, which in interesting but does not have the grandeur of the major national parks in the Sierras: Sequoia, Kings Canyon and Yosemite.

You don’t mention Santa Barbara a nice, small city up the coast from LA. The wine country north of there around Santa Ynez and Los Olivos is lovely but not any cheaper than Napa, probably. [Someone mentioned Sonoma, north of SF, and the Sonoma Valley and Russian River wine country (mostly in Sonoma County) is my fave.] Anyway, one night along that Central Coast - perhaps Paso Robles - gives you time to explore and not spend hours and hours in the car.

Monterey, Carmel and Big Sur are places we love to visit. Not far from “Silicon Valley” where our son lives. 3 nights. So now you’re up to 10 nights if you head out to the desert. BTW a lovely and modestly priced place to stay on the Monterey Peninsula is Asilomar. Ocean front state park with reasonable lodge/motel style lodgings.

SF. Again, what do you want to do? City? Museums? Golden Gate Park? Head across the Golden Gate to Sausalito/Marin County/Muir Woods. 3 days, 4 nights minimum? Well, now you’ve passed 2 weeks and you have just 7-10 days.

Add Yosemite and you’re at 2-1/2 weeks and we still haven’t gotten you to the Sonoma wine country, though you could skip Sausalito/Marin and Muir Woods and do Sonoma as a day trip from SF.

One other consideration … from San Diego to Sonoma, there are 21 missions from the 1700s. Your trip seems to largely follow that trail. See one.

I was born in California (SF Bay Area), lived there through college (UC Berkeley) and go back to visit friends and family at least once a year. Love it.

LATE NOTE. if you want to stay at the Ahwahnee or the more modest Yosemite Lodge inside the park in the late spring or summer months, you probably need to make your reservations 11 or 12 months in advance. We are staying at Yosemite Valley Lodge later this month and made those reservations close to a year ago. *So, to stay inside Yosemite next April or May, get on line immediately and see what is available *

Also, I see JimWebb suggests you can cover this ground in much less time than I suggest. And he suggests lovely places you can go, such as both Yosemite NP and Calaveras Redwoods State Park, as well as Point Lobos state park (which is wonderful and very near Carmel), on the way south to Big Sur. I just don’t think you can cover all the ground that he suggests in significantly less than 2-1/2 to 3 weeks. BTW, the sequoia trees at Calaveras are magnificent. But there are also sequoia trees at Mariposa Grove and two other, smaller groves inside Yosemite Park (all are in other places than Yosemite Valley)

OP posted this on 4/17 and after 27 replies no response………just say’in.

Everyone gave great suggestions. I live on the coastline ( Santa Barbara ). Not to be a Debbie Downer but May is the beginning of costal fog weather. We call it May gray and June gloom. It can be quite depressing if you are a sun person. The fog can hug the coast for days on end. Some years are foggier than others. The fog clears by late afternoon, with occasional days where the sun does not appear. The good news is that just a few miles inland, it will be sunny and warm.

I lived in CA from 1960 until 2022; and even in all that time, there were many worthwhile places I never got to. I think you need to make a list, then start paring. Here are some priorities.

Redwood forest: Muir Woods Nat’l Monument. (I think you may need reservations.) It’s close to S.F. Drive or walk across the Golden Gate Bridge.

San Francisco: Taking a a tour of some sort might be a good idea. HOHO or other. You do not want to drive! It’s full of very steep hills, and parking is terrible. There are lots of different neighborhoods, many of them ethnic enclaves. Golden Gate Park, itself, can fill a day.

South of S.F. and Monterey area: Best by car: however, as someone warned, it might be very foggy. In that case, getting there by a more inland route would be better. For me, the star attraction is Pt. Lobos State Reserve, indescribably beautiful! Check out if reservations are needed. Monterey has a wonderful aquarium. Pacific Grove has more reasonably priced lodgings than the other towns, and it’s right in the middle of everything. Another option would be Asilomar State Conference grounds. They rent out motel-type rooms, and it’s located right at the beach.. Btw, don’t expect to swim in the Pacific, It’s frigid. Colder in summer than winter, with water temps around 15 C. Carmel is a very touristy town, but pretty. Skip the 17 mile Drive. You have to pay to do it in order to see scenery that is no better than what is free all around.

Santa Barbara is another extremely pretty town. The mission is beautiful and part of CA history. However, unless recent additions have been made to correct the historical record, it’s well to keep in mind that the missions were instrumental in the abuse of the indigenous peoples.
To return to weather. . . I can’t emphasize enough how cold it can be right at the coast in May and June; but a few miles inland, it can be quite warm. By early May, Death Valley can be blisteringly hot: and I doubt you have time for it. Plan your packing accordingly.

One note on transportation: Santa Barbara is about a 1.5 hour drive from LAX. You can fly into SFO and out of LAX (or vice versa).

Have a great trip. California is remarkable.