California Road Trip

EXPLORING NATIONAL PARKS, CITIES AND BEACHES BETWEEN
LOS ANGELES AND SAN FRANCISCO

This 17 day California road trip itinerary covers a good portion of the state between the cities of Los Angeles and San Francisco, the beautiful Pacific Coast, as well as some of the most scenic National Parks in the US. If time permits, you could also add San Diego to your itinerary. The choices for family activities are virtually unlimited. Highlights of our trip include southern California beaches, Hollywood, visits to Sequoia, Kings Canyon, Yosemite and the rugged Channel Islands. Kids will love the Universal Studio Tour, riding the cable cars, beach horseback riding, Monterey Bay Aquarium, Santa Cruz Boardwalk, a tour of Alcatraz, and driving by houses of celebrities!

This post was updated January 2025.

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Here is the general itinerary we used for our 17 day road trip adventure in California (including approximate driving time and flying in and out of LAX). Before planning any national park visits, check the individual park websites and social media accounts well in advance for the latest information about temporary closures along with reservation information. Keep reading for more trip details, and be sure to check out my related posts listed at the end.

Days 1 & 2: Explore Los Angeles area, including Santa Monica Pier and Hollywood
Day 3: Universal Studios Hollywood
Day 4: Manhattan Beach Day, then travel to Toulare (3 hours drive in p.m.)
Day 5: Spend the day & night at Sequoia National Park (1 ½ hour drive in a.m.)
Day 6: Day in Kings Canyon – head to Yosemite late afternoon (3 hour drive in p.m.)
Day 7: Yosemite National Park
Day 8: Yosemite National Park (Tuolumne Meadow) – head towards San Francisco (2 hour drive to Manteca)
Day 9: San Francisco (1 ½ drive to San Francisco in a.m.)
Day 10: San Francisco
Day 11: Finish exploring San Francisco, head to Santa Cruz (1 hour); Santa Cruz Boardwalk
Day 12: Drive to Carmel/Monterey (1 hour)
Day 13: Pacific Coast Highway to Oceano (3+ hours driving but allow plenty of time for stops)
Day 14: Pacific Coast Highway stopping in Solvang and on to Oxnard (1 ½ hour drive to Solvang; 1 ½ hours to Oxnard)
Day 15: Ferry to Channel Islands
Day 16: Santa Barbara Day
Day 17: Head Back to Los Angeles

This post contains affiliate links; if you purchase something familyTravelsUSA may receive a small commission. As always, opinions are my own.

We spent the first few days in the Los Angeles area, where there are plenty of things to do. Driving in from the airport, stop in Venice Beach to take a stroll along the beach, and be sure to visit the iconic Santa Monica Pier. Since we are all movie fans in my house, we also spent time exploring the Hollywood Walk of Fame, driving through Beverly Hills and shopping at The Grove. I would recommend the Magic Castle Hotel for families if you want to stay in downtown Hollywood. Huge rooms and free snacks were a bonus, plus it also gave us easy access to drive to Universal Studios Hollywood.

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After being in the city for a few days, take a break at one of the beaches just south of LA. I had selected the Sea View Inn in Manhattan Beach because of its great amenities like free bikes, beach chairs and towels. It’s easy to get to the paved path and you can ride for miles adjacent to the ocean.

From here, head north to the Sierra Nevada Mountains, the home of Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks, as well as Yosemite. Sequoia is the only place where you can drive through a fallen tree and see what is considered the largest tree in the world (the General Sherman Tree). If you are able, walk to the top of Moro Rock for some unbelievable views. There are hikes of varying levels in Sequoia, but many flat groves that can take you through the land of some of the biggest trees you will ever see. Be sure to take the Congress trail, which is a great two mile loop.

We spent the night in Grants Grove, which is between Sequoia and Kings Canyon. The Grant Grove Cabins are nice if you want basic sleeping accommodations with a shared bathhouse (open seasonally). The next day, get ready for a spectacular drive into the heart of Kings Canyon. The crowds when we visited were small, and the views huge! The perfect family hike is the 1.5 mile loop in Zumwalt Meadow. There you will find unparalleled views of the scenic North Dome. There is also a very short walk to the Roaring River Falls. The fact that the crowds here are typically smaller than other parks only adds to the beauty. A side note, the fire season in California can have an impact on your visit. As my husband learned during a 2024 visit, you often have to be flexible and may not be able to see everything based on deteriorating air quality from smoke.

After winding your way out of Kings Canyon, continue heading north towards Yosemite National Park. Allow several hours for this drive. You will enter through the south entrance to the park. There are some great family activities in Wawona, including the Pioneer Yosemite History Center. If you enter the park in the early evening like we did, bring your binoculars as you exit the tunnel and see the famous El Capitan for the first time. With binoculars, you are likely to see climbers either in action or sleeping on the side of this 3593 foot monolith (from the base to the summit). There are many lodging options at Yosemite, but most need to be booked well in advance. If you are looking for some space to spread out, the nearby town of El Portal has several hotels (we stayed at Yosemite Cedar Lodge in a junior suite with a kitchen). I always suggest reading the latest reviews to find the best hotels that meet your needs.

*Learn more about the 2025 entrance reservation requirements at Yosemite.

Spend the next two days exploring all that Yosemite has to offer. During the summer, the shuttle bus or bicycles are the most efficient way to get around. There are some amazing hikes through the various areas of the park. If you are looking for an all day hike with some spectacular mountain and waterfall views, take the tour bus to Glacier Point, then hike down the Panorama Trail. My husband and two older kids hiked the 8 mile trail, and were rewarded with some amazing views of several of the major waterfalls in Yosemite. Other family friendly trails include the Mirror Lake Loop, which leads to some sandy beach areas, and the easy trail to Lower Yosemite Falls (expect big crowds here!). Also, the beach area near El Capitan is a great place to hang out and watch the climbers. Get a head start on the crowds by heading out early in the morning. The National Park app has a great feature which allows you to download a park for offline use before you go, giving you access to hiking information, shuttle service, self-guided tours, and other relevant information, even in areas with spotty cell phone coverage.

Many people spend all their time in Yosemite Valley, but if you are interested, head north to Tuolumne Meadows, driving along Tioga Road (open seasonally). The banks of Tenaya Lake are a beautiful spot to have a picnic lunch. Stop at the Visitor Center in Tuolumne Meadows to get more information about hiking. After watching the climbers on El Capitan, it was fun to be able to walk part of the way up Lembert Dome!

After exploring Yosemite for two full days, start heading west towards San Francisco. There are several small towns along the way to break up the drive, including the town of Manteca. As a bonus, at the time we traveled, there were a lot of roadside fruit stands selling seasonal fresh fruit and vegetables along the way.

The next morning, head to San Francisco, where there are so many fun activities to choose from. We bought an all day pass on the cable cars and used that to get around town, hopping on and off as necessary. Make sure you ride the California line at some point while you have your pass. This route takes you down a really steep hill and is usually less crowded so that you have more of a chance of getting an outside seat! Check out our itinerary for 3 days in the San Francisco area for more details.

Regarding hotels, while there are many expensive hotels in San Francisco, the Columbus Motor Inn in North Beach was the perfect family hotel for us. It was walking distance to the wharf, adjacent to the bus and cable car routes, and had a large family suite. There were many great restaurants and coffee houses in this area, but we really enjoyed lunch at Pat’s Café in North Beach. If you like garlic, the garlic fries are a must! Also, be sure to have breakfast at Sears Fine Food, which has been serving Swedish pancakes since 1938.

Like any other large city, San Francisco offers so many places to go and explore. The Alcatraz tour is a must do, especially with kids. The Cellhouse Audio Tour in included with the ticket purchase. Be sure to book tickets ahead of time in the summer. If you are in Chinatown, see if you can find Ross Alley and the Golden Gate Fortune Cookie Factory. There in less than five minutes you can see how fortune cookies are made, get some free samples and buy some cookies to take with you.

Other activities in San Francisco include spending time at Fisherman’s Wharf or exploring Golden Gate Park. There are tour bus options if you would prefer to leave the driving to someone else, but we have found that with 3 kids, it is more economical to do the touring ourselves with an inexpensive local map. **Hint—pick up several of the different tour brochures so that you can make sure you are hitting all the hot spots on your own.** Or consider purchasing a CityPASS® ticket to save money if you plan on visiting several of the included attractions.

There are many side trips you can take from San Francisco, either via car, tour bus or even bicycle. We headed north to Muir Woods (which is home to giant coastal Redwood trees which are some of the tallest living things), stopping before crossing the Golden Gate Bridge. From either side of the bridge you can park and cross the bridge by foot. It’s an exhilarating experience to be walking across this famous bridge, although the pedestrian walkway was very busy when we went!

Once you get to Muir Woods, there are several levels of hiking trails. There is even a trail that takes you all the way to the Pacific Ocean. We chose the loop trail that went past some of the tallest trees you will ever see. After hiking in Muir Woods, continue driving out to Point Reyes National Seashore. Allow plenty of driving time and make sure you have a full tank of gas (fill up in Mill Valley), depending on how far to the point you are traveling. Drakes Beach is a beautiful stretch of wide, sandy beach that is definitely worth a stop. With the large cliffs, it feels like you are at the ends of the earth. Visit the National Park Service website to help plan your visit before you go and/or stop at one of the 3 visitor centers depending on the season. During the winter months, part of the beach may be closed. Use the Elephant Seal Overlook to observe the seals.

Drakes Beach Point Reyes National Seashore - California Road Trip

After spending two or three days in San Francisco area, it is time to start heading down the breathtaking California coast. Whichever way you chose to get to Santa Cruz, the scenery will be amazing (we opted to come through San Jose and down Highway 17 past the redwood trees). Santa Cruz makes a great overnight stop, especially with kids who love boardwalks, junk food (the fried artichokes are a specialty, although the kids might prefer fried Oreos!), and old, wooden roller coasters. We learned that the temperature really drops at night, even in the summer.

The next day, head down the coast towards Monterey. If time allows, Monterey Bay is a great place for a memorable horseback ride on the beach. We used Monterey Bay Equestrian and for our ride, they met us in the parking lot right at the entrance to the beach. Our trail guide was awesome, and we really did spend most of the ride on the beach, unlike some other “beach” rides.

Monterey Bay Horseback Riding - California Road Trip

Continue on to the Monterey Peninsula. The Monterey Aquarium is a must-do family destination. The sea otters are so much fun to watch, and there are many changing exhibits. After the aquarium, take some time to shop and eat along Cannery Row. After you have spent time in Monterey, travel down the peninsula to picturesque Carmel. The 17 mile drive at Pebble Beach is sometimes considered the most scenic drive in the country. You can pick up the guide to help you as you make your way towards the Pebble Beach golf course. If you want to spend some time on the beach, visit the highly rated Carmel City Beach in Carmel.

From the Monterey Peninsula, you will begin to drive down the Pacific Coast Highway. We decided to drive the PCH from north to south so that we could be on the outside lane and optimize our views looking over the cliffs to the Pacific. The road is definitely curvy and requires some slower driving in many spots. There were many, many beautiful vista points that you just have to stop at and admire the view. Luckily for us, there was minimal fog until much later in the day, so we had incredible views most of the way from Carmel down to San Simeon. If you have time, stop at Nepenthe for lunch. When you get further south, stop at the Visitor Center for the Julia Pfeiffer Burns State park and pick up a hiking map. There is an easy walk here which opens up to a beautiful view of the beach and waterfall. Some people prefer to stretch this drive over several days. We chose to drive from Carmel to Oceano all in one day.

View from Pacific Coast Highway - California Road Trip

As you get closer to San Simeon, you can decide if you want to tour the Hearst Castle. Allow at least two hours if you do. Near this area, be on the lookout for the Elephant Seal vista, where we were fortunate enough to see over 50 seals lounging and playing on the beach. After this point, there are some small beach towns where you can spend the night. We chose Oceano, which happens to be adjacent to the only state park where vehicles are allowed to drive on the beach. Lots of dune buggies!

The next day, venture a bit further south into the small Danish town of Solvang. On the way, we stopped at Rancho Olivos in Santa Ynez to taste test some local olive oil. Check their website for hours before you go. It is a short drive from there to Solvang, which is full of wineries, cute shops, and several Danish bakeries. Be sure to try some traditional Aebleskiver from the Solvang Restaurant while you are there. If you decide to go to a winery, the Kalyra Winery just outside Solvang is a great, casual winery to stop by. There is a nice patio and porch and a casual tasting room. The winery was featured in the movie “Sideways” so it often gets a crowd for that reason alone.

From Solvang, continuing heading south down the coast to Santa Barbara. It’s a beautiful, coastal town, with so many activities to choose from, including beaches, bike riding, lots of shopping, as well as places like the Old Mission Santa Barbara. Spend at least a day here exploring. Review one of Santa Barbara’s visitor websites before you go.

As the road trip begins to wind down, take the time for one more spectacular destination as you make you way back towards Los Angeles. The Channel Islands National Park includes five diverse islands off the California coast. According to the National Park website, this park is one of the least visited in the entire park system, which makes it a great place to hike, snorkel, scuba dive, kayak through a sea cave, or camp. Due to the isolation of the islands, there are even unique plants and animals found there that are found no where else in the world. We visited Santa Cruz Island, took a ranger led hike, then snorkeled in the cove area (definitely need wetsuits, even in summer!). By the time we arrived on the island, the fog had lifted and the views from the point were incredible. We were lucky to see several island foxes. You must take a ferry ride from Oxnard which takes about an hour to get there, but along the way you might be lucky enough to see humpback or blue whales, common dolphins and sea lions. The visit for a family of five was a bit pricey, but the memories of the island are priceless! Visit the website of Island Packers to see the various trips that are offered. The site even lists all the marine mammal sightings for each of the past months. Just be sure to book in advance during the summer. If you stay in Oxnard, you will be within 15 minutes of the harbor where the ferry leaves. Read more details on Why You Should Spend a Day at Channel Islands National Park.

Channel Islands National Park - California Road Trip

After the day on the Channel Islands, it is time to head back down to the LA area for departure. Hopefully your trip will be amazing; I know that ours was truly memorable.

*We took this family road trip in 2012; we have done our best to update attractions and information for 2025.

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