Road Tripping California Highway 1

Road trips have been an important part of my family. When I was growing up with my brother and sister, my parents would set off to visit one of our family members in Texas, Oklahoma, or even Toronto, Canada at a moment's notice. With many dozen trips under our belt, my father became an expert driver with the ability to pull long hours. My siblings and I became excellent passengers and learned how to pack and travel like pros. This was something that we all enjoyed as a family, and now is my chance to continue the tradition.

Accommodations:

• The Westin Los Angeles Airport - Central Location
• Hilton Garden Inn San Luis Obispo-Pismo Beach reserved through Expedia.com
• Yosemite Southgate Hotel & Suites (Outside of Yosemite) reserved through Expedia.com
• Hilton San Francisco Union Square reserved through Expedia.com
• Rented car from Enterprise using Hotwire

1st Day - Sat

We arrived in L.A. and checked in to our hotel, and then visited Original Farmers Market for Lunch. Next, we visited Getty Center, which is good for a half or full-day trip. This place is located on top of Westwood Hills and has amazing views of Los Angeles! For dinner, we went to Rock Sugar Century City

2nd Day - Sun

We visited the Promenade Lights by LA County Museum of Art in the morning. This is a great place for pictures! Next, we went to Santa Monica Beach for a half-day trip.

3rd Day - Monday

We left L.A. Monday morning and drove toward Santa Barbara taking Highway 1, which you can find near Santa Monica beach. When we arrived, we visited Stern’s Wharf and spent most of the afternoon and evening here. At noon, we had one of the best seafood lunches at Santa Barbara Shell Fish Company. Next, we drove to nearby town San Luis Obispo - Pismo Beach for the night.​

4th Day - Tuesday

When we arrived at our hotel in San Luis Obispo, we learned that it was not possible to drive to Carmel because bridges were out due to mud slides. We were bummed, since driving to Carmel which would take us through the Big Sur area, which was supposed to be the most beautiful part of the drive. We adjusted our plans to go straight to Yosemite from Hearst Castle.

We left the beautiful San Luis Obispo - Pismo Beach in the morning to visit Hearst Castle. Our first stop was for breakfast at Centrally Grown. We left Hearst Castle late in the afternoon or early evening and headed towards Yosemite National Park.

Pro Tip(s):

• Make reservations in advance for Hearst Castle.  It is possible to get tickets at location, however, you are taking a risk. 
• Pack some snacks and water bottles.
• Plan on doing a lot of walking and climbing stairs.

5th Day - Wednesday

When we arrived at the Yosemite entrance, it was already dark. Once you enter Yosemite, there is still quite a bit of drive before you can arrive at a stopping point. We decided to turn back to the hotel and start fresh in the morning.

After breakfast, left the hotel early Wednesday morning to get a head start. The plan was to visit different attractions in central valley and do easy hikes with children. Areas that we visited included:​

• Yosemite Falls
• Half Dome
• El Capitan
• Tunnel View
• Valley View
• Bridalveil Fall
• Cathedral Peak

The first night, we had dinner at Southgate Brewing Company. After Dinner at China Delight Restaurant on our second night, we started driving towards San Francisco, which was our last destination of the trip.

Pro Tip(s):

• Plan at least 2 full days at Yosemite National Park at minimum.  Try to arrive at the Park during day light.  It is approx. 20-30 miles drive to reach central valley.  Roads are curvy and you'll need to be alert.
• When you arrive the 1st day, try to do an evening activity, small hike and plan your next day.
• There are internal shuttle services that takes you around from one area to the other however wait can sometimes be daunting.
• I would highly recommend staying at  a hotel inside the park however it is not possible or available, try to stay as close to it as possible.  Driving in and out of the park can take up a lot of time specially if you only have limited time.
• Stop by at one of the hotels or ask rangers to help plan out the day.  Travel Channel has a great link about Muse See places in Yosemite.  Additional sources:

  • https://www.nps.gov/yose/planyourvisit/tours.htm

    https://www.yosemiteconservancy.org/custom-adventures/day-programs

6th Day Thursday

We arrived in San Francisco in the early morning and checked in to our hotel in Union Square. After this, we took a tram towards Fisherman's Wharf, but got off on the famous Lombard Street and walked to Fisherman's Wharf from Lombard Street. Our lunch stop was at Fog Harbor Fish House on Pier 39. This place is highly recommended! After lunch, we walked to Ghirardelli Square and enjoyed the best dessert

Pro Tip(s):

• Learn about the City Pass specially if you are planning on taking public transportation and visit museums.  You can use city pass to ride trams.
• Avoid paying for Aquarium of the Bay on Pier 39.  Our recommendation is to visit California Academy of Science Museum.  Plan ahead and learn about S.F city pass which includes many of the attractions as part of the package.

7th Day - Friday

We visited California Academy of Science Museum in Golden Gate Park via public bus. You could spend a half or full day here. There are many activities within the park area such as:

• Japanese Tea Garden
• Botanical Garden
• Bike Rental
• Segway Rental

Afterward, we visited China town for a few hours and we got to see dragon dance during a festival!

Pro Tip(s):

• Lunch at the California Academy of Science Museum is great, however, it is a bit pricey.
• Golden Gate Park is a campus with a museum, gardens and many other outdoor activities.  Plan to spend a big chunk of the day here.

8th Day - Sat

• We ended our trip and took a morning flight back to Chicago.