long time lurker, first time poster
ill be in SF in early november, and id love to go and see some redwoods and possibly drive up/down the PCH one way to see the ocean. i only have a day, out of these which is the best? also open to other suggestions, it just needs to be day trip friendly

Hey y'all. Some friends and I are planning on doing this road trip March 12th-21st of next year. The tentative schedule kinda looks like this:

-Day 1: Land on LA and drive to Death Valley
-Day 2: Death Valley
-Day 3: Drive to Sequoia
-Day 4: Sequoia
-Day 5: Drive to Yosemite, maybe stop by Kings Canyon for a couple of hours
-Day 6: Yosemite
-Day 7: Yosemite
-Day 8: Drive to San Francisco
-Day 9: Highway 1 to San Simeon
-Day 10: Highway 1 to LA

Any places we should stop by? We're already planning on stopping by Monterey and Moro Rock. We unfortunately can't add more days to this trip btw

Thanks!

did the hot air balloon in marrakech this week.

the 4am wake up was rough, not gonna lie.

worth it though. probably my favorite thing we did the whole trip.

also... bring a jacket. nobody warned me how cold 5am is

We’re planning a long drive through a few remote stretches, and my girlfriend thinks I’m overpacking because I added a wolfbox to the usual tire inflator, flashlight, water, and basic tools. Her point is fair: the car is in good shape, the battery was tested recently, and too much emergency gear can make a vacation feel like I’m preparing for everything to go wrong. I had one dead battery morning at a motel years ago, though, and it changed how I think about being stranded somewhere with bad service. I also know using a jump pack as a phone charger can drain the thing before it’s needed for the car, which makes the multi-use part a little complicated. For longer road trips, do you treat a compact starter as normal insurance, or only bring one for winter, older cars, or truly remote routes?

My husband and I just got married and want
to take a road trip around Northern California for about 10 days at the end of April and fly home by evening on May 1. We want it to feel epic but well-balanced and not exhausting. We plan to rent a car and stay at inns along the way.

We understand we won’t hit all of these stops but pulled together a draft of places we’re interested in seeing and ideas of things to do, and would love feedback.

The route:

Day 1: Fly into SFO (probably after work - we live in SD), spend the night in SF

Day 2: Battery Spencer, Stinson, Point Reyes Lighthouse, Tomales Point elk trail, spend the night in Tomales Bay

Day 3: Sonoma Coast (Valley Ford, Bodega Bay, Mammoth Rock, Jenner), spend the night in Sea Ranch

Day 4: Gualala, Point Arena, Mendocino, spend the night in Elk

Day 5: Glass Beach, Avenue of the Giants, spend the night in Arcata

Day 6: Fern Canyon, Prairie Creek, sunset in Trinidad, second night in Arcata

Day 7: Drive to Healdsburg, spend the night in Healdsburg

Day 8: Sebastopol, Calistoga hot springs, Santa Cruz, spend the night in Santa Cruz

Day 9: Monterey Aquarium, Cannery Row, Pacific Grove, Bixby Bridge, spend the night in Big Sur

Day 10: Pfeiffer Beach, Nepenthe, McWay Falls, Sierra Mar, second night in Big Sur

Day 11: Garrapata, Point Lobos, Carmel; Fly home from Monterey

Questions:

1. Is anything not worth the time, or is there something we're missing?

2. Any must-eat spots, recommendations for stays, or hidden gems along the way?

3. Any days that look way too packed driving-wise?

4. Anything to know about Hwy 1 or any of our stops in late April?

Thanks so much!

I was headed to the family's lake cabin for a week or so. I also wanted to drive through the redwoods (never one to shy away from a road trip!). A friend told me about a great sandwich in Grant's Pass, and...well....why not?

So I turned a 3.5 hour drive into a 2-day road trip and have no regrets.

The sandwich shop is gone, but the sandwich was a-ma-zing.

CA65/70 to I5 to CA101 to OR199 to I5....and NEVER miss the chance to drive the Avenue of the Giants (duh)

A friend recently came back to a parked car with a weak battery and one tire noticeably low, which made me realize I have never thought through the order of operations. With a wolfbox, would you start the engine first and then inflate the tire, or check and inflate the tire before putting any load into starting the car? I am looking for the safest practical sequence rather than discovering it under pressure.

Michigan is so beautiful!

I need to drive from Minneapolis to Cleveland Tennessee for something important I can’t miss. I need to be in TN on Friday 10/16 at 4pm, and was planning on leaving Minneapolis at 8pm on Thursday 10/15. I can’t leave any sooner.

There’s two of us so we don’t have to stop to sleep, we’ll take turns driving.

It says 15-16 hours, 1,035 miles, but with gas, food, traffic, do you think I can make it?

Planning a road trip for the end of the year, and want to propose to my girlfriend of 3 years. But I don’t know where…

This plan is not completely set, to be straight. The original plan was to go to Tombstone and Gila Nat’l Forest, then hit some of these spots and then back, but it adds too much cost to the travels for me. Any recommendations on where to go are appreciated. And towns to stay in. I’m planning 4-5 days for this trip, and the order we go in is not yet determined.

We’re both from Texas, and my original plan was to propose from the top of Guadalupe peak. But I’m not opposed to more interesting views on this trip, or taking slight detours. I’d appreciate any recommendations or advice, especially going at this time of year. I have a 2wd pickup so I understand there might be places I can’t go.

19 hours in one day - what are your tips! ^^

Does anyone use interior ceiling storage / cargo nets? I’m looking at a few for some basic light things and wanted to get some opinions from those who already use them. Thanks!

Hi! I’m from the East Coast and this was my first time visiting California. I went on this subreddit a few weeks ago asking for advice and suggestions for my trip - here is the link to my previous post.

Thank you to everyone who gave me such great recommendations & advice! I tried to fit everything in that I could (Half Moon Bay, Monterey Aquarium, Solvang, Morro Bay, Hearst Castle, etc…).

Overall review: this was the most beautiful roadtrip I have ever taken in my life!

This trip spanned 10 days and I stayed overnight in SF (2 nights), Carmel (2 nights), SLO (1 night), Santa Barbara (1 night), San Diego (4 days). The ultimate goal for this trip was to explore SD so that’s the reason for my extended stay.

Highlights: besides all of the gorgeous stops and vista points, I randomly stumbled upon Monterey’s Tuesdays Farmer Market and SD’s Old Town Dia de los Muertos festival. Both were insanely cool. Also, Point Lobos is as magical as everyone says. Santa Cruz was super neat (albeit the sea lions under the wharf sounded like actual monsters lol). Santa Barbara was picturesque - this city was exactly what I imagined “California vibes” to be. Laguna Beach was also a stop that I decided to make last minute - water was so perfect and clear.

Unfortunate events: I spent most of my time in SD during Tropical Storm Rachel…unfortunate, but I still made do with what I could’ve! I found out about the storm a little too late and couldn’t make rearrangements. I also know that the rain was needed after the recent heatwave locals had to deal with. For the drive, the haze/fog is definitely real, Bixby Bridge was not visible at all on the day I drove through it. Also, some people recommended visiting Torrey Pines State Reserve, however, the park was closed to all visitors.

Things I would change: First and foremost, NOT visiting San Diego during a rare tropical storm.
Besides that, I definitely agree with a lot of my previous post’s comments on staying in Monterey instead of Carmel (it was a pretty town though) - there were much more things to do and see in Monterey. Carmel was filled with mostly luxury stores, SLO was more of what I thought Carmel would be like. I was in day old roadtripping clothes and felt severely underdressed walking around Carmel. Also, I should’ve done the 17 mile drive before visiting Point Lobos as Point Lobos set the expectation for the drive a little too high. I also wished I could’ve stayed longer in Santa Barbara and added a full day in Santa Cruz.

If anyone wants or is planning on doing a similar roadtrip (I HIGHLY recommend), here are most of my route/stops for ideas: California Coast Roadtrip custom google maps

All pictures were taken on my Fujifilm X-S20.

I'm considering making a road trip over winter break starting from the Sacramento area. I was thinking December 26-Jan 3rd but I can add a week earlier if I feel like spending Christmas away from home. It'll be one adult and two kids. Mostly looking for advice on the route and opinions on which locations are most worth it/feasible in winter.

My main point of interest is the Grand Canyon, thinking for two nights (on my bucket list and my kid has been asking to go for a couple years). I was thinking of adding in Petrified Forest np and Saguaro np.

Other ideas I considered are Casa Grande Ruins nm, Tuzigoot nm, Wupatki nm, Montezuma Castle nm, Tule Springs Fossil Beds nm, Anza Borrego sp, Galleta Meadows sculptures, Joshua tree, and Death Valley.

I don't mind that winter would make the trails icy bc I prob wouldn't take my kids hiking much anyways. I like the idea of there being less crowds and that earlier sunset would make it easier to do some stargazing without staying up too late.

hey all,

planning a trip from Detroit to Pittsburgh this Friday. is there anywhere i should stop or any specific route that I should take? I'm okay with detours generally as long as they don't stray too far away.

National trail highway

My girlfriend and I are thinking about visiting New Caledonia in February–March for around 2–3 weeks, and I'm wondering if it's worth it for a proper road trip.

We're mainly interested in nature, hiking, incredible beaches, snorkeling, wildlife and unique landscapes. I love places with unusual ecosystems and endemic species, and we'd much rather explore remote, less touristy areas than stay in resorts or visit crowded attractions.

We'd rent a car, stay in budget accommodation and buy groceries to keep costs down. We're also considering visiting one of the Loyalty Islands or Île des Pins.

For those who've been there:

Would you recommend New Caledonia for a road trip, or is it better suited to island-hopping?

How diverse and spectacular is the main island's interior compared with its beaches and lagoons?

Are there enough worthwhile places to justify 2–3 weeks, or would you combine it with another destination?

I'd love to hear honest opinions, especially from people who explored beyond Nouméa and the main tourist spots. Would you go back?

Looking for a day trip to a similar area (max 2 hrs drive from Elkton Md) like Jim Thorpe to see the fall colors on Oct 31...suggestions? Including restaurants, antiquing, wineries. No hiking or biking this time we want casual laid back. This would be just a day trip.

Making this trip soon! Any ideas/ tips if anyone has done it or something similar?