Hi all,

I'm sure I'm not the only one keen for a bit of travel in the US before beginning studies. I'm planning to land in LA around 6/7 August 2013 and hire a car for a couple of weeks, checking out San Diego, Phoenix, the Grand Canyon, Las Vegas and San Francisco.

Am looking for travel companion(s). Let me know if you're interested!

San Diego is ok. It is a nice town and all but not really worth spending a few days traveling there and back (especially if you have limited time), unless you want to head to Baja and Mexico. From LA I would head north to San Francisco and stop in Sequoia National Park along the way. Sequoia is a little out of the way (going east) but it is still in the northern direction, so it would be on the way north to SF. It is a beautiful national park showcasing the giant Sequoia trees, which will leave you speechless. Literally next to Sequoia is the Mineral King Valley, which offers some awesome hiking (especially the hike up to Franklin Lakes http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/ca/Franklin_Lakes_-_Mineral_King.jpg).

After Sequoia, I would head back west, and reconnect with the Pacific Coast Highway (US#1) and that will take you, along the coast, all the way to SF. Right before SF, you can check out Monterrey (which has an awesome aquarium), Big Sur (http://media-cdn.tripadvisor.com/media/photo-s/01/1f/a9/03/big-sur-coast.jpg) and Carmel, a quaint town on the coast.

SF is a great town. You can easily kill a few days in SF and then I would spend at least a day visiting Yosemite National Park (http://www.suntactics.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/04/yosemite-national-park.jpg), and perhaps Sonoma and Napa Valleys, if you are into wine. I would then head east from SF to Las Vegas and stop at Lake Tahoe (http://www.tahoeluxerentals.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/04/North-Lake-Tahoe-and-Truckee-Summer-Vacation-Rentals-and-Activities.jpg) along the way. Honestly, unless you're into gambling and food buffets, Vegas is mehh. It's cool to see it all lit up at night, but really not a whole lot to do there outside of the casino world. I would save your time for some of the parks instead.

From Vegas it is not a long drive (heading south) to the western rim of the Grand Canyon. In that same area (within an hour or two of driving) you also have: Zion National Park (http://www.nps.gov/zion/images/20080720180108.JPG), Bryce Canyon, Monument Valley (http://www.naturedesktopwallpapers.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/10/Monument_Valley_2560x1600.jpg), Lake Powell and the spectacular Antelope Canyon (http://www.hotelclub.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2008/12/antelope_canyon2.jpg) and Horseshoe Bend (http://www.zastavki.com/pictures/1600x1200/2008/World_USA_Horseshoe_Bend_Overlook____Near_Page___Arizona___USA_008903_.jpg).

I would visit all these places and then, from Antelope (Page, Arizona), you can then continue on down through Arizona to Sedona National Park and then head back west to LA. Not really a whole lot happening in Phoenix. The landscape right outside of phoenix is sort of neat, with all the tall cactus plants but Phoenix is nothing special.

You can do that loop LA -> Sequoia -> Monterrey/Big Sur/SF/Yosemite -> Tahoe -> Vegas -> Grand Canyon/Zion/Bryce/Antelope/Sedona -> LA in two weeks. It will be a full two weeks but you'll see some amazing places. If you are finding yourself short on time, you can always skip the Utah/Arizona part of the trip (Zion/Bryce/Monument Valley/Antelope Canyon and Sedona) and just head back to LA (from Vegas, a 4 hour car ride) after the Grand Canyon.

There are plenty of motels/hotels along the way and/or camping (especially around the parks), if you are a bit more adventurous. Feel free to write me if you have any questions.

Thanks Tristan.

I thought I'd follow this up now it's closer to move time and see if anyone's thinking along the same lines as me ....