Itinerary

Choose to spend the first night after your flight at a hotel in Los Angeles at your leisure or pick up your motorhome on arrival and start your journey.

Collect your motorhome from Cruise America in Los Angeles and begin your road trip. You’ll drive just under 4 hours up the main Route 101 to reach the KOA Campground in Santa Margarita where you will spend your first night.

On the drive, you’ll be passing by numerous small towns and beaches along California’s central coast where you can stop and swim, sightsee or grab a bite to eat as you go. Visit Chumas Painted Cave State Park, inland from Santa Barbara to see some of the colourful and elaborate rock paintings from the Chumash tribe that have survived over 500 years.

• 384 km from Los Angeles to Santa Margarita

Get back on the road and backtrack on the 101 for about 11 miles, turning towards the Pacific Ocean on to California’s spectacular Highway 1 – also known as the Pacific Coast Highway – at San Luis Obispo. Offering a taste of small-town Californian life, this charming city has a bustling downtown, 41.2 miles of bike lanes, dozens of wineries, historic missions and the eccentric Madonna Inn. Get a taste of its slow-paced, carefree vibe, or SLO Cal living with a short few hour visit.

Or drive on where you turned onto the Highway 1 for about an hour until you see the signs for Hearst Castle – built by the newspaper magnate William Randolph Hearst and well worth a visit, or check into your campsite, the San Simeon Campground and enjoy the local beaches.

• 88km to Hearst Castle and San Simeon

Head north on Highway 1 and start one of the USA’s most scenic drives. This legendary 27km stretch of the Pacific Coast Highway is meant to be savoured, not sprinted so plan to spend a good part of your third day here. Start with the dramatic vistas of Big Sur. Located just south of Carmel, this region, bordered by mountains to the east and the Pacific Ocean to the west is renowned for its winding turns, steep seaside cliffs and breathtaking views of the rugged coastline. Cross the incredible Bixby Bridge and stop at the famed cliffside restaurant and lookout, Nepenthe for a spot of lunch.

Those who want to spend more time in the natural areas should turn to the Henry Cowell State Park to witness where these massive trees have stood for over a thousand years.

Your campsite is just 15 miles from San Francisco at the San Francisco RV Resort, and you can take the bus and BART – the local metro system – right outside the campground into the city to walk around and explore.

• 368km to San Francisco

Head east today toward Yosemite, California’s most famous national park, recognised as a World Heritage Site for its breathtaking natural beauty. The drive is around 3 hours on the Interstate towards California’s Sierra Nevada mountain range, and we recommend the Yosemite Pines RV as your destination for the night – or nights – you choose to spend there. The campground is an hour’s drive from the West Entrance but allows you to have access to all the resort facilities and full hook-ups for your vehicle which you wouldn’t have if you were to stay overnight in the actual park.

Yosemite is internationally renowned for its deep valleys, grand meadows, ancient sequoia trees, freshwater lakes, breathtaking waterfalls, incredible biological diversity and staggering granite cliffs, like El Capitan and Half Dome, so take your time to get the full scope of this incredible place. Visit Bridal Veil and Yosemite Falls and, if you can, take the 2.5 mile hike to Inspiration Point with a camera before you leave.

• 240km to Groveland, Yosemite National Park

Today you’ll drive right through Yosemite to join the Scenic Route 395 headed south on the other side of the park. This landmark route along the eastern Sierra Nevada region is one of the world’s most travelled and varied vacation highways and is home to numerous cities and towns that are as varied as the landscape – even dating back to the California Gold Rush. Visit the road’s website to see what you can all do: scenic395.com.

You’ll also pass by other natural wonders on your way: Kings Canyon and Sequoia National Parks, Mount Whitney, the highest point in the contiguous USA and Death Valley National Park. Stop at your leisure or carry on with your drive – all of these places are worth getting out at to explore.

You’ll spend your overnight at the Boulder Creek RV Resort in the historic town of Lone Pine on the doorstep of Mt. Whitney.

• 456km to Lone Pine

Continue south today on Route 395 through the Sierra Nevada out to the flat lands of the Mojave Desert. It’s an easy three hour drive. Your overnight will beat the KOA Campgrounds in Barstow, a crossroads town that once saw The Old Spanish Trail and Route 66 pass through. Once you settle in, take a shuttle from the KOA to the silver mining ghost town of Calico for a few hours of Wild West fun. Or, if you want to do some shopping head to one of the town’s two outlet malls for some cutthroat prices.

• 256km to Barstow

Head to the sunny Southern Californian metropolis of San Diego. You’ll be staying the next two nights at Campland on the Bay, San Diego’s premiere campground, offering dozens of activities for adults and children alike, as well as a private beach and marina for some quality beach time. Dig your toes into the sand, or head into San Diego to explore some of its wonderful cultural sites like Balboa Park, San Diego Zoo, the historic Hotel del Coronado in the Bay or the city’s renowned harbour and waterfront.

The Gaslamp Quarter in San Diego’s downtown has some of the best nightlife in California, and a short drive down into Mexico’s Tijuana for the restaurants and souvenir shops makes for another popular night out.

• 296km to San Diego

Drive first thing to your last campground in Orange County’s beautiful Newport Beach to make the most of the stunning setting. Newport Dunes Waterfront Resort and Marina is a 110-acre resort at the entrance to the Back Bay Nature Preserve, and is considered the premiere RV park and marina in all of Southern California.

Enjoy the mile of beach front with some swimming or sunbathing; rent a sailboat or electric boat; or tour the Back Bay by kayak.

• 144km to Newport Beach

After breakfast make the short 48km drive back to the Cruise America depot in Los Angeles to return your motorhome before catching your flight home. Alternative depots and points of departure include Orange County and San Diego.