# SAN FRANCISCO to Disneyland what to do in between



## jns

Having never been to the west coast we are planning to take a trip 
starting with San fancsco and driving to  Disneyland and hoping to take in the Grand Canyon
what other places we should not miss out on 

it will be just me and DH on our 25th Wedding annivarys with over 2 weeks to spend on our trip 
also what will the weather be like in Sept / Oct time 

thanks everyone for any ideas


----------



## Eeyoreblues

Hello, 

Being from the Bay Area I travel a lot to Southern California due to being a huge Disneyland fan and have family in the area. Your best bet would be driving down the coast of California from San Francisco on Highway 1 (Pacific Coast Highway aka PCH). On your way you will come across Monterey, Pacific Grove, and Carmel which always deserves a stop for a few days. They area is quite beautiful and should not be missed. Going further down PCH you will come across breath taking scenery including the famous Hearst Castle, Morro Bay, Santa Barbara. As PCH 1 converges into Highway 101 further south there is a very cute Danish town of Solvang that is a nice stop. Heading from there to Disneyland you will go by Hollywood which you can stop off to see some of the sights there. Driving total on this lag would be about 12 hours straight due to the coastal windy road, but much better than the 7 hour drive down the borning Highway 5. From Disneyland to the Grand Canyon it is roughly 500 miles and a good 8-10 hour drive. Let me know if you have any other questions.


----------



## lcasa

Exactly what I would do. I'm not sure the drive to the Grand Canyon is worth it - it's way out of your way. Also research first - they don't let cars get very close these days and a few tour companies seem to have a monopoly on actually seeing it. 
Don't do Rails to the Rim! It was AWFUL! We got to see the Canyon for about 15 min while the rushed us to a rubber chicken lunch.


----------



## tommya60

EyeoreBlues has a great plan!  When we were in Monterey we kayaked in the Elkhorn Slough--DD loves sea otters and you can see them there "in the wild".  The Aquarium is wonderful, just a great place to visit.

Santa Barbara Mission is beautiful.  The cathedral is fabulous, very traditional California Mission style.  Great self paced tour.  Across the small street (on the right if you are facing the church) there is a large park with additional structures--or remains of structures.  Great rose garden at the base of the church.  State Street is a lot of fun, shops, bookstores, you name it.  

Weather in Sept/Oct is likely to be warm, but cool at night.  The temp drops a lot as the sun goes down. Nearly everything in California is air conditioned, so you need a light wrap even if you are warm. You need sunblock every day, including a chapstick with sunblock.  I tell everyone who visits us this, some don't believe me until the second day--after they have a sunburn.  

The Grand Canyon is a long, boring drive across mostly desert.  I'd skip it, or check into flying to Las Vegas or Phoenix Arizona and driving from there.  

Have fun, and happy anniersary!


----------



## jns

thanks everyone , Great info 
just in the planning stage at the moment so lots to look into


----------



## tholczer

If I had to choose between Carmel, Monterey and Big Sur, it would definitely be Big Sur.  I haven't been there since the fires, though, so not sure how it's affected the landscape.  The Big Sur Lodge is a wonderful place where they have cabins with fireplaces and no TV.  There is a pool for summertime.  You can whale watch or visit a lighthouse.  I believe there are caves in the area and, of course, tons of hiking.  The restaurant there has fabulous food and atmosphere.  It's very romantic.

Have a great time!

Tracy


----------



## Pixie_Dust

Drive down the coast and plan to stay overnight at least in Monterey/Carmel. (Big Sur lodging always seemed too expensive for me. Instead we love going to Point Lobos State Park.)
Then if you have time stay overnight in the southern-central coast area, picking at least one more thing you want to do: wine tasting, Hearst Castle, beaches, or Santa Barbara. 
Then plan another overnight to do LA/Hollywood stuff before or after hitting the theme parks. Then maybe another to go down to the San Diego area.
The Grand Canyon is WAY far away!!! If you are wanting to drive that far to see something, Vegas is closer.


----------



## WebmasterMaryJo

My cousins came out here for a two-week visit from Spain last year, and this is basically what we did

*Day 1* - arrive
*Day 2 *- Disneyland
*Day 3 *- Drive to Monterey (took Hwy 5 & then cut away to Hwy 101)
*Day 4 *- Spent day at Monterey Bay Aquarium, Cannery Row, & ate dinner at an Irish pub 
*Day 5 *- Went on 17-Mile Drive, then drove to San Francisco via Hwy 101, visited Pier 39
*Day 6 *- Went to Napa Valley for some wine tasting & olive oil tasting, evening went to Ghiradelli Square & ended at another little corner pub
*Day 7 *- Took cable car to Union Square & went shopping, drove to Yosemite & stayed at Redwoods in Yosemite
*Day 8 *- Visited Glacier Point and valley sightseeing, went back to cabin & had a nice dinner & relaxed
*Day 9 *- Headed home (Los Angeles) via Sequoia - stopped at Hume Lake (got there around noon) and spent a couple of hours (they swam), then went to Giant Forest & saw General Sherman (largest living thing in the world), and drove under the tunnel tree, then went home (Got home around 1:30am)
*Day 10 -* rested, washed clothes, hung out at home & went out to eat at Redondo Beach
*Day 11 *- Headed to Grand Canyon & stayed in town called Tuscayan 2 miles from south rim
*Day 12 *- Did an all-day River/Canyon experience, which included plane ride from Grand Canyon airport to Lake Powell/Page Airport, tour of the Antelope Canyon on Navajo land, trip to base of Glen Canyon dam for a 4-hour pontoon raft ride down a calm Colorado River (2 stops, 1 with petroglyphs, lunch along the river), and then a bus ride back to the Grand Canyon Airport
*Day 13* - Drive to south rim to overlook the Grand Canyon. (We didn't have time to take the free shuttles to the other vistas along the south rim). Then drive to the West Rim of the Grand Canyon (maybe a 3-4 hour drive). Go to the Grand Canyon Skywalk (glass floor) on the Hualapai Indian Nation. Then stop at the Grand Canyon West Ranch overnight
*Day 14* - Drive home (around 7 hours) and relax
*Days 15 & 16 *were hang out at the house & make homemade sangria (hey, they're from Spain!), shopping etc.

It was pretty busy, but a lot of fun.

Just make sure on your 2-week trip you have some rest-time built in


----------



## sharon78

Hi Jackie, How are you?
Love the planning stages looking at all the different places to visit.
we go in three weeks!!!!! 

Starting in SF Holiday Inn Fishermans Wharf 3 nights.
Mr Toads Tour & Alcatraz Night Tour booked.

Driving south down highway 1 along the coast to Pismo Beach, Pismo lighthouse suite's 2 nights. Booking 2 hour surfing lesson for 2 daughters.

Carry on driving south along the coast to Malibu. Then to Universal Sheraton Hollywood for 3 nights. Two day pass to universal studios.

Then on to Hyatt Regency OC 6 nights. Booked LA Tour (8 hours) also have 3 day Disney pass & booked a character breakfast at Grand Californian.

Visiting Redondo, Huntington, Hermosa, Newport beach & Balboa Island.

I shall do a trippie when we get back.

Sharon


----------



## jns

sharon78 said:


> Hi Jackie, How are you?
> Love the planning stages looking at all the different places to visit.
> we go in three weeks!!!!!
> 
> Starting in SF Holiday Inn Fishermans Wharf 3 nights.
> Mr Toads Tour & Alcatraz Night Tour booked.
> 
> Driving south down highway 1 along the coast to Pismo Beach, Pismo lighthouse suite's 2 nights. Booking 2 hour surfing lesson for 2 daughters.
> 
> Carry on driving south along the coast to Malibu. Then to Universal Sheraton Hollywood for 3 nights. Two day pass to universal studios.
> 
> Then on to Hyatt Regency OC 6 nights. Booked LA Tour (8 hours) also have 3 day Disney pass & booked a character breakfast at Grand Californian.
> 
> Visiting Redondo, Huntington, Hermosa, Newport beach & Balboa Island.
> 
> I shall do a trippie when we get back.
> 
> Sharon



sounds like a great holiday 
would love to read your trip report 
and lots of photos too please 

have a great holiday


----------



## jns

Mary Jo said:


> My cousins came out here for a two-week visit from Spain last year, and this is basically what we did
> 
> 
> *Day 11 *- Headed to Grand Canyon & stayed in town called Tuscayan 2 miles from south rim
> *Day 12 *- Did an all-day River/Canyon experience, which included plane ride from Grand Canyon airport to Lake Powell/Page Airport, tour of the Antelope Canyon on Navajo land, trip to base of Glen Canyon dam for a 4-hour pontoon raft ride down a calm Colorado River (2 stops, 1 with petroglyphs, lunch along the river), and then a bus ride back to the Grand Canyon Airport
> *Day 13* - Drive to south rim to overlook the Grand Canyon. (We didn't have time to take the free shuttles to the other vistas along the south rim). Then drive to the West Rim of the Grand Canyon (maybe a 3-4 hour drive). Go to the Grand Canyon Skywalk (glass floor) on the Hualapai Indian Nation. Then stop at the Grand Canyon West Ranch overnight


this sounds like something I would love to do too 
what did you think of it ?i

and thinking about it starting with Disneyland seems like a good idea too 

I love holiday planning just trying to keep it in a budget is the hard part

thanks for all the great ideas


----------



## rwdavis2

If you are into wine at all there are a ton of great wineries on the way.. Especially around Paso Robles (down Rt 101) and in Santa Barbara County.

If you want any specifics feel free to PM me.
Bob


----------



## lomorton

We took this same trip last year!   I highly recommend either taking the 101 or 1 on the way there, or back.  Santa Barbara is a beautiful city to stay overnight in.  We stayed at the Montecito Inn, which was commissioned by Charlie Chaplain and has a lot of charm. 

Solvang, off of 101, is also a great place to stop for wine tastings or picture-taking.  I recommend the Wandering Dog Wine Bar, where they have wine/champagne/and beer flights to choose from.  Solvang is a Danish village, which is a little touristy- but with all of the winery tasting rooms within walking distance, it makes it a noteworthy stop on a road trip.  

For a funny, and gross stop, Bubble Gum alley in San Luis Obispo is a good break stop in the college town.  There are lots of fun restaurants and cafes to try, as well as an original California mission within walking distance.


----------



## CPT Tripss

I need a local to help me, there is a state park, maybe midway between SF and Monterey with the "Big Trees" that is worth the detour since it doesn't seem like you will get another shot at seeing them based on your route.

The Carmel/Monterey area is worth a couple of days.

We did a night time tour of Hearst Castle and definately recommend that.  Stay in one of the towns just south of the castle (someone will have to help me with the names).  Get Hearst Castle tickets in advance!

I trust you are reading the various SF posts here for things to do there.


----------



## Wilsonfamily4

getting on the band wagon late.  Thank you for the suggestion on kayaking.  My husband has been begging to do this and we will add it in this trip!!



tommya60 said:


> EyeoreBlues has a great plan!  When we were in Monterey we kayaked in the Elkhorn Slough--DD loves sea otters and you can see them there "in the wild".  The Aquarium is wonderful, just a great place to visit.
> 
> !


----------



## GrandBob

CPT Tripss said:


> I need a local to help me, there is a state park, maybe midway between SF and Monterey with the "Big Trees" that is worth the detour since it doesn't seem like you will get another shot at seeing them based on your route.



You're probably thinking of Big Basin State Park, in the Santa Cruz mountains.  But given the OP's plan to drive down Highway 1 (which is named Cabillo Highway in this section -- PCH is the designation south of Santa Barbara -- sorry, a pet peeve).  Anyway given the OP's plan, it would be much more convenient to see the giant redwoods at Pfeiffer Big Sur State Park.  That's right off Highway 1, and I'm not sure, but I think the trees are bigger.  Big Basin requires some driving along twisty Highway 9.

-Bob


----------



## GrandBob

Wilsonfamily4 said:


> getting on the band wagon late.  Thank you for the suggestion on kayaking.  My husband has been begging to do this and we will add it in this trip!!



You'll probably want to use Monterey Bay Kayaks.  They have two locations here -- one in Monterey, right off Fisherman's Wharf, and one in Moss Landing, just north of the Highway 1 bridge over Elkhorn Slough.  Both are great locations for sightseeing.  But I'm partial to the Moss Landing location.  From here (I'm sitting at work in Moss Landing now), you can paddle into Elkhorn Slough, which is one of the primary bird flyways on the west coast, with egrets, great blue herons, and of course lots of seagulls.  You'll also see sea otters, and probably sea lions.  It's a great trip.

-Bob


----------



## sndral

tholczer said:


> If I had to choose between Carmel, Monterey and Big Sur, it would definitely be Big Sur.  I haven't been there since the fires, though, so not sure how it's affected the landscape.  The Big Sur Lodge is a wonderful place where they have cabins with fireplaces and no TV.  There is a pool for summertime.  You can whale watch or visit a lighthouse.  I believe there are caves in the area and, of course, tons of hiking.  The restaurant there has fabulous food and atmosphere.  It's very romantic.
> 
> Have a great time!
> 
> Tracy



From the Lodge @ Pfeiffer & up by the rooms/cabins you won't see any evidence of the '08 fires. Towards the back of the campground and on the hike to the gorge along the Big Sur river you can see some scorching on a few trees - amazing how close the fire got.


----------



## CPT Tripss

GrandBob said:


> You're probably thinking of Big Basin State Park, in the Santa Cruz mountains.  But given the OP's plan to drive down Highway 1 (which is named Cabillo Highway in this section -- PCH is the designation south of Santa Barbara -- sorry, a pet peeve).  Anyway given the OP's plan, it would be much more convenient to see the giant redwoods at Pfeiffer Big Sur State Park.  That's right off Highway 1, and I'm not sure, but I think the trees are bigger.  Big Basin requires some driving along twisty Highway 9.
> 
> -Bob



Yeap, that's it . . . fun road!  I doubt that a normal human being, standing on the ground, will notice any difference in the tree sizes.  Coming from NJ and the "Pine Barrens" (where we look down on the tree tops), it was spectacular.


----------



## pinktink83

The drive to AZ from Cali is indeed not very pretty or eventful (although you can stop at The Joshua Tree National Park!), but once you get into AZ, the drive to the Grand Canyon is gorgeous! Especially in Sept/Oct! Also, you don't just "drive by" the Grand Canyon. There's shops, museums, hotels, restaurants, etc...you get out and can walk around all over the place! Not boring at all! It would be really fun if you could stay overnight in one of the cabins, too! I've always wanted to do that! 

My opinion would be to take the 10 from Anahiem to Phx, and then drive up the 17 to Sedona. Sedona is LOVELY, it is where we went on our honeymoon. Its definitely worth a stop by for lunch and some window shopping, if not staying over night. Tlaquepaque is a very fun little outdoor art/shopping area...great places to eat, lots to see, souvenirs, beautiful fine art, pretty buildings, etc. Or just walking up the boardwalk on downtown Main St. is more western-y, quaint shops with restaurants, etc. We took a Pink Jeep Tour to see the Indian Ruins and it was so fun and interesting. You get to see all the great scenery on the way. There are parks for picnicking, bike rentals, etc. Very romantic place.

From Sedona take the scenic Oak Creek Canyon Highway up to Flagstaff. It is the most beautiful drive in AZ. In Sept/Oct it will be gorgeous. Tons of Oak trees and winding streams the whole way up. Its really beautiful. From there you can go straight up to the Grand Canyon. 

Also, along the way is Montezuma's Castle and Meteor Crater (if you're interested in those kind of things). You can also go the Observatory in Flagstaff, which is pretty neat, especially if you're into space stuff.


----------



## shellspb

Eeyore Blues has it down. Perfect plan, hwy. 1. The only things I can add are in Carmel eat at Casanovas, great Italian food. I prefer Carmel over Monterey if you are short on time. Do the 17 mile drive through Pebble Beach, spectacular. Also, definitely San Luis Obispo, great college town and drive out to Avila Beach, it reminds me of Old Key West Resort at WDW. Also, Morro Bay is closeby and Dorn's is a great restaurant. Downtown Disney is a blast, enjoy every minute.


----------



## medicjch

This all seems to be very good information as I was considering going the other direction.......flying into LA then driving to SF via the coastal route.  If we did go that route, what would be the good overnight stopping points.  We had heard about the Madonna Inn and wondered if that would be a good place to stay. If I can try to hijack this thread any more........anyone have any hotel recommendations for SF?  I don't mind spending money for a really nice place, but I don't want to get too crazy. We would like a nice room in a good location that has easy access to shopping, sightseeing, etc.


----------



## Disneyof3

Were doing a road trip this year too but not DL To many refurbs going on. We are starting in LV and staying for 3 days, then driving to SF for 3 days and then heading back to GC for 2 days and then hoover dam and back to LV. I can't wait and seeing on hear what the scenery will be like is getting me more excited about it. I have never seen the west coast and can't wait till March.


----------



## Caitie-Cecilia

This thread is exactly what I was coming on to post - we're WDW veterans but DH has a training in Santa Clara and DS and I are coming along to make it a vacation once finished.  We're planning to fly into San Francisco and out of John Wayne to get home if it made sense - and sounds like it might...!


----------



## zanzibar138

We are going to the US for 2 weeks (staying at Disneyland for 1 of them) and would have loved to see a lot more of the country, but trying to cram just a few things into the second week was hard enough! We're spending the entire 1st week in Anaheim, then flying up to San Fran for 3 night, flying into Vegas and hiring a car to drive out to the Grand Canyon. We'll be at the Grand Canyon for 3 nights, doing a mule ride  Then drive back to Vegas and spend our last night there before flying back to LA for the return flight to Melbourne.

Trying to fit the Grand Canyon into our trip certainly made our planning more difficult, and we had to compromise by not driving between Anaheim and San Fran which I think we would have both really enjoyed. But we're not sure we'll ever get to America again and the Grand Canyon was on our 'must' list. I would probably recommend for people who live a bit closer (ie in America lol!) to just do SoCal, then go to the Grand Canyon another time. Having said that, if you're only planning to spend a couple of days at Disneyland, it would mean more time for doing other things.


----------



## Muddy Rivers




----------

