I’m planning an 18-Day West Coast Road Trip Itinerary around the US among Utah, California, and Arizona. Go camping this summer 2022 in Hanksville, Arches, and Yosemite in 18 days. If you want to download my West Coast itinerary in PDF with some photos, here you have it! USA!
Day 1: Arrival in Los Angeles
Wednesday, 17th August
MIDDAY
- 14:00h Get the flight from Barcelona
AFTERNOON
- 18:00h Arrive at LA Airport
- Get the car
- Go to Wallmart
EVENING
- Check-in our hotel
- Dinner and cocktail at Cole’s French Dip
NIGHT
- Night at a hotel in Downtown LA (check-in 15h-23h)
Day 2: Los Angeles
Thursday 18th August
MORNING
- Breakfast at The Original Pantry Cafe
- Hollywood Boulevard! – free parking there
MIDDAY
- Lunch In-N-Out Burguer
- Road trip around famous locations (LA & Beverly Hills: Thriller House, Pretty Woman, Mars Attach)
AFTERNOON
- Venice Beach & Sunset in Santa Monica (30 min. trip). Dinner in Bubba Gump (Forrest Gump).
NIGHT
- Night at a hotel in Downtown LA
Day 3: Valley of Fire Friday
19th August – 6,30h road trip
MORNING
- 7:30h Breakfast in Los Angeles
- 8:30h Road trip to Peggy Sue with a stop in Route 66, Calico Ghost Town & Pioneer Saloon (2:00h)
MIDDAY
- 13h Lunch on the road (Peggy Sue), a must for any West Coast Road Trip Itinerary.
AFTERNOON
- 14h Road trip to Fire State Park (3h)
- Valley of Fire State Park (here) and Sunset in Mouse’s Tank Rd
EVENING-NIGHT
- 19:00h Road to Motel in St George (1,20h) — 1h later
- 22:30h Night in a Hotel in St George
Day 4: Kanab-Page
Saturday 20th August – 4,30h road trip
MORNING
- 6.30h Breakfast in the hotel
- 7:30h Go to Buckskin Gulch or Yant Flat (2,30)
- 10:00h Buckskin Gulch (tickets) through Wire Pass (try also last Wave lottery)
MIDDAY
- 14h Old Paria overlook and sandwich
- 15:30h Go to Page (1h)
AFTERNOON
- 16:30h Pool in the hotel – 1h less
- 18:00h Sunset in Horseshoe bend & picnic
- 23:00h Hotel with pool at Page &
- Drink with country music there
Day 5: Antelope Canyon
Sunday 21st August – 2,30h road trip
MORNING
- 8h Breakfast in the hotel & Lone Rock Beach in Lake Powell
- 12:00h-13:30h, Antelope Canyon
MIDDAY
- Lunch at Page (Slackers burger)
- 14:30h Road trip to Grand Canyon (2:30h)
AFTERNOON
- 17:00h Pitch the tent (1st camping night)
- 18:00h Sunset in Mather Point and picnic
NIGHT
Day 6:Grand Canyon National Park
Monday 22nd August – 3,20h road trip
MORNING
- 6:00h Sunrise in Mathers Point
- Morning Hike the Kaibab to Skeleton Point (4h hiking) – check out at max. 11am
MIDDAY
- 11:00h Road trip to Monument Valley (3:20h) (20€ per car) & lunch local here
AFTERNOON
- 16:00h Pitch the tent (2nd camping night) – 1h more (check-in after 14h
- Visit Monument Valley (entry max. 17h)
- Sunset at The View 7pm
NIGHT
- 22:00h Camping at Airbnb Backyard – order tacos
Day 7: Monument Valley & Arches Nat. Park
Tuesday 23rd August – 3,30h road trip
MORNING
- 6:00h Sunrise at Monument Valley & Breakfast with views – check out at 11am
- Hiking around Monument Valley
MIDDAY
- 10:00h Road trip to The Arches National Park (2:45h)
- Lunch in Moab Diner
- Pitch the tent (3rd camping night) and pool time – check in after 1pm
AFTERNOON
- 15:30h Go to Arches National Park (Double Arch 15m & Sand Dune 15m) – entry booked 4-5
- Sunset at Delicate Arch 45min (Milky Way to 1am)
NIGHT
Day 8: Bentonite Hills (Mars) Wednesday 24th August – 2,20h road trip
MORNING
- 10h Road trip to The Mars Research Institute in Bentonite Hills near Hanksville (1:45h) – check out at 11am
- 11:45h Hiking around the Marsian hills (2h)
MIDDAY
- 13:45h Road to Wild N Free Camping (20 min)
- Pitch the tent (4th camping night) & lunch
AFTERNOON
- 16:00h Hike to the Long Dong River until sunset – picnic (5km total)
NIGHT
- 22:00h Wild N Free Camping (8€ each)
Day 9: Bryce Canyon National Park
Thursday 25th August – 3,20h road trip
MORNING
- 5:30h Wake up
- 5:45h Go to catch Pre-Sunrise at Moon Overlook (19min from camping)
- 8:00h Factory Butte hike or Bentonite Hills
MIDDAY
- 11:00h Road trip to Bryce Canyon (3h) – sandwitch on the road
- 15:00h Prepare the tent
AFTERNOON
- 16:00h Hiking around Bryce National Park (3h)
- 18:30h Sunset at the Lookout – picnic
NIGHT
- 22:00h Camping at the national park (north camping booked, 15min walk from sunset point)
Day 10: Zion National Park & Las Vegas
Friday 26th August – 4h road trip
MORNING
- 6:00h Wake up
- 6:30h Road to Zion National Park (1:20h)
- 8:00h Hiking Zion Overlook and 9am park to The Narrows OR Angel’s Landing – sandwich
MIDDAY
- 13:30h Road to Las Vegas (2:40h)
AFTERNOON
- 15:30h Arrive in Las Vegas. Pool?
- Buffet for Friday night? – 1h less 🙂 (check-in at 4pm)
NIGHT
- Night in Flamingo Las Vegas ***
Day 11: Death Valley
Saturday 27th August – 4h road trip
MORNING
- Relax in Las Vegas (Go Pool +21 opens 9am-6pm and check-out at 11am) and brunch
MIDDAY
- Road trip to Death Valley (2,30h)
AFTERNOON
- Dante’s View, Zabriskie Point, Artist Palette and Badwater Basin 7:30pm sunset.
NIGHT
* Wildrose Camp (37min) – cooler & milky way
Day 12: Sequoias National Park
Sunday 28th August – 5h road trip
MORNING
- Road to Sequoias National Park (4,45h) – stop in a ghost town
MIDDAY
- Search a restaurant
AFTERNOON
- Pitch our tent
- Visit Sequoias National Park (General Sherman, Tunnel Log, Moro Rock Trail)
NIGHT
- Night in Lodgepole Campground in Sequoias National Park
Day 13: Yosemite
Monday 29th August – 4h road trip
MORNING
- Road trip to Yosemite Valley – Sandwich on the road
AFTERNOON
- Check-in Curry Village
- Visit Cathedral Beach, El Capitan, and Yosemite Valley for sunset
NIGHT
- Dinner in Curry Village
- 22:00h Night at Cabin in Curry Village
Day 14: Yosemite
Tuesday 30th August – No road trip 🙂
DAY
- 6:00h Breakfast
- 6:30h Sunrise at Glacier Point, then hike the 1-day-trip around the waterfall, four-mile trail, swinging bridge
- Yosemite falls & sentinel bridge – sandwich
AFTERNOON
- Sunset in Taft Point
NIGHT
- Dinner in Curry Village
- 22:00h Night in Cabin in Curry Village
Day 15: San Francisco
Wednesday 31st August – 3,50h road trip
MORNING
- 6:00h Breakfast
- 6:30h Sunrise at Tunnel View
- Road to San Francisco (3,46h)
- 11:30h San Francisco! (Pier 39 & Lombard Street)
- Lunch in San Francisco!
AFTERNOON
- Golden Gate: Walk through from Battery Spenser and sunset in Baker Beach
NIGHT
- Hotel in San Francisco. Columbus Inn *
Day 16: San Francisco
Thursday 1st September – 2h road trip
MORNING
- Breakfast in San Francisco (Bob’s Donuts), Chinatown, Union Square
- Lunch in Plaza Farmers Market
AFTERNOON
- Steiner Street and The Painted Ladies
NIGHT
- Diner in Monterey: Mexican? (2h road trip)
- Hotel in Monterey w pool: Stargazer Inn
Day 17: Big Sur Friday
2nd September – 2,30h road trip
DAY
- Breakfast at Stillwater (Pebble Beach Golf Club)
- Big Sur (Carmel, China Cove, Soberanes Point, sandwich at Pfeiffer Beach)
AFTERNOON
- Big Sur (Big Creek, McWay Falls). Sunset on the beach 🙂
NIGHT
- San Luis Obispo hotel with pool
Day 18: Malibu
Saturday 3rd September – 3,30h road trip
MORNING
- El Matador and Malibu (House 2 and a Half Men).
- Last lunch in Malibu cool! 🙂 – reservation, it’s Saturday! (Duke or Farm)
AFTERNOON
- 17h Arrive at the airport
- 19:55h Flight to Barcelona
That’s all! Hope you liked our west coast road trip itinerary and I’ll share with you my own photos once my trip is over 🙂 If you like hiking, I recommend you take a look at our Iceland road trip Itinerary and our Patagonia itinerary.
