Welcome to the captivating world of the USA West Coast. This 3 week itinerary will guide you through unique landscapes, breathtaking cities and fun activities while sharing practical travel information.
Day 0 – Arrival San Francisco
San Francisco is the perfect place to start your road trip. It is easily accessible through the San Francisco International airport (SFO). Use this day to pick up your rental car at the airport and get some rest.
The charming city of San Francisco changed over the years. Look after your belongings and never leave your personal belongings in your car unattended. It can be gone in minutes.
Day 1 & 2 – San Francisco
Start your road trip by exploring San Francisco. It is a great city where you can see the Golden Gate Bridge, experience the life of a prisoner in Alcatraz and stroll on the waterfront and look at the seals.
If you would like to experience authentic American culture, enjoy a night of sport while watching an American football, hockey or basketball game.
Want to know more about San Francisco, read all about it in this blog.
Day 3, 4 & 5 – Yosemite National Park
Yosemite National Park is one of America’s crown jewels. The park is a hiking paradise that offers stunning views of the mountains and waterfalls. Keep your eyes open during hiking to spot some wild bears.
Try to beat the crowds and visit the parks before sunrise. The stunning golden view will be worth it. Apart from the view, you will avoid traffic jams (during peak season), will secure a parking spot in the national park and are able to hike with a comfortable temperature.
Are you looking for park information, reservation system, best hikes and viewpoint, read al about it here.
Day 6 – Sequoia National Park
Today you will enter the land of giants. Sequoia National Park is the home of the tallest and largest trees in the world. Use this day to hike through the forest and enjoy the unique scenery. When you are a photography fan like me, it is a perfect place to try and capture the enormous trees and the forrest. Loved it!
After the hike, drive to Bakersfield and stay the night.
Day 7 – Death Valley & Las Vegas
Death Valley is the land of extremes and contrasts, where nature reveals its raw and dramatic beauty. Death valley is one of the hottest places on earth where peak temperatures hit 134 degrees Fahrenheit / 56.7 degrees Celsius.
Visit the view points, bring a lot of water and observe the extreme sporters that are running in the valley. After enjoying the day, drive to Las Vegas to spend the night.
Day 8 – Las Vegas
Viva Las Vegas! There are endless possibilities and activities in Vegas. Try your luck at the casino, enjoy the extreme scenery in the hotels and do some fun activities.
Day 9, 10 & 11 – Zion National Park
Before heading to Zion National Park, we visited the Hoover Dam near Las Vegas. It is a nice morning activity to start the day.
Zion National Park is the perfect place for hiking! Use the time to climb the beautiful sandstone mountains, visit viewpoints and do a trial that runs through an actual river (yes, you will get wet but it a lot of fun). The town near the National Park is perfect to end the day and enjoy a lovely cold drink..
In order to enter the National Park, you will need to park your car near the visitors center or in the town. The National Park shuttle busses will bring you to the beginning of the hiking trails. Parking at the visitor center is free, however the parking lot fills up early in the morning (during peak season). So come at sunrise to park your car, it will save you 50 dollars.
Day 12 & 13 – Bryce Canyon
The road from Zion National Park to Bryce Canyon is a scenic road (drive through the National Park) Make sure to stop at the viewpoint and take some beautiful pictures.
You will likely arrive in the afternoon at Bryce Canyon. Use this day to visit all the viewpoints in the park and enjoy the mesmerising amphitheater.
For the second day, it is time to hike through the canyon and take a closer look at the thousands of hoodoos. We started at sunrise and the view was gorgeous (it even gave us goosebumps). It also allowed us to hike with low temperatures.
Day 14 – Page
Page is a small town in Arizona that offers some hidden gems like Antelope Canyon, Horseshoe Bend and Lake Powel. Use this day to enjoy nature and take some beautiful photographs.
If you would like to visit the canyons, it is required to book tour with a Navajo touring company. Make sure to plan ahead and book your Antelope Canyon visit upfront (you can choose between the upper and lower Canyon).
Day 15 – Monument Valley & Grand Canyon
Monument Valley is the place where nature meets the cinematic wild west splendo. Visit the view points to capture the famous view of three monumental sandstone formations.
After enjoying the view, it will be a long ride to the Grand Canyon. Upon arrival in the Grand Canyon, use the afternoon to visit the viewpoint and enjoy the sunset.
Day 16 – Grand Canyon
The Grand Canyon stands as one of the world’s biggest geological wonders. Caved by the Colorado River, it offers a great hiking opportunity that really makes you experience and appreciate the scale of the canyon. The canyon in Arizona is the home of worlds largest bird. So keep you eye in the sky and look for the famous condors.
The park offers free parking and shuttle buses that will guide you to the hiking trails. Wake up early and start hiking at sunrise in order to beat the crowds and heat. Do not forget to bring a lot of water!
Day 17, 18, 19 & 20 – Los Angeles
It will be a long drive from the Grand Canyon to Los Angeles. Find some entertaining podcasts and eat lunch at the iconic fast food chains.
Los Angeles is the home of dreamers, innovators and celebrities. It is a city of luxury, that is home to large villas, exotic cars and fine restaurants. Use your final days to try to experience this LA life.
We personally enjoyed taking it slow in Los Angeles. We visited Hollywood, Beverly Hills and the beach. While enjoying one of the best cafes, restaurants and sky bars in town. It was a great way to finish the road trip.
How much does is cost to travel to the United States of America?
Traveling three weeks through the west coast cost us around €4.350 per person. Below you can find the price per person in euro’s for our trip in 2023.
| Topic | Price |
|---|---|
| Flight | €794 |
| Hotel | €1442 |
| Car & insurance | €482 |
| Gas | €300 |
| Food | €840 |
| Activities | €420 |
| National Park Pass | €40 |
| Esta | €21 |
| Total | €4.338 |
Exploring the west cost of the United States should not drain your bank account. We traveled on a budget and made conscious decision on how to spend our money. Below some explanations on how we spent our money.
- Flight: our flight was a direct flight from Amsterdam to San Francisco. You can save a few hundred euro’s by making an extra stop.
- Hotel: we stayed the night in budget friendly hotels and booked them via booking.com. During the day, you are exploring the nations parks or cities. Therefore, it is not needed for us to sleep in luxurious and expensive hotel rooms.
- Car: we rented our car via Alamo. Hereby we picked up the car in San Francisco and dropped it off in Los Angeles. You are able to save some money by returning the car at the same pick up point. Take into account that will cost you an extra holiday day.
- Food: we often bought our breakfast and lunch at the supermarket to save some money (it is also practical when you go hiking and there are a limited number of supermarkets or restaurants nearby). For dinner, we always visited a restaurant and did not take the budget into account.
Options to extend your road trip with 1 or 2 weeks
Are you planning to extend your road trip to the west coast? Below you can find multiple options that we would advice:
- Visit Arches and Canyonland National Park.
- Go rafting in the Colorado river.
- Take highway one between San Francisco and Los Angeles.
- Visit Yellowstone National Park
- Visit Sedona
- Visit San Diego
- Visit Joshua Tree National Park