Los Angeles Circular 42 – A classic route in southwestern United States that focuses on the states of Utah and California with a pinch of Nevada and Arizona, and includes Zion, Bryce, Arches, Canyonlands, Capitol Reef, Grand Canyon and Yosemite National Parks, Page/Lake Powell area, the Monument Valley and the magnificent coastline of California (Route 1) as well as the cities of Las Vegas, San Francisco and Los Angeles. This trip includes driving the Tioga Pass road in Yosemite that is open for a relatively short period every year (see opening and closure dates here).
Day 1 – Land in Los Angeles and spend a few hours in Venice Beach and Santa Monica
Lodging location: Santa Monica or Venice Beach
Day 2 – Drive to Kingman, 5 hours drive
(on the way stop at Barstaw’s outlet or at Calico’s or Oatman’s ghost towns)
Lodging location: Kingman
Day 3 – Drive to the South Rim of the Grand Canyon and travel in the south rim, 2.5 hours drive
(on the way to the Grand Canyon, if you have time – drive a portion of Route 66 and stop at Seligman)
Lodging location: South Rim or Tusayan
Day 4 – Visit the South Rim of the Grand Canyon and stop at sites along HWY 64 in the east part of the rim on the way to Page, in the afternoon visit the Antelope Canyon (reserve in advance) and/or hike to the Horseshoe Bend , 2.5 hours drive
Lodging location: Page
Day 5 – Drive to the Monument Valley and visit the valley and then drive north to Moab, 4.5 hours drive
Lodging location: Moab
Day 6 – Visit Arches National Park, 1 hour drive in each direction
Lodging location: Moab
Day 7 – Go on a half day rafting tour on the Colorado River (out of Moab) and then visit Canyonlands National Park (Island in the Sky district), 1 hour drive in each direction
Lodging location: Moab
Day 8 – Drive to Bryce through Capitol Reef National Park (it is highly recommended to drive via scenic roads 12 and 24 and on the way visit Goblin Valley State Park), 5 hours drive
Lodging location: Bryce
Day 9 – Visit Bryce National Park and drive to Zion National Park on scenic route 9, 2 hours drive
Lodging location: Springdale
Day 10 – Enjoy the day in Zion and in the afternoon drive to Las Vegas, 2.5 hours drive
Lodging location: Las Vegas
Day 11 – Spend the day in Las Vegas
Lodging location: Las Vegas
Day 12 – Spend the morning in Las Vegas and them drive west to Mammoth Lakes, 5 hours drive
Lodging location: Mammoth Lakes
Day 13 – Cross north Yosemite National Park along the scenic Tioga Pass HWY (route 120) towards the Yosemite Valley and spend the second half of the day in the Valley, 4 hours drive
(the Tioga Pass HWY is usually open from the end of May/June until October. See status here)
Lodging location: near Yosemite Valley
Day 14 – Visit Glacier Point and Mariposa Grove in south Yosemite and drive to San Francisco, 5 hours drive
Lodging location: San Francisco
Day 15 – Spend the day in San Francisco
Lodging location: San Francisco
Day 16 – Drive to Monterey and enjoy the day in the wonderful coastal city, 2 hours drive
Lodging location: Monterey
Day 17 – Travel south along the most famous portion of HWY 1, 3 hours drive
Lodging location: Cambria or Morro Bay
Day 18 – Drive to Los Angeles and spend the afternoon in the city, 4 hours drive
Lodging location: Hollywood or Santa Monica or Venice Beach
Day 19 – Fly home
– In order to fill this route with content – see our California and Southwest USA destinations pages, where you can find articles that include suggestions what to do in various locations along this route.
