California Dreamin' RV Vacation Itinerary

After picking up your motorhome at El Monte RV Los Angeles location it's just a 15 minute drive south to your first night stop at the Anaheim Harbor RV Park.  The campground has a shuttle leaving every 20 minutes to Disneyland so, once checked in, why not leave your RV and you're off for a wonderful evening of fun.  Stay for the fireworks then head home for your first night in your motorhome.

The longest drive on this trip takes you north, headed for the Giant Redwoods in Sequoia National Park . You'll start by retracing your steps on Interstate 5 and once out of the metropolitan area will have Los Padres National Forest on your left and Angeles National Forest on your right.

Just beyond Lebec you will come onto Route 99, headed for Bakersfield (you should reach there a couple of hours after starting your journey from Anaheim).  

Bakersfield is home to the largest collection of Basque restaurants in the United States, you may want to stop for breakfast or lunch.

Continue north until Visalia where you may want to stock up with food. Then head toward Sequoia National Park.  At Three Rivers you will find Sequoia RV & Ranch, just 8 miles from the entrance to the park.

Several sites at Sequoia RV Ranch are alongside the river so, when you book, do tell them if you'd like this position.  

You will probably want to take it easy now: relax on the 21 acre property, swim in the spring-fed swimming hole, BBQ some of that fresh fish you just bought and spend a pleasant evening. 

Once you hit route 41, head north through the town of Fresno and then, just after Oakhurst, drive through the Sierra National Forest until you reach the south part of Yosemite National Park.

You are heading for Yosemite Village where there are a number of National Park campgrounds to choose from (www.recreation.gov & www.nps.gov).   These websites will not only give you details of campgrounds you can pre-book, but they will also tell you about the amazing things to be seen in Yosemite National Park.

You will enjoy 25 more miles of Yosemite National Park today as you head for the Park's west entrance - or exit in your case.  There's a lot to see, from the cable cars to the Wharf, so check the website and make a plan!

After a day in the city, enjoy 2 nights at Moss Landing KOA.  This will be your base for a tour of the Monterey Peninsula tomorrow, but this first day would probably be a good one for R&R to relax after a couple of long drives.  Moss Landing is in the heart of the Monterey Bay Sanctuary.  With its fish restaurants, antique shops and art galleries, this really is old-fashioned seaside Americana.

Today, take the opportunity to visit the sites in and around Monterey and Carmel; to take the beautiful '17 mile drive' and to visit Pebble Beach.  No rush, no hurry.  Return to Moss Landing at your leisure!

"The Big Sur", one of the most famous and breathtaking stretches of road on the Pacific Highway, bestowed as one of America's Scenic Byways.  Take the drive slowly and stop often when you see viewpoints.  Check the website and plan your journey carefully.  You are going to based for the night at Fernwood Resort.

On your journey south today, you may want to stop for a while at Julie Pfeiffer Burns State Park to take the short, 1/3 mile easy walk on McWay Waterfall Trail.  It'll take you to an overlook facing McWay Falls, an incredible 80-foot waterfall that drops directly onto the sandy beach.  You are next headed for San Simeon and famous Hearst Castle built on land William Randolph Hearst inherited from his mother.

Originally known as "Camp Hill", its wilderness originally offered a place for family members and friends to "rough it" on camping trips.

Hearst envisioned more comfortable accommodations, and by 1947 they had created an estate of 165 rooms and 127 acres of gardens, terraces, pools and walkways amidst the 250,000 acres which make up the estate.

Today, head south from San Simeon to Pismo Beach and Pismo Coast Village.  After about 35 miles you'll come to Morro Bay State Park which features lagoon and natural bay habitats.  The bay's most prominent landmark is Morro Rock,  The park museum has exhibits that cover natural features and cultural history, Native American life, geology and oceanography.  It would be a nice place to make an interim stop, even though today's journey is a short one.  Once you get to Pismo Beach, a classic beach town famous for its dunes, it's all about relaxing.  Pismo Beach is surrounded by golf courses.

There is horseback riding on the beach, fishing off of the pier, or surfing next to it, and a selection of trails to explore.  The spectacular Monarch butterfly groves is on the southern boundary.  Alternatively, just sit and look out for whales, otters and elephant seals just offshore. 

As you wave goodbye to Pismo Beach, you are heading for one of those iconic California places... Malibu.  Who knows, you may even bump into someone famous!  You can drive down on route 101 into Malibu or come off the main highway through coastal towns such as Mission Hills, Lompoc or Isla Vista.  A stop at Santa Barbara might be fun too.  When you arrive at Malibu Beach RV Park your site will have either an ocean or mountain view, so when booking it's worth saying which you'd prefer.  Whale watching is a great activity in March, April, October and November and you can watch dolphins all year round.  Ocean swimming, body surfing and beachcombing are also favorite activities.  And, of course, there's always star spotting either here or in Beverly Hills, just 23 miles away.

It should take approximately 2 hours, depending on traffic to get back to the Santa Fe Springs rv rental location before 11am with a full tank of gas (petrol).