Visit Scottsdale, Sedona, Grand Canyon NP, Las Vegas, Death Valley NP, Yosemite NP, Napa Valley, San Francisco, Monterey, Big Sur, Santa Barbara & Los Angeles.
This popular West Coast fly-drive takes in all the must-visit destinations of Arizona, Nevada and California. You’ll start your road trip in sunny Scottsdale, Phoenix, before visiting a variety of landscapes, including the high desert of Arizona, the Sierra Nevada mountains and California’s wonderful coast, before completing your adventure in Los Angeles.
Key road trip highlights:
Share this trip
We’ll suggest properties to match your preferred budget, be it low-cost, mid-range or high-end luxury that you’re looking for. We can also mix it up so you’ll experience a range of standards and experiences along your road trip.
All of our American road trips can be tailored to meet your requirements. Do you have more or less than 15 days for your road trip? No problem, we can bolt on extra nights to allow more time to explore or shorten the number of destinations as required.
After touching down in Phoenix, you’ll pick up your rental car at the airport and take a short drive to one of the amazing resort hotels located just north of Phoenix in Scottsdale or neighbouring Carefree.
The world’s largest and most famous geological wonder is just staggering. Two billion years in the making, the Colorado River has forged a mile deep, 18 miles wide and 277-mile long gouge into Arizona. On your way to the Grand Canyon, you’ll pass by the charming spa town of Sedona and funky Flagstaff. There are other interesting stopovers to detour to, such as Meteor Crater near Winslow, although it’s best to add another overnight should all of these places appeal.
After watching the sunrise over the Grand Canyon, you’ll head south to Williams and turn west onto Route 66. We recommend you stick to the original Route 66 route, which passes iconic Mother Road towns like Seligman, Hackberry and Oatman. You’ll also pass over the Hoover Dam, which spans the divide between Arizona and Nevada. After settling into your Las Vegas hotel, why not get dressed up and hit the town for a night of partying and maybe even a little gambling.
Wake up in the luxury of Las Vegas. With so many first-class hotels, restaurants and entertainment to choose from, you’ll have plenty to keep you busy. Check out the Bellagio Fountains, take a Gondola ride at the Venetian or watch a world-class show. One of our favourite Vegas activities is to visit the Neon Museum, where you can experience the Las Vegas magic of a bygone age by touring the Neon Boneyard.
Death Valley has an extreme climate and geology. The roads here are superb, dipping and leaning around curves before straightening out as you fall to 85m below sea level in the salt flats of Badwater. You’ll finish your drive on the snow-capped mountains of the Sierra Nevada. It’s one of the longer driving days but carries with it three awesome experiences.
Drive north on the super scenic Highway 395. You’ll cruise between sparse desert to the east and massive mountains to the west, passing movie locations and farmland as you drive. Once you reach the weird and wonderful Mono Lake, turn west over the Tioga Pass (open June-October) and enter the majestic Yosemite National Park.
Yosemite National Park is over 1,000 square kilometres of awe-inspiring nature. The most popular part of the park is the Valley Floor, where you’ll find vast rock faces, abundant wildlife, staggering views and stunning waterfalls. In the afternoon, drive down to Mariposa Grove to walk amongst giant redwood trees. At sunset, head up to Glacier Point, which offers the very best views in all of Yosemite.
You don’t have to like wine to enjoy this beautiful area. The two neighbouring valleys of Napa and Sonoma offer pretty scenery made up of perfectly manicured vineyards stretched across rolling hills. Enjoy the views by car, bicycle or even an early morning hot air balloon ride or afternoon steam train. This wine region is a foodies’ heaven too, with upscale restaurants like Thomas Keller’s Bouchon and French Laundry. If you like the odd glass of wine, then call in at one or two of the hundreds of vineyards in Sonoma or Napa Valley.
Spanning the headlands between Marin County and San Francisco, one of the world’s most beautiful bridges, is a delightful experience whether you walk, bike or drive across. Before crossing, you can enjoy stunning views of the Golden Gate Bridge and San Francisco beyond it by driving up Conzelman Road on the north side of the Bay. Once you hit town, you can explore San Francisco’s iconic visitor spots for the next two or more days.
Once the famous San Francisco fog lifts, one of America’s favourite cities will be revealed. Ride a cable car, climb the steep streets and get into the vibe that only San Fran can offer. Full of Victorian charm, famous movie locations and world-leading tech companies, this city has something for everyone. Attractions include Alcatraz, Fisherman’s Wharf, Union Square and curvy Lombard Street, to name just a few.
Monterey was once California’s capital of the whaling and sardine industry; however, today it’s best known for the world-class Monterey Bay Aquarium that presides on Cannery Row. The town’s focus now is on marine education and preservation. Want to experience Monterey Bay first-hand? Then take a whale watching trip during your stay. In the early evening, cruise along the famous “17-Mile Drive” on your way to pretty Carmel-by-the-Sea. You’ll pass millionaire mansions, Pebble Beach Golf Club and a beautiful rugged coastline as you enjoy this short drive.
Carmel-by-the-Sea offers two world-class beaches backed by a gorgeous small town with beautiful homes, quality restaurants and quaint streets. To the north is the world-famous Pebble Beach Golf Course, and to the south is Big Sur, starting with the wild and wonderful Point Lobos, which you can enjoy through the many available short walks.
Big Sur is arguably the best driving experience in all of America. Cruise down the curvy roads, stopping at State Parks and vista points as you go. One optional stop is Hearst Castle, which perches on “The Enchanted Hill” and overlooks the Pacific Ocean in the distance. Next up is Santa Barbara, which was built in a charming Mediterranean style, thus making it one of the Central Coast’s very best highlights. If this drive is too long for your taste, then we’ll be happy to add an extra stop to cut this drive in half.
Today, you’ll complete this epic road trip by continuing south on the Pacific Coast Highway until you reach Los Angeles. As you enter LA, you’ll pass by Malibu’s beaches and coastal homes and arrive in Santa Monica with its vast beaches and old-fashioned Pier, a worthy stop to finish any road trip. Hire a bike and cruise the boardwalk to Venice Beach or shop your heart out on 3rd Street Promenade.
Los Angeles is synonymous with glitz and glamour; it’s fun to visit the home of the Oscars and walk Hollywood Boulevard looking for the handprints of your favourite movie stars. Just a short drive northeast of here lies the Griffith Observatory, perched high on a hill overlooking the urban sprawl of LA. This landmark is well worth a visit and offers excellent views of the legendary Hollywood sign. Tomorrow, you’ll fly home; however, if you have a few extra days to spend away, then just let us know, and we’ll bolt on additional days to enjoy LA, Laguna Beach or even San Diego.
Share this trip
You’ll find answers to most of your questions right here. If you still need assistance, Feel free to get in touch, and we’ll be sure to get back to you promptly!
Not a problem. If you are lucky enough to have extra time to explore more places or add more rest days, then just let us know and we’ll adjust your trip to match your preferred timescale.
We strongly advise that you purchase travel insurance for your holiday to cover you against medical expenses, theft and other financial costs. Should you need to cancel before travelling, some insurance policies may pay out for any loss of funds that have been paid to us and which cannot be refunded under our cancellation policy.
Many of our trips have a different end destination than the starting point, so this is not a problem. Please note a fee sometimes applies for one-way rentals between other regions or states, which will be paid to the supplier directly when collecting the vehicle. We’ll endeavour to inform you of this charge within your quote.
No, far from it. We work with a range of properties from 3* to 5*, so we can adapt the trip to match most budgets. We have access to rooms in more than 800 hotels, motels, lodges and B&Bs across North America.
The minimum age to rent a car is 21 in the United States or Canada, although, in addition, any drivers under 25 years of age will generally incur a surcharge.
Please use the form below to request a quote from our team. Fields marked with an * are mandatory. Please note that we currently only serve customers based in the UK & The EU.
Not quite what you’re looking for? Get in touch to discuss your Bespoke Road Trip plans, or check out these similar road trip itineraries…
ARTCo customers can be confident that we only work with the very best service providers, such as Virgin Atlantic, British Airways and Alamo. Any payments made to us are fully protected via the government’s ATOL scheme (Flight packages) or Financial Failure Insurance (Non-Flight Packages).
