CALIFORNIA CRUISING A Perfect 5-Day Summer Road Trip
Looking for a cool, California getaway vacation? Check out this fun, five day road trip.
Day One: It’s morning and you depart out of Newport, burning throttles with the Pacific Ocean at your side. You barrel through Huntington with an inward hook that brings you out around Redondo. From there you cruise the beaches – Hermosa, Manhattan, Venice into Santa Monica. You have a choice here: fight the traffic and spend the night in L.A., or shoot to Malibu along Route 1.
Day Two: You merge with 101 just north of Oxnard. From there the coast runs open, Mussel Shoals a welcome gate to Santa Barbara. The air feels crisp, and the breeze starts winding. You’re approaching Big Sur, which offers an opportunity to enjoy the sea cliffs for a night.
Day Three: Rock fans might want to stop in Monterey before hooking north toward Santa Cruz. San Jose and Palo Alto are just beyond there. If all goes well, you can enjoy an outdoor dinner in Silicon Valley before pulling into San Francisco to enjoy some of the sites.
Day Four: Early morning is for tourism – Alcatraz, City Lights, perhaps a quick spin down Haight-Ashbury. By afternoon you’re rolling over Golden Gate, and for a moment there, you’ll feel like you’re on top of the world. I-80 takes you northeast toward Sacramento, at which point the smart money is on veering east across the state. After a long day, you can set up camp just short of Yosemite, enjoy a beer beneath the open sky.
Day Five: Take 120 to 395 South, zipping down toward Death Valley. You’re closing in now, and U.S. 15 will guide you burning through the desert. This is a long day (approximately 400 miles), and you can expect some traffic around the San Bernardino Valley. If you stretch it out, you can make it to San Diego by nightfall. The following morning, thread the needle into Newport, where you departed 1,300 miles before.
