3 week US Cali road trip

Question

Hey all, I posted this in the Roadtrip forum but was advised it may make more sense in here.

We have an imminent last minute road trip planned starting end of next week - yes, we like to live on the edge ha. Just wondered what people thought to this plan. We're flying from the UK to LAX and back out of LAX as the price was way better to do that. We're having a longer stay in LA to fully explore (we're huge film buffs) and also SF as my wife has never been.

Some feedback so far in the other forum is to skip Tahoe (what I read about sounded fantastic which is why we included it), possibly skip Sequoia, don't do Joshua Tree, don't leave LA on first day (we land at 13.10), and the gut punch that highway 1 is closed. Plus, where I googled drive times as being around 3 hrs (e.g. Yosemite to Tahoe and Death Valley to Yosemite) I was told up to 7hrs.

Currently have accommodation booked or held at PS, Vegas, Death Valley, Yosemite and Tahoe, but all cancellable.

What are the thoughts of you Cali experts?

Jun 20 | Land LAX and drive to Palm Springs | 1 night in PS.

Jun 21–24th | Las Vegas via Joshua Tree | 3 in Vegas

Jun 24 | Death Valley | 1 night

Jun 25–27 | Yosemite National Park | 2 nights

Jun 28 | Lake Tahoe (South Shore) | 1 night

Jun 29–Jul 3rd | San Francisco | 4 nights

Jul 3 | Monterey & Carmel-by-the-Sea | 1 night

Jul 4 | Big Sur / San Simeon | 1 night

Jul 5th | Sequoia National Park | 1 night

Jul 6–11 | Los Angeles | 5 nights

Jul 11 | Fly Home from LAX

Thank you !!!

Answer

Nice plan — you’ve picked a lot of California highlights. It’s doable, but right now the trip as written is very ambitious and will spend a lot of time driving. Below I’ll call out the biggest gotchas (Highway-1 / Big Sur, mountain pass seasonality, realistic driving times), give practical fixes and a tighter itinerary you can actually enjoy, and finish with packing, reservation and booking tips.

Immediate red flags you must know about

Highway-1 / Big Sur is partly closed through the Big Sur coast right now. The big Regent’s Slide / landslide closure still prevents through-traffic between large sections of Carmel/Monterey and Big Sur; Caltrans and local authorities have said full reopening won’t happen until spring 2026 at the earliest. That means you cannot drive the classic continuous Highway-1 “Carmel → Big Sur → San Simeon” route this season. Plan on detours or doing the north and south sections separately.
Mountain passes and Tioga Road (Yosemite’s east entrance) are seasonal and can still be closed or open depending on snow/conditions. The Tioga Road (Highway-120 through Yosemite) opens/ closes seasonally—check the NPS Tioga Road page just before you go because your Yosemite ⇄ Lake Tahoe routing depends on whether Tioga is open this year.
Some of your planned drives are longer than you expect. For example, Death Valley → Yosemite is commonly a ~6+ hour drive (300+ miles) depending on route and stops; Yosemite → Lake Tahoe typically runs 4–5 hours via the appropriate passes (and much longer if you have to detour). These are not short “3-hour” hops once you include park speeds, photo stops, and possible slow traffic. Build realistic driving windows.

Quick review of your day-by-day plan and suggestions

Jun 20 — LAX → Palm Springs (1 night): Fine if you want to stretch legs and avoid LA traffic the same day. Keep it relaxed — don’t try to squeeze in long sightseeing in PS after an international flight.
Jun 21–24 — Joshua Tree → Las Vegas (3 nights): Joshua Tree is enjoyable but adds driving/time. If you do it, keep your visit short (half a day) and drive early to Vegas. If you prefer less driving, skip Joshua Tree and spend more time in Palm Springs or leave straight to Vegas.
Jun 24 — Death Valley (1 night): OK in sequence from Vegas, but it’s a long day if you’re doing side hikes plus driving to Yosemite the next day. Consider staying an extra night near the eastern Sierra (e.g., Lone Pine/Badwater area depending on route) if you want more comfortable timings to Yosemite.
Jun 25–27 — Yosemite (2 nights): Two nights is a tight but workable Yosemite introduction. If Tioga Road (Hwy-120) is closed, your northern/ eastern access is limited and drives to Lake Tahoe will be longer; verify Tioga status.
Jun 28 — Lake Tahoe (south shore) (1 night): One night in Tahoe after Yosemite is very rushed — Tahoe deserves at least 2 nights if you want to see/fill more than one or two attractions. Yosemite → Tahoe will likely take 4–6 hours depending on route and pass openings.
Jun 29–Jul 3 — San Francisco (4 nights): Good amount of time. If Highway-1 is closed, you can still reach Monterey/Carmel from SF and drive parts of the coast accessible from the north, but you can’t do the full down-coast continuous Big Sur drive.
Jul 3 — Monterey & Carmel (1 night): Fine, but Big Sur continuity after that is the issue (see below).
Jul 4 — Big Sur / San Simeon (1 night): You can visit Big Sur sights from Monterey (north section) or from San Simeon (south section), but you cannot drive the whole south→north coastal stretch because of the closure. Plan which section you’ll explore and expect detours to connect to Hwy-101 if you need to head inland.
Jul 5 — Sequoia NP (1 night): Sequoia is worth it, but it’s a significant inland detour from the coast; it’s doable but adds driving. Consider whether that night could be better used to extend Tahoe or Yosemite.
Jul 6–11 — Los Angeles (5 nights): Great length for film buffs — lots to see. Returning the rental car in LA is easy if you plan to stay local and use rideshares/metro for some days.

Two sensible alternative approaches (pick one based on what you love most)

Option A — “National Parks + Sierra focus” (less Coast, more mountains): Keep Death Valley, Yosemite (extend to 3 nights if you can), Lake Tahoe (2 nights), skip Big Sur/Highway-1 and skip Sequoia. This reduces coastal detours, shortens some drives, and lets you enjoy Sierra hiking and lake time. (Good if you love mountains/nature.)
Option B — “Coast + Bay + LA” (less Sierra): Keep San Francisco, Monterey/Carmel (1–2 nights), spend a night or two in Big Sur’s accessible sections from the north, skip Tahoe and Sequoia, and replace Yosemite with a longer stay in Yosemite only if you can drive Tioga in season. This reduces strenuous mountain transit and gives more relaxed coastal time. (Good if you prioritize the coast and SF.)

Suggested tightened itinerary — realistic, still ambitious, less frantic

Day 1: LAX → Palm Springs (overnight)
Day 2–4: Palm Springs → Joshua Tree (half day) → Las Vegas (2–3 nights in Vegas)
Day 5: Vegas → Death Valley (overnight)
Day 6–8: Drive to Yosemite (3 nights if possible) — allow travel day + 2 full days in the park
Day 9–11: Drive to Lake Tahoe (2 nights) OR swap for Monterey if you want coast time
Day 12–15: San Francisco (4 nights)
Day 16–17: Monterey/Carmel (1 night) → Big Sur (if you want a quick visit, decide north or south section) → then inland to Sequoia only if you have energy/time
Final block: return to LA for 4–5 nights

Driving time expectations (rounded, realistic, door-to-door)

Las Vegas ↔ Death Valley: ~2–2.5 hours (depending on exact start/end points)
Death Valley → Yosemite Valley: ~6+ hours (300+ miles) — plan as a full travel day.
Yosemite → South Lake Tahoe: ~4–5 hours if Tioga (Hwy-120) is open; much longer if you must detour. Always check Tioga opening before planning this leg.
SF ↔ Monterey: ~1.5–2 hours (but coastal driving can take longer with stops)
Monterey → Big Sur → San Simeon (if you try the south section) is not continuous at present — expect detours via US-101 if you need to connect.

Practical booking & trip tips

Flexible reservations: Keep hotels/cars refundable or changeable — mountain passes, road closures and weather can force plan changes.
Check official sources within 72 hours of each driving day: NPS for Yosemite roads (Tioga/Glacier Point), Caltrans QuickMap for Highway-1 updates, and local park pages for closures.
Yosemite reservations: If you’re going in peak season, check if you need an entry reservation or parking pass for Yosemite Valley (the park has used reservation systems in busy seasons before).
Pacing: Plan for 2–3 “full” days for big parks (Yosemite, Tahoe, Sequoia). One night is usually not enough to appreciate each place.
Alternate transport ideas: Consider leaving the rental car in SF and taking a short internal flight or Amtrak between long coastal legs if Highway-1 makes driving awkward and you want to avoid long inland detours.

Bottom line

Your route includes fantastic places, but right now the biggest constraints are the Highway-1 Big Sur closure and seasonal mountain pass variability — both will materially affect your coastal drives and your Yosemite→Tahoe routing. If you’re open to dropping either Tahoe or Sequoia (or dropping the full Big Sur drive), you’ll have far less frantic mileage and more time to enjoy each stop.

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