National Parks, Cheap Motels & Fresh Fruit in California
7 days / 1185 miles / 29 hours 16 minutes
Best time to go: April - October
State by StateSee more trips
Day 1
try to spot mid-century modernist architecture amid luxurious, but totally inaccessible houses
9:00 am - 32.8 miles / 38 minutes - 9:39 am
taste a date shake and stock up on fresh dates of more varieties than you thought existed
10:39 am - 25.3 miles / 32 minutes - 11:13 am
3. Joshua Tree National Park - South Entrance
drive up to Twentynine Palms learning about more or less unsuccessful attempts at farming and ranching in the desert along the way
11:13 am - 3.4 miles / 9 minutes - 11:23 am
3:53 pm - 29.1 miles / 46 minutes - 4:40 pm
5:10 pm - 7.3 miles / 11 minutes - 5:22 pm
5:52 pm - 11.8 miles / 19 minutes - 6:12 pm
the only place that deserves to call itself a restaurant in Twentynine Palms
7:12 pm - 2.1 miles / 5 minutes - 7:18 pm
Day 2
observe firsthand customs of young soldiers and their more or less permanent girlfriends
9:00 am - 4.4 miles / 7 minutes - 9:08 am
Joshua Tree National Park - North Entrance
hike some more and envy climbers who are much better equipped to avoid invading hordes otherwise known as tourists
9:08 am - 9.3 miles / 13 minutes - 9:22 am
10:52 am - 7.4 miles / 17 minutes - 11:10 am
12:10 pm - 2.0 miles / 5 minutes - 12:16 pm
12:46 pm - 7.1 miles / 11 minutes - 12:58 pm
4:28 pm - 219.1 miles / 3 hours 35 minutes - 8:04 pm
Day 3
you can find a vast selection of chain motels and few people there. As you leave the town stop at a farm stand to buy some fresh oranges
9:00 am - 52.5 miles / an hour 6 minutes - 10:07 am
6. Sequoia National Forest - Ranger Station
a friendly ranger will advise you on best trails among sequoias
10:22 am - 33.9 miles / 59 minutes - 11:22 am
skip the Trail of 100 Giants unless you are into people watching. There are at least 32 other sequoia groves in the forest completely devoid of people
12:22 pm - 14.7 miles / 29 minutes - 12:52 pm
3:22 pm - 12.2 miles / 38 minutes - 4:00 pm
5:00 pm - 75.5 miles / 2 hours 9 minutes - 7:10 pm
there are couple of competent restaurants in Visalia: Brewbakers Brewing Company with fancy named burger choices is our pick
8:10 pm - 0.4 miles / 3 minutes - 8:14 pm
Day 4
where local population missed on the sweeping trend and didn't desert downtown. On the way out stock up on strawberries from Chinese immigrants tending seasonal patches that bear sweet fruit May to August
9:00 am - 36.2 miles / 49 minutes - 9:50 am
see more sequoias, as one never tires of giant trees
10:50 am - 16.8 miles / 45 minutes - 11:36 am
12:36 pm - 1.7 miles / 6 minutes - 12:43 pm
don't worry: there are more sequoias in your itinerary
1:13 pm - 2.1 miles / 4 minutes - 1:18 pm
3:18 pm - 3.0 miles / 7 minutes - 3:26 pm
5:26 pm - 82.8 miles / an hour 53 minutes - 7:20 pm
Korean food
8:20 pm - 5.8 miles / 10 minutes - 8:31 pm
Day 5
has more freeways than it needs but to justify it, inhabitants just drive around for fun. Leaving Fresno will give you ample opportunities to buy fresh sweet cherries. If you think price is too high - haggle
9:00 am - 10.6 miles / 12 minutes - 9:13 am
9. Forestiere Underground Gardens
an ingenious answer to central valley weather - oppressive summer heat and biting winter frost - imported straight from Sicily. A lesson in gardening and housing that unfortunately nobody learned
11:13 am - 50.1 miles / an hour 2 minutes - 12:16 pm
1:46 pm - 17.4 miles / 34 minutes - 2:21 pm
if you have enough time and the road is open
2:21 pm - 6.5 miles / 11 minutes - 2:33 pm
2:43 pm - 37.8 miles / an hour 13 minutes - 3:57 pm
3:57 pm - 17.6 miles / 33 minutes - 4:31 pm
5:01 pm - 27.4 miles / 55 minutes - 5:57 pm
6:17 pm - 5.0 miles / 12 minutes - 6:30 pm
6:40 pm - 1.7 miles / 4 minutes - 6:45 pm
7:00 pm - 29.8 miles / an hour 8 minutes - 8:09 pm
don't miss Cajun food
9:09 pm - 1.8 miles / 5 minutes - 9:14 pm
Day 6
relax with a glass of wine in their wine bar
9:00 am - 46.5 miles / an hour 24 minutes - 10:25 am
probably the most frequently visited national park. Start early, pick the most strenuous hike you can stomach and walk fast
10:25 am - 0.9 miles / 5 minutes - 10:31 am
The Mist Trail - Vernal and Nevada Falls
as you gain elevation and asphalt gives way to stone you'll find yourself with less and less company to compete for waterfalls' views
4:31 pm - 9.5 miles / 23 minutes - 4:55 pm
if the Tunnel View crowds are getting between you and one of Yosemite's most famous viewpoints
6:55 pm - 43.1 miles / an hour 8 minutes - 8:04 pm
the best restaurant in Mariposa where the best part is to watch French tourists confronted with American dining customs
9:04 pm - 37.0 miles / 45 minutes - 9:50 pm
Day 7
between Merced and Modesto stock up on almonds, pistachios and walnuts
9:00 am - 39.7 miles / 40 minutes - 9:41 am
10:41 am - 45.4 miles / 47 minutes - 11:29 am
taste wines in one of the many wineries in Lodi and buy a few bottles
12:29 pm - 4.6 miles / 10 minutes - 12:39 pm
1:39 pm - 53.7 miles / 57 minutes - 2:36 pm