I began to do road trips around Ireland with my children when they were about eight years old, they are now 12. I hadn’t been driving long (I did my test at the ripe old age of 46) and I couldn’t wait to just get in my car and drive everywhere. And that’s what I did.  My longest road trips were five hours to Kerry. Whichever end of Ireland I went to, the average road trip took me up to five hours. My children of course were never told exactly how long the drives were going to be and I kept them entertained with ample food stops. This was good training for a recent road trip, only this time it was to be in Central California, minus my twins and with a professional driver.

The City of Angels

My trip began in Los Angeles and would end in San Francisco – a seven-day road trip through the most spectacular landscapes in California. LA, the City of Angels, felt like stepping straight into the movies I grew up watching in the 1980s. A first time visit for me and I was very excited as I am a big move buff and of course, I was going to see some movie stars! LA feels familiar because of the movies and TV series made here but you have to plan your days out, as everything is spread out and you need to drive or do tours an as you can imagine, there are traffic jams. I planned my Hollywood Bus Tour in the morning and it was perfect timing. The tour covered plenty. One minute you’re standing beneath the Hollywood Sign, or pulling up beside the Beverly Hills sign; the next you’re walking along the Hollywood Walk of Fame, oohing and aahing as you walk over many famous names.  Next, we were driving by the shops on Rodeo Drive, the infamous Viper Rooms and Whiskey-a-go-go, Mel’s Drive-In, The Comedy Store, Keys – so many Hollywood places that you hear about but don’t imagine ever seeing for real. A stroll along Santa Monica Pier and the beach, capped off the perfect morning. LA is an assortment of neighbourhoods, each with its own personality and energy. I would recommend five to seven days in Los Angeles; there’s lots to do.

Death Valley National Park

We were collected from The Shay Hotel in Culver City (a great location for exploring LA). Leaving the bright lights of LA behind and on to Death Valley National Park. Ubers and bus tours are a distant memory as I looked out the window; the landscape soon turned to vast open space in only a short drive. I noticed the largest wind farm I have seen; it was nearly aesthetic-looking, out among the mountains and open space. The song from Talking Heads came to mind in my head “We’re on the Road to Nowhere…” And I loved it, not knowing what was coming next. We pass small industrial communities and you wonder why people choose to live in such vastness and isolated places. Or maybe they think the same about city people. We stop for photo opportunities with our mouths wide open at every stop, going deeper into Death Valley National Park. Even the name is mysterious and I soon discover how stark, silent and vast it is. I immediately feel minuscule. It felt like another planet. The landscape colours are a mixture of reds, oranges, snow-white patches, green foliage and I watch the tumbleweed blowing along the deserted roads and canyons. Five hours later, we arrive at our accommodation for two nights – The Ranch at Death Valley, sister hotel to The Oasis at Death Valley (across the road from each other) located in the aptly named Furnace Creek. One hotel is expensive, the other more budget-friendly. The Ranch is like stepping onto a Western movie set, complete with the distinctively named ‘Last Kind Words Saloon’, there’s an ice cream parlour, post office and a range of original memorabilia adorning the walls in the saloon that are both quirky and authentic, including moose heads, antlers, posters of Buffalo Bills Wild West Cowboy riders, and plaques saying ‘Cursing & Foul language Prohibited’. You could envisage real cowboys coming through the batwing saloon doors and the place falling quiet, waiting for a gunfight showdown.

You would think in such a vast National Park, what is there to do? Your first stop should be Furnace Creek Visitor Centre, where you can plan your day trips with the guidance of the staff. You need to plan it, as the park is 3,422,024 acres. First established as Death Valley National Monument Park in 1933, it was redesignated as a national park in 1994. It has been recorded as the hottest place on Earth, with the hottest month globally in July 2024 at 50°C. You need to be prepared for these extreme conditions on this type of road trip – plenty of water, suncream, air-conditioned cars, etc. You will find no phone signal in most areas except the hotel and you need to be aware of rattlesnakes, scorpions and black widow spiders.

Visalia & Sequoia National Park

The next day we set off to the city of Visalia, the largest city in Tulare County in California’s Central Valley and an important gateway to Sequoia National Park and Kings Canyon National Park. Over five hours’ drive later, we arrived in the opposite of Death Valley – noise, shops, people, activity. It felt good to be back in a city. Visalia was a place I knew very little about before arriving and it ended up being a lovely surprise on the trip.

Set in the heart of California’s Central Valley, it has a relaxed, small-town feel despite being a city. Surrounded by farmland, orchards and some of the richest agricultural land in the United States, there is a real sense of richness here, in what they grow. Fruit and vegetable trees are everywhere and the pace of life feels slower and more grounded for a city.

We visited a local community-led hub and garden called Woodlake Botanical Garden, created by husband and wife Olga and Manual Jimenez. The gardens are full of colourful fruits and vegetables, flowers that instantly make you smile and you can see that the owners have built this place with a lot of TLC. Downtown Visalia has a beautiful, original Fox Theatre (1930s) and the restaurants are a diverse mix of dining suitable for all palates. They also have a brewery called Soccer City 1852, where you can dine, have a beer, watch sports on the TV and also play a game of indoor football.

Our hotel in Visalia was the quirky Darling Hotel, a beautifully restored Art Deco building that was once the city’s main courthouse. Built in 1935 and given a new lease of life in 2020, the hotel still retains plenty of reminders of its past. In one room, the original courthouse vault remains intact inside the wardrobe area, a fascinating piece of history hidden in plain sight. And who doesn’t like a welcome pillow with the words ‘Hello Darling’ on it. I highly recommend a stay here, they also have a great restaurant, Elderwood, a rooftop bar (amazing sunset views) a heated pool and a gym.

Our next stop was Sequoia National Park. The mist had rolled in and it was a rainy day when we visited. On entering, we immediately drove higher, around bendy roads where at times, it was so misty it felt like we were driving in the clouds. This took around an hour to reach our destination before we were taken by our passionate naturalist guide, Isaac Kim, around the different trails, including Congress Trail and it was so overwhelming to be among these phenomenal trees, the infamous Sequoia trees (the largest on earth). You can bring a picnic with you (watch out for bears) and walk around this exquisite park full of Native American history, rivers, foothills, viewpoints, it really is a geologist’s dream. The biggest tree on Earth, because of the volume of its trunk, is ‘The General Sherman.’ It is truly breathtaking even if you are not a passionate geologist. The challenge for the park’s conservation team is to prevent outside changes from affecting the park and limit the impact of people in the park while also allowing visitors to come and enjoy its natural beauty. It reminded me of scenes from the movie, “The Last of the Mohicans.” After walking and being mesmerised, we headed back to our ‘darling’ hotel and into a deep sleep after all the steps that day.

Yosemite National Park

Our next and final stop on route to Yosemite Valley was a two-hour drive to a town called Mariposa, a charming Gold Rush town. With its wooden storefronts, historic buildings and laid-back atmosphere, it felt like stepping onto the set of a John Wayne movie. It is the kind of place where you stop for one night and wish you had stayed longer. If you like farms, Happy Goat Farm will be open to the public this year and is a peaceful, not-for-profit farm. If you are interested in the history behind mountain climbing in Yosemite National Park, you must visit the Yosemite Climbing Museum, created by local legend, Ken Jager. It is full of donated memorabilia and if you’re lucky, Ken will be there to share his incredible stories.

We had a hearty dinner at a local restaurant, Fredericks of Savourys (the best cocktails) and after a long day we were on our way to our final accommodation, Yosemite View Lodge. It was dark when we arrived, yet we could still hear the river in the background, already a peaceful vibe. The next day, when I opened my curtains, the view was incredible, with huge mountains in front of me, a flowing river beneath me and the sun splitting the sky. Minutes later we were on our way with our guide for the day, Ranger Scott, to find Yogi bear (we found a mama bear and her two cubs in the wild, something I will never forget) Ranger Scott, has spent 36 years sharing his stories of the park’s wonders and excitedly showed us as much as he could in one day (I recorded over 16,000 steps) Our first stop was Tunnel View, where the breathtaking panorama of El Capitan, Half Dome and Bridalveil Fall provides one of the most iconic views in America. From there, we visited Mariposa Grove, home to some of Yosemite’s oldest giant sequoias, before exploring the historic Wawona village, where the fascinating Chinese Laundry Museum offers a glimpse into an often-overlooked chapter of California’s history. Glacier Point was another highlight; make sure to pack a lunch and allow yourself time to simply sit and take it all in – the views are spectacular. Down in Yosemite Valley, visitors can explore shops, restaurants, the Indian Village of the Ahwahnee, Yosemite Cemetery and easy walking trails, including the route to Lower Yosemite Fall.

This is really only a sample of what you can do here. If Yosemite is part of your California road trip plan, allow at least ten days for the wider region – you’ll need every one of them. If you are looking for trips full of adventure, nature, history and the chance of meeting living, local legends, visit California and begin with this road trip. Don’t wait for it to be a bucket list trip. Pack lots of energy and a good pair of walking shoes.

Here are some must-see locations in Death Valley, depending on your time limits –

1-2 hours: Badwater Basin is mind-blowing, and I have never felt heat like it except when I was at Ayers Rock in Australia. Artist’s Drive is a short scenic loop drive away, through multi-coloured mountains (they are different colours from the minerals in the mountains). Zabriskie Point is a great viewpoint to take it all in or watch the sunrise/sunset.

More than 2 hours: Visit the Mesquite Flat Sand Dunes where you can walk along the dunes for miles. Be careful when you spot holes in the dunes (it’s where the rattlesnakes hide from the sun). Dante’s View is a breathtaking viewpoint over 5000 ft above the floor of Death Valley.

Half-Day: Ubehebe Crater (approx. 2000 years old) is astounding and you can view it from the pathway by the parking area.

Charcoal Kilns: After a bumpy off-road drive, you will see 10 dome-shaped structures built in 1876 to provide charcoal. They resemble large beehives.

How I got there: We did a jeep tour with Farabee’s Jeep Rentals from The Ranch Hotel where our experienced guide and driver took us around Emigrant Canyon and to other spectacular areas including Augereberry Point, named after Pete Augereberry who worked all his life in the Panamints area and built the first access road to this viewpoint so others could appreciate its incredible view over the valley. Death Valley National Park is truly a wasteland wonderland and will take your breath away more than once

For further information, go to www.VisitCalifornia.com

Published in the Autumn 2026 issue of Planet Woman Travel.