The Golden Arch

Fifteen nights from Phoenix to Los Angeles, taking in the Arizona desert, the original Route 66, the high Sierra and the whole central coast. It is arranged from the UK as one package with flights, car and hotels together.

The opening drive is a good one: Sedona’s red rock and Flagstaff on the climb to the Grand Canyon, with Meteor Crater near Winslow as an optional stop. Then comes the day that justifies the trip, three surviving Route 66 towns in a row at Seligman, Hackberry and Oatman, followed by Hoover Dam and into Las Vegas for two nights.

Death Valley and Badwater lead over the eastern Sierra by Mono Lake and the Tioga Pass to two nights at Yosemite, with the valley floor, the sequoias at Mariposa Grove and Glacier Point. Napa and Sonoma follow, where Thomas Keller’s Bouchon and the French Laundry are both in the valley and balloons go up over the vineyards at dawn. Then Conzelman Road and the Golden Gate into two nights in San Francisco.

The last week is the coast. Monterey and the aquarium, the 17-Mile Drive and two nights at Carmel for Pebble Beach and Point Lobos, then Big Sur and the Bixby Bridge with Hearst Castle optional on the way to Santa Barbara. Malibu and the Pacific Coast Highway bring you into Los Angeles to finish. Around 1,650 miles over a fortnight and a bit, which is a sensible pace for this much variety. The Tioga Pass is open June to October. Laguna Beach and San Diego can be added. It suits anyone who wants the desert and the ocean without three full weeks to give it.